Indiana News

Pure American chestnut harvest at Duke orchard

Duke orchard is a germplasm conservation orchard started with a generous contribution from Duke Energy Company. Many of the trees have produced nuts for a number of years. Some years pollen is applied in spring to produce controlled crosses. This year the trees were open pollinated which means that trees were pollinated by pollen from other chestnuts in the orchard without pollen from specific trees being applied to specific mother trees.

Today, October 6, 2022, volunteers and staff harvested the nuts that resulted from the open pollination. Caleb Kell, orchard staff, harvested chestnut burrs from the tall trees using a lift vehicle. Other volunteers performed the prickly task of removing the nuts from the burrs. These nuts will be stratified over the winter and grown into seedlings in spring at several locations. Many of these seedlings will be used as rootstock for grafting. When chestnut trees are found in the wild, small twigs, called scion wood, can be taken from the wild tree and grafted onto the rootstock and grown into mature chestnuts. Other nuts will be planted in germplasm conservation orchards. The genetic material of the Duke trees contains traits which will be very valuable in future breeding of blight resistant chestnuts.

Caleb Kell harvesting chestnut burrs from our tall trees.

Volunteer Claud Diehl removes the nuts from the painfully spiny burrs.

 

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What an incredible tree the American chestnut was! As The American Chestnut Foundations continues its decades-long work to restore this species, we welcome you to join the cause!

Become a member, volunteer with your local chapter, or simply spread the word about this incredible tree. Visit support.tacf.org/membership to get started.
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7 CommentsComment on Facebook

"Arrived and displaced native peoples" had to throw that in didn't you?

They can bring back a dead wolf from hundreds of years ago but they won’t bring back something useful like the American chestnut

And then the Europeans came.

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Isn't nature amazing? ... See MoreSee Less

Isnt nature amazing?

Join us on Friday, May 16, 2025, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (EPT), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat.

Special guests Duane McKenna and Michael Charles will discuss beetle evolution and the rediscovery of a lost species, the greater chestnut weevil.

Visit tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-beetle-evolution-greater-chestnut-weevil/ to learn more and register.
... See MoreSee Less

Join us on Friday, May 16, 2025, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (EPT), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat.Special guests Duane McKenna and Michael Charles will discuss beetle evolution and the rediscovery of a lost species, the greater chestnut weevil.Visit https://tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-beetle-evolution-greater-chestnut-weevil/ to learn more and register.

Huge thanks to our amazing Bonner Scholars, Maddy, our dedicated Farm Assistant, and Gabbie, our creative Social Media Intern for all their hard work this semester! We’re so grateful for their contributions and can’t wait to welcome them back in August for another season of collaboration.

#americanchestnut #castaneadentata #americanchestnutfoundation #meadowviewresearchfarms #emoryhenry #bonnerscholars
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Huge thanks to our amazing Bonner Scholars, Maddy, our dedicated Farm Assistant, and Gabbie, our creative Social Media Intern for all their hard work this semester! We’re so grateful for their contributions and can’t wait to welcome them back in August for another season of collaboration.#americanchestnut #castaneadentata #americanchestnutfoundation #meadowviewresearchfarms #emoryhenry #bonnerscholars

Join us on Friday, May 16, 2025, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (EPT), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat.

Special guests Duane McKenna and Michael Charles will discuss beetle evolution and the rediscovery of a lost species, the greater chestnut weevil.

Visit tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-beetle-evolution-greater-chestnut-weevil/ to learn more and register.
... See MoreSee Less

Join us on Friday, May 16, 2025, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (EPT), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat.Special guests Duane McKenna and Michael Charles will discuss beetle evolution and the rediscovery of a lost species, the greater chestnut weevil.Visit https://tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-beetle-evolution-greater-chestnut-weevil/ to learn more and register.

1 CommentComment on Facebook

Why don't they make a weevil that can't have babies? And put them in the wild? So it'll past it to overs so they'll die out!!!

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