Volunteers Power Our Mission
Many hands make light work! TACF volunteers are interesting, inspired folks you get to know as you work, learn, and grow trees together! If you crave connection and want to create positive change, Maine TACF is a great place to give and to get both.
We believe that we can recreate the forest community and revitalize our human community at the same time. We’re doing it day by day. Won’t you join us?
With your help we can accomplish these tasks and more this year:
Chestnut Restoration — Join or start a Chestnut Restoration Team near you. Plant, tend and share chestnut trees and their story with others. Chestnuts-Across-Maine partners with local land trusts, parks, schools and towns to connect people and chestnuts.
Potting seeds — In February we gather at a member’s greenhouse to pot up the nuts that will become the seedlings of 2025.
Inoculating — In June we will inject live blight fungus into the bark of about 3000 trees in our seed orchards in Searsport, Phippsburg, Stetson, Hartland, and Winthrop, to see if the trees show any sign of blight resistance.
Evaluating — Trees inoculated in June of 2024 will be evaluated by TACF scientists to see how well they fared against the fungus.
Roguing — From May through October any trees that succumbed to the blight will be cut down and removed from the seed orchards, leaving more room for the other trees.
Pollinating — In July or August, volunteers will transfer pollen collected from our more promising trees to the blooming flowers of other high performing chestnuts.
Harvesting — In the fall we’ll gather nuts from pure American chestnuts and any hand pollinated “best by best” crosses. The narrow harvest window is usually September 25 through October 10.
Husking— A couple weeks after harvest, it’s all hands on husks to open the spiny burs (with tough gloves) to reveal 2-3 delicious, sweet nuts tucked inside. Hot cider, roasting chestnuts and lively conversation remind us why volunteering is so rewarding.
Learn more about Volunteering
Time is our most precious resource to give. At TACF we treat your time like a valuable gift to the future. Opportunities abound for volunteers, even those who don’t love field work. Take this easy first step: Sign up to volunteer. Our volunteer coordinator will contact you to help you find a good fit for your skills and interests.
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It's time for an update on the Recurrent Genomic Selection (RGS) process. Staff and volunteers, including Hannah and Christine from our Asheville office, have been diligently collecting leaf tissue samples from seedlings produced by our first RGS crosses, which were carried out in the summer of 2024. Last week, each tree was tagged for identification, ensuring accurate tracking throughout the genotyping process. The DNA from these samples will be sequenced, and the resulting data will directly inform and enhance our ongoing breeding program.
#americanchestnut #castaneadentata #americanchestnutfoundation #meadowviewresearchfarms
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Join us tomorrow, Friday, April 18, 2025, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (EPT), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat.
Got questions about growing chestnuts or tips to share? Join us for the Chestnut Growers Town Hall! Whether you’re a seasoned grower or just starting, this event is your chance to connect, share insights, and learn from experts. Ask your questions on topics like site selection, soil nutrition, varmint control, and more. Our expert panel will answer questions and share their top growing tips. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the chestnut restoration community!
Visit tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-chestnut-growers-town-hall/ for more info and to register.
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Curious about American chestnuts? Love to hike and be outside? Want to meet other conservation enthusiasts? Come join The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) and Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) for an educational hike at the South Yellow Mountain Preserve in Newland, NC on Friday, April 18 at 10am!
Even though American chestnuts are considered functionally extinct, we are still able to view sprouts and small trees in our Western North Carolina forests and those planted and maintained by dedicated volunteers. Join TACF’s Regional Science Coordinator to learn more about how the blight has affected American chestnuts in this area and scientific progress toward restoration efforts as we hike to see two large-scale American chestnut plantings along a trail on South Yellow Mountain.
The hike will be ~3 miles long and guided by TACF and SAHC staff. This hike is considered strenuous, with a 300+ foot elevation gain in .4 miles and requires an average level of fitness to accomplish. We expect to be wrapped up before lunch. Please use this information to determine if the hike is appropriate for you or any guests or minors you are considering bringing. If you have additional questions about the level of this activity, please do not hesitate to reach out and we will do our best to advise you.
Those who register will be sent instructions for parking location and other logistical details closer to the event date.
This event is capped at 20 participants, with a maximum of three participants per household/group to allow for greater accessibility. If you have already participated in this hike please consider others who may want to come out and experience it! Spots will go quickly, so RSVP by hitting the link below by Thursday morning, April 17
You must RSVP to participate!
Visit this link theamericanchestnutfoundation.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=90477
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The growing season is now well underway at TACF's Meadowview Research Farms! Sown in January and February of this year, thousands of young chestnut seedlings are thriving in our greenhouse, where they will remain for a few more weeks before transitioning outdoors. Starting this month and continuing through the summer, we will be sampling nearly three thousand of them at Meadowview alone, and many more across the range, for genomic evaluation and subsequent assignment to different experiments and plantings. Have you planted your chestnut seeds indoors or outdoors already this year?
#americanchestnut #castaneadentata #americanchestnutfoundation #meadowviewresearchfarms
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I have 14 acres in West Virginia that were just select cut, how can I get some to plant ?
I would love to have some to plant on my farm in KY
Looking for a way to introduce the American chestnut tree to kids in a way that they will love? This book is perfect! @ebylundy
#americanchestnut #chestnut #restoration #conservation #explorepage #childrensbooks #teaching #learning
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Thank you so much for embracing this fairytale which teaches young readers a little about the blight and what happened to the American chestnut trees in a light and easy way. My primary objective was to bring an awareness of what happened to the American chestnut trees and offer hope of restoration to young readers. I also wanted to remember my late father (Bill Bear) who tried to do his part with restoring chestnuts trees. I did a great deal of research, and I learned a lot during the process of writing this book, but I still have much more knowledge to gain. Our family supports the mission that, one day, the American chestnut trees can once again regain prominence. We are one family of many who support the efforts of TACF.