Georgia News
Southbound and Down (But Not For Long!)
This short film (~20 min) highlights the story of the American chestnut cabin at Many Streams Ranch, near Rome, GA. This cabin, a former VFW lodge built in 1936 in Camp Hill, PA, was relocated to GA about 20 yrs ago by Dr. Matt Mumber and his family. This film is...
Chestnut Event at Dry County Brewing
In addition to enjoying three days of music and fun at Hemlockfest coming up the first weekend of November (see http://hemlockfest.org/blog/) GA-TACF will be hosting an entertaining public education/membership drive event at Dry County Brewing on Sunday Nov. 11.
Hemlockfest 2018 Nov. 2-4!!
The 14th annual HemlockFest music festival will be held on November 2-4 2018 in Dahlonega, Georgia. This environmental fundraising event features three days of live music, camping, children's activities, canoeing, local arts and crafts, nature walks and information...
GA-TACF Chestnut Harvest is Underway!
A quick update on our fall chestnut harvest season! We have added a second harvest event (see below)! GA-TACF will hold several harvest events this fall, and would also like to solicit assistance from volunteers in our on-going search for American chestnuts in the...
News on Wild American Chestnut Search
The Search for American Chestnuts in Georgia Expands This spring and summer, GA-TACF has focused much attention on our ~14 year effort to locate and collect data on American chestnuts occurring naturally in the state of Georgia. This year, the organization is also...
Dawson Forest American Chestnut Project
In April of 2018 the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, along with the American Chestnut Foundation, broke ground on a project that has been years in the making. Two small crews lead by Nathan Weaver, the GADNR forester for north Georgia, planted approximately...
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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...