ole ie -e ® The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, December 4, 1996 5 A Case for conservation ‘ 5 A \ DIS CEO Si! AN EE ASR i % - Tey ag TRE TE Alene N. Case One of my prized possessions is a 15 inch round tray on which one can serve chips and dip. My father turned this marvel out of one piece of wormy chestnut, even leaving a small ledge encircling the'center so that the dip dish will not slide while the tray is being passed from one guest to another. I also have several picture frames made of the same attractive wood by the same artisan. When I was a young child, I remember my father pointing out huge white snags’'that were all that then re- mained ofthis once-dominant for- est treé - the American chestnut. It was some time before I real- ized that “wormy” chestnut was not'a regular type of wood like oak ‘or maple or black walnut. It was even longer before I realized that the small larvae that chewed their way through the wood giving it that “wormy” appearance were not the cause of the great tree's de- mise. No, the American chestnut fell victim to an imported fungus. But; before I tell that story, let me introduce you to the American chestnut of a century ago. Oné hundred years ago, chest- nut trees stood tall in the forests of the eastern United States. They had'done so for about 2000 years since they re-colonized the area ? slowly after the last ice sheet re- treatéd. Some of the trees alive in 1900 were 500-600 years old, well over '1'00 feet tall, and 6-8 feel in diameter. Many eastern woodl- lands ‘were 25% chestnut, and some ridge-tops in Appalachia wete nearly pure stands so that they looked like snow-covered peaks when the trees bloomed in June. Animals and people de- pended upon these trees for their livelihood. The nuts were the best tasting of the seven species of “Under the (late) spreading chestnut tree..” chestnut in the world. They were shipped lo cities for use in holiday celebrations, besides providing excellent nutrition for all kinds of forest dwellers. Oneauthordescribes the chest- nut as the “perfect tree.” After describing the form and fruit of the tree, Mr. Chad McGrath in- cludes this paragraph: “So boun- tiful in life, this tree would be bountiful in death. Its wood would be strong and beautiful, with grain both colorful and intricate. Rot would not easily enter the heart- wood, which would be dense and yet kind to saw and plane. Its coals would burn long and lot. Even the bark would be useful, perhaps containing a chemical, like tannin, to use in tanning leather.” It was used for railroad ties, mine timbers, telegraph poles, shingles, paneling, plywood, furniture, and musical instru- ments. But, in 1904, a fungal disease was discovered on American chestnut trees in New York City. It spread more than 20 miles per year and proved impossible to stop. All trees more than 4 inches in diameter would become infected by canker-type wounds under the bark, which would restrict the flow of water and nutrients to the growing parts of the tree, and death was the swift and sure re- sult. By 1950 there were no na- tive stands of chestnut trees re- maining. It had been reduced to an understory tree as old roots continued to send up shoots which died before they could success- fully reproduce. The nations two largest American chestnuts now live in Washington state - well out of their natural range - and are over 100 feet tall and over 6 feet in diameter. Some people have never given up on this “perfect tree.” The American Chestnut Foundation has as its mission statement the following seemingly impossible “prime directive:” “It has only one ; HONEY, Do You & al REMEMBS R. WHERE. 1%, WE PUT THE BLINKY 0 v3 b> LIGHTB Open House for SURVEYING and ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY Degree Programs ‘Saturday, December 7 — 10 am. to 1 p.m Penn State Wilkes-Barre Campus at Lehman in the Bell Atlantic Center for Technology » Learn about exciting careers in engineering and engineering technology. + Meet Penn State engineering faculty and counselors. » See demonstrations in the engineering labs. A light lunch will be provided. Please RSVP. "Two-Year Associate Degree Programs 0 Biomedical Engineering Technology Q Electrical Engineering Technology QL Mechanical Engineering Technology QO Surveying Technology OQ Telecommunications Technology Four-Year Baccalaureate Degree Programs Ql Surveying Ql Electrical Engineering Technology PENNSIATE Wilkes-Barre ow Campus To register, or for more information, call (717) 675-9238 or (800) 966-6613 goal - to put the American chest- nut, king of the Eastern forests, back on its throne.” This non- profit organization supports sci- entific research and breeding pro- grams with which they try to in- corporate the disease resistance of the Chinese chestnut with the growth habits and flavor of the American. It is theoretically possible to have a 98% genetically pure American chestnut which retains the disease resistance genes of the Chinese chestnut tree. The first experiment will be completed in the year 2000. If you are inter- ested in supporting the work of this optimistic group, you can join them at $35 or more a year. (The American Chestnut Foundation, P.O. Box 6057, West Virginia Universily, Morgantown WV 26506) | Meanwhile, other groups are ‘promoting the orchard growth of other varieties of chestnuts which are smaller trees with larger (ruil. Nutritionists, including Francis Moore Lappe in Diet for a Small Planet, point out that the chest- nul is only 5% fat (other nuts are generally 50% fat!), that they have very high quality protein, and that they are particularly appetizing with their sweet, nutty {lavor. As such, they make an excellent staple food for humans. They are also particularly suited to sus- tainable agriculture since they do not require annual cultivation or agricultural chemicals. They are adaptable to a wide variety of cli- mates and soils within the tem- perate regions of the earth. And, they live hundreds of years and produce abundant annual crops of nuts almost without fail. Yes, our eastern forests were completely changed by the intro- duction of a fungus early in this century. Perhaps someday the American chestnut will again be more than a memory. But, until then, I will cherish a special wooden tray. As I was saying It's easy to subscribe. Use the handy coupon on page 2 Jack Hilsher Hard to believe but we're com- ing up on Joyful Yuletime again. And that, kiddies, means it's time for the annual toy column. Whether you are planning to buy Christmas toys or not, this giga- billion-dollar market merits a look. Your gaze is directed to the tottering Numero Uno of last year TOYS “R” US, whose top position is no longer a given. After sixteen years of growth, company earn- ings are way down. Shares were almost $43 in '93 but slumped in the $20s for most of 1995, when they lost a whopping $5.2 billion in market value. Chief Executive Michael Gold- smith gave The New York Times three reasons for the TOYS “R" quandary: Intense competitive pressure from discount stores like WAL-MART, who still has the best Barbie prices; lack of creative new toys like Power Rangers, which are at long last dying on the shelves; and an acute realization that the standard TOYS “R” for- mat may not be the greatest for the long pull. This third reason is simply that their stores are no fun to shop. Merchandise is piled up to high ceilings and no one is in sight to help. The overall impression is too much like the no-frills Sam’s Club warehouses, and too “super- markety” for Mom and Dad out for Status report from the toy store front lines an evening shopping tour. And if the kids are along too it becomes a painful mistake. TOYS "R" have gotten away with their no-service displays because of low prices and their huge selec- tion. New stores, and intensive revamping of old stores, were to take all this into account in 1996 . wider aisles, lower displays made more “touchable” and - at last - visible customer service. Finally, 15,000 items will be trimmed to 11,000 with all dis- plays heavily spiced up with more educational toys. Is it working? We'll see. On your behalfl explored the big store in Wilkes-Barre and respectfully submit my surveillance report: No trouble parking in the nearly empty lot. Just inside greeted by two identical signs reading “WEL- COME FRIENDS!" Three more read, “Where Holiday Magic Be- gins.” Several others said games were alphabetical (from A to Z) and that coming up were “Lower Prices and Bigger Selection.” To the right were 13 checkout aisles, only two of which were working. Alter some 90-degree turns, two left and one right, sur- rounded by 1001 stuffed Dalma- tians, I found myself in one of the main concourses, all looking ex- actly like last year, flanked by towering stacks of stuff, forbid- ding pile after pile of ... well, say MONOPOLY games, for instance. There were six sections of $10.99 standard models. (K-Mart's is $9.86 and Wal-Mart $10.97) Of course ifyou want the classy 60th Anniversary Monopoly (celebrat- ing the years 1935 to 1995), you, can spend $39.95. Hey, don't knock it. I also found those ancient favorites Lincoln Logs, Erector sets, even Tinkertoys -, ... all full of colors they never used .’ to have Their boxed sel prices : seem hooked on the number nine $49.99, $69.99 and $99.99. There was also a box of 28 plain ° wooden blocks, once my favorite toy, which sold for $14.99. Why not? Look at today's 2x4 price.} - Perhaps the least forbidding and most relaxing display in the / whole emporium was the ! children’s book section. I spent” most of my time there, looking for | Tom Swift, The Bobsey Twins, and The Rover Boys. (Didn't really ex- pect to find that old favorite, “The : Rover Boys Up In Mabel's Room,” but I looked anyway and struck out.) Not a sign of even one of those classics. However I did find a book titled *] Want My Potty." British. Cost $6.95. And Genichmo Yagyu of i Japan for $11.95 will sell you his «, ten-page book entitled “The Holes in Your Nose." Genichmo devotes his colorful pages to similar sub- | ject matter such as “The holes in your ears and and he admonishes you {o keep them the hole in your mouth” clean. One of his pages refers to “The Hole In Your Behind” (How could I possibly be making this up?) and “The Hole Where the Pee Comes out.” : Color me speechless. Yanchik named to Geisinger diabetes education team Denice Yanchik, R.N. of Leh- man was recently named to the diabetes education team for the eastern region of the Geisinger health system. In her new role, she will be assessing and meeting the educational needs of diabetic patients. Yanchik has been a member of the intensive care unit at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medi- cal Center since 1981, providing primary nursing care to seriously and critically ill and injured pa- tients. Certified in adult critical care nursing, she is a past presi- dent of the Luzerne /Lackawanna Chapter of the American Associa- tion of Critical Care Nurses and serves as an advanced cardiac life support instructor. Prior to her association with Geisinger she was a medical/surgical nurse at Tyler Memorial Hospital. ercy - X-Rays Health Center. and x-rays...right on the spot! life anyway). QualMed. and Medicare. Family Health Centers Outpatient services in-house. - Laboratory Services - Electrocardiograms For one-stop convenience, visit the experienced health care professionals at your neighborhood Mercy Family We can treat you quickly and efficiently because each Health Center has on-site equipment to accurately process your laboratory services, electrocardiograms Centralized registration and billing saves you time and energy (which should probably be spent on your busy Mercy Health System accepts most types of private insurance, including Blue Cross/Blue Shield. US Health Care, Aetna, For more information and a free brochure, call us today at 1-800-463-1111. DENICE YANCHIK ~~ © Mercy Family Health Center ; 328 Kennedy Boulevard Pittston 654-1177 Mercy Family Health Center Weis Market Plaza ~~." | | Route 309 Mountaintop 474-5958 Mercy Family Health Center 199 Lake Street Dallas 675-8599 Mercy Abington Medical Center 102 N. Abington Road Clarks Green 586-7962 Mercy Diagnostic Center 440 Pierce Street Kingston 288-8406 | Mercy | Health System 3 papa a |
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers