In search of climate-resilient trees
Washington State University plant pathologist Gary Chastagner has been trotting the globe in an effort to safeguard an important Pacific Northwest crop — the iconic winter evergreen. Dubbed “Dr. Christmas Tree” by his colleagues for a 44-year career studying the decorative conifers, Chastagner traveled to Turkey in 2020 to find mother trees of Turkish and Trojan firs, which are adaptable to the Northwest’s climate and resistant to disease. … In one effort, a multi-state team led by Patrick J. Brown has been awarded nearly $3.8 million over the next four years for a project to improve pistachio production as the industry faces warmer winters and scarcer water.