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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
This is part two so if you didn't see our last post, go check it out! When blight reached the remaining American chestnuts in Wisconsin's historic stand, the Helming family faced a difficult decision.
Today, those trees live on as part of a display at the National Museum of Forest Service History, where their story will inspire future generations.
Read an exclusive excerpt from an upcoming Chestnut magazine article about the process, and become a member to read the complete story in the next issue.
Click the following link to read: tacf.org/tacf-at-national-museum-forest-history/
#americanchestnut #member #restoration #news #explore
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Thank you for doing this! We love opportunities to inspire the next generation 🌰
1 CommentComment on Facebook
Way to go Lake!
In 2020, signs of chestnut blight appeared on one of the largest known American chestnut stands in the country, leading to the difficult decision about how to preserve its legacy.
Read the story of this remarkable stand: ivtlogs.com/american-chestnut/
Then follow us for our next post, where we'll share how the remaining trees from this historic stand were harvested to become part of a display at the National Museum of Forest Service History. You'll also get a preview of an upcoming article from our award-winning Chestnut magazine that tells the rest of this bittersweet story.
#explore #news #americanchestnut #hope #newlife
70 CommentsComment on Facebook
I took over property that has been in my family 200 years. I'm the first to farm it in 100 years. I found two in the back of the property in the holler.
i have a 7/8 american: 1/8 chinese chestnut tree doing very well and has begun to produce chestnuts.
I hate this story. First, to say the trees got a ‘new lease on life’ is a connotative misnomer and disingenuous. A new lease on life would mean that they were saved. What they really got—inevitably, I understand—is a different use in death that allowed someone to make money off their demise. That’s better than letting them rot, but it’s not a happy ending. The fact that the story is written by someone from the timber company, reflecting the point of view of a party to the situation whose motivation is monetary, just ads to the disingenuousness of this story being posted by ACF. Are you conservationists or loggers? The ‘passion for the history’ of the American chestnut time is just a contrivance to make the situation less bleak and depressing. My takeaway is that the last stand of chestnuts is gone and no replacements are arriving anytime soon. From ACF, I want content about progress in bringing chestnut trees back, not a clumsily-glossed-up summary of how someone made money on the last ones we had.
Join us Friday and Saturday and enjoy speakers and events, including: social hours, Friday lunch and dinner, plus Saturday lunch! Add on a special orchard tour for just $20 more. Register now and get the early bird rate!
Can't join for the full event? Get the Half Day Pass and just come for Saturday. You still get the chance to add on a special orchard tour!
For more information visit: tacf.org/2026-american-chestnut-symposium/
#americanchestnut #event #forestry #explore #conservation
5 CommentsComment on Facebook
I may be there
November sixth and seventh……right in the rut!! 🤦♂️
Will they do well in zone 8, NE TX? Yesterday we hit a record high of 107’f and can plunge as low as -20’f. Average rainfall is 50+”/year.
When our founders and early volunteers started breeding blight-resistant American chestnuts decades ago, they knew restoration would take generations. Like the proverb says, true conservation is about planting for a future we may never see, but one that the younger generations will inherit. Today, we continue that legacy. Want to help us plant the forests of tomorrow?
Visit the following link to learn how to get involved: tacf.org/volunteer/
#explore #americanchestnut #forestrestoration #saveourforests #inspirationalquotes
15 CommentsComment on Facebook
I planted quite a few American Chestnut trees from chestnuts I got from our local chapter of the ACF headed up by Herb Darling. All but 2 of them died. Mostly from the blight, but some because I planted them in soil that wasn’t drained enough. The 2 that are still alive are on a hill next to Lake Ontario. They’re doing great- even seem to be crowding out the nearby maple trees.
A society grows even more greater when old men plant American Chestnut Trees specifically in whose shade they shall never sit.
Only a fool would sit under a Chestnut tree now until December
Latest News
Mountain Science Expo, NC Arboretum, Asheville, NC, April 25, 2026
The NC/SC Chapter for TACF was invited to participate in the Mountain Science Expo this year. The Expo gives children an opportunity to experience science in person. This year, ecoEXPLORE, a community science organization for 5-13 year old children, visited our table...
South Carolina Hemlock Festival, Mountain Rest, SC, April 18, 2026
The American Chestnut Foundation NC/SC Chapter was invited to participate at this event. Dr. Haiying Liang and students Jay, Stone, Roger from Clemson University, talked about American chestnut restoration with the public. This is an annual event, with many nature...
Montreat Landcare Festival and Arbor Day Celebration, Montreat, NC, April 11, 2026
The American Chestnut Foundation was invited to participate at this event. Jon Taylor, board member of the NC/SC Chapter, and Ralph Crisp answered many questions about restoration of the American Chestnut and the efforts of TACF to bring this tree back to our forests....