Our short film documents thousands of thriving, wild American chestnuts on the land of renowned biologist Dr. Bernd Heinrich—contradicting decades of assumptions about the species’ decline.
Dr. Bernd Heinrich and Global Justice Ecology Project Executive Director Anne Petermann look at a 43 year old American chestnut amidst hundreds of its offspring.
Register to watch the film here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_A-UTWqH5SbWVfK83OhvNzw#/registration Film airs on Thursday December 4 at 7pm eastern US time.
About the film:
There are three generations of wild American chestnut trees growing the land of renowned naturalist Dr. Bernd Heinrich, Biologist, naturalist, and author of A Year in the Maine Woods and 20+ other books.
These trees, numbering in the thousands, are rewriting the story of a species once thought lost. Their resilience challenges the widespread claim that only genetic engineering can restore the species.
Planted by blue jays and squirrels, these trees show us something far more hopeful: the wild American chestnut is already returning, naturally.
Join us for the premiere screening of a new short environmental documentary on this amazing success story.
WHEN:
Thursday, December 4, 2025 7pm Eastern US time zoom screening
“This film presents some good news about the wild American Chestnut and is a stark contrast to claims that genetically engineered trees are necessary to bring the species back,” said Anne Petermann, GJEP Executive Director. “It was stunning to see so many robust trees representing three generations of natural growth, when the GE approach has produced nothing but failures.”
Film premiere co-sponsored by:
Standing Trees
Dogwood Alliance
Canadian Biotechnology Action Network
Friends of the Earth US
Heartwood
GM Watch
The Hoodwinked Collaborative
Shawnee Forest Defense
The Shawnee Park and Climate Alliance