Connecticut 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...
CHESTNUT HARVEST SCHEDULE
CHESTNUT HARVESTING September 16th through September 23 Due to time constraints on my schedule this year, my time this harvest season will be limited. If anyone would like to help harvest burs during the last two weeks of September, please let us know. We will be...
Germplasm Conservation Orchard Planting Schedule
Germplasm Conservation Orchard Planting Schedule Volunteers are needed to help plant American Chestnut seeds in our Germplasm Conservation Orchards this month. Given the tremendous harvest we had last fall, we will need help in getting those nuts planted in the...
CT-TACF Nominating Committee Report
The CT-TACF Nominating Committee of Jane Harris, Bill Adamsen and John Baker are recommending the following candidates for the Board of Directors and Chapter Officers for 2022: 1. Nominations for the Board of Directors with a term ending in 2023: Renee Allen...
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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
25 CommentsComment on Facebook
Awesome!
Way cool!
I love anyone on a mission, but I especially love THIS mission. Thank you.
Thank for your efforts Jon!
I am curious how to order seedlings? We've got acreage in Western NC mountains and we'd love to plant lots of these.
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.
Good !
Nice finds! Here is the one I found on my farm. Western PA It's around 50 feet tall.
Such important work. ❤️❤️❤️
I really need some seedlings!!!
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.
These are blight resistant?
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.
Will ANY live in North Dakota? Even as small trees?
Is there a report of any in Red Creek, NY?
Looks like my chestnut tree
Are these just blight survivors found out in the world? We had a chestnut tree in our yard growing up in the 90’s in Northern Virginia. So many yummy nuts from that tree. Not sure if it’s still alive. 😢
My mom has a sizable one in her yard in Brevard, NC with no signs of blight. It has seeds every year.
I have in my possession a rustic “chest” that my paternal grandfather made on or before the turn of the century in Clinton MD He put little wheels on it for easy mobility. Thick, roughly cut CHESTNUT. A treasure.
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.
They must have been something to behold.in Pre Columbus . America
What's this?
Why don't you pollinate the 18 wild trees with the transgenic pollen? It may take 50 years for the seeds he just collected to grow into fruiting trees.
How are the making out? Are they blight free?
It's harvest time. Recently we've been sharing a lot of posts displaying all the activities of our volunteer chapters. We hope you can see all the support and work it takes toward this mission by a small, grassroots organization. With the help of our volunteers, orchards, TACF staff and Meadowview Research Farms, we've been able to plant, distribute and harvest so much since our founding 40 years ago. Here's a brief recap:
>2 MILLION chestnuts harvested
>400,000 American chestnut trees planted
>185,000 seedlings distributed to our partners and 16 volunteer chapters in 21 states and orchards.
The work continues. We appreciate every contribution.
Give today at: www.facebook.com/donate/846539177024846/
33 CommentsComment on Facebook
Thank you for all your tireless work on this effort, it is so very appreciated. 
Donated! I was the first one! Woohoo! I love all chestnut revival - best wishes!
How can I get a part of this? I live in Ohio and have 30 acres. I would love to plant some chestnut trees.
Can you suggest how to sprout the seeds that I’ve collected?
Harvested yesterday in NW CT for the CT chapter!
Very interested in planting some chestnut trees but not sure how to get seed.
Where can you buy American chestnuts
Do you have a State Chapter in Oklahoma where I could get some seeds or young trees to re-plant?
I would love to plant some seeds or plants. In middle Tennessee
Will they grow in northern New Mexico. We have cold winters and hot summers. If so I would like to get seedlings
I'm sure they can grow in northern Indiana, but I've never seen any to buy. I would love to add one in my 5 acres!
👏👏👏👏
I am germinating walnuts for my property in NEW BEDFORD ma. I have plenty of room if you have and extra plants
Would love to have chestnut trees once again here on our family farm of 56 acres here in MD.
I have 2 chestnut trees in my backyard that grew from nuts I picked up for a chestnut nut fight when I was far younger. We pelted each other and just left the nuts. I have no idea what happened but about 25-30 years after the "fight", the trees popped up. They are really "cool"!
How can we get seedlings. I always collect chestnuts
Hello from north georgia.
Will they grow in Florida
I have a chestnut tree I started 2 years ago and need to transplant it somewhere. I’m in Boston Ma any suggestions
I would be interested in a seedling
Will these survive in central Texas with the extreme heat and drought and limestone soil?
I have 5 acres in NC I want to grow some on
I would love too help!
They do well in Missouri
Where do I get seedlings in Masontown West Virginia 26542 and how many do you have to plant for them to produce
If you’re in PA, our Chief Conservation Officer will be presenting an update about American Chestnut Restoration on October 12th. Event is free. Details here
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Charlie Klein Jr.
We have 3 chestnuts! These chestnuts are on a 15/16ths American Chestnut tree grown from seed #D-2-10-107 received and planted in a 7" pot by us on March 30,2014. The seedling was moved to larger and larger pots and on November 9, 2014, was planted on our lot on the Western slope of the Blue Ridge - home territory for the American Chestnut. This is the first year we have had nuts and we did not see the catkins, so entirely unexpected. This tree is 9 years 7 months old and so far, we have no evidence of blight. The tree is approximately 18-20 feet high. We have a second 15/16ths tree grown from a seed we received April 27, 2014, and planted on our lot also on November 9, 2014. No nuts or evidence of blight on this tree either. This tree is a little shorter and quite a bit wider than the other.
Although I love this idea, you should STOP PROMOTING AS American. The chestnut available is a GMO from China. There are NO MORE AMERICAN CHESTNUTS!
For our Connecticut supporters, a great opportunity to tour, learn, have fun and participate! Details for the day:
The American Chestnut Foundation is celebrating 40 years of research and restoration!
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in Hamden started to plant chestnuts as early as 1941, and has been an incredible partner for the Foundation, allowing fruitful collaborations between their scientists and TACF. It is therefore the ideal place to celebrate this anniversary amongst their multitudes of chestnut orchards!
Please join the CT Chapter at the Lockwood Farm for the following program:
- 1 pm: Guided tour of the chestnut orchards by CAES Assistant Agricultural Scientist Susanna Keriö, TACF-CT Chapter President Jack Swatt, and TACF-CT Chapter Outreach Coordinator Florian Carle
- 2 pm: Screening of TACF’s new documentary film CLEAR DAY THUNDER: Rescuing the American Chestnut outside, under the Pavillon (bring chairs or blankets)
- 3 pm: Self guided tour & hike at Sleeping Giant to see significant chestnut trees like “Sleeping Giant”, “Graves” (photo), or “Mahogany” (maps will be provided)
All interested people are invited.
This event is co-sponsored by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station who generously welcomes us at their farm.
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We have 3 chestnuts! These chestnuts are on a 15/16ths American Chestnut tree grown from seed #D-2-10-107 received and planted in a 7" pot by us on March 30,2014. The seedling was moved to larger and larger pots and on November 9, 2014, was planted on our lot on the Western slope of the Blue Ridge - home territory for the American Chestnut. This is the first year we have had nuts and we did not see the catkins, so entirely unexpected. This tree is 9 years 7 months old and so far, we have no evidence of blight. The tree is approximately 18-20 feet high. We have a second 15/16ths tree grown from a seed we received April 27, 2014, and planted on our lot also on November 9, 2014. No nuts or evidence of blight on this tree either. This tree is a little shorter and quite a bit wider than the other.