A Guide to Nut Tree Culture in North America, Volume 1

The first book in 25 years to assemble the latest advancements in the culture and care of nut trees, A Guide to Nut Tree Culture in North America, Vol. 1. is a partial successor to Richard Jayne's 1979 widely popular handbook, "Nut Tree Culture in North America", that is now out of print.

Edited by Michigan State University plant pathologist Dr. Dennis Fulbright, A Guide to Nut Tree Culture in North America, Volume 1 unites the expertise of 18 professionals who have worked in nut tree cultivation most of their careers. A few examples of those who share their years of knowledge and experience: Dr. Sandra Anagnostakis, pathologist at the USDA Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, and Spencer Chase, the honored Dean of the NNGA writes on the history of nut tree growing, an important chapter for those who need to understand past successes and failures in order to achieve future goals; Professor Shawn A. Mehlenbacher from Oregon State University, a top expert in the country on hazelnut breeding and cultivation explains important aspects of hazelnut culture including pollination cultivars, genetics resistance to eastern filbert blight and big bud mite and the role of cultivars in international markets; and Dr. Greg Miller, proprietor of the Empire Chestnut Company, helps the reader understand chestnut basics including flowering and fruiting and describes the various species and cultivars that can be propagated in many parts of the country. A strength of this volume is its focus on the great American nuts, pecan and hickory. And those are just the beginning!

All 18 chapters are well documented and fully referenced on 400 expository pages. Learn about the biology, ecology, biogeography, history, and commercial applications of eight different types of nut trees. Almost 100 historical photographs and informative illustrations are included in this comprehensive guide to nut trees and their culture.

From beginning nut tree enthusiast to the accomplished nurseryman, A Guide to Nut Tree Culture in North America, Volume 1 will bestow upon one a multitude of pertinent and progressive information in the first of two compelling handbooks published by NNGA.

Dr. Dennis Fulbright is a professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at Michigan State University. After receiving his Ph.D. at University of California, Riverside, Dennis went to work at MSU in 1979, where he has worked on fungal, bacterial and virus diseases of field crops, vegetables, trees and has functioned as a horticulturalist on tree nut crops. In 1982, Fulbright established a research program on Michigan's blighted, but recovering American chestnut trees. He and his colleagues found a biological control reducing the effect of the chestnut blight disease on the trees in Michigan. Recently, he as added Christmas tree diseases and oak wilt disease to his responsibilities.

Fulbright serves as the faculty advisor for the Michigan Nut Growers Association, the Midwest Nut Producers Council and Chestnut Growers, Inc. He was a member of the board of directors of The American Chestnut Foundation for 14 years. He has been the editor of the NNGA Annual Report since 1996.

Michigan growers attempting to establish a commercialize chestnut industry receive much of Fulbright's expert knowledge and time. Fulbright has also worked with seventh graders in Cadillac, Michigan, Public Schools where a small arboretum has been established dedicated to the American Chestnut tree that is threatened with elimination from the natural ecosystem. This program lead to the establishment of the Cadillac Chestnut Harvest Festival, one of the largest festivals of its kind held in the United States each October.

Besides this book, Dr. Fulbright has also edited NNGA's publication, "The Hazel Tree" by Cecil Ferris, an in depth look into the world armature hazelnut breeding. Dr. Fulbright has published over 100 papers, chapters, reports and technical notes in scientific journals, books and proceedings. In 1997, he and his colleagues received the USDA Secretary's Group Honor Award for research leading the re-establishment of the American chestnut.

Dr. Fulbright is currently on leave from Michigan State University and is serving as a visiting professor at the University of Tuscia in Viterbo, Italy. While in Italy, Fulbright is studying chestnut diseases and learning more about chestnut culture in areas where chestnut has been grown for centuries.