Georgia Chapter

How You Can Help

GA-TACF depends primarily upon its members to support efforts to restore blight-resistant American chestnut trees to our forests. Your annual membership fee supports breeding and education efforts at both the local and national levels. When you join The American Chestnut Foundation, you have joint membership in both the national organization and GA-TACF.

Donate to the GA Chapter

Follow this link to make a donation to the Georgia Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation.  

Become a Member and
Enjoy the Benefits

Click here to join! Membership — The American Chestnut Foundation (tacf.org)

As a GA resident you may also select membership in our state chapter, GA-TACF and receive additional chapter benefits including:

  • Announcements concerning local events and volunteer opportunities throughout Georgia.
  • The ability to network with fellow GA-TACF members for information and support.

You may also contact the national office, 828-281-0047, to join over the phone.

Have you found an American Chestnut tree?

The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) is initiating a range-wide search for surviving American chestnuts in the forest. GA-TACF is seeking to identify and conserve many new and unique sources — beyond the +/-200 already conserved in our Chapter.

Why?

  • To conserve unique sources of American chestnut genetics in our Germplasm Conservation Orchards (GCOs).
  • To create locally adapted and genetically di-verse populations of blight resistant chestnut trees for restoration.

Join our hunt for the American chestnut by first learning how to identify chestnuts here: Identifying American Chestnut Trees | The American Chestnut Foundation (tacf.org)

We don’t have the resources to visit all the reported sites to identify trees in person. We count on individuals to play the role of citizen scientist to collect samples and data on the American chestnut and related data.

How to Report a Tree

Georgia Tree Locator Form
Follow the link above and download our Tree Locator Form. If you are unable to download and print the form, contact gachestnut@gmail.com and we will send you a paper copy. Got a smart phone? Check out the TreeSnap App. You can report information and share photos directly with us using this App. We will still require a sample. Be sure to include the treesnap id number when you mail it.

We will confirm the identity of your tree(s) and add them to our Dentatabase — a database of American chestnuts and related species. If the tree is a pure native, we may ask that you send us nuts for our breeding research. If it is not producing when you find it, don’t worry. We will send you a reminder, asking that you contribute nuts if you are able.

Collecting a sample:If you think you have an American chestnut tree, send us a freshly-cut 4-6 inch twig with mature leaves attached. Leaves should be from sunny exposure, if possible.

  • Press leaves between pieces of cardboard to flatten and prevent curling or crushing as they dry. Crushed or bent leaves are harder to analyze, as are leaves that are not freshly collected.
  • To prevent mold, do not put the sample into a plastic bag. Send in a paper envelope.
  • Late Spring or summer is the best time to collect samples for identification purposes.
  • Photographs can help with identification. We are not likely to be able to ID solely from a picture, but it can add to the whole package of understanding your tree.
  • Please be sure to include the Tree Locator Form, so we can keep track of your sample and send you results. This form is vital for our inventory of wild trees.

Submit Sample With Tree Locator Form To:
Dr. Martin Cipollini
Berry College, Department of Biology
2277 Martha Berry Highway
Mount Berry, GA 30149

Want to Volunteer?

Volunteers play a vital role in many facets of our restoration work. They are our ambassadors, representing us at community events throughout Georgia. They are educators giving presentations and sharing the story of the American chestnut with interested groups. They get their hands dirty by helping with orchard, pollination, and harvesting projects during the growing season. There is much work to do and no experience is necessary. Whatever your talent, interest or ability we can use your support as we work to bring back this mighty giant to the Eastern woodland.

Click here for a list of current volunteer positions we are trying to fill!

What on-going volunteer opportunities are available?

Field help – With over 200 orchard sites and about that many wild trees to track in GA, the growing season is packed with chances to participate in planting, inoculating and harvesting activities. Work is available for all levels of physical ability. This is a great opportunity for people who enjoy working outside and getting involved with the hands-on aspects of our breeding programs.

Event representation – Each year, we attend events all over the state. Members volunteer their time to represent our organization at fairs, expos, festivals, plant sales, etc. Larger events, like Hemlockfest are usually staffed by 2 or more volunteers at a time. These events offer great opportunities to learn the ropes from veteran volunteers.

Speaking events – We receive requests to speak at meetings and events nearly every week, for much of the year. Our volunteers help by agreeing to speak on our behalf, sharing their knowledge with community groups and organizations all over the state. If public speaking is your strength, this might be a good fit for you. This is a great opportunity for people that enjoy speaking in front of groups and sharing their knowledge and experiences with the American chestnut.

Other – If you have experience in marketing, web design, social media, writing, photography, or if you are able to network with like-minded groups, please contact us for some ideas about how you might contribute your unique talents. No experience is required!

How to get started – It’s easy! Email us at gachapter@tacf.org to learn more. With your permission, we will add your e-mail address to our contact list, so you will receive announcements about volunteer opportunities.

Watch your email, our webpage News, or follow us on Facebook for timely reminders.

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Just a quick note that we will have a chestnut seedling distribution event at River Remedy Brewing in Rome on Thursday Nov 21, 5 - 8 pm. Details to follow soon, but save the date!

We will be handing out fire-roasted chestnuts, accepting memberships, and will have pure species and hybrid chestnut seedlings available in exchange for donations to The Georgia Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation.

Again, details to follow!

The American Chestnut Foundation
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We want to thank our volunteers for the fine effort given over the past two days. Including Berry College students, we had 20 different volunteers put in a total of 85 person/hrs on our small stem assay project. That’s more than two weeks work in 2 days! The data look good and we have the seedlings sorted out and back in the nursery where students watered them today.
Again, many thanks for the great work. We hope that the volunteers learned a few things while gaining some appreciation of the difficult task of breeding for blight resistance. A parallel study using the same family lines is being evaluated at UT Chattanooga this week, and the data from the two studies will be combined for data analysis. We will let everyone know what we learn from this project once the numbers are crunched and ready to be talked about! The American Chestnut Foundation
... See MoreSee Less

We want to thank our volunteers for the fine effort given over the past two days.  Including Berry College students, we had 20 different volunteers put in a total of 85 person/hrs on our small stem assay project.  That’s more than two weeks work in 2 days!  The data look good and we have the seedlings sorted out and back in the nursery where students watered them today.
  Again, many thanks for the great work.  We hope that the volunteers learned a few things while gaining some appreciation of the difficult task of breeding for blight resistance.  A parallel study using the same family lines is being evaluated at UT Chattanooga this week, and the data from the two studies will be combined for data analysis.  We will let everyone know what we learn from this project once the numbers are crunched and ready to be talked about! The American Chestnut Foundation

1 CommentComment on Facebook

BTW - the photo shows a stem tip of a seedling that has been subjected to a small stem assay for blight resistance. Starting at the tip, we measure the full darkened zone as well as the orange-colored zone. The larger these values are the less resistance the seedling exhibits.

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GA-TACF Chestnut Seedling Distribution Event!

GA-TACF Chestnut Seedling Distribution Event!

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