Saturday November 12th
This year our Annual Meeting is being held at Yale University in New Haven, co-sponsored by the Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry, the Yale Student Chapter of Society of American Foresters, and the CT Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF). Of the meeting Marshal Case, President and CEO of the Foundation said,
?This meeting is always a great opportunity for our members as well as our scientists to get together to talk about the progress we?re making on developing a blight-resistant American chestnut.?
We?ve assembled speakers with topics relevant to today?s chestnut grower, conservationist and forester. We hope you?ll attend. If you plan on attending, please RSVP with an e-mail to gro.fcattc@pvsr
The Schedule
- 9:30am Opening Reception
- 10:00am Marshal Case – Welcome! (President of The American Chestnut Foundation)
- 10:10am Dr. Chadwick Oliver – Forest Overview (Director of the Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry at Yale)
- 10:20am Dr. Fred Hebard – TACF Breeding Program
- 11:00am Break
- 11:10am Dr. Charlotte Zampini – Why is Diversity Important? (Assistant Professor of Biology at Framingham State University)
- 11:50am Sara Fitzsimmons – Chestnut Cultivation (American Chestnut Foundation's Orchard Manager at Pennsylvania State University)
- 12:30pm Break
- 12:40pm CT-TACF Business or
- 12:40pm Sara Fitzsimmons (breakout discussion with the experts)
- 1:10pm Lunch
- 2:15pm CT-TACF Director's Meeting.
- 2:15pm CAES Tour
Driving Directions
The meeting is at Sage Hall, 205 Prospect Street, New Haven.
From I-91 North or South
Take exit #3/Trumbull Street onto Trumbull Street – go 0.9 mi
Turn Right on Prospect Street – go 0.2 mi
Arrive at 205 Prospect Street, New Haven, on the Right
Parking
There is on-street parking near Sage Hall, and the Yale Parking Lots are available for Parking on weekends without charge. The Yale Skating Rink (the Yale Whale) is located on Prospect Street, directly opposite Sage Hall, with significant parking
Speakers
Dr. Chadwick Oliver
is Pinchot Professor of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and Director, Yale Global Institue of Sustainable Forestry. He is a renowned expert in the fields of forest stand dynamics and landscape management, and sustainable forestry. He is an internationally known silviculturalist, noted for his understanding of both the dynamics of forest processes and the interactions of human societies and forests.
Topic: The American Chestnut and Sustainable Forestry in the 21st Century. What is the outlook for sustainable forestry over the next 50 years and how does the American Chestnut fit into that picture?
Dr, Fred Hebard
Dr.Fred Hebard has headed up TACF?s research farms in Meadowview, VA since the farm was established in 1989. Beginning as Superintendent of our Wagner Research Farm, and later becoming Staff Pathologist, Fred guides TACF?s research.
Topic: TACF Breeding Program. Dr. Hebard started his breeding work with two trees named ?Graves? and ?Clapper? that were of the Backcross1 (BC1) generation [(Chinese x American) x American]. Both these trees had shown good growth characteristics and a moderate level of blight-resistance. Through hard work, Dr. Hebard was able to turn around a generation of trees in only 6 years, so the breeding work has proceeded much faster than the founders of the organization anticipated. Dr. Hebard has now completed the BC3 generation, which is on average 94% American, and has intercrossed members of that generation to produce a tree that is highly resistant to the blight. The highly-resistant, 94% American chestnut trees have been planted in a seed orchard to produce nuts for testing and reforestation. It is anticipated that the first test plots will be planted by 2008, and seed may be available for wider distribution by 2012.
Dr. Charlotte Zampini
is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Framingham State University and is President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation. Dr. Zampini teaches Plant Taxonomy, Plant Physiology, and Recombinant DNA Technology. She is a plant population biologist using molecular techniques to investigate the genetic diversity found in surviving stump sprouts of the American Chestnut.
Topic: There has been alot of talk about the day we start planting hybrid, blight resistant chestnuts out in the forests of New England and North America. What are the implications of releasing a hybrid species? Is there an impact on the purity of an indigenous species? How has the TACF program been designed to maximize diversity, and why is diversity important?
Ms. Sara Fitzsimmons
has an MEM in Forest Ecology and Soil Resource from Duke. She is employed by TACF and PA-TACF working as a data and orchard manager for the PA Chapter, as well as toward the goal of establishing on-line resources for all TACF Chapters
Topic: Chestnut Cultivation. Depending on the type of land and growing conditions, how many trees one wants to plant, and whether one wants to plant American chestnuts or hybrid chestnuts, one can be faced with a myriad of decisions on how best to plant and grow those trees. In this workshop, we'll cover the ups and downs of planting by both seed and seedling, how to protect both stem and seed from various predators, dabble in information on how to protect from the most common pests, and go over the various contacts that one should make when dedicating an area to the planting and growing of chestnut trees. We'll also cover how to select the most proper places for planting chestnut trees and the considerations one must take into account in selecting the site for an orchard. Bring lots of questions for after the workshop.
