Citizen Scientists Make It Happen

Published November 18, 2020

Joanne Dowd looks for flowers to pollinate on the tree in Merrimack, NH. Photo by Curt Lafffin.

The VT/NH-TACF Chapter is aggressively seeking wild American chestnut trees that produce viable nuts for planting in Germplasm Conservation Orchards (GCO). If the transgenic chestnut is approved for distribution, these trees will contribute to the needed genetic diversity.

A strategy that complements the search for individual wild trees is to locate flowering trees and cross pollinate them to produce nuts from two different genetic sources. During the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons citizen scientists in two neighboring NH towns, Merrimack and Mont Vernon, notified chapter board member, Curt Laffin, about their discovery of flowering chestnuts. Both trees were confirmed to be American by TACF Regional Science Coordinator, Kendra Collins.

Curt realized that these two trees were logical candidates for cross pollination. He contacted Joanne Dowd, who found the tree in Merrimack, and David Brooks, founder of the Mont Vernon tree, and asked them to help with the process. Tom Trow (pictured), owner of the Mont Vernon tree property also participated. The trees were cross-pollinated on July 8, 2020 and harvested on October 2, 2020 and both produced viable nuts! However, this was not a good growing season so the harvest was less than what was hoped for. The Mont Vernon tree yielded eight nuts while the one in Merrimack produced 13. Nevertheless, two new sources will be planted in one of the chapter’s GCOs in 2021. Had it not been for Joanne and David, this opportunity would have been missed. Citizen Scientists really do make it happen!

If you know of a flowering chestnut tree, please contact your TACF state chapter or the chapter closest to you if you do not live in a state that has a TACF chapter.

Sara Fitzsimmons in 2005 with Jim Gage, Dr Phil Arnold, Dr Robert Gregg

2005
Sara Fern Fitzsimmons with Jim Gage, Dr Phil Arnold, & Dr Robert Gregg

2006, Sara Fitzsimmons pollinates at Stockers

2006
Sara pollinating at Stockers, PA

Sara rating cankers at Thorpewood

Sara rating cankers at Thorpewood, MD

Sara at the 25th Annual TACF meeting

2008
Sara at the 25th Annual TACF Meeting

Sara and the Graves tree

2009
Sara in the PSU Graves Orchard

Sara Fern Fitzsimmons in the Glenn Swank stump, 2009

2009
Sara in the Glenn Swank stump, PA

Sara at the International Chestnut Symposium, 2012

2012
Sara at the International Chestnut Symposium

Sara in Vermont

2014
Sara with Harmony Dalgleish and the Berlin American chestnut in Vermont

Kendra and Sara in the field

Sara and Kendra Collins working in the field

Sara presenting at the 2022 TACF Spring Meeting

2022
Sara presenting at TACF’s Spring Meeting

Sara (in the rocker) with TACF staff at the Fall Meeting

2023
Sara (in the rocker) with TACF staff at the Fall Meeting

Sara Fern Fitzsimmons

2024
Sara in the Penn State greenhouses