In The News
The Susquehannock Wildlife Society (SWS) is proud to announce that a new American chestnut restoration project is underway on our 20-acre Wildlife Center property in Harford County, MD, thanks to the generous donation of forty seedlings from TACF. This project began after SWS had to cut most of our Green ash trees due to damage caused by the invasive emerald ash borer. Learning in...
Today, December 14, 2021 is a special occasion at TACF: Roast Chestnuts Day! As we enjoy this holiday season, the tune of Nat King Cole’s famous 1946 “The Christmas Song” brings forth cheerful appreciation for "chestnuts roasting on an open fire." TACF’s hopeful mission to rescue the iconic American chestnut tree ensures that future generations may continue the sentimental holiday...
In this November 2021 article from The Washington Post, University of California Santa Cruz professor of ecology and evolution Beth Shapiro explores the power of synthetic biology to restore earth’s critical biodiversity. Citing the restoration of the functionally extinct American chestnut tree and the highly endangered black-footed ferret, Beth addresses the capability of human intervention to reverse the course of human-influenced environmental damage. This...
On November 17, 2021, the This is Love podcast released its 40th episode titled "Grandfather of the Forest," exploring the multigenerational journey of American chestnut restoration. Host Phoebe Judge speaks with passionate TACF members Blair and Mary Carbaugh, Kristy Klinger, and TACF Director of Restoration Sara Fitzsimmons, gaining insight into the motivations of those who plant trees under the shade of which they will...
The 13th annual West Virginia Chestnut Festival was held on Sunday, October 10 in Rowlesburg, WV. Traditions of this festival include the annual crowning of two individuals as Mr. and Mrs. Chestnut, based on their valued contributions to the broad areas of the American chestnut heritage and tradition. Jeff and Erica Kochenderfer were crowned 2021 Mr. and Mrs. Chestnut. Jeff serves as the north zone...
A large American chestnut tree in Sherwood, Oregon, more than six feet in diameter, has succumbed to old age. The passing of such a large tree in current times is a rare event. The tree that died was planted in 1885 by a farmer named Hicks. A nearby second tree planted by Hicks, four feet in diameter, survives. The article, “Back from the Brink,”...
An article from the Maine Central Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) details their latest collaboration with the ME-TACF Chapter. Armed with about 30 chestnut seedlings, the district began working to clone these seedlings for blight resistance. The district’s efforts have prompted the ME-TACF Chapter to donate another 300 seedlings. Central Aroostook SWCD Executive Director Randy Martin (pictured) and Forester Ethan Hill are...
On August 24-25, 2021 ME-TACF Chapter Vice President Tom Klak, and VT/NH-TACF Chapter President Doug McLane, once again combined efforts to move American chestnut restoration forward. They checked the condition of hundreds of chestnut flowers at Cape Elizabeth, ME that they had pollinated earlier with transgenic pollen. This was one more...
This article in the Sun Journal revisits the 114-foot tall American chestnut tree in Hebron, Maine. The tree is considered to be the largest surviving American chestnut in the state of Maine, and one of the largest in the country. The reason for...
In July 2021, the CT-TACF Chapter held several Chestnut Hikes to search for new sources of American chestnut germplasm. The CT Department of Energy & Environmental Protection had previously performed habitat management harvests at many parcels of state-owned land to create early successional habitat for the New England Cottontail, a species that was proposed for listing on the Endangered Species List. Since these forest...
Throughout the summer, KY-TACF Chapter members and volunteers have searched for wild-type American chestnut trees in the Red River Gorge Geological Area of Daniel Boone National Forest, an area known to have a number of surviving American chestnuts. Volunteers seek to take record...
This August 2021 article published by the Town Topics Newspaper of Princeton, New Jersey, chronicles the history and re-emergence of American chestnut trees in various NJ townships, including a second generation hybrid sapling planted at Mapleton Preserve in Kingston. "There are over 100 chestnut trees now growing in the area, including trees planted in Hopewell Township at the Fiddler’s Creek Preserve, demonstration plantings at...