Connecticut news

Summer Celebration

Please come and join us in a joint celebration of the establishment of the Guilford chestnut orchard and the second Northeast Utilities donation of $8500 to The American Chestnut Foundation. We will celebrate these two developments by holding a check presentation, orchard tour, and picnic at the Guilford chestnut orchard (directions below) on Friday, July 18th. The event will commence at noon. Come and celebrate the chapter?s newest orchard, the second large donation made by Northeast Utilities, and learn more about our program. Attached is an announcement of the event.

We will be holding an orchard workday at the Guilford orchard on Saturday, July 12th in preparation for the celebration. We?ll start at 8am and will weed, cut invasive species, possibly water, and fertilize. Feel free to come and help tend the chestnuts.

Directions:

Traveling I-95 North

  • Follow I-95 N
  • Take exit 58 toward CT-77
  • Keep left at the fork in the ramp
  • Turn right onto Church Street/CT-77 and follow for .3 miles
  • Turn left onto North street and follow for .1 miles.
  • Turn left onto State street and follow for .8 miles
  • Turn slight right onto Nut Plains Road.
  • Nut Plains park will be on your right in about one mile. You?ll see an orange gate to the side of the entrance, and a soccer/lacrosse field in the park.
  • Park in the lot and walk down the dirt road that is to the right of the fields. There will be a sign to guide you.

Traveling I-95 South

  • Follow I-95 South
  • Take exit 59, toward Goose Lane
  • Turn left onto Goose Lane and follow for 1.7 miles
  • Turn slight right onto Nut Plains Road.
  • Shortly after you?ll see an old Cemetery on your right, and then Nut Plains Park. You?ll see an orange gate to the side of the entrance, and a soccer/lacrosse field in the park.
  • Park in the lot and walk down the dirt road that is to the right of the fields. There will be a sign to guide you.

From the North

  • Follow CT-17
  • CT-17 becomes CT-77. Follow for 11 miles.
  • Turn left onto Stepstone Hill Road and follow for .7 miles.
  • Turn Right onto Nut Plains Road and follow for about 1 mile. After you see Doham Ave on your left, you'll see a park with a soccer/lacrosse field and a bright orange gate on your left. If you see an old cemetery on your left, you've gone just a bit too far.
  • Park in the lot and walk down the dirt road that is to the right of the fields. There will be a sign to guide you.

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Did you know some plants actually benefit from fire? Recently burned areas often provide the sunlight and reduced competition that species like blueberries and American chestnuts need to flourish.

#americanchestnut #nativeplants #ForestEcology #conservation #NatureEducation
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4 CommentsComment on Facebook

Yes! Across the Eastern US, almost all of our most important keystone , overstory trees are fire adapted (pyrophytic 🔥). (Except in bottomlands/riparian/wetland zones, for the most part). This includes Hickories, the upland Oaks, certain pines, especially Longleaf, and Chestnuts. Many Oaks in particular are struggling with recruitment now due to fire suppression, among many other issues. This process is called mesophycation btw. Mesophytic natives like Maples 're-engineer' forests through their dense, moist leaf litter to retard-fires. Invasives make it worse. This is important because Oaks are THE top keystone plants here, hosting more species of Lepidoptera (Moths and Butterflies) than any other plant genus in the US: 500-900 species. Most of these caterpillars will become inconspicuous "little brown moths" , but they form an important massive bottom-tier of the food pyramid. After all, even though birds can source berries from a variety of plants , it takes 6-9000 caterpillars to raise a single clutch of songbirds.

I really appreciate what you are doing.

Thank you!

PICA, the Printing Industry of the Carolinas Awards, is celebrating its 60th year as the ultimate showcase of excellence in printing, and TACF has something to celebrate too.

Our partner in printing (BP Solutions Group) has entered Chestnut magazine in this competition for nearly 10 years and of those, TACF, BP, and designer Lisa Alford have received an award nearly every year, some of which included multiple awards within the same year!

Chestnut once again received a PICA Award for the 2025 competition, winning “Best of Category” for its “Sheetfed Magazine Series.” TACF is thrilled to have received this honor and to celebrate it with you!

Want to see what this award-winning magazine is all about? Become a member!

#americanchestnut #magazine #science #forestecology #explore
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PICA, the Printing Industry of the Carolinas Awards, is celebrating its 60th year as the ultimate showcase of excellence in printing, and TACF has something to celebrate too. Our partner in printing (BP Solutions Group) has entered Chestnut magazine in this competition for nearly 10 years and of those, TACF, BP, and designer Lisa Alford have received an award nearly every year, some of which included multiple awards within the same year! Chestnut once again received a PICA Award for the 2025 competition, winning “Best of Category” for its “Sheetfed Magazine Series.” TACF is thrilled to have received this honor and to celebrate it with you!Want to see what this award-winning magazine is all about? Become a member!#americanchestnut #magazine #science #forestecology  #exploreImage attachmentImage attachment

1 CommentComment on Facebook

Big congratulations to you Jules! 🎉🎉 This is a well-deserved honor.

We've prepared a completely legitimate and highly scientific quiz.

Take the quiz, then drop your results in the comments:

🤓 Confidently Wrong
🌱 Chestnut Curious
🌰 Chestnut Expert

#AmericanChestnut #TreeID #ForestEducation #ChestnutTrees #NativeTrees
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Weve prepared a completely legitimate and highly scientific quiz.Take the quiz, then drop your results in the comments:🤓 Confidently Wrong 🌱 Chestnut Curious 🌰 Chestnut Expert#AmericanChestnut #TreeID #ForestEducation #ChestnutTrees #NativeTreesImage attachmentImage attachment+7Image attachment

5 CommentsComment on Facebook

I got 3 out of 4!

I got a 4 on this.

🌱

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Just a few years apart: the same wild American chestnut tree before and after chestnut blight took its toll.

Enter our 2026 Photo Contest from now until the end of December!

#americanchestnut #chestnutblight #ForestEcology #NativeSpecies #ForestConservation
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Just a few years apart: the same wild American chestnut tree before and after chestnut blight took its toll. Enter our 2026 Photo Contest from now until the end of December! #AmericanChestnut #ChestnutBlight #ForestEcology #NativeSpecies #ForestConservationImage attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

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