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We want your pictures! Have you taken a creative chestnut-themed photo that's too good not to share? Here's your opportunity to do just that! Submit your photo to TACF's 2016 Chestnut Photo Contest. The winning image will appear on an upcoming cover of Chestnut magazine and the photographer will receive a complimentary, one-year membership with TACF.
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 This year at Meadowview Research Farms, TACF staff is experimenting with three variations of backcross breeding. The first variation is conducting controlled pollination between the most blight-resistant Clapper and Graves B3F2 trees. The second is conducting controlled pollination between individuals resistant to either the fungus that causes chestnut blight, or the causal agent of Phytophthora root rot (PRR). The third variation is backcrossing with additional sources of resistance that descended from different Chinese chestnut trees. Continue reading to learn about the specifics of each variation. |
 What inspires you to be involved with The American Chestnut Foundation?
Share your story of how the American chestnut has touched your life and why you think it's essential that this tree be restored back into our forests. Your story could be published in the Reflections section of one of our upcoming Chestnut journals. Do you have a special memory? Have you spent time volunteering for TACF and wish to share that experience? Is there a tall tale or true story about the American chestnut that has been passed down in your family for generations? Have you written a poem about the tree? We want to know and share it with others!
Email your submission to Jules Smith, editor and social media specialist at TACF.
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In 2011, TACF's Virginia chapter was awarded an external grant from TACF to help support Bull Run Mountains Conservancy (BRMC) Chestnut Survival Study. The purpose of the study is to test the influence of light and deer herbivory on American chestnut (Castanea dentata) seedling growth and survival in an area where chestnut was once a dominant tree.
Last week, folks from the Virginia chapter and TACF staff joined Bill McShea of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) to track the progress of American chestnut seedlings at BRMC - they were last checked in 2013.
The group discovered that the height of the seedlings was about the same as when they were last checked, theorizing deer browse or that the young trees might be waiting for a canopy gap. It was also noted that 50% of the seedlings were still alive. The data gathered will help determine where and how chestnuts have the best chance of survival. This data will be critical once reforestation efforts begin with the blight resistant chestnut developed by TACF. Keep reading to learn more details about the study.
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| Call for Research Proposals 2016 |
Proposals must be sent via email attachment to Regional Science Coordinator Sara Fitzsimmons by 5:00pm, Friday, August 12, 2016.
Click the above link for full details about the proposal application process.
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Save the Date: TACF Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY
November 11, 2016
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TACF's annual meeting will take place in the beautiful city of Louisville, KY on Friday, November 11. This year's agenda has a great deal to offer over the course of one day, including education sessions, expert speakers, awards dinner in the evening, as well as ample opportunity to take in the sights of the city! Join TACF on November 11 and enjoy all that Louisville has to offer!
Registration opening soon. Additional details to follow.
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August 6-7 / PA Chapter: Festival of Wood - Grey Towers / VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for this event / Grey Towers National Historic Site, Milford, PA/ August 6, 10:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. & August 7, 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
August 16-18 / PA/NJ Chapter: Penn State Ag Progress Days / 2710 W Pine Grove Rd, Pennsylvania Furnace, PA / Admission and parking are free! / Contact PA/NJ Chapter Administrator Jean Najjar for details: (814) 863-7192 or jnajjar29@gmail.com / August 16, 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.; August 17, 9:00 A.M. - 8:00 P.M.; August 18, 9:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
August 20 / VT/NH Chapter: Planting for Wildlife: Cultivating Reciprocity / Dragonfly Pond Farm, W. Brookfield, VT / Registration fee is $35 before July 31; $45 after July 31; Registration deadline is August 12 / For more information and to register, contact Kathy: (802) 728-6205 or KatKinter@gmail.com / 1:00 - 4:30 P.M.
SAVE THE DATES:
November 11 / TACF Annual Meeting / Embassy Suites by Hilton / 501 South 4th Street, Louisville, KY 40202.
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The American Chestnut Foundation
50 North Merrimon Ave, Suite 115
Asheville, NC 28804
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The mission of The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) is to restore the American chestnut tree to our eastern woodlands to benefit our environment, our wildlife, and our society.
TACF is a 501(c)(3) conservation organization headquartered in Asheville, NC. To learn about TACF and its national breeding program, visit www.acf.org. To join the effort to restore the American chestnut tree, visit www.acf.org/join.php. |
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