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The Sprout – Summer 2015
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Fun and rewarding experiences this past weekend. On Friday afternoon, The American Chestnut Foundation President and CEO Michael Goergen and Director of Development John Chastain joined us for the DDC Friends of the American Chestnut Arbor Day Restoration Celebration at Preserve Life in Douglas County. GA-TACF's President Dr. Martin Cipollini and Treasurer Vince Payne also attended. The event was hosted by Dot Padgett and included many Douglas City and County dignitaries. Speakers included Preserve Life owner/developer Vijay Thotakura, Dot, The Honorable Ramona Jackson Jones (Chair, Douglas County BOC), The Honorable Rochelle Robinson (Mayor, City of Douglasville), and her husband Jeff Robinson of Preserve Life. The event was held to dedicate a planting of American chestnuts from The American Chestnut Foundationon the Preserve Life grounds with hopes of expanded plantings in the future.
On Saturday, we were able to distribute about 100 chestnut seedlings to 25 different individuals at our distribution event at Trees Atlanta, dodging a pretty incredible rainstorm in the morning hours. Trees Atlanta staff/GA-TACF board member Brian Williams assisted Dr. Cipollini. Former board member and active volunteer Dale Higdon also stopped by.
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Here's a link to an AP/GPB article about the chestnut paper in Science. The link to the Science article is in our feed below.
Georgia scientists say genetic analysis could greatly speed restoration of iconic American chestnut
www.gpb.org
A new study says genetic testing can speed the return of the American chestnut tree that once dominated Eastern U.S. forests. The tree was functionally extinct by the 1950s because of a fungal blight ...0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Supporters, members, and friends of GA-TACF:
The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) is proud to share a significant milestone in our restoration research that validates the strategic framework the Foundation has been building for years.
A new paper published today in Science, one of the world’s most prestigious scientific journals, marks a turning point in how endangered species can be restored. The research, by lead author and TACF’s Director of Science Dr. Jared Westbrook, demonstrates that recurrent genomic selection (RGS), a method long used in agriculture and animal breeding, can predict blight resistance in chestnut trees using DNA data alone. The result: substantially shorter breeding cycles and greater precision in developing resistant trees.
Breeding lines, research protocols, and experimental data were generated at Berry College by co-author Dr. Martin Cipollini, assisted by Dr. Caitlin Conn and numerous student and GA-TACF volunteers.
Click here for access to the article: www.science.org/eprint/SBHDH76BXDK366UMHU44/full?activationRedirect=/doi/full/10.1126/science.adw...
A published paper in Science reflects the dedication and scientific rigor behind TACF’s mission. It also affirms the decades-long commitment of our grassroots supporters, whose investment has played a major role in this achievement. Together, we have shown that sustained effort and belief in a bold mission and vision can lead to measurable progress.
This breakthrough signals that chestnut restoration is not only possible, but that it’s advancing with powerful new tools. Beyond the American chestnut, this work offers a model for conserving other threatened tree species worldwide.
Thank you for being part of this long-term effort. Together, we’re turning possibility into lasting progress. This is an exciting time for our chestnut breeding program.
Genomic approaches to accelerate American chestnut restoration
www.science.org
More than a century after two introduced pathogens killed billions of American chestnut trees, introgression of resistance alleles from Chinese chestnuts has contributed to the recovery of self-sustai...