On April 27, 2019, Cian Evans and Doug Gillis of the Carolinas Chapter greeted folks visiting a TACF display at the Montreat Native Plant Sale in Montreat, NC to talk and learn about the American chestnut and its restoration. Many had some knowledge of the tree though others were learning about its struggles with chestnut blight and Phytophthora root rot disease for the first time. Doug, with Cian’s help, ended the day with a 45-minute presentation discussing and answering questions about TACF’s chapter breeding programs to develop hybrid American chestnut trees with tolerance to both the blight and root rot.
TACF’s fact sheets were very helpful in providing detailed information to answer specific questions. A local said he was having trouble growing chestnuts from seed. Doug realized he was freezing the nuts to winterize them. Verbal instructions and a copy of the fact sheet “Harvesting, Handling and Storing Chestnuts” was shared with him. A Massachusetts couple was interested in how to roast chestnuts. Cian gave them a copy of “Eating Chestnuts” and a copy of the fall 2017 issue of Chestnut magazine which included an article on “How to Roast Chestnuts.” (Fact sheets and archived copies of Chestnut can be found under the RESOURCES tab on TACF’s website.) A woman from the State of Washington had not seen American chestnut trees except for the four displayed at the table. Doug told her to visit the Mills and Mills Memorial Garden on Littlerock Road in Tumwater, Washington to view what possibly are the two largest American chestnut trees in America.
Cian, being a first-time volunteer helping with the presentation, quickly grasped the importance of having a roster to record people’s contact information and to sign them up to receive complimentary copies of the eSprout newsletter. He also distributed TACF membership brochures and the Top 10 Reasons to Save the American Chestnut rack card. In the course of the day, Doug and Cian shared information with many individuals from a number of states, including parents and their children. It was a successful day of assisting and educating people about the American chestnut.
