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Our Mission
The mission of the NC/SC Chapter is to assist in the work of The American Chestnut Foundation in bringing about a revival and a renewal of the American chestnut tree as a prominent part of the forests of the United States of America by strengthening the organization’s financial and membership base, education, public awareness, and research activities.
Once there were over four billion American chestnut trees in the United States. One out of every four trees in the Appalachian forests was a chestnut! From Maine to Mississippi, American chestnut trees thrived and matured as the dominant species, towering over their neighbors the oaks, hickories, and tulip poplars. And they were huge. One tree near Waynesville, NC, was over 17 feet in diameter — 53 feet in circumference!
Foresters called the American Chestnut “the most useful tree in the woods”, because it provided abundant food for wild animals and livestock, a cash crop for mountain farmers, a light, yellow-colored wood for furniture, and rot-resistant lumber for fences, utility poles, and siding.
In 1904 the chestnut blight disease, caused by an Asian fungus Cryphonectria parasitica, was discovered in the Bronx Zoo of New York City. The blight spread quickly by air and on the bodies of insects, birds, and animals.
By the 1930´s, almost all the mature chestnut trees in the Carolinas were dying back to their roots. Thanks to soil organisms, however, many of the roots remain alive, sending up small sprouts that constantly die back from the blight even today.
Now, with an approach called backcross breeding, the American Chestnut Foundation and its Carolinas Chapter are working to revive this great King of the Forest. Within a decade, we expect to have blight-resistant trees ready for testing in North and South Carolina. It is our hope and expectation that the American chestnut will resume its place as a significant species in our forests. The members of the Carolinas Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation are heavily involved in reaching this goal: finding surviving trees, pollinating them, harvesting seed, and planting orchards for eventual reforestation. We sincerely appreciate the dedication, hard work, and enthusiasm of our members and ask you to join us in our efforts to save this great tree.
NC/SC Chapter Board of Directors
Peggy MacDonald, Leicester, NC, President
Open Position, Vice President
Open Position, Secretary-Treasurer
Haiying Liang, Clemson, SC, Membership and Outreach Officer
Jon Taylor, Asheville, NC
NC/SC Chapter Website Administrator
Kimberly Greenway, Asheville NC
The North Carolina / South Carolina Chapter Menu
National Facebook
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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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.
A guy named Bill Deeter has just recently observed that trees that have crown gall seem to be warding off the blight. Im really hoping that this will bring back the longevity of the American Chestnut
My Neighbors have a vet old chestnut tree - they have contacted several conservation groups about getting a sapling of a second . So it would produce chestnuts once again-
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
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
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
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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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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Latest News
American Chestnut Day At The North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville, NC, October 4, 2025
The American Chestnut Foundation and the North Carolina/South Carolina TACF Chapter hosted this special event for the public at the NC Arboretum in October. Many thanks to our sponsor, Warren Wilson College! Thanks also to the North Carolina Arboretum for allowing us...
Chestnut Harvest at the Pryor Farm, Edneyville, NC, September 27, 2025
Even with the threat of bad weather, we had volunteers come to help collect open-pollinated chestnut burs and nuts today, at the Pryor Orchard. We thank the first-time volunteers, Kelly, David and Gwen, for several hours of pulling burs off of the trees and...
Chestnut Harvest at the Chestnut Return Farm, Seneca, SC, September 25, 2025
Today, controlled-pollinated hybrid chestnuts in protective bags were harvested. Also, open-pollinated chestnuts from the best trees were collected. Jamie Van Clief from TACF directed the work. We were happy to have so many helpful hands today to make the harvest go...