Over the course of The American Chestnut Foundation’s 41 years, the organization has consistently sought external scientific expertise to ensure that its programming and progress are on track.
To reach this goal, The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) holds two bodies of scientific expertise. One is the board’s Science and Technology Committee (S&T), and the other is the Research Advisory Council (RAC). The RAC was first chartered in 2013 and was meant to be a connection between the S&T and outside experts who would eventually create an external review of TACF’s scientific programming.
The most recent plans to hold a science review were established in 2023, when the need for external expertise was accelerated by growing concerns about field performance of Darling 58 (now known to be Darling 54).
A series of meetings, both virtual and in person, were held over the spring of 2024 and a report was drafted by the RAC, then shared with TACF’s science leadership team. Recommendations and suggestions from the report will be integrated into the next iteration of the organization’s three-year strategic plan. Soon, we look forward to providing everyone with specific information about the RAC review and the current paths and methods being used to improve and enhance American chestnut restoration populations.
In the meantime, we’d like to introduce you to the members of this blue-ribbon panel of industry and academic experts who are helping TACF to craft this especially important science plan.
Walter Carson
Dr. Walter Carson was a Professor of Biology at the University of Pittsburgh for nearly 30 years. He is a broadly trained ecologist who earned his doctorate at Cornell University and conducted postdoctoral research at Princeton University. He is a leading expert on the ecology and biodiversity of the Eastern Deciduous Forest Biome of North America. He was a Charles Bullard Fellow in Forest Research at Harvard University in 2017.
Stacy Clark
Dr. Stacy Clark has been a research forester with the USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, since 2005. She is based in Knoxville, TN on the University of Tennessee campus where she is an adjunct assistant professor. Her research interests span the life cycle of the oak tree from the acorn to old growth to the whiskey barrel. She currently leads research projects on American chestnut restoration and artificial regeneration of upland oak.
Fikret Isik
Dr. Fikret Isik is Professor of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University. He is also a Fulbright U.S. Scholar and co-director of the Cooperative Tree Improvement Program, and he has published 94 peer-reviewed journal articles. His research uses genomics and quantitative genetics to fundamentally change tree breeding. With revolutionary changes in DNA sequencing technology and analytical methods, genomics’ potential in animal and plant breeding is finally poised to reach its potential.
Todd Jones
Dr. Todd Jones is a Distinguished Laureate and Program Leader for Ag Equity Initiatives at Corteva Agriscience. The Ag Equity Initiatives are a set of highly collaborative, externally funded, research projects utilizing gene editing to address crop resiliency and improve the productivity and lives of smallholder farmers across the globe. Todd received his Ph.D. in Plant Developmental Biology from the University of California, Davis in 1988.
David Neale
Dr. David Neale retired in July 2020 after a 36-year career in California with the U.S. Forest Service Institute of Forest Genetics and the University of California, Davis (departments: Genetics, Environmental Horticulture and Plant Sciences). He worked with more than 100 talented young scientists and together they published 200+ papers. He continues at UC Davis as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus and serves as the Director for the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation.
Jeffrey Rollins
Dr. Jeffrey Rollins is a professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Florida. His research focuses on plant-pathogen interactions and the biology of plant pathogenic fungi. His research has made significant contributions to understanding the role of oxalic acid in Sclerotinia diseases and the dynamics of tree colonization by the laurel wilt pathogen Harringtonia lauricola.
Jeremy Schmutz
Jeremy Schmutz is a faculty investigator at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, a nonprofit research institute in Huntsville, Alabama. He also leads the Plant Program for the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, the Department of Energy (DOE) User facility for genomics. Jeremy has 30 years of experience in genomic sequencing and data analysis, including leading efforts to finish the DOE’s 11% of the human genome sequence. Jeremy and his team’s research appear in more than 200 peer-reviewed articles across major scientific publications.