About Us
Our Mission
Our mission is to restore the American Chestnut to the forests and woodlands of Connecticut (25 – 40% of the trees were American chestnuts in CT forests).
The Connecticut Chapter of TACF is a Chartered State Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation with its own Bylaws, Constitution and Treasury. It is organized as a tax-exempt non-profit foundation under the US Tax Code 501(c)3.
There is a Board of Directors – real people, your neighbors in Connecticut – who determine strategic direction, make decisions about application of resources, and are there when the rubber hits the road to install fences, plant trees and perform all the functions necessary to achieve our goals
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
President – Jack Swatt – Colchester
Board Term Expires Spring 2025
Jack Swatt has been a member of The American Chestnut Foundation since 1993. He received a B.S. in Biological Sciences from UConn in 1983, an M.S. in Chemistry from CCSU in 1992 and graduated from the Albany Medical College Physician Assistant Program in 1996. He is currently retired but was previously employed by The Hospital of Central Connecticut as a Physician Assistant in Hospitalist Medicine. He is also an active volunteer for the CT DEEP (monitoring wintering eagles and Whip-poor-wills), Audubon CT, CT Audubon, NH Audubon, the Loon Preservation Committee and the Society to Protect New Hampshire Forests (aka the Forest Society). He is also a life member of the Wolcott Fire Dept. Co. #2 and the New Haven Bird Club.
Vice President – Fred Behringer – Old Lyme
Board Term Expires Spring 2024
Fred followed the American chestnut story for many years and joined the CT chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation in 2021. Trained as a biologist with a focus on plants (BS Biology, Bates College; PhD Plant Physiology, Cornell University; 7 years postdoctoral research in plant development and molecular biology), he is particularly excited about blight resistant Darling 58. The TACF has put great effort into maintaining native American chestnut germplasm and providing advanced backcross lines with Chinese chestnut. The resistance Darling 58 confers opens up an exciting new chapter in efforts to restore the American chestnut as a keystone species. A CT native, Fred lived for 20 years in various parts of the US. He returned to CT in 2018 and has resided in Old Lyme since then. After moving back to CT, he worked as an analytical chemist and operated an analytical lab in Old Lyme from 2007 – 2021. Fred serves on several boards/commissions in Old Lyme involved with the environment and is active in a variety of community activities. He is passionate about environmental stewardship and science literacy.
Treasurer – Dr. Jack Ostroff – Old Lyme
Board Term Expires Spring 2025
Dr. Ostroff has been a member of TACF since 2000, joining after having been intrigued by a display at one of our local agricultural fairs. He received his BS from Yale University, MD from Rutgers Medical School, and MS in Computer Science from Rutgers University. Dr. Ostroff has attempted to use his medical knowledge to make better use of computers in the pharmaceutical industry and has leveraged his expertise as the chief architect of DentataBase, the American Chestnut Foundation’s Breeding Database. He has lived in Connecticut since 1994 and is a member of a number of environmental groups. He has served as a Board Member since 2009 and, from 2014 to 2020, as Chapter Vice-President.
Secretary & Research Coordinator – Dr. Florian Carle – New Haven
Board Term Expires Spring 2025
After spending his childhood in southern France harvesting and eating chestnuts at every occasion, Florian moved to New Haven for work in 2014 and realized American chestnuts are not as ubiquitous than their European counterpart. He is delighted to join the CT Chapter to help restore this amazing tree. Florian earned a M.Eng and a PhD from Aix Marseille University in France for his experimental work on droplets evaporation under microgravity for space applications. He is currently the manager of the Yale Quantum Institute where he creates programing to promote research and teaching of quantum science on the Yale campus, curates several series of talks and workshops, and facilitates scientific collaboration by hosting leading scientists from around the world. Outside of science, Florian likes to row and scull on the Housatonic River and he enjoys theater, rollerskating, and spending time with his cat Raccoon. He is also amused to live on Chestnut Street!
Board Members
Renée Allen – Guilford
Board Term Expires Spring 2024
Renée is Adjunct Faculty at the Hospitality & Tourism Management Department of the New Haven University. She share a passion for chestnut trees, mushroom foraging, and wine. Renée is Certified Specialist of Wine and writes a monthly Wine Column for the Connecticut Magazine. She holds a JD from Boston University.
Dr. Phil Arnold
Board Term Expires Spring 2024
Dr. Arnold was a Board Certified Physician for 38 years specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, retired in 2004. He received a BA from Yale University and M.D. from Tufts. Philip is active as a Director of the Woodbridge Land Trust and as a member of the American Chestnut Foundation. He feels a synergy between the goals of the organizations and is committed to the goals of restoration of a resistant American Chestnut. Dr. Arnold has served as the Woodbridge Orchard Manager, and served several years as Chapter Vice-President and subsequently Secretary, retiring from the Executive Committee in 2013.
John Baker – Litchfield
Board Term Expires Spring 2024
John Baker was (for 18 years or so) Treasurer of the Litchfield Hills Audubon Society (LHAS) and was instrumental in the acquisition of the property, now known as the Wigwam Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, on which the Society’s chestnut plantation is located. He has been a member of The American Chestnut Foundation since 1998. Born in New York City, but raised on a farm in Goshen, CT, John received his B.S. from Cornell University in 1956 and joined Cargill, Inc. After serving his country for three years in the U.S. Air Force as a navigator, he spent 37 years with Cargill as the country manager in the Philippines and in Thailand. Upon retiring to Litchfield with his wife Janet, he started beekeeping and joined the LHAS (in 1993). Then, after building their retirement home, John joined the Litchfield Housing Trust where he shepherded their affordable home building program. He is also President of the C.B. Ripley Land Trust, the CT Director of the Eastern Apiculture Society and is also a member of the Litchfield Conservation Commission. Needless to say, John has a great affection for the outdoors and the beauty of nature.
Dr. David Bingham – Salem
Board Term Expires Spring 2024
David Bingham is a retired OB-GYN. He has been active with numerous conservation organizations, currently serving on the boards of the Salem Land Trust, Audubon Connecticut and the CT Land Conservation Coalition, and as co-chair of the CT League of Conservation Voters. David is a life member of TACF and manages a mother tree orchard located on his land in Salem, which includes young trees from 4th backcross nuts obtained from 3 native trees in CT. These trees were pollinated, by CT volunteers, with research pollen from The American Chestnut Foundation’s Meadowview Farm. One of the 3 parent CT American Chestnut mother trees has been nurtured by David in Salem for 20 years, and may now be one of the largest native trees in the State. Nuts from the Salem orchard are anticipated to be produced in the next year or two, to be grown in the seed orchards scheduled for the next phase of the restoration project. The Salem Land Trust has a test planting of “restoration trees” (from B3F3 nuts), planted in a deer exclosure at the Zemko Sawmill Preserve.
Michael Gaffey – Old Lyme
Board Term Expires Spring 2025
Married 42 yrs Marcia Prior Gaffey, father of Evan ( lawyer, Marine Lt); Morgan (Chinese linguist, Army Ranger Capt);Allison (Dr. Psychology-Yale, West Haven Vets.). 23 yrs. Civil construction Superintendent ($1/2 billion), 14 yrs.-7 time award winning secondary economics teacher. Tree Warden certified, Twice elected Old Lyme Board of Finance (coendorsed second six yr. term), Active member Old Lyme Tree Commission, and Grandfather of Two+.
Jim Gage – Ellington
Board Term Expires Spring 2024
Jim Gage has been a Director and Treasurer of the Northern Connecticut Land Trust and was a preserve monitor for The Nature Conservancy (Poquetanuck Cove) for approximately 8 years. A member of long-standing in the American Chestnut Foundation, he has served as the Chapter’s Treasurer and NCLT Orchard Manager for the greater part of a decade. He also served on the Ellington Conservation Commission, and was Director and Treasurer of the Scantic River Watershed Association. Jim retired from Pratt & Whitney Division of United Technologies in 1993. Jim has an MBA from Harvard University.
David Liedlich – Southbury
Board Term Expires Spring 2024
David has been a member of the American Chestnut Foundation since 2010. He received an M.S. in Wildlife Science from New Mexico State University in 1991, and a B.S. in Wildlife & Fisheries Biology, with a Forestry minor from the University of Massachusetts in 1987. He has been employed with the state of Connecticut, Department of Developmental Services since 1998 as both an Adult Services Instructor and as a Case Manager. He is certified to teach life sciences/biology and Earth Science. David volunteers with the Southbury Land Trust, was a Commissioner on the Southbury Inland Wetlands Commission for 16 years, past Master of King Solomon’s Masonic Lodge, a member of the Connecticut Botanical Society, and is a life member of the Connecticut Valley Mycological Society. David’s interests include gardening, hunting, edible wild mushrooms, and beekeeping. He recently co-edited (2021) “The Beeing: Life Inside a Honeybee Colony” by Eric Tourneret, Sylla de Saint Pierre, and Jurgen Tautz. “The Beeing” is the English language version of the French book on honeybees “Le Genie Des Abeilles” (2017).”
Dr. Bert Malkus – Woodbridge
Board Term Expires Spring 2024
Dr. Malkus is an Associate Director of Clinical Chemistry at Yale-New Haven Hospital, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine, and a Director of Qualigen, Inc. Dr. Malkus holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Iowa State University and conducted NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship Research Studies at Yale University and the University of Florida. Dr. Malkus has been very involved with the Woodbridge Land Trust and is one of the key contacts for the Land Trust’s Backcross Chestnut Orchard.
Jack Morris – Glastonbury
Board Term Expires Spring 2024
Jack is a retired engineer with an interest in science, mathematics and the great outdoors. Born in Utah, Jack received a BSEE in Computer Science from the University of Utah and began a career with Pratt and Whitney in 1970 as a Research Scientist. He became interested in the American Chestnut after numerous hikes in Connecticut where he realized that the species still existed in a diminished shrub-like or juvenile form and on rare occasions, finding a tree bearing fruit. Learning the story of the blight, he joined TACF about 15 years ago. As a member of a hiking club, his interest continues in locating these rare examples of fruiting trees. Membership in CT-TACF has provided an opportunity to assist local programs and to share with Nutmeggers the ultimate goal of reintroduction of the species in mature form back into our forests.
Dr. Lindsay Rush – East Lyme
Dr. Lindsay Rush – East LymeBoard Term Expires Spring 2025
Lindsay grew up in rural Pennsylvania, where she first became interested in ecology and native plants. She has a background in biology (BA, Franklin and Marshall College) and genetics (PhD, Yale University). Lindsay is currently an Assistant Professor at Mitchell College in New London and teaches broadly in the sciences, including biology, genetics, evolution of food, and scientific communication courses. In addition to thinking about how to get young people excited about science, she enjoys exploring the local trails in southeastern Connecticut.
Mark Vollaro – Shelton
Board Term Expires Spring 2024
Woods “Ellery” Sinclair – Falls Village
Board Term Expires Spring 2025
Ellery has lived in Falls Village for sixty-two years and is a retired English teacher of the Housatonic Valley Regional High School where he became Department Chairman. Presently he is Chairman of the Inland Wetlands/ Conserva-tion Commission, past-president on the library board, Housatonic River Commissioner, Zoning Board of Appeals member, and HVRHS Arboretum Committee member. For the past two years he has helped establish and manages the Canaan Mountain TACF Chestnut Orchard of about 250 backcross trees in Falls Village. He has engaged the Vocational Agricultural Education students from HVRHS as partners through their curriculum, and helped implement a chapter summer-internship. Grateful to be re-nominated, Woods looks forward to serving another term with the dedicated folks on the Connecticut Chapter Board.
If you are interested in becoming a board member, please contact one of the members of the nomination committee: John Baker, Jane Harris & Ginny Patsun
Connecticut Chapter Menu
National Facebook
Bill Deeter, President of The Indiana Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation explains using “catch nets” to harvest chestnuts from tall American chestnuts. READ his full description. Thank you Bill for trying to beat anything with “fur, feathers or hair” to the chestnuts. We love the improvisation!
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.2 CommentsComment on Facebook
Thank you!!
can you show what the blyth looks like?
A good day at Kentucky Division of Forestry Morgan County Tree Nursery. Collected 60 or so fertile burs (and left many small, infertile burs on the tree … there just were not enough catkins on the other trees to get a “full dose” of pollen to the available female flowers). Next is sorting down the best 50 to ship to Virginia Tech for a research project.
From The American Chestnut Foundation - Kentucky Chapter President Ken Darnell:
“I collected ‘open pollinated’ burs today. Left the bagged (Control Pollinated) burs to further ripen. Will come back in a couple of weeks to check them again. The Americans in Morgan County Nursery definitely mature later than all other flowers and burrs that I have seen around the state…..
Used my folding ladder to get up to the burs to “close clip” off their base stems … rather than using an extension pole to clip off several inches of twigs. That should help next season with more bur production.”
11 CommentsComment on Facebook
I would like to acquire a few to see if they will grow in zone 6
How do I grow chestnut trees from my existing tree
Are these “open pollinated” plants with hybrids or are they pollinating pure C. dentata? What are the controlled populations being bagged for specifically?
Nice job! The only thing I see in New York are Chinese  chestnut trees. 
Does Missouri have a chestnut association
I see these on the ground around my property in Fairview North Carolina, 2300 feet elevation blue ridge mountains. They are chestnuts? Chinese or American?
I thought you needed to wait for the burr to fall. Can you harvest right off the tree - how do you know when to do that?
Have a good crop of chestnut still on the trees. What do I do to plantings to get more trees?
How I can harvest my chesnuts? This year I lost 99% of my chesnut production to squirrels depredation.
Karen Cox Gullett, Sue Rupard, EddyPatsy Roberts
Tennessee fans! Chestnut Shucking Party!
You've never had so much fun in your life! Please join us on Saturday for a chestnut shucking party at the Fortwood Street Greenhouse and Nursery.
Who: calling all Tennessee Chapter volunteers of The American Chestnut Foundation
What: a fun day processing this year's harvest of backcross American chestnut seeds
Where: The Fortwood Street Greenhouse and Nursery, on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, located at 833 Fortwood Street, Chattanooga, TN. 37403 (in UTC Parking Lot 37)
When: Saturday, 7 October 2023, from 10:00 AM until the fun runs out.
Why: In order to harvest seeds from our backcross hybrids we need to collect the burs the day before they open (because as soon as the burs open the nuts fall out and are eaten by deer, squirrels, wild turkeys and other neighbors).
How: To prepare the seeds for winter, we need to remove the chestnuts from their burs by hand (that's the shucking part). The chestnuts are then carefully cleaned, surface sterilized, sorted, counted, and packed into a moist medium (sphagnum) to be stratified for four months at 40 F.
Bring: A pair of puncture-proof gloves (if you have a pair), and dress for the weather.
For more information, please contact Hill Craddock: 423-290-8924 or hill-craddock@utc.edu
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.1 CommentComment on Facebook
We have an American chestnut here on Beech mountain. I would like to try to do this. Are you saying the nut itself is the seed?
And harvesting continues! This report from the TACF The Georgia Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation has a great description of the process, what happens after the nuts are picked and processed and also how we work with so many partners like Berry College who helps process the harvested nuts. Also pictured is Kathy Patrick, the volunteer of the year for the entire southern region of TACF. Thank you, Kathy, for your dedication and hard work. We will see you at the Fall Meeting! Note: some of these nuts were harvested at Anna Ruby Falls by staff Member Matt Summers!
14 CommentsComment on Facebook
Do you ship seeds
This is amazing!
Hope to see more saplings at Shieling State Forest soon. I walk thru every weekend.
Is there any way to get some seedlings
Let us hope this is exceptional news, I wish we could grow chestnuts here in Kansas zone 6.
I'd love to have an American Chestnut tree in my field.
Where will they be planted?
Newbee here, why does the tree bark look so narly?
How can someone purchase seedlings
They’re fallin in Southern Ohio!
Do you ship seeds or saplings? If so will they grow in northern Michigan
Chinese chestnut trees are for sale at Walmart .. I prefer American. Where can I find them… Ohio
I remember my college days at SFA in Nacogdoches Texas 1st year dendrology . On our lab one week we were sampling trees in a neighborhood close to campus instead out in the woods. We came up on a so called (ringer) or a tree not included in our textbook. Because I had spent a lot of time in North Carolina I recognized right off as an American chestnut and got to go home early. Now how it got there nobody knows but it’s still there torturing new dendrology students today under the watchful eye of the forestry department at SFA,
They are selling saplings at fryberg fair for $20 each.
Carolinas Chapter member Jon Taylor recently spent 10 days collecting chestnut burs from 18 wild trees spanning Alabama to Connecticut. This was his third annual chestnut harvest, and the nuts he collected will get planted in several different germplasm conservation orchards. The goal is that some of these will eventually become mother trees and receive transgenic pollen.
1st photo: An American chestnut tree on the Appalachian Trail in central Pennsylvania
2nd photo: Jon Taylor with newly discovered American chestnut tree in Connecticut
31 CommentsComment on Facebook
I am curious how to order seedlings? We've got acreage in Western NC mountains and we'd love to plant lots of these.
Such important work. ❤️❤️❤️
Thank for your efforts Jon!
Way cool!
I would love to get some blight resistant trees so I could spread the chestnut 🌰 tree love 🌳
Found some chestnuts while hiking in the Smokies this week.
My mom has a sizable one in her yard in Brevard, NC with no signs of blight. It has seeds every year.
I have lots of chestnut trees on my farm in WV. How do I know if they are American chestnuts or not?
Wonderful!
I truly hope that this effort is successful. It would be a great thing to see the chestnut become a major tree once again across the Eastern to Central US.
Good !
Nice finds! Here is the one I found on my farm. Western PA It's around 50 feet tall.
Awesome!
I had a chestnut 🌰 tree that got to be 40 inches round and plenty of chestnuts but one year it got dark and looked like it caught the blight. It was a shock to me because my papa had planted it from a seed. I have 2 more That look like bushes. But I’m afraid they also are prone to catching the blight.
A question for the experts…would it be possible to grow a tree in zone 5b Chicago? Congratulations on this wonderful mission.
The tree on #1 looks more like a shagbark hickory than a chestnut. I have both growing on my property.
I really need some seedlings!!!
Looks like my chestnut tree
These are blight resistant?
I love you’re using biotechnology to solve this problem. I wonder if you partner with the biotech industry you could move quicker and more efficient.
I love anyone on a mission, but I especially love THIS mission. Thank you.
Is there a report of any in Red Creek, NY?
They must have been something to behold.in Pre Columbus . America
There is a grove in Orleans, MA.
I know where some of these are in Middelsboro Kentucky where I grew up
Latest News
2023 Nominations for Officers and Board Members
The CT-TACF Nominating Committee of Jane Harris, Ginny Patsun and John Baker are recommending the following candidates for the Board of Directors and Chapter Officers for 2023. Nominations for the Board of Directors with a term ending in 2025: Jack Ostroff Jack Swatt...
Read the 2023 CT newsletter: The New Leaf
The Connecticut Chapter The New Leaf Spring 2023 Newsletter includes the articles The Dawn of Darling 58 Conservation & Community comes together for the American Chestnut Pollination Workshop at the Old Lyme Library A year in photo Read it...
Volunteer Opportunities
Outreach - we have several outreach events coming up later this month and in April. If you would like to help us spread our message to the public at any of these events please contact us. Outreach Coordinator - we are in need of a member to help coordinate volunteers...