Indiana News

Indiana Chapter Annual Meeting

This year the Indiana Chapter of TACF will hold an in-person annual meeting. The date is January 14, 2023. The location is the Fitness Farm of Indianapolis. Our chapter science officer, Jim McKenna, has generously arranged for us to use a room at Fitness Farm at no cost to the chapter.

The meeting will begin at 11:00 AM ET and be over around 3:00 PM ET. Fitness Farm is located centrally in the state of Indiana so it is our hope that members from both the north and south will be able to attend. Locating the venue is easy with GPS. We will put up several signs at the Fitness Farm to aid in finding the meeting room, which is called “Scholarship Hall.”

Fitness Farm Indianapolis
2525 W 44th Street Indianapolis, IN 46228

Jim will give a detailed presentation of chestnut breeding, grafting, pollinating and growing that he has been working hard on. The chapter has made great progress in several areas and Jim will give reports on all of his work. There are a number of chapter projects that will require volunteers to complete and we will discuss those and hopefully recruit volunteers for these.

We may also have another guest speaker.

Lunch will be served around noon.

With any questions, call Glenn Kotnik, Indiana Chapter president, at (317) 459-4443, or call Jim McKenna at (765) 775-6693.

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Learn more about this remarkable standing American chestnut in the article “We The People: How Iowa Is Part of the Effort to Save the Rare American Chestnut Tree.” Courtesy of Grace Vance and KCRG.

Visit: www.ktiv.com/2026/01/12/we-people-how-iowa-is-part-effort-save-rare-american-chestnut-tree/

#americanchestnut #chestnuts #restoration #conservation #explorepage
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22 CommentsComment on Facebook

Georgia has a stand of chestnut trees in a secret location. Can they borrow some pollen from this tree to add to their breeding collection? They need a varied gene pool for the future.

Inoculate it with the blight fungus to see if it is actually resistant or if it is too far from other infected trees to catch the disease.

Looks like a European (C. sativa).

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A month ago, our President and CEO, Michael Goergen, got to visit the New York Botanical Garden and see the original documentation of chestnut blight taken from a tree in the Bronx Zoo. Feeling a sense of inspiration from the experience, Michael wrote, "Holding that bark brings both grief and resolve. Grief for what was lost. Resolve for the work ahead.

Because for the first time since 1905, we are no longer documenting decline.
We are documenting return.

The American chestnut is not a memory. It is a restoration mission and The American Chestnut Foundation is building the tools and partnerships to finish what Merkel, Murrill, and others could not.

Seeing the original blight records didn’t make the work feel more challenging. It made it feel inevitable.

Restoration is the next chapter. We get to write it."

#explorepage #americanchestnut #history #chestnuts #learn #nature #forestry #trees #blight #restoration #conservation
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A month ago, our President and CEO, Michael Goergen, got to visit the New York Botanical Garden and see the original documentation of chestnut blight taken from a tree in the Bronx Zoo. Feeling a sense of inspiration from the experience, Michael wrote, Holding that bark brings both grief and resolve. Grief for what was lost. Resolve for the work ahead.Because for the first time since 1905, we are no longer documenting decline.We are documenting return.The American chestnut is not a memory. It is a restoration mission and The American Chestnut Foundation is building the tools and partnerships to finish what Merkel, Murrill, and others could not.Seeing the original blight records didn’t make the work feel more challenging. It made it feel inevitable.Restoration is the next chapter. We get to write it.#explorepage #americanchestnut #history #chestnuts #learn #nature #forestry #trees #blight #restoration #conservationImage attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

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Whoo hoo! Sorry, you were not the first to know this. The Chestnut Lady.

Our New England Regional Science Coordinator, Deni Ranguelova, made an appearance on the podcast "Across the Fence" to discuss the American chestnut tree and why we are working to restore them.

Check out the podcast on Youtube at youtu.be/c9EeOc5WIaE?si=80CQtoY4-qeQhjtI

#americanchestnut #chestnuts #podcast #history #restoration #conservation #nature #forestry #explorepage
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4 CommentsComment on Facebook

So like Covid?

I have 70+ new Dunstan hybrids going in this spring, sprouted in my fridge in peat moss right now. They're going out into a 1 acre area on my 18 acres of wooded land in the Poconos. I'm planning to add Italian and Chinese chestnuts next year and let the natural pollination process produce its own hybrids and resistance over time.

This was all because someone in upstate Delaware thought it would be a good idea to grow a Chinese chestnut in their yard so they could show it off to their friends.

New year, new opportunities! Now’s the perfect time to get involved with the American chestnut. 🌱

Check out our January & February events and join the movement!

Visit out events calendar for more info on each event

#americanchestnut #events #volunteer #pennsylvania #castaneapa #Maine #rhodeisland #pennstate #chestnuts #explorepage
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New year, new opportunities! Now’s the perfect time to get involved with the American chestnut. 🌱Check out our January & February events and join the movement!Visit out events calendar for more info on each event#americanchestnut #events #volunteer #pennsylvania #castaneapa #Maine #rhodeisland #pennstate #chestnuts #explorepageImage attachmentImage attachment+2Image attachment

TACF is hiring both a Mid-Atlantic and Southern Regional Science Coordinator! Support volunteer-led science programs, work hands-on with chestnut restoration, and connect regional chapters with national research efforts. If you have experience with tree breeding and selection programs, leading volunteer events, orchard management, or are passionate about the return of American chestnut to its native range, we encourage you to apply.

The link to apply and more details can be found here: tacf.org/employment/
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TACF is hiring both a Mid-Atlantic and Southern Regional Science Coordinator! Support volunteer-led science programs, work hands-on with chestnut restoration, and connect regional chapters with national research efforts. If you have experience with tree breeding and selection programs, leading volunteer events, orchard management, or are passionate about the return of American chestnut to its native range, we encourage you to apply.  The link to apply and more details can be found here: https://tacf.org/employment/Image attachment
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