The North Carolina / South Carolina Chapter
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Contact us at gro.fcat@retpahCCSCN

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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
Nate Osborne, Leicester, NC, 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

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What an incredible tree the American chestnut was! As The American Chestnut Foundations continues its decades-long work to restore this species, we welcome you to join the cause!

Become a member, volunteer with your local chapter, or simply spread the word about this incredible tree. Visit support.tacf.org/membership to get started.
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7 CommentsComment on Facebook

"Arrived and displaced native peoples" had to throw that in didn't you?

They can bring back a dead wolf from hundreds of years ago but they won’t bring back something useful like the American chestnut

And then the Europeans came.

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Isn't nature amazing? ... See MoreSee Less

Isnt nature amazing?

Join us on Friday, May 16, 2025, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (EPT), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat.

Special guests Duane McKenna and Michael Charles will discuss beetle evolution and the rediscovery of a lost species, the greater chestnut weevil.

Visit tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-beetle-evolution-greater-chestnut-weevil/ to learn more and register.
... See MoreSee Less

Join us on Friday, May 16, 2025, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (EPT), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat.Special guests Duane McKenna and Michael Charles will discuss beetle evolution and the rediscovery of a lost species, the greater chestnut weevil.Visit https://tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-beetle-evolution-greater-chestnut-weevil/ to learn more and register.

Huge thanks to our amazing Bonner Scholars, Maddy, our dedicated Farm Assistant, and Gabbie, our creative Social Media Intern for all their hard work this semester! We’re so grateful for their contributions and can’t wait to welcome them back in August for another season of collaboration.

#americanchestnut #castaneadentata #americanchestnutfoundation #meadowviewresearchfarms #emoryhenry #bonnerscholars
... See MoreSee Less

Huge thanks to our amazing Bonner Scholars, Maddy, our dedicated Farm Assistant, and Gabbie, our creative Social Media Intern for all their hard work this semester! We’re so grateful for their contributions and can’t wait to welcome them back in August for another season of collaboration.#americanchestnut #castaneadentata #americanchestnutfoundation #meadowviewresearchfarms #emoryhenry #bonnerscholars

Join us on Friday, May 16, 2025, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (EPT), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat.

Special guests Duane McKenna and Michael Charles will discuss beetle evolution and the rediscovery of a lost species, the greater chestnut weevil.

Visit tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-beetle-evolution-greater-chestnut-weevil/ to learn more and register.
... See MoreSee Less

Join us on Friday, May 16, 2025, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (EPT), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat.Special guests Duane McKenna and Michael Charles will discuss beetle evolution and the rediscovery of a lost species, the greater chestnut weevil.Visit https://tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-beetle-evolution-greater-chestnut-weevil/ to learn more and register.

1 CommentComment on Facebook

Why don't they make a weevil that can't have babies? And put them in the wild? So it'll past it to overs so they'll die out!!!

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