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Dr. Martin Cipollini to speak at Dahlonega Science Cafe Monday, July 16, 2018
Monday July 16, 6:30 p.m.: Restoration of American chestnut in the southeastern United States; strategies for the development of disease resistance and conservation of genetic diversity. Dahlonega Science Cafe, Bourbon Street Cafe, 90 Public Square North, Dahlonega,...
Message from the New Georgia Chapter President
Hello! I’m thrilled to introduce myself as your new president of the Georgia Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation! I was honored to be elected at the annual member meeting at Reinhardt University May 5, 2018. I will be succeeding Dr. John French, who was our...
Berry-led research on blight-resistant chestnut trees being developed in north Georgia
Marty Cipollini, TACF’s GA-Chapter science coordinator and professor of biology at Berry College in Rome, GA is working diligently with the help of others to revive the American chestnut through painstaking development of potentially blight-resistant trees. The late...
Check out the latest edition of The Sprout!
The newest edition of the Georgia Chapter newsletter is now available online! Click the link below to view the e-Newsletter and read about the latest news of GA-TACF. The Sprout - Summer 2015
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American Chestnut Now Potentially Resistant to Blight and Root-rot
Greenville, SC—Dr. Joe James of Seneca, SC may not have been a Boy Scout himself, but when the Scouts came calling last year about getting an American chestnut tree planted in Greenville, they knew that Joe was their man. Joe, a longtime member of The American...
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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...