Georgia News
Chestnuts and the HemlockFest Virtual Festival 2020
Chestnut Enthusiasts! Check out this video "thank you" to Lumpkin Coalition and Hemlockfest music festival for their past support of GA-TACF's American chestnut restoration program. It features long-time TACF supporter and master keyboardist Chuck Leavell, as well as...
GA-TACF Spring 2020 Member meeting via Zoom
Hello Georgia chapter members! I hope you’re doing well, staying safe, and managing your way through the pandemic. Please join us via Zoom for the Georgia chapter business meeting June 9, at 7pm. The meeting will be held via Zoom, and links to various ways of...
GA-TACF work during the Spring 2020 COVID-19 crisis
GA-TACF members and collaborators: I know it has been a while since we’ve touched base with you, and I hope this message finds you healthy and secure. I wanted to let you know that the Georgia chapter’s work has continued this spring, despite the need to avoid...
Chestnut Wood for Grafting Wanted!
Scionwood for grafting wanted! Scion wood collection for Southern American chestnut conservation The American Chestnut Foundation is seeking scion wood from wild American chestnut trees from the southern population. Population studies have determined that trees found...
The Flint Orchard Planting is Done!
About 20 volunteers got down and dirty at the Flint chestnut orchard on Saturday, making quick work planting about 400 seedlings between 9 am and 2 pm! Fantastic day and many thanks to everyone who came out to help! I have included a few photos of the event below. ...
The Flavors of Chestnuts!
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire……or in the oven or on the stovetop! Best known for their cameo in the classic Christmas song, chestnuts are really delicious when roasted over an open fire. But they can also be turned into flour or pureed. Chestnuts are quite...
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Did you know that private landowners - even homeowners with a big backyard - can help support GA-TACF by planting trees on our behalf? Here are just two examples, one a two year old tree planted in Paul Burks' backyard in Atlanta and one a 6 year old tree planted in Scott Frazier's Bottomlands orchard near Taylorsville. Looking good guys!
Read more about planting trees with us here: tacf.org/ga-news/so-you-want-to-plant-some-chestnuts/
The American Chestnut Foundation
Berry College
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
Beautiful form on that second tree
I have room to plant American Chestnut trees! I would definitely plant them, just tell me how to get them.
We want to thank all of the volunteers who helped us this pollination season which is now complete! We were able to bag and pollinate 10 different trees (a record for or us) plus we collected pollen from a number of other trees. This work is crucial for our Best X Best (or RGS) chestnut disease resistance breeding program. Altogether, over the past three weeks, we have had 20 different volunteers plus several more who volunteered but had their shifts cancelled due to weather. We thank all of you! GA-TACF is an all-volunteer organization except for a few interns that are obligated to certain orchard sites (Flint, Hurricane Creek).
Our next major volunteer efforts will start in mid-September when we will harvest and shuck burs and tabulate our harvest. Please stay tuned for announcements about these opportunities! Click here to register to volunteer with us or to sign the volunteer waiver form if you have not already done so: theamericanchestnutfoundation.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=99170
Here are a few more photos of our final two days when we were assisted by Berry College students who are working in Dr. Adrienne Ernst's lab this summer.
The American Chestnut Foundation
Berry College
1 CommentComment on Facebook
Great photos...wish I were there to help with this....I got experience operating one of those boon lifts last year!
Here is a short YouTube video showing how we process catkins and store pollen for chestnut breeding purposes. Pollens processed like this are being used in this summer's Best X Best breeding program.
We are still looking for assistance from chapter volunteers for this program!
Volunteers need not have experience; essential safety and pollination training will be provided at the start of each shift. Our next dates will be Tuesday June 9 and Wednesday June 10 (9 am - noon, and 1 - 5 pm shifts). We can only pollinate when it is not raining, but despite the chance of rain on those days we need to make an attempt at it. Our fallback "rain delay" date will be Thursday June 11. Harvest will take place in September and October when we again will need volunteer help.
If you have not already registered to volunteer with GA-TACF, please do so here: theamericanchestnutfoundation.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=99170
After you have registered, please sign up for pollination shifts here: theamericanchestnutfoundation.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=113887
I hope you will be able to help!
The American Chestnut Foundation Berry College
1 CommentComment on Facebook
Great video, Martin! Interesting and informative!