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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
Meadowview Research Farm’s staff members Jim Tolton and Lucinda Wigfield joined Terry Sharik and Bob Ford in monitoring Round Leaf Birch (Betula uber) plots last week. This rare tree species is endemic to Marion, Virginia, meaning it naturally occurs nowhere else in the world. To help conserve it, progeny tests were planted to study how seedlings from different parent trees grow and survive. During this monitoring visit, we focused on counting male catkins, which produce pollen, that play a key role in reproduction. Tracking flowering and catkin production helps researchers understand the trees’ health, reproductive potential, and long-term conservation success.
#AmericanChestnut #RestorationInProgress #ChestnutResearch #ForestRestoration #MeadowviewResearchFarms #ConservationScience
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We would like to take a moment to shout out longtime volunteer and board member John Scrivani. John has been working to restore the American chestnut for more than four decades. Check out the article published about him and TACF in Blue Ridge Country Magazine: blueridgecountry.com/newsstand/magazine/the-good-steward/
The article is titled "The Good Steward" by Eric J. Wallace.
#explorepage #news #americanchestnut #conservation #chestnuts
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Great stuff
John is a great ambassador for chestnuts, and he has unbelievable patience to help people learn. Here we are collecting scions from large trees for grafting. Thank you for all you do
I would like to purchase some trees for my property
As the weather warms up, now is the perfect time to get involved with some chestnuts.
Check out our March events and join in the fun!
Visit our events calendar for more information on each events: tacf.org/events/category/tacf/
#explorepage #events #Volunteer #americanchestnut #nature #Connecticut #Massachusetts #RhodeIsland #virgina #Maine
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There’s nothing quite like the first signs of life in the nursery; our chestnut seedlings are officially emerging! After weeks of careful stratification, planting, and patience, we’re starting to see those first tender shoots break through the soil. Early seedling emergence is a critical stage, showing us that germination was successful and that strong root systems are beginning to establish beneath the surface. These seedlings will be used for our Recurrent Genomic Selection program, including future seed orchards, progeny tests, small stem assays, phytophthora root rot screening. Here’s to healthy growth, strong roots, and a thriving season ahead! #AmericanChestnut #RestorationInProgress #ChestnutResearch #ForestRestoration #MeadowviewResearchFarms #ConservationScience
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There’s nothing quite like the first signs of life in the nursery; our chestnut seedlings are officially emerging! After weeks of careful stratification, planting, and patience, we’re starting to see those first tender shoots break through the soil. Early seedling emergence is a critical stage, showing us that germination was successful and that strong root systems are beginning to establish beneath the surface. These seedlings will be used for our Recurrent Genomic Selection program, including future seed orchards, progeny tests, small stem assays, phytophthora root rot screening. Here’s to healthy growth, strong roots, and a thriving season ahead! #AmericanChestnut #RestorationInProgress #ChestnutResearch #ForestRestoration #MeadowviewResearchFarms #ConservationScience
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Meadowview for the Win!🏆
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...