Connecticut Chapter

Orchards in CT

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Our chapter is working with the CT State, Land Trust organizations, and private land owners to plant chestnuts collected from wild American chestnut trees in the CT forest, grow, cross-breed, and select hybrid chestnut trees to restore the American Chestnut tree in our state and in its native range.

We manage several type of orchard, in partnership with the organization/person who provided the land, depending on the research purpose.

Back-cross Breeding Orchards

Blue on the map.

The back-cross breeding method for chestnut was developed in 1983 and has several key components, each of which requires research orchards for growing trees to be used in selections. The Connecticut Chapter of TACF manages seven back-cross orchards with approximately 3000 BC3F1 Clapper line of resistance, American chestnut backcross material. Each of these was planted from nuts that originated from CT found American chestnut “Mother Trees”

  • The Northern CT Land Trust’s Swann Farm is located in Ellington, CT
  • The Beecher Road Orchard is on Land owned by the Town of Woodbridge, and managed the Woodbridge Land Trust
  • Wigwam Brook is on Land owned by the Litchfield Hills Audubon Society in Litchfield, and managed by Litchfield Hills Audubon
  • Middletown’s Higby Reservoir Site is on Land owned by the City of Middletown, and managed by Middletown Urban Forestry
  • The Salem Orchard is on land owned and managed by Dr. David Bingham.
  • The Great Mountain Forest Orchard is on land owned by the Great Mountain Forest Corporation, and is managed primarily by CT-TACF and the Housatonic Valley Regional High School
  • The Nut Plains Park Orchard is managed by the Guilford Conservation Commission

Seed Orchards

Purple on the map.

One major phase of the breeding program are seed orchards. A seed orchard is the required next step in producing trees for reforestation in CT that have 50% of their DNA from persisting native CT American Chestnut trees that flowered, allowing pollination and collection of nuts. This DNA reflects the native gene pool that is associated with CT’s soils, light periodicity, disease resistance, rainfall patterns, temperature extremes, etc. These factors differ throughout the native chestnut range in the US and even within CT itself. Capturing this diversity is the goal of the CT program, and seed orchards are our organizational focus, and the primary use of our volunteer efforts.

In a seed orchards, we planted 3000 nuts representing crosses between the twenty lines of trees we pollinated and grew in our backcross orchards. We monitor them for resistance and remove the trees until only those very resistant and American chestnut looking trees remain. These trees are 15/16ths “American” in character, morphologically indistinguishable from native American chestnut trees. The key difference is that the resistance to the blight has been bred into them from the Chinese chestnut. Those few trees (twenty) remaining will intercross and produce seed that is expected to grow trees with high resistance to the chestnut blight and the ability to breed true to resistance.

  • Norcross Seed Orchard -Lamb Rd, Stafford – Norcross Wildlife Foundation
  • Winchester Land Trust – Hurlbut Field Parcel – 675 Grantville Rd Winstead, CT 06098 http://www.winchesterlandtrust.org
  • Rock Cobble Farm, South Kent (no public access)

Germ Plasm Conservation Orchard

Green on the map.

A germplasm conservation orchard (GCO) is an orchard collection of diverse wild American chestnut sources. These orchards include sources primarily native to CT, though other sources can be planted as well.  A GCO generally contains 10 seedlings from 10 different mother trees (100 trees) per acre and is often planted over a period of one to several years. We are looking for more land to establish new GCOs (more information here).

  • Manchester Land Conservation Trust GCO – Bush Hill Preserve, 330 Bush Hill Rd., Manchester, CT
  • Wilton Land Conservation Trust GCO – 183 Ridgefield Rd preserve, Wilton, CT

Private properties (no public access)

  • Woodbridge GCO
  • Roxbury GCO
  • Wallingford GCO
  • Haddam Neck GCO
  • Putnam GCO
  • Pomfret GCO

Demonstration & Educational Plantings

Orange on the map.

The various chestnuts; Chinese, Japanese, European, American, even Chinquapin, have different morphology, and what better way to show that an educational planting. We have several educational plantings around the state designed to illustrate the differing morphology, and teach those viewing the display about the chestnut blight story.

  • White Memorial
  • Rocky Top Preserve – Hamden Land Trust (Plantings of several B3F3 hybrid chestnut trees along the Quinnipiac Trail)
  • Deer Lake Scout Reservation – Killingworth (Plantings of several B3F3 hybrid chestnut trees along the Chatfield Trail)
  • Greenwich Land Trust – American Chestnut Sanctuary Orchard (Across the street from 18 Burning Tree Road, Greenwich, CT 06830)

Progeny Testing

There are numerous locations throughout the state where progeny tests are being performed. These are nuts grown at the Meadowview seed orchards (intercrossed trees) as a result of open pollination. This means the mother tree is known and is selected for maximum resistance, and while the father tree is not known, all have likely been selected for resistance. Of course with open pollinations one can never be sure. This is a type of planting with which an individual or organization can participate in either a small or large scale… both contributing to our understanding of the blight resistance of the latest versions of releasable material. This is a great way for citizen scientists to participate in an ecological restoration project.

  • Zemko Sawmill Site owned by the Salem Land Trust
  • Greenwich Land Trust American Chestnut Sanctuary

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🌰 For the 8th straight year, Dr. Han Chuan Ong and his King University class volunteered at TACF’s Meadowview Research Farms during harvest processing! After touring MRF to learn about TACF’s mission, the students rolled up their sleeves to shuck burs and support chestnut restoration. We’re grateful for this long-standing partnership that strengthens both education and conservation. 🌳
This year, we were also joined by Emory & Henry College students, including Bonner Scholars and other volunteers, who lent their time and energy to help with the harvest. We’re so thankful for their hard work and enthusiasm — and we look forward to welcoming even more students next year to continue growing this tradition of learning and conservation! 🍂

#AmericanChestnut #MeadowviewResearchFarms #americanchestnutfoundation#ChestnutResearch #ConservationScience #harvest
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3 CommentsComment on Facebook

We are a middle school in Ohio and our middle schoolers are doing the same thing this past week.

www.facebook.com/share/1HjBGYMgnn/?mibextid=wwXIfr We are hosting our own seminar November 1st with our sponsor and speaking about the tree and its science and history w a OH-TACF admin and member.

🌰 What a fantastic American Chestnut Day at The North Carolina Arboretum!

From seedling sales and student research posters to inspiring talks, poetry, and a screening of Clear Day Thunder, the day was packed with learning, connection, and celebration of the American chestnut’s incredible story.

A heartfelt thank-you to everyone who joined us, and to our event sponsor, Warren Wilson College, for helping make it all possible! 💚
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2 CommentsComment on Facebook

Enjoyed stopping by, hopefully next time the tree sale will be better equipped to accept different forms of payment 🙂

What are the chance that someone out there does have some true american chestnut seeds for sale or to give away . I only would like maybe a dozen and a half if anybody has then in north carolina. Thanks and god bless you

Maryland friends, come on out to the MD Chapter Chestnut Festival on Sunday, October 19! Visit tacf.org/event/maryland-chapter-chestnut-festival/ for more! ... See MoreSee Less

Maryland friends, come on out to the MD Chapter Chestnut Festival on Sunday, October 19! Visit https://tacf.org/event/maryland-chapter-chestnut-festival/ for more!

🌰 Harvest processing at TACF’s Meadowview Research Farms is equal parts important science and hands-on fun! Staff and volunteers shuck burs and sort chestnuts with care, ensuring quality seeds for future plantings and solid data for research. It’s a lively, rewarding way to support restoration while sharing in the joy of chestnut season together. 🌳

#AmericanChestnut #MeadowviewResearchFarms #americanchestnutfoundation#ChestnutResearch #ConservationScience #harvest
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6 CommentsComment on Facebook

That was our job after school pick up the chestnuts, we opened them up with our feet.

What do I do with mine? I have 2 gallons I collected this year for the first time.

Are these trees pure dentata?

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Join us on tomorrow, October 10, 2025, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (EPT), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat.

Our special guest, Dr. Trevor Walker, Assistant Professor of Forest Genetics and Co-Director of the Cooperative Tree Improvement Program at NC State University, will share insights from 70 years of breeding loblolly pine for disease resistance, growth, and stem form. He will also consider which practices are likely to succeed for American chestnut, which are not, and why.

Visit tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-breeding-disease-resistance-in-loblolly-pine/ to learn more or register.
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Join us on tomorrow, October 10, 2025, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (EPT), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat.Our special guest, Dr. Trevor Walker, Assistant Professor of Forest Genetics and Co-Director of the Cooperative Tree Improvement Program at NC State University, will share insights from 70 years of breeding loblolly pine for disease resistance, growth, and stem form. He will also consider which practices are likely to succeed for American chestnut, which are not, and why.Visit https://tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-breeding-disease-resistance-in-loblolly-pine/ to learn more or register.

1 CommentComment on Facebook

Just saw this. How was the chat?

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