West Virginia News
TACF’s Mid-Atlantic “Volunteer of the Year” is Robert Sypolt from WV
At TACF's annual meeting held October 17-20, 2019 at the Wyndham Hotel in Gettysburg, PA, Robert Sypolt was selected as the Mid-Atlantic region Volunteer of the Year.
Rainelle, WV United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church in Rainelle, WV (Greenbrier County) is reported to be the largest structure in the world built entirely of American chestnut lumber. The church, completed in 1914 (pre-chestnut blight), was built by workers of the Meadow River Lumber...
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WV chapter work day at the Clements Tree Nursery in Mason County
The state tree nursery in Mason County, WV has two chestnut orchards. The older orchard was planted in the mid-1970s from nuts from large, surviving American chestnuts in the mid-Atlantic region. Nuts from the 1970's orchard were used to initiate a second orchard in...
WV chapter potting chestnuts
The group at the Meadowview farm sent about 350 beautifully packaged germinating chestnuts in mid-March. A group of a dozen volunteers from the WV chapter gathered at the Plant and Soil Sciences greenhouse on the campus of West Virginia University to pot the nuts. ...
Chestnut seedlings headed to the Boy Scout Camp at Summit Bechtel Reserve in WV
Sam Muncy, treasurer of the WV chapter, loaded up 100 chestnut seedlings from the West Virginia University greenhouse for planting at the 10,000 acre national Boy Scout Camp at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Fayette/Raleigh Counties, WV.
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National Facebook
Seed prep is underway! Meadowview Research Farms staff and Emory & Henry Bonner Scholars are currently bagging seeds that will be sent to TACF Seed Level Members next week. These hybrid chestnut seeds are collected from genomically selected mother trees at Meadowview Research Farms and are one of the only ways to get seeds from TACF. Each seed represents a step forward as we prepare them for distribution to our seed level members; thank you for helping grow the future of the American chestnut!
#AmericanChestnut #RestorationInProgress #ChestnutResearch #ForestRestoration #MeadowviewResearchFarms #ChestnutSeedlings
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A major milestone for conservation science.
Our Director of Science, Dr. Jared Westbrook, has published new research in “Science” showing how genomic tools can transform endangered species recovery. By using recurrent genomic selection, we can predict resilience earlier, shorten breeding cycles, and build a restoration system that grows stronger with every generation.
This model doesn’t just help the American chestnut, it could guide restoration for threatened species across the world.
Read the full article: www.science.org/eprint/SBHDH76BXDK366UMHU44/full?activationRedirect=/doi/full/10.1126/science.adw...
#ScienceResearch #ConservationScience #americanchestnut #restoration #conservation #science #nature #explorepage #chestnuts
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Would this work for the American elm tree?
Across the world...is that like around the world?
Anyone have any links or information about Iodine use soil/spray and duration for eradicating or postponing the fungal infection? All the research I've done shows Iodine could cure the infection if using science.
We’re honored to be highlighted in this AVLtoday feature on the American chestnut’s story in Western North Carolina.
While the path to restoration is long, moments like this remind us how many people care about bringing this tree back to the landscape it once defined.
Thank you to everyone who continues to help this story grow.
Read the article: avltoday.6amcity.com/chestnut-tree-wnc
Photo curtsey of Audrey Snow Owen of PA/NJ TACF
#americanchestnut #explorepage #restoration #conservation #environment #nature #asheville #chestnuts
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I thought American chestnuts didn't have hairs on them or shiny leaves. Is this a chinese hybrid?
Is the photo a back crossed hybrid of American chestnut and Chinese chestnut?
Freedom seekers—enslaved Africans and African Americans who escaped slavery in pursuit of freedom—faced hunger, exposure, and unfamiliar terrain as they journeyed north.
Black History Month provides an important opportunity to honor the past while also recognizing how Black knowledge, leadership, and community continue to shape the present. From histories rooted in land and survival to modern platforms and outdoor spaces where connection and representation matter.
Throughout February, we will share a series of four stories that explore Black relationships to land, legacy, and community, looking at both historical foundations and contemporary expressions.
Read more about Freedom Seekers: tacf.org/black-history-and-the-american-chestnut/
#BlackHistoryMonth #americanchestnut #explorepage #chestnuts #BlackHistoryMonth2026 #restoration #conservation #history
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Hopefully they will be developing a mold resistant tree.
That's a really interesting perspective. I think a lot of woodcraft and other types of knowledge about the natural world, like astronomy, had to be shared. Also, marine skills.
Chestnuts?
January might feel like the quiet season, but at our research farms it’s already time to get growing. This month, we’re sowing chestnut seeds that will be used in upcoming research and breeding efforts. Starting seeds in January gives us a valuable head start on the growing season, allowing seedlings to establish early and be ready for genotyping in the spring and summer. Each seed represents an important step forward in our research, helping us better understand growth, resistance, and performance across chestnut species and hybrids. #AmericanChestnut #RestorationInProgress
#ChestnutResearch #ForestRestoration #MeadowviewResearchFarms #ChestnutSeedlings
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