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Planting Notes

Looking back on our several days of planting the American chestnut hybrids and Controls at Salem, there were a few planting notes we thought might be prudent to share. On the left - Just one week after planting tree swallows find the orchard home. On the right -...

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Planting Season is Here!

Inauspicious as the day may have seemed (rain, sleet and snow) CT Chapter Members Dr. David Bingham, Gayle Kida and Bill Adamsen braved the elements and inaugurated the season with a bit more than a symbolic planting. David had prepared the site during better...

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Final IRS Determination

Good news for the Connecticut Chapter! On December 7th, the Internal Revenue Service completed our review, and reclassified us as a public charity. Reading from their letter,"Based on information you submitted, our letter dated APRIL 1997 in which you were presumed to...

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Contact Your Representative

I recently read the below letter from Louis A. Magnarelli, the Director of the CT Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) describing concerns about funding. There is a general concern that President Bush's 2006 budget recommends changing or disbanding the Hatch...

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Chestnut Allelopathy

By James Egenrieder [reprinted with permission] There was a short but very interesting interview on NPR (public radio) on November 8, 2005 that quickly caught my attention. This interview was part of the daily All Things Considered program; the interviewee was...

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Nearly Extinct American Chestnut Trees Brought to Life …

...on the Grounds of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History It once graced eastern forests from Maine to Georgia and its beauty and strength were legendary. Its nuts fed forest wildlife and became a cash crop for many of the families living in the...

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Seed prep is underway! Meadowview Research Farms staff and Emory & Henry Bonner Scholars are currently bagging seeds that will be sent to TACF Seed Level Members next week. These hybrid chestnut seeds are collected from genomically selected mother trees at Meadowview Research Farms and are one of the only ways to get seeds from TACF. Each seed represents a step forward as we prepare them for distribution to our seed level members; thank you for helping grow the future of the American chestnut!

#AmericanChestnut #RestorationInProgress #ChestnutResearch #ForestRestoration #MeadowviewResearchFarms #ChestnutSeedlings
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Seed prep is underway! Meadowview Research Farms staff and Emory & Henry Bonner Scholars are currently bagging seeds that will be sent to TACF Seed Level Members next week. These hybrid chestnut seeds are collected from genomically selected mother trees at Meadowview Research Farms and are one of the only ways to get seeds from TACF. Each seed represents a step forward as we prepare them for distribution to our seed level members; thank you for helping grow the future of the American chestnut!#AmericanChestnut #RestorationInProgress #ChestnutResearch #ForestRestoration #MeadowviewResearchFarms #ChestnutSeedlings
1 day ago

A major milestone for conservation science.

Our Director of Science, Dr. Jared Westbrook, has published new research in “Science” showing how genomic tools can transform endangered species recovery. By using recurrent genomic selection, we can predict resilience earlier, shorten breeding cycles, and build a restoration system that grows stronger with every generation.

This model doesn’t just help the American chestnut, it could guide restoration for threatened species across the world.

Read the full article: www.science.org/eprint/SBHDH76BXDK366UMHU44/full?activationRedirect=/doi/full/10.1126/science.adw...

#ScienceResearch #ConservationScience #americanchestnut #restoration #conservation #science #nature #explorepage #chestnuts
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A major milestone for conservation science.Our Director of Science, Dr. Jared Westbrook, has published new research in “Science” showing how genomic tools can transform endangered species recovery. By using recurrent genomic selection, we can predict resilience earlier, shorten breeding cycles, and build a restoration system that grows stronger with every generation.This model doesn’t just help the American chestnut, it could guide restoration for threatened species across the world.Read the full article: https://www.science.org/eprint/SBHDH76BXDK366UMHU44/full?activationRedirect=/doi/full/10.1126/science.adw3225#ScienceResearch #ConservationScience #americanchestnut #restoration #conservation #science #nature #explorepage #chestnutsImage attachment

12 CommentsComment on Facebook

Would this work for the American elm tree?

Across the world...is that like around the world?

Anyone have any links or information about Iodine use soil/spray and duration for eradicating or postponing the fungal infection? All the research I've done shows Iodine could cure the infection if using science.

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We’re honored to be highlighted in this AVLtoday feature on the American chestnut’s story in Western North Carolina.

While the path to restoration is long, moments like this remind us how many people care about bringing this tree back to the landscape it once defined.

Thank you to everyone who continues to help this story grow.

Read the article: avltoday.6amcity.com/chestnut-tree-wnc

Photo curtsey of Audrey Snow Owen of PA/NJ TACF

#americanchestnut #explorepage #restoration #conservation #environment #nature #asheville #chestnuts
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We’re honored to be highlighted in this AVLtoday feature on the American chestnut’s story in Western North Carolina. While the path to restoration is long, moments like this remind us how many people care about bringing this tree back to the landscape it once defined.Thank you to everyone who continues to help this story grow.Read the article: https://avltoday.6amcity.com/chestnut-tree-wncPhoto curtsey of Audrey Snow Owen of PA/NJ TACF#americanchestnut #explorepage #restoration #conservation #environment #nature #asheville #chestnuts

2 CommentsComment on Facebook

I thought American chestnuts didn't have hairs on them or shiny leaves. Is this a chinese hybrid?

Is the photo a back crossed hybrid of American chestnut and Chinese chestnut?

Freedom seekers—enslaved Africans and African Americans who escaped slavery in pursuit of freedom—faced hunger, exposure, and unfamiliar terrain as they journeyed north.

Black History Month provides an important opportunity to honor the past while also recognizing how Black knowledge, leadership, and community continue to shape the present. From histories rooted in land and survival to modern platforms and outdoor spaces where connection and representation matter.

Throughout February, we will share a series of four stories that explore Black relationships to land, legacy, and community, looking at both historical foundations and contemporary expressions.

Read more about Freedom Seekers: tacf.org/black-history-and-the-american-chestnut/

#BlackHistoryMonth #americanchestnut #explorepage #chestnuts #BlackHistoryMonth2026 #restoration #conservation #history
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Freedom seekers—enslaved Africans and African Americans who escaped slavery in pursuit of freedom—faced hunger, exposure, and unfamiliar terrain as they journeyed north.Black History Month provides an important opportunity to honor the past while also recognizing how Black knowledge, leadership, and community continue to shape the present. From histories rooted in land and survival to modern platforms and outdoor spaces where connection and representation matter.Throughout February, we will share a series of four stories that explore Black relationships to land, legacy, and community, looking at both historical foundations and contemporary expressions.Read more about Freedom Seekers: https://tacf.org/black-history-and-the-american-chestnut/ #blackhistorymonth #americanchestnut #explorepage #chestnuts #blackhistorymonth2026 #restoration #conservation #historyImage attachmentImage attachment

3 CommentsComment on Facebook

Hopefully they will be developing a mold resistant tree.

That's a really interesting perspective. I think a lot of woodcraft and other types of knowledge about the natural world, like astronomy, had to be shared. Also, marine skills.

Chestnuts?

January might feel like the quiet season, but at our research farms it’s already time to get growing. This month, we’re sowing chestnut seeds that will be used in upcoming research and breeding efforts. Starting seeds in January gives us a valuable head start on the growing season, allowing seedlings to establish early and be ready for genotyping in the spring and summer. Each seed represents an important step forward in our research, helping us better understand growth, resistance, and performance across chestnut species and hybrids. #AmericanChestnut #RestorationInProgress

#ChestnutResearch #ForestRestoration #MeadowviewResearchFarms #ChestnutSeedlings
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