Ohio Chapter

About Us

Our Mission

The Ohio Chapter was founded primarily to bring about the restoration of the American chestnut throughout the hardwood forests of Ohio, where it once flourished. We work with the National Foundation to advance research, education, and public awareness of this important tree species. The Ohio Chapter implements this mission by education and research. Education would include projects such as establish demonstration plantings to acquaint people with the American chestnut and the blight that has almost eliminated by the blight, providing material for education, provide grants to support demonstration plantings and presenting information at appropriate forums. Research would include mine restoration plantings with American chestnuts, reforestation projects including American chestnut, test plantings of hybrid American chestnuts, finding and document surviving American chestnuts in Ohio, and supporting chestnut research in Ohio with grants.

American Chestnut in Ohio

The range of the American Chestnut was mostly restricted to the glaciated and unglaciated Appalachian Plateau region In Ohio. This is roughly the eastern half of the state. The chestnut grew mostly as part of the oak hickory forests and constituted 10-20% of the forests in eastern Ohio. They reached3-4’ DBH. Since Ohio is in the western part of the range the of the tree the blight did not completely decimate the chestnut in Ohio until the early 1940’s. Some large snags persisted for awhile but now almost the only thing left are root sprouts in the understory of the forest and ODNR now lists the American Chestnut as extirpated in Ohio.

Ohio Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation

The Ohio Chapter of the American Chestnut foundation was established in 2005. The mission of the Ohio Chapter is to support the goals of the TACF through research and education to restore the American Chestnut to its former glory. Education includes demonstration projects to increase awareness, presentations, and publications on the American Chestnut. Research efforts include restoration projects, finding surviving trees in Ohio, and sponsoring research supporting the restoration of the American Chestnut in Ohio and throughout its range.

Board of Directors

PRESIDENT
Mr. Stephen Rist
Ohio DNR Division of Forestry

Email: ohchapter@acf.org

VICE-PRESIDENT
Mr. Bruce A. Willis

TREASURER
Mr. Ryan Homsher

SECRETARY
Greg Chopko

WEBMASTER
Frank Skalak

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dale Angerman
Dr. Bob Clark
Dr. Carolyn Howes Keiffer
Kristen Lehtoma
Dr. Greg Miller
Tom Mills

Documents

Annual Meeting Minutes

Ohio Board Mtg F-2016
Ohio Business Mtg F-2016

In The News

Restoring Giants (March 2017) Ohio Cooperative Living. Pages 32-33.

Membership

Membership Form (National and Ohio Chapter)

Ohio Chestnut Inventory

Inventory Form

Ohio Small Grant Application

Application Form

Ohio Chapter Menu

National Facebook

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A good day at Kentucky Division of Forestry Morgan County Tree Nursery. Collected 60 or so fertile burs (and left many small, infertile burs on the tree … there just were not enough catkins on the other trees to get a “full dose” of pollen to the available female flowers). Next is sorting down the best 50 to ship to Virginia Tech for a research project.

From The American Chestnut Foundation - Kentucky Chapter President Ken Darnell:

“I collected ‘open pollinated’ burs today. Left the bagged (Control Pollinated) burs to further ripen. Will come back in a couple of weeks to check them again. The Americans in Morgan County Nursery definitely mature later than all other flowers and burrs that I have seen around the state…..

Used my folding ladder to get up to the burs to “close clip” off their base stems … rather than using an extension pole to clip off several inches of twigs. That should help next season with more bur production.”
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A good day at Kentucky Division of Forestry Morgan County Tree Nursery. Collected 60 or so fertile burs (and left many small, infertile burs on the tree … there just were not enough catkins on the other trees to get a “full dose” of pollen to the available female flowers). Next is sorting down the best 50 to ship to Virginia Tech for a research project.

From The American Chestnut Foundation - Kentucky Chapter President Ken Darnell:

“I collected ‘open pollinated’ burs today. Left the bagged (Control Pollinated) burs to further ripen. Will come back in a couple of weeks to check them again. The Americans in Morgan County Nursery definitely mature later than all other flowers and burrs that I have seen around the state…..

Used my folding ladder to get up to the burs to “close clip” off their base stems … rather than using an extension pole to clip off several inches of twigs. That should help next season with more bur production.”Image attachmentImage attachment+2Image attachment

11 CommentsComment on Facebook

I would like to acquire a few to see if they will grow in zone 6

How do I grow chestnut trees from my existing tree

Are these “open pollinated” plants with hybrids or are they pollinating pure C. dentata? What are the controlled populations being bagged for specifically?

Nice job! The only thing I see in New York are Chinese  chestnut trees. 

Does Missouri have a chestnut association

I see these on the ground around my property in Fairview North Carolina, 2300 feet elevation blue ridge mountains. They are chestnuts? Chinese or American?

I thought you needed to wait for the burr to fall. Can you harvest right off the tree - how do you know when to do that?

Have a good crop of chestnut still on the trees. What do I do to plantings to get more trees?

How I can harvest my chesnuts? This year I lost 99% of my chesnut production to squirrels depredation.

Karen Cox Gullett, Sue Rupard, EddyPatsy Roberts

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And harvesting continues! This report from the TACF The Georgia Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation has a great description of the process, what happens after the nuts are picked and processed and also how we work with so many partners like Berry College who helps process the harvested nuts. Also pictured is Kathy Patrick, the volunteer of the year for the entire southern region of TACF. Thank you, Kathy, for your dedication and hard work. We will see you at the Fall Meeting! Note: some of these nuts were harvested at Anna Ruby Falls by staff Member Matt Summers! ... See MoreSee Less

And harvesting continues! This report from the TACF The Georgia Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation has a great description of the process, what happens after the nuts are picked and processed and also how we work with so many partners like Berry College who helps process the harvested nuts.  Also pictured is Kathy Patrick, the volunteer of the year for the entire southern region of TACF. Thank you, Kathy, for your dedication and hard work. We will see you at the Fall Meeting! Note: some of these nuts were harvested at Anna Ruby Falls by staff Member Matt Summers!Image attachmentImage attachment+3Image attachment

14 CommentsComment on Facebook

Do you ship seeds

This is amazing!

Hope to see more saplings at Shieling State Forest soon. I walk thru every weekend.

Is there any way to get some seedlings

Let us hope this is exceptional news, I wish we could grow chestnuts here in Kansas zone 6.

I'd love to have an American Chestnut tree in my field.

Where will they be planted?

Newbee here, why does the tree bark look so narly?

How can someone purchase seedlings

They’re fallin in Southern Ohio!

Do you ship seeds or saplings? If so will they grow in northern Michigan

Chinese chestnut trees are for sale at Walmart .. I prefer American. Where can I find them… Ohio

I remember my college days at SFA in Nacogdoches Texas 1st year dendrology . On our lab one week we were sampling trees in a neighborhood close to campus instead out in the woods. We came up on a so called (ringer) or a tree not included in our textbook. Because I had spent a lot of time in North Carolina I recognized right off as an American chestnut and got to go home early. Now how it got there nobody knows but it’s still there torturing new dendrology students today under the watchful eye of the forestry department at SFA,

They are selling saplings at fryberg fair for $20 each.

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Carolinas Chapter member Jon Taylor recently spent 10 days collecting chestnut burs from 18 wild trees spanning Alabama to Connecticut. This was his third annual chestnut harvest, and the nuts he collected will get planted in several different germplasm conservation orchards. The goal is that some of these will eventually become mother trees and receive transgenic pollen.

1st photo: An American chestnut tree on the Appalachian Trail in central Pennsylvania

2nd photo: Jon Taylor with newly discovered American chestnut tree in Connecticut
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Carolinas Chapter member Jon Taylor recently spent 10 days collecting chestnut burs from 18 wild trees spanning Alabama to Connecticut. This was his third annual chestnut harvest, and the nuts he collected will get planted in several different germplasm conservation orchards. The goal is that some of these will eventually become mother trees and receive transgenic pollen.

1st photo: An American chestnut tree on the Appalachian Trail in central Pennsylvania

2nd photo: Jon Taylor with newly discovered American chestnut tree in ConnecticutImage attachmentImage attachment

31 CommentsComment on Facebook

I am curious how to order seedlings? We've got acreage in Western NC mountains and we'd love to plant lots of these.

Such important work. ❤️❤️❤️

Thank for your efforts Jon!

Way cool!

I would love to get some blight resistant trees so I could spread the chestnut 🌰 tree love 🌳

Found some chestnuts while hiking in the Smokies this week.

My mom has a sizable one in her yard in Brevard, NC with no signs of blight. It has seeds every year.

I have lots of chestnut trees on my farm in WV. How do I know if they are American chestnuts or not?

Wonderful!

I truly hope that this effort is successful. It would be a great thing to see the chestnut become a major tree once again across the Eastern to Central US.

Good !

Nice finds! Here is the one I found on my farm. Western PA It's around 50 feet tall.

Awesome!

I had a chestnut 🌰 tree that got to be 40 inches round and plenty of chestnuts but one year it got dark and looked like it caught the blight. It was a shock to me because my papa had planted it from a seed. I have 2 more That look like bushes. But I’m afraid they also are prone to catching the blight.

A question for the experts…would it be possible to grow a tree in zone 5b Chicago? Congratulations on this wonderful mission.

The tree on #1 looks more like a shagbark hickory than a chestnut. I have both growing on my property.

I really need some seedlings!!!

Looks like my chestnut tree

These are blight resistant?

I love you’re using biotechnology to solve this problem. I wonder if you partner with the biotech industry you could move quicker and more efficient.

I love anyone on a mission, but I especially love THIS mission. Thank you.

Is there a report of any in Red Creek, NY?

They must have been something to behold.in Pre Columbus . America

There is a grove in Orleans, MA.

I know where some of these are in Middelsboro Kentucky where I grew up

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Latest News

Ohio Chapter Meeting September 11, 2021

Ohio Chapter Meeting September 11, 2021

September 11, 2021  Annual Meeting of the Ohio Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation The annual meeting was held virtually via ZOOM.  President Carolyn Keiffer told the membership she is retiring from Miami University at the end of the year and the presidency of...

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Ohio Chestnut Grant Applications

Ohio Chapter  Grant Applications due October 30, 2021!! Grants are available for up to $1000 for any project or plan furthering the American Chestnut by planting, education, or another manner.  These grants are available to any people or organizations who would be...

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OH Chapter Grants Applications

OH Chapter Grants Applications

Posted September 23, 2021 Ohio Chapter  Grant Applications due October 30, 2021 Grants are available for up to $1000 for any project or plan furthering the American Chestnut by planting, education, or another manner.  These grants are available to any people or...

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