WASHINGTON — The American chestnut tree, nearly wiped out by a blight that started more than 100 years ago, is beginning to make a comeback thanks to its Chinese cousin. U.S. Interior Secretary ...

The New York Restoration Project has launched an effort to plant 1,000 thriving American chestnut trees that are a hybrid with the blight-resistant Chinese chestnut tree in the five boroughs.

The plant breeders had crossed the Chinese chestnut and the American chestnut, 1/16: 15/16 respectively, which has a 50% survival rate according to current studies.

The initial crossbreed between an American and Chinese chestnut is dubbed F1, Kell said. That tree, which is half American and half Chinese chestnut, is then put through a process called backcrossing.