Maryland Chapter

WSSC 1 – Backcross Orchard

This was the first WSSC (Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission) orchard, a backcross breeding orchard.

This orchard was culled or rogued in 2015. Beginning in 2016 the remaining trees have pollinated each other, producing a large crop of BC4F2 nuts for planting in our seed orchards.
Address:
2717 Triadelphia Lake Rd., Sunshine, Montgomery Co.

Directions:
As a starting point, find your way to Sunshine, which is at the intersection of MD 650 (New Hampshire Ave,) and MD 97 (Georgia Ave). From Sunshine, go 1/2 mile north to a right turn on Triadelphia Lake Rd.  Note: See the Google Map below.

Contacts:
Ron Kuipers – MDTACF
Eddie Franceschi: Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, Watershed Manager
Mark Grzeszkiewicz:  groundskeeper

Plantings:

Here is a list of the remaining 13 BC4 chestnut trees:
Sugarloaf East 833 – (6 trees) – numbers – 32, 43, 117, 121, 220, 270
Peters 32A – (2 trees) – numbers – 6, 297
WREC 48A – (5 trees) – numbers – 147, 150, 200, 204, 208

 

Location:

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We've prepared a completely legitimate and highly scientific quiz.

Take the quiz, then drop your results in the comments:

🤓 Confidently Wrong
🌱 Chestnut Curious
🌰 Chestnut Expert

#AmericanChestnut #TreeID #ForestEducation #ChestnutTrees #NativeTrees
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Weve prepared a completely legitimate and highly scientific quiz.Take the quiz, then drop your results in the comments:🤓 Confidently Wrong 🌱 Chestnut Curious 🌰 Chestnut Expert#AmericanChestnut #TreeID #ForestEducation #ChestnutTrees #NativeTreesImage attachmentImage attachment+7Image attachment

4 CommentsComment on Facebook

I got a 4 on this.

I got 3 out of 4!

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Just a few years apart: the same wild American chestnut tree before and after chestnut blight took its toll.

Enter our 2026 Photo Contest from now until the end of December!

#americanchestnut #chestnutblight #ForestEcology #NativeSpecies #ForestConservation
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Just a few years apart: the same wild American chestnut tree before and after chestnut blight took its toll. Enter our 2026 Photo Contest from now until the end of December! #AmericanChestnut #ChestnutBlight #ForestEcology #NativeSpecies #ForestConservationImage attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

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American chestnuts produce separate male flowers and bisexual flowers on the same tree?! What a fascinating reproductive strategy for a species once dominant across eastern forests. 🌿

#americanchestnut #treefacts #treeidentification #ForestEcology #SaveOurForests
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5 CommentsComment on Facebook

I have had these on the farm for years

BeeKeeper Mango

From looking at the leaves that is NOT an American chestnut. The leaves do not have the good fishhook profile on the edges, and from what can see they look like Japanese chestnut leaves which have small feathery edges.

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Small Stem Assays involve inoculating young chestnut stems with the blight fungus and monitoring the resulting cankers, allowing researchers to assess how well different trees respond to infection.

#educational #Informative #americanchestnut #fieldwork #explore
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2 CommentsComment on Facebook

You don't find out if the tree is resistant until it matures. That could be a decade later.

I am always amazed how big you all can grow them in 1 year. That is how big my second year seed8 gs always are!

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