Connecticut news

2013 CT CHAPTER ANNUAL MEETING

dekovenpicJoin us on Saturday April 6th for the Annual Meeting of the CT Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation at the Rockfall Foundation’s deKoven House in Middletown, CT. We will have two great presenters in the morning and an afternoon field trip ? we hope you’ll mark your calendar and join us! If you plan to attend, you MUST RSVP by calling Kendra Gurney at 802.951.6771 x1350 or sending her an e-mail gro.fca@ardnekta.

We have been approved to offer qualified attendees 2.5 CEU hours of credit in the following licensing categories: Forest Pest Management (category 2), Arborist (category 3D) and Demonstration and Research (category 10). Submission forms and sign-up will be available at the meeting. For further information please contact gro.fca@ardnek.

Simply looking for directions? See the Rockfall Foundation’s website or download the brochure with map in easily printable format.

annualmeetingannouncement_2013

Leila Pinchot, Photo: Matt Wilson

Leila Pinchot, Photo: Matt Wilson

Topic: Reintroducing American Chestnut to the Northeast – Some Thoughts

Leila Pinchot is a Research Fellow at the Pinchot Institute for Conservation in Milford, PA. She will discuss early results from an American chestnut reintroduction study on the Milford Experimental Forest in eastern Pennsylvania, in the context of reintroducing chestnut to private forestlands in the Northeast. She will also briefly discuss two upcoming chestnut reintroduction studies she is developing.

Leila received her Ph.D. in Natural Resources from The University of Tennessee, her Masters of Forestry from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and her B.A. from Oberlin College. She has worked on American chestnut restoration research and outreach in various capacities over the past ten years.

For more information about our speaker, visit the Pinchot Institute for Conservation’s website.

Star Childs

Star Childs

Topic: The History of American Chestnut Restoration Research at Great Mountain Forest and What Recovery of the Species Might Mean for CT Forests

Starling Childs is a is a private forestry consultant with the firm of EECOS Ecological Consultants (EECOS), and also serves as the President of the Great Mountain Forest Corporation (GMF), a private operating foundation in Norfolk, CT, established for forestry research and education. He will speak about the early history and unsuccessful efforts to establish out-plantings of chestnut at GMF, as well as the more recent establishment of a CT-TACF chestnut orchard on a part of the property. In addition, he will discuss the important niches that chestnut once provided in the southern New England forest ecosystem and what the eventual recovery of this species might mean for the sustainable future of our forests.

Star received a BS in Geology and Natural Resources from Yale College and a Masters in Forest Science from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He has maintained a lifelong association with Yale’s forestry and environmental students and faculty who continue to visit GMF every year in order to navigate and discover the mysteries and intricacies of Connecticut’s forested landscapes.

For more information about our speaker, visit the EECOS website or the Great Mountain Forest website.

Rockfall Parking Map

Rockfall Parking Map

The presentations will immediately follow a short annual business meeting where we will run Officer and Board Member elections. Members are encouraged to attend.

Agenda
9:30am Opening Reception
10:00am Annual Business Meeting and Elections
10:30am Introduction and Speakers
12:00pm Lunch (Attendees MUST RSVP)
1:00pm Tour of Middletown Orchard
2:30pm Expected close of Meeting

The program is free to both members and non-members, as is lunch for those who advance register. To advance register e-mail to indicate your interest in attending.

We thank the Rockfall Foundation for providing the venue for the presentations.

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We’re honored to be highlighted in this AVLtoday feature on the American chestnut’s story in Western North Carolina.

While the path to restoration is long, moments like this remind us how many people care about bringing this tree back to the landscape it once defined.

Thank you to everyone who continues to help this story grow.

Read the article: avltoday.6amcity.com/chestnut-tree-wnc

Photo curtsey of Audrey Snow Owen of PA/NJ TACF

#americanchestnut #explorepage #restoration #conservation #environment #nature #asheville #chestnuts
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We’re honored to be highlighted in this AVLtoday feature on the American chestnut’s story in Western North Carolina. While the path to restoration is long, moments like this remind us how many people care about bringing this tree back to the landscape it once defined.Thank you to everyone who continues to help this story grow.Read the article: https://avltoday.6amcity.com/chestnut-tree-wncPhoto curtsey of Audrey Snow Owen of PA/NJ TACF#americanchestnut #explorepage #restoration #conservation #environment #nature #asheville #chestnuts

Freedom seekers—enslaved Africans and African Americans who escaped slavery in pursuit of freedom—faced hunger, exposure, and unfamiliar terrain as they journeyed north.

Black History Month provides an important opportunity to honor the past while also recognizing how Black knowledge, leadership, and community continue to shape the present. From histories rooted in land and survival to modern platforms and outdoor spaces where connection and representation matter.

Throughout February, we will share a series of four stories that explore Black relationships to land, legacy, and community, looking at both historical foundations and contemporary expressions.

Read more about Freedom Seekers: tacf.org/black-history-and-the-american-chestnut/

#BlackHistoryMonth #americanchestnut #explorepage #chestnuts #BlackHistoryMonth2026 #restoration #conservation #History
... See MoreSee Less

Freedom seekers—enslaved Africans and African Americans who escaped slavery in pursuit of freedom—faced hunger, exposure, and unfamiliar terrain as they journeyed north.Black History Month provides an important opportunity to honor the past while also recognizing how Black knowledge, leadership, and community continue to shape the present. From histories rooted in land and survival to modern platforms and outdoor spaces where connection and representation matter.Throughout February, we will share a series of four stories that explore Black relationships to land, legacy, and community, looking at both historical foundations and contemporary expressions.Read more about Freedom Seekers: https://tacf.org/black-history-and-the-american-chestnut/ #blackhistorymonth #americanchestnut #explorepage #chestnuts #blackhistorymonth2026 #restoration #conservation #historyImage attachmentImage attachment

3 CommentsComment on Facebook

Hopefully they will be developing a mold resistant tree.

That's a really interesting perspective. I think a lot of woodcraft and other types of knowledge about the natural world, like astronomy, had to be shared. Also, marine skills.

Chestnuts?

January might feel like the quiet season, but at our research farms it’s already time to get growing. This month, we’re sowing chestnut seeds that will be used in upcoming research and breeding efforts. Starting seeds in January gives us a valuable head start on the growing season, allowing seedlings to establish early and be ready for genotyping in the spring and summer. Each seed represents an important step forward in our research, helping us better understand growth, resistance, and performance across chestnut species and hybrids. #AmericanChestnut #RestorationInProgress

#ChestnutResearch #ForestRestoration #MeadowviewResearchFarms #ChestnutSeedlings
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Does everyone's staff retreat include fungus, tree bark, and chestnut beer... or just ours?

#americanchestnut #explorepage #restoration #conservation #chestnuts #worktrip #staffretreat
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2 CommentsComment on Facebook

how do we get american chestnut seedlings to plant?

Great video!!!

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