Virginia Chapter

Virginia News

Bur Collection Time: Volunteers Needed!

Bur Collection Time: Volunteers Needed!

We’re looking for volunteer chestnut lovers to help bring in this year’s nuts.  If you haven't harvested before, here's all it entails. Someone climbs up the ladder and pushes the burs off. People on the ground chase down the burs and put them in bags.  Except at...

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Fall Newsletter Published!

Fall Newsletter Published!

The Fall 2018 issue of the Virginia Chapter of TACF's newsletter, The Bur, is now available for downloading. You can get a pdf copy of this and all issues of The Bur here.

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Successful Day Inoculating at New Kent

Successful Day Inoculating at New Kent

We had a great day on July 20th at the New Kent Forestry Center!  It was a gorgeous day and we stayed cool enough in the shade of the ops building. With 24 folks working, we were able to inoculate about 1400 chestnut seedlings in under 5 hours.  That’s pretty...

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Small Stem Assay at Providence Forge

Small Stem Assay at Providence Forge

On July 20, 2018, small stem assay was conducted at Providence Forge, Virginia (east of Richmond). The seedlings are being used in progeny testing. The seedlings are about 18 months old and were being inoculated with the blight.  They were grown in a greenhouse at the...

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Inoculation at Fried Orchard

Inoculation at Fried Orchard

On June 14, a group of volunteers inoculated about 140 trees in the Fried Orchard.  The volunteers were Ned Yost, Tom Wild, Meg Sewell and Warren Laws.  Regional Coordinator Tom Saielli and our intern Katrina Somers participated as well.

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Spring 2018 Newsletter Now Available

Spring 2018 Newsletter Now Available

The Spring 2018 issue of the Virginia Chapter's newsletter, The Bur, is now available on line.  Click here to read the latest issue, which includes stories on progeny testing, the backcross breeding program and chainsaw safety practices and training, along with a...

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Join us on tomorrow, October 10, 2025, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (EPT), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat.

Our special guest, Dr. Trevor Walker, Assistant Professor of Forest Genetics and Co-Director of the Cooperative Tree Improvement Program at NC State University, will share insights from 70 years of breeding loblolly pine for disease resistance, growth, and stem form. He will also consider which practices are likely to succeed for American chestnut, which are not, and why.

Visit tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-breeding-disease-resistance-in-loblolly-pine/ to learn more or register.
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Join us on tomorrow, October 10, 2025, from 11:30AM – 1:00PM (EPT), for the next LIVE Chestnut Chat.Our special guest, Dr. Trevor Walker, Assistant Professor of Forest Genetics and Co-Director of the Cooperative Tree Improvement Program at NC State University, will share insights from 70 years of breeding loblolly pine for disease resistance, growth, and stem form. He will also consider which practices are likely to succeed for American chestnut, which are not, and why.Visit https://tacf.org/event/chestnut-chat-breeding-disease-resistance-in-loblolly-pine/ to learn more or register.

Do you love pulling on your work gloves and cracking open freshly fallen burs to reveal the chestnuts inside? If you do, but don’t have any of your own yet, become a member and get access to our wild-type seed sale in 2026. In just a few years, your hands could be full of spiky burs and American chestnuts of your own. support.tacf.org/membership/new-regular ... See MoreSee Less

35 CommentsComment on Facebook

I use my boots to open them!

Porcupine eggs!!😂🤣

I have a bag full.

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We’re proud to share this segment from the PBS show Human Footprint, featuring former TACF staff member Sara Fitzsimmons. The American chestnut sequence was selected to be adapted into a standalone YouTube video, which launched in late September and has already garnered more than half a million views. Sara’s dedication and expertise have shaped much of the progress in restoring the American chestnut. Give it a watch to learn more about this important work. ... See MoreSee Less

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2 CommentsComment on Facebook

Great presentation!

🌰 Harvest season at TACF’s Meadowview Research Farms brings both beauty and breakthrough science. Many of the chestnut crosses we gather are generated through recurrent genomic selection—cutting-edge research driving restoration forward. Each bur holds not only the wonder of new life, but also the promise of a future where the majestic American chestnut returns to our forests. 🌳

#americanchestnut #castaneadentata #americanchestnutfoundation #ChestnutResearch #meadowviewresearchfarms
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1 CommentComment on Facebook

Are there places we can purchases a Chestnut tree that is disease resistant? Thanks!

We'll be co-hosting American Chestnut Day at the NC Arboretum this Saturday! If you're local, we hope you'll join us for a fun day of speakers, activities, and even a wild-type chestnut seedling sale! ... See MoreSee Less

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