Indiana News

Backcross American chestnut seedling planting

On May 31 Carroll Ritter and Glenn Kotnik planted backcross American chestnut seedlings in clearings in a mature forest in southeastern Indiana. The forest is about 80 acres in size and has been preserved from cutting and handed down through many generations of a single family. The predominant tree species is black walnut,  many of which are 2 feet in diameter. Other species include tulip (Liriodendron tulipifera), black cherry and pawpaw. Ash trees were present but have died due to the emerald ash borer. Death of ash trees created clearings in the canopy and it was felt that this would be a good opportunity to introduce American chestnut as a replacement species.

The chestnuts were planted with galvanized steel fencing around each to protect the seedlings from deer.

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Grab your camera and hit the trails—the American Chestnut Photo Contest is back! We’re looking for striking, creative, and unique images of American chestnut trees and hybrids.

The first-place winner will have their photo featured on the cover of a future issue of Chestnut magazine and receive a one-year TACF membership, along with a T-shirt and hat. Open until December 31, 2025

Visit tacf.org/2025-photo-contest/ for more!
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Grab your camera and hit the trails—the American Chestnut Photo Contest is back! We’re looking for striking, creative, and unique images of American chestnut trees and hybrids.The first-place winner will have their photo featured on the cover of a future issue of Chestnut magazine and receive a one-year TACF membership, along with a T-shirt and hat. Open until December 31, 2025Visit https://tacf.org/2025-photo-contest/ for more!

Fall work is in full swing at Meadowview! 🌰 Lucinda and Dan are planting a Castanea seguinii from Dr. Hill Craddock (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga) in our Castanetum, home to chestnut relatives from around the world. Nearby, we’re selecting top performers from a 2018 progeny test—thinning the stand to release the best 10% for future breeding success. #AmericanChestnut #RestorationInProgress #ChestnutResearch #ForestRestoration #MeadowviewResearchFarms #Castanetum #ScienceInTheField ... See MoreSee Less

4 CommentsComment on Facebook

I have two American chestnuts in my yard if anyone wants clones

Slide show is too fast!

Did the gmo ones get approved yet?

North Carolina Friends, Visit The Plant in Pittsboro, NC, for their 3rd annual Chestnut Carnival on November 16, 2025.

There will be chestnut cocktails, chestnut rum cream, shelled chestnuts, roasted chestnuts, chestnut beer, pop-up vendors, live music and more!
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North Carolina Friends, Visit The Plant in Pittsboro, NC, for their 3rd annual Chestnut Carnival on November 16, 2025. There will be chestnut cocktails, chestnut rum cream, shelled chestnuts, roasted chestnuts, chestnut beer, pop-up vendors, live music and more!

Join us on Friday, November 21, 2025, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (ET), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat webinar.

Our special guest, Dr. Jessica Rutkoski, is a small grains breeder with a talent for explaining the fundamentals of breeding and quantitative genetics. In her talk, she will describe how modern tools such as genomic selection and high-throughput phenotyping can speed up improvement for multiple traits—and how these technologies can be effectively applied to TACF’s American chestnut breeding program. Jessica is a quantitative geneticist and leads the winter wheat breeding program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

To register, visit: tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-faster-genetic-gain/
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Join us on Friday, November 21, 2025, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (ET), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat webinar.Our special guest, Dr. Jessica Rutkoski, is a small grains breeder with a talent for explaining the fundamentals of breeding and quantitative genetics. In her talk, she will describe how modern tools such as genomic selection and high-throughput phenotyping can speed up improvement for multiple traits—and how these technologies can be effectively applied to TACF’s American chestnut breeding program. Jessica is a quantitative geneticist and leads the winter wheat breeding program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.To register, visit: https://tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-faster-genetic-gain/

🍂 As autumn arrives, chestnut trees at TACF’s Meadowview Research Farms enter dormancy, leaves turning gold and brown before falling. This cozy pause is nature’s renewal, while staff use the time to plan, prepare, and continually refine methods across the field, nursery, and lab. Dormancy sets the stage for a strong spring and a year of progress in chestnut science. 🌳

#fall #chestnuts #americanchestnutfoundation #americanchestnut
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1 CommentComment on Facebook

I have two American chestnut trees in my yard in Delaware. The one is leaning bad and needs to be cut down. I would someone to contact me for you guys can get seeds and limbs

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