Come take an aerial tour of the Maryland Chapter’s newest seed orchard near Ellicott City, MD. The chapter recently put together a short video to show its volunteers the results of all their hard work. This seed orchard is located on two acres of farm land provided by the University of Maryland at their Central Maryland Research & Education Center. The main research at the Center concentrates on improving dairy operations.
The first plots were planted in 2016, and as of the 2018 planting effort, there are now more than 3,400 trees in the orchard. This orchard consists of B3F2’s and B4F2’s. There is still room for an additional 3,100 trees and the Maryland Chapter expects to complete filling the orchard within the next three years.
In the video, you will see that the trees are thriving at this location. The setting is more than idyllic. Rolling hills of corn, soybeans and pastures of grazing cows surround the orchard. Maybe it’s this peaceful setting that makes the trees grow so well – you be the judge. We hope you enjoy the video of our small forest of hybrid American chestnut trees.
