Newswise — With people thinking about chestnuts roasting over open fires, now is the perfect time for the public to help return the American chestnut to the U.S. landscape.

Efforts to restore the American chestnut tree are at the final stage – federal regulatory approval – with input from the public playing a key component. Once federal regulatory approval is received the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) and The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) can start distributing these trees.

Now through Dec. 27 people can voice their support for the Darling 58, a blight-tolerant American chestnut developed by researchers at ESF  with support from TACF, by submitting comments telling regulators what the restoration of the American chestnut means to them!

Darling 58 is the culmination of decades of research toward producing an American chestnut tree that will be safe and effective for restoration.