New London, NH Conservation Commission wins American Chestnut Foundation 2025 Partner Award
The New London, NH Conservation Commission (NLCC) is the proud winner of The American Chestnut Foundation Partner’s Award for 2025. This award recognizes groups that have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the mission of restoring the American Chestnut tree to its former standing as the dominant tree in the eastern hardwood forests.
Under the leadership of NLCC Chair, Bob Brown, and Vice-Chair Mike Celcius, NLCC has developed three active American Chestnut Experimental Forest locations with 120+ seedlings in the ground. The seedlings range in age from 1 to 7 years, with heights of 12 inches to over 8 feet. Most of this stock came from 1-year seedlings grown at TACF
nurseries, but some seedlings were started from seed nuts in New London. Entering year 8, NLCC is optimistic that it will see significant growth from these trees which are well established.
During 2025 NLCC received the gracious help from New London’s Spring Ledge Farm that allowed NLCC to use its greenhouses to grow seedlings. Spring Ledge Farm staff did a great job of caring for the plants, which thrived in the excellent growing conditions. The seedlings will be planted next spring in current and new locations.
We had a great time at our recent spring meeting, part of which included a tour of Meadowview Research Farms for staff and our board of directors. We discussed current projects and the future of the recurrent genomic selection (RGS) program, and highlighted important infrastructure needs that will help support future growth and continued research efforts. Investing in these areas will be key to advancing our mission and strengthening the work being done. We could not have done this alone; thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to such a productive and inspiring day!
Check out this article on Clemson News about how scientists from Clemson University, Virginia Tech and The American Chestnut Foundation are using genomic selection to develop trees capable of surviving chestnut blight and Phytophthora root rot.
We are not apart from the Earth—we are a part of it. Not something to own or use, but something we belong to. A living part of us, meant to be loved and cared for as deeply as anything else we hold dear.
“Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with our Abrahamic concept of land. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”
― Aldo Leopold
TACF is hiring! We’re looking for a 2026 New England Restoration Intern to support hands‑on chestnut breeding and forest restoration work across our New England chapters. This paid summer internship offers real‑world experience in plant breeding, field research, orchard management, and conservation science. 🌱 Know someone who’d be a great fit? Tag them!