Chapter Activities are all accomplished by our member / volunteers.  Please click on the following title to review each activity:

Planting American and Hybrid Orchards.  Planting nuts and seedlings each spring in many orchards across PA and the Mid-Atlantic.

Pollinating.  Hand pollinating chestnut trees to produce a harvest of hybrids for the next generation.

Harvesting and Seed Storage.  American and hybrid nut collecting throughout the region and cold storage to prepare for springtime germination.

Orchard Maintenance.  The annual hard work of watering, fertilizing, herbiciding, and protecting the trees in each orchard.

Inoculation and Selection.  Inoculating hybrid trees with chestnut blight to determine the amount of resistance as well as evaluation for American characteristics.

Tree Location and Identification.  Locating and identifying American chestnut trees for the restoration program.

Displays and Presentations.  Major chestnut story presentations and displays including the PA Farm Show and Ag. Progress Days at Penn Sate University.

Membership Meetings and Chapter Newsletter.  Two member's meetings and a grower's meeting each year helps to keep our members informed. Each meeting is proceeded by a chapter newsletter, The Chestnut Tree.

Planting American and Hybrid Orchards.  We normally plant in the spring after the nuts have completed several months of cold storage.

The season starts with a spring grower's meeting where our volunteers arrive to pick-up nuts, planting supplies, and receive some lessons in planting methodology from  experienced orchard growers .  Most members plant nuts directly into the ground at their orchard site but a few germinate nuts into seedlings for planting later in the spring.  Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages. 

American orchards are established around the region for several reasons:  1. To maintain the American chestnut germplasm pool.  2. To locate American chestnut trees  where we can control growth, production, pollination and blight for a few years.  3. Provide the newer growers with an opportunity to establish an orchard without risking the loss of valuable hybrids.  4. To study and observe  of the growth of American trees including silviculture studies, maintenance management, chestnut identification studies as well as predator control knowledge.   The  photo shows the location of our American orchards:

Hybrid Orchards usually contain a single generation plus some American and Chinese chestnuts  which act as check trees during growing and testing.  An explanation of each generation is discussed on the Backcross Page.  The generations are shown below.  

 First Generation (F-1) trees  - the initial progeny from the Chinese x American cross.

Second Generation (BC-1) - the first backcross to a local American tree.

Third Generation (BC-2) - A continuation of crosses to an American.

 Fourth Generation (BC-3) - The final backcross to American before doing two intercross generations. 

The population of progeny of the BC3 generation will exhibit an average of 94% characteristics of the American chestnut.  At this level of American type, TACF expects the variety to have enough American character to enable our final populations to compete well, i.e. compete like the populations of pre-blight American chestnut, in the forests of the eastern United States.

Although we presume the BC3 generation to impart enough American character, for several of our lines, our plans are to continue to the BC6 generation, just in case our testing finds that the BC3 generation cannot satisfactorily compete in the forests of the eastern US.

 We have every generation of breeding planted throughout mid-Atlantic.  A majority of our material represents the BC3 generation, but we have planted several lines of BC3F2 material.  Currently, the BC3F2 generation marks the most advanced level of breeding within the program, and that material exists only at Penn State University's Arboretum and at TACF's Main Research Farms in Meadowview, VA.

There are more than 70 American and hybrid orchards maintained by chapter volunteers across Pennsylvania in the breeding program, which contain over 20,000  trees.

Back To Top of Page

Pollinating starts in June when the male flowers begin to emerge.

Teams of volunteers venture around PA to prepare the trees for pollination by stripping the male catkins from the limb to reduce self-pollination then covering the female bur with a weatherproof bag.  We then wait until the bur is receptive - about two weeks - and return with the selected pollen, make the cross and replace the bag to wait until the fall harvest.  Reaching the flowers is the challenge and we use several methods as shown in these photos:

Back To Top of Page

Harvesting and Seed Storage.  The Chapter volunteers harvest approximately 3,000 to 8,000 chestnuts per year depending upon the following year's planting requirements.  The bounty includes hybrids, American and some other species such as Chinese, Japanese, European or chinquapin.  (A chinquapin chestnut is a an American native shrub or small tree related to the chestnut that produces small nuts)  

These nuts are processed for storage. Some may be given a hot water bath - 120 degrees for 20 minutes if there is evidence of worm infestation or they may be given a bath in a 10% bleach solution if mold is evident.    They are placed in lightly dampened peat moss in a plastic container and stored in a refrigerator  over winter. THEY ARE NOT FROZEN. This process simulates winter conditions and prepares the nuts for spring germination.

Back To Top of Page

Orchard Maintenance.  Conservative estimates indicate the Chapter spends about 6,000 volunteer hours each year maintaining our orchards.  This would probably amount to an annual cost of $90,000 if this were done with employees.  Most of this maintenance is done during the growing season from May through August and consists of:

               Landscaping  Herbiciding  Fertilizing

      Tube Maintenance   Watering  Documentation

      Fencing        ......and a hug now and then!  

Back To Top of Page

Inoculation and Selection. Hybrid trees that are about 4 years old and 1 1/2 inches in diameter are inoculated with the chestnut blight to evaluate their resistance level.  Those showing the best resistance and the best American characteristics are selected to produce the next generation as shown on the back cross page.

                     Tree Inoculation                         Inoculation Team

Back To Top of Page

Tree Location and Identification.  There is a constant need for fresh American pollen and nuts to keep the restoration program supplied as outlined on the Field Identification Page.  We depend upon our members across the region to find, identify and document the locations of both individual trees and groups of trees.  The locator form is used to communicate tree data to the Chapter.  Many American chestnut trees are found where there has been a clear-cut lumbering operation.  The native chestnuts spring up from the stump sprouts because the blight does not seem to harm them.  Old survivors are sought as well for their potential to hold some blight resistance.

There are however many hybrid American chestnuts and our chapter  identification screening program helps to define those that are acceptable for the breeding program.  Our screening includes an evaluation of the physical characteristics and a microscopic examination. See the page on field identification.  The photos are samples of native Americans around Pennsylvania:

Back To Top of Page

Displays and Presentations.  The Chapter participates in several display booth presentations on a state-wide and regional basis.  We have participated in the PA Farm Show for several years and 20 to 25 volunteers tend the booth during the week educating the general public about the history, blight problems and recovery of the American chestnut. 

Another event that has been very well attended is the Penn State University's AG Progress Days each August.   Our volunteers have an outside exhibit with the Chapter E-Z up shelter.  We also operate a wagon tour to our local chestnut planting nearby.

Chestnut presentations are available for large groups around the region.  This multimedia presentation includes a history of the American chestnut tree, the path of the blight, recovery operations, and PA-TACF's program.

Back To Top of Page

Membership Meetings and Chapter Newsletter.  Our two annual member meetings are held in the spring and autumn.  these meetings feature several presentations by Foundation and Chapter scientists and specialists in areas like the breeding program, forest studies, genetics, growing techniques, silviculture,  etc.  We conduct several workshops to give information on practical application of our many programs including chestnut identification, planting, pollinating, tree maintenance, harvesting and storage.

Our Chapter newsletter, The Chestnut tree, is mailed to all PA Chapter members and others.  Our mailing list is about 1100.  The latest Chestnut Tree newsletter appears in this web site.

Back To Top of Page