Citizen Scientists Needed to Test Potentially Blight-Resistant Chestnut Seeds
ASHEVILLE, NC. (February 4, 2010) The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF®)
has taken an unprecedented step toward the restoration of the American chestnut
tree by offering a limited number of its most advanced and potentially
blight-resistant seeds to both new and existing sponsor members for planting and
testing.
This is the very first time any of these seeds have been made widely available
to members and it comes on the heels of over 26 years of intense evaluation by
scientists throughout the natural range of the chestnut. Members can test these
seeds for blight-resistance and American growth characteristics.
When the chestnut blight came through the eastern US in the first half of the
20th century and killed nearly four billion American chestnut trees,
all seemed to be lost for this once mighty species. Since 1983, TACF has
remained focused on a seemingly impossible goal: to restore the American
chestnut to the eastern United States. With this seed distribution program, TACF
is one step closer to the restoration of this crucial species but there is much
more to be done.
TACF President and CEO Bryan Burhans said, “TACF wants to share this milestone
with our members that have worked so tirelessly to get us to this stage. For too
many years we’ve had members call us, wanting the opportunity to plant these
trees in their fields and backyards. We now have a limited number of seed
available for testing and evaluation. By planting these chestnuts, you become a
citizen scientist for TACF. It is such an exciting time to be a member.”
Burhans notes, “This is just an early stage in a very long process. There is no
guarantee that these seeds will have adequate resistance to the blight, although
we are hopeful. Testing by our members will help the organization evaluate
resistance across a wide geographic range under diverse planting conditions.”
In spring 2008, TACF, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and
University of Tennessee-Knoxville, planted five hundred potentially
blight-resistant chestnuts on three national forests in the southeast. After one
year, the seedlings are thriving in a forest setting. The availability of
these very same seeds to both long-time TACF members as well as new sponsor
members is another step in a $16 million program that includes over 57,000 trees
and encompasses six generations of breeding.
For information on becoming part of this exciting new venture, please visit our
website at www.acf.org or call (828) 281-0047
regarding membership particulars and benefits.
About TACF
The American Chestnut Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization
headquartered in Asheville, NC. It has nearly 6,000 members and chapters
in 17 states. The demise of the American chestnut tree due to chestnut blight
has been called the greatest ecological disaster of the 20th century.
TACF was established in 1983 with the sole purpose of restoring this majestic
tree to its native forests in the eastern United States. Today, TACF’s
research farms encompass nearly 160 acres and more than 60,000 American and
Chinese chestnut trees which are part of its national breeding program.
For more information about TACF or volunteering to help restore the American
chestnut, visit our website at www.acf.org