The CT Chapter, as part of The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF), has made great strides in the effort to restore the American chestnut tree to its former range. As part of the back-cross breeding program, we have planted thousands of tree in dozens of plantings in our breeding orchards across the state. Within the next year or two, we will begin testing the BC3F1 trees for resistance to the chestnut blight. Nuts from resistant trees will be be planted in seed orchards, and nuts from the most blight resistant of trees grown from those nuts will then be used for more extensive restoration efforts.
However, the planning documents that guide our current work are reaching the end of their scope. TACF is currently preparing an overall American Chestnut Restoration Plan. This will provide high level context and direction for the next several years. In addition to this, the CT Chapter needs to develop a long term plan, with more specific recommendations based on our local conditions, needs, and resources. At its last meeting, the CT Chapter Board of Directors authorized the creation of a working group to gather relevant background material, draft a Long Term Plan for the chapter, and based on input from interested parties, present the plan at the next Board meeting.
Please read the full article for more information, if you are interested in participating or contributing to this effort. The plan will address the chapter's needs over the next five to ten years, and will address a variety of issues, including, but clearly not limited to:
- requirements for land (geology, ownership, management) for various planting types
- priorities for choosing locations for restoration plantings
- how to choose and evaluate partners for orchard management
- probable financial requirements for implementation, and potential sources of additional revenue
Jack Ostroff was chosen by the board to lead this effort. He is currently looking for members interested in joining this group. The group will complete its work in three basic phases:
- review background material, and establish scope and outline of the plan
- write a draft plan and publish it to the chapter web site for comments and suggestions
- revise plan based on input received and present to Board of Directors for approval
The current plan is for an aggressive schedule, pushing to complete each phase in two to four weeks, so the plan can be presented to the Board at its fall meeting.
The specific logistics for the group's operation have not yet been determined, and suggestions are welcome. There will most likely be two in-person meetings, at the beginning and end of the process. Most meetings are expected to take place using an on-line teleconferencing or web-meeting tool, such as Skype or Webex, although final arrangements have not yet been made, and will depend partly on the geographic locations of group members.
If you are interested in participating as a member of the working group, or you have any questions or comments about the process, please contact Jack Ostroff by email at planning 'at' ctacf 'dot' org.
