CT-TACF Nominating Committee Report

Of the 25 first gen Chinese chestnut tress I planted, two survive to produce here in western Pennsylvania. That was ~35-years ago.

A seedling seed orchard: Over time, this combines selecting trees for blight resistance and thinning out (rouging) the susceptible genotypes. This works to produce an orchard seed source. Some reliable resistance, at a spacing favorable for seed production.

The trees in our progeny tests are seedlings of controlled pollinations (we know the moms and the dads) and/or open pollinations (we know only who the mother is) of selected backcross hybrids that result from nearly 40 years of breeding and selection. Selection was based on resistance to Cryphonectria parasitica following direct inoculation of the stems with virulent strains, and on a rubric of morphological characters typical for Castanea dentata (selecting against any C. mollissima morphological traits).

I have one of the original American chestnuts growing on my land.. it grows to about 12 feet tall and it dies. it comes back from the root and does the cycle again. it's done this for the last 63 years.

I've got a half dozen proven American chestnut trees in the country park across the street. 60 + feet and bear nuts every year by the ton. the nuts seem to be sterile. no saplings ever. .

How far our we from a chestnut that grows past 20 years