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Thank You To The Leaders of Berea College Forest---Partners with The Kentucky Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation
Excellent in depth article in Winter 2024 edition of KEENELAND magazine, authored by Jacalyn Carfagno, Photos by Kirk Schlea
Silas Mason came to work at Berea College in 1897, after turning down a job as second in command of the new U.S. Department of Forestry. He saw "mostly abandoned and eroded hill farms with little or no large tree cover".
Silas Mason quickly began acquiring land and, with the help of a Boston benefactor, had assembled almost 7,000 acres in a few year. The Berea College Forest has now grown to around 9,000 acres, with 17 miles of hiking trails, with 9 new miles being developed.
Current Head Forester, Clint Patterson, who is also a Board Member of the Kentucky Chapter. Clint and his Team work to nurture many of the wild American Chestnuts still growing on the ridges of the forest. We appreciate their active Partnership actions. John Abrams is a naturalist who works with Forestry Team.
There is so much more to share about the amazing Team at Berea College Forest.
forestryoutreach.berea.edu/services/the-forest/
We encourage you to visit their wonderful Forestry Outreach Center:
www.berea.edu/centers/the-forestry-outreach-center
Full article, Keeneland Magazine Pg. 82-94
issuu.com/keeneland/docs/keeneland_magazine_-_winter_2024_edition
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Eastern Kentucky University Has Won a 2024 American Chestnut Foundation Partner Award * * * *
Presented at The American Chestnut Foundation's Annual Meeting held in Cromwell, Connecticut in October 2024.
The Eastern KY University Team has been an awesome Partner over the last nine years. EKU has Partnered with KY TACF to develop a Regional Chestnut Seed Orchard on their Taylor Fork Ecological Area just south of campus. 3700 B3F2 seedlings (Averaging 94% American and 6% Chinese genes) were planted in a 2.5 acre deer fenced enclosure, to be evaluated and thinned down to the best 40 or so BEST trees that will be used for next phase of breeding for the goal of developing American Chestnut trees with enough blight resistance to be replanted in their original Forests.
The TACF / EKU Hybrid American Chestnut Orchard is "Golden" to the National and to the Kentucky efforts, not only for its production, but also as an educational area for EKU Biology students who come to the orchard to help on Volunteer Days, and get an education from KY Chapter and National TACF leaders with whom they are working side by side. Over those nine years, a huge variety of Volunteers have helped in this Orchard. AWESOME TEAMWORK.
Eastern Kentucky University, and other KY Partners and Volunteers, were nominated by Ken Darnell, KY TACF Chapter President.
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Thank you so much for your work
Woohoo!!! 🙌
A productive TEAM WORK DAY at the TACF / EKU REGIONAL HYBRID CHESTNUT SEED ORCHARD Saturday October 26, 2024
Volunteers.....lots of TEAMWORK. "Many Hands Make Light Work":
Jake Royse, Robert Griffin, Amos Stone, Jimmie Sizemore, Davida Isaacs, Aleshia Isaacs, Patti Darnell, Ken Darnell
Actions completed:
1. Patti Darnell filled up 40 one gallon milk jugs with rain water caught in rain barrels in Mt Sterling. Ken watered all seedlings, for the 8th or 9th time this year.
2. Jake Royse and Jimmie Sizemore ran their chain saws to cut out 20 more scattered dead trees, on top of the 149 dead trees cut out on October 5th's VOLUNTEER WORK DAY
3. Jake Royse ran weed eater around the seedlings planted May 1st.
4. Amos Stone, Jimmie Sizemore, Davida Isaacs, Aleshia Isaacs, added fresh ribbons to the black nylon deer fence to warn birds.
5. Robert Griffin flew his drone to take updated overhead photos of the Orchard and our surviving 349 trees out of 3,675 planted or 9.5% .
We will continue to evaluate and cut out trees until we are down to our "BEST" 1% to 2% of the trees, to use them for next breeding plans. * * * * * * *
Photos by Ken Darnell
Thank You to two of our newest KY Chapter Members and Volunteers, from Lexington, KY, Davida Isaacs and her daughter Aleshia. 🙂
Thank You to Tandy Deskins, EKU Grounds TEAM, for recently mowing the Orchard. That helps our trees, and makes for an easier work day *****
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Greatjob crew! I wish I coulda been there to help.
I belive I have two American chestnut trees on my property in Adair Co Ky.