West Virginia News
Allegheny Chinquapin seeds sent to Arkansas
Allegheny chinquapin (Castanea pumila) seeds from the Clements Tree Nursery in Mason, WV were sent to the Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park in Prairie Grove Arkansas. There are about 200 chinquapin trees at the Mason County site, and a small bag-full of...
Germination Time
Members of the West Virginia chapter gather in mid-March to pot chestnuts. In readiness for potting, the bags of nuts that were stratified over the winter in a refrigerator were checked in mid-February to see how many had radicals. In the photo, there is a wide...
Arthurdale, WV
Arthurdale is a small, unincorporated community in northern West Virginia (Preston County). It was one of 98 planned communities that were part of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. The town was built in 1933 at the height of the depression as a social...
Oak Hill High School Planting
A demonstration site, spearheaded by WV-TACF member, Dr. Lewis Cook, was located at Oak Hill High School beside the Vocational Technical Center. That site had been a previous chestnut planting that had not done well due to wet and shallow soil conditions. The Board of...
Harvesting Chestnuts at the Clements Tree Nursery in Mason County, WV
TACF's Mid-Atlantic regional science coordinator, Mark Double, WV-TACF president and Stephen Rist, OH-TACF president, harvested chestnuts from the WV state tree nursery in Mason County, not far from the Ohio River.
Rowlesburg Chestnut Festival
The 13th annual Rowlesburg Chestnut Festival was held on October 10, a bright, sunny fall day. Hot roasted chestnuts were sold along with hybrid chestnut trees. Jeff and Erica Kochenderfer were crowned Mr. and Mrs. Chestnut for 2021. Jeff and Erica reside in...
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National Facebook
We are not apart from the Earth—we are a part of it. Not something to own or use, but something we belong to. A living part of us, meant to be loved and cared for as deeply as anything else we hold dear.
#restoration #conservation #americanchestnut #chestnut #trees #trending
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“Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with our Abrahamic concept of land. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” ― Aldo Leopold
TACF is hiring!
We’re looking for a 2026 New England Restoration Intern to support hands‑on chestnut breeding and forest restoration work across our New England chapters. This paid summer internship offers real‑world experience in plant breeding, field research, orchard management, and conservation science. 🌱
Know someone who’d be a great fit? Tag them!
Visit tacf.org/employment/ to find out more information and apply!
#americanchestnut #internship #hiring #explorepage #conservation #forestrestoration
Building the future of our trellis orchard one graft at a time! After beginning to train Chinese chestnut trees onto wire last summer, Meadowview Research Farm staff are continuing that work this season by grafting and training American scion onto the same system. By training chestnut trees on wire, our hope is that the canopy is more accessible, making it easier and safer to access all male and female flowers from the ground. Grafting diverse American chestnut scion onto the wire will provide future access to trees from other regions. This careful process of connection and guidance blends strength, structure, and adaptability. #americanchestnut #RestorationInProgress #chestnutresearch #forestrestoration #meadowviewresearchfarms #ConservationScience
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Great work!!
That's a great idea and i hope it works for ya'll, Good luck 👍
At Heirloom Table Company, nothing is wasted and every table tells a story.
This clip showcases how salvaged American chestnut wood, reclaimed from old New England buildings, is transformed into handcrafted tables designed to become family heirlooms.
The full video takes a deeper look at the process and then introduces another local artisan who handcrafts Native‑style flutes. While the flute‑making isn’t connected to chestnut wood, it’s a beautiful continuation of the theme: preserving craftsmanship, skill, and tradition.
Watch the full video here: www.wcvb.com/article/crafting-heirlooms-and-melodies-in-new-england/70794861
#news #americanchestnut #wood #trees #explorepage
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We are beginning to see catkins on chestnut trees in our high-light growth chamber! By growing our chestnuts under 16 hours of high-intensity light, we’re seeing incredible results, including pollen production in less than 2 years. In the field, pollen and female flower production typically takes 5–7 years. This acceleration allows us to shorten breeding cycles and speed up tree generations, helping us select, improve, and scale better chestnut genetics much faster than traditional timelines.
#AmericanChestnut #RestorationInProgress #ChestnutResearch #ForestRestoration #MeadowviewResearchFarms #ConservationScience
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Have you sent out the seeds for seed-level members? I was supposed to get six of them; and in the past, they have always come in March -- and today is the 27th.
Is it possible to buy pollen from American chestnuts?
It is good to hear of the accelerated time line. Are these trees all genotyped?