In The News
Have you taken a photograph of an American chestnut or American chestnut hybrid that deserves to grace the cover of Chestnut magazine? Enter it in TACF’s 2022 American Chestnut Photo Contest! Send in your best photo(s) by September 1, 2022...
The success of B3F3 demonstration plantings varies at a number of sites in the Carolinas. Some trees survive after many years; others have died due to drought and unfavorable soil conditions. Despite amended soil to encourage better drainage and root growth, heavy clay soils often affect the growth of seedlings planted. Tim Horne volunteered last fall to help the chapter, inventorying and documenting the...
The KY Chapter is fortunate to partner with Berea College in restoring the American chestnut. The college owns a 9,000-acre forest in the “Knobs” (rugged, non-connected hills) south of the Bluegrass limestone region of Kentucky. The land was acquired beginning in 1897 after small farms exhausted the soil and the timber had been cut over. The higher sandstone ridges at 1,500 feet elevation support...
In late January, chapter volunteers met at Pennsylvania State University's Forest Resources Laboratory complex to sow the 2021 crop of seed, some of which were collected in the backcross orchards on the grounds of the Penn State Arboretum. Volunteers were directed by Orchard Manager Steve Hoy (Hoy) and assisted by TACF Director of Restoration Sara Fitzsimmons. Altogether 4,200 pots have been planted. The seed range includes wild-type Americans, advanced backcross,...
TACF chapter members are a crucial asset toward our mission to rescue the American chestnut tree. In addition to their invaluable volunteer work, we also appreciate their diverse interests and expertise. For example, Indiana Chapter President Glenn Kotnik is not only passionate about American chestnut restoration, he is also a skilled and knowledgeable nature photographer! Please enjoy the following educational piece by Glenn in...
“You teach me, I forget. You show me, I remember. You involve me, I understand” ~E.O. “Ed” Wilson, 1929-2021, The American Chestnut Foundation’s Honorary Director Since hearing of Ed’s passing, a day I knew would come but dreaded, there is little I can add to the many deserved accolades of this towering conservationist....
In partnership with TACF, the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina (FCNC) joined the American chestnut rescue mission in December 2021 with two volunteer plantings in Burke County, NC. Volunteers succeeded in planting 500 American chestnut seedlings at Oak Hill Park and FCNC’s Possum Rock property. Boy Scout Aaron Grossman spearheaded the Possum Rock restoration planting in order to achieve his Eagle Scout rank, and...
ME-TACF Chapter's Tom Klak, professor in the School of Marine and Environmental Programs at the University of New England (UNE), has partnered with Sweet Cream Dairy in Biddeford, ME to release a chestnut ice cream for the third year in a row. This partnership between TACF, UNE, and local business Sweet Cream has been incredibly successful in previous years, with the chestnut ice cream...
Do you know what a landscape fabric spreading machine looks like? I didn’t, until the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDF) lent one to the VA-TACF Chapter on December 7 and 8. This machine helped greatly as volunteers planted 678 hybrid chestnut seedlings at Matthews State Forest in Grayson County, VA. In addition...
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 tradition of roasting chestnuts...
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...