The American Chestnut Foundation
Encyclopedia
The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) is a nonprofit American
organization dedicated to breeding a blight
-resistant American chestnut (Castanea dentata)
tree and the reintroduction of this tree to the forests of the Eastern United States
.
The mission of The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) is to restore the American chestnut tree to the forests of Eastern North America by breeding genetically diverse blight-resistant trees, evaluating various approaches to the management of chestnut pests and pathogens, and reintroducing the trees into the forest in an ecologically acceptable manner. The American chestnut tree once comprised a quarter of the eastern hardwood forest from Maine
to Georgia
and west to the Ohio River Valley
, providing a valuable economic resource in both timber
and nut
s, as well as an abundant food source for wildlife. An accidentally imported Asiatic chestnut blight
decimated approximately four billion trees, with devastating results to Appalachia
n communities and economies.
TACF’s work is accomplished by the combination of a small professional staff and a large group of volunteers associated with fifteen state chapters from Maine to Georgia/Alabama
and west to the Ohio River Valley. Chapters leverage TACF’s efforts by organizing volunteers to identify surviving American chestnuts, pollinate
these survivors with pollen from TACT's Meadowview Research Farms station in Virginia
, and establish and maintain local breeding nurseries. These nurseries expect to eventually produce blight-resistant trees adapted to local conditions throughout the original range. The requirements for both genetic diversity and regional adaptability were the key factors in the establishment of the state chapter breeding programs manned by volunteers. A strength of TACF has been its ability to develop effective partnership
s with other organizations leading to the advancement of the science relative to developing a blight resistant tree. TACF has many cooperators involved in chestnut study and restoration, among them university partnerships, the National Wild Turkey Federation
, and the US Forest Service
The American Chestnut Foundation differs from the American Chestnut Cooperators Foundation
, which is attempting to re-establish the species using pure American chestnut genetic stock.
TACF was founded in 1983 by a group of prominent plant scientists
, including Nobel Prize
-winning plant breeder Norman Borlaug
; Peter Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden
; independent chestnut researcher Philip Rutter; and the late Charles Burnham, a Minnesota corn
geneticist. In 1989 TACF established the Wagner Research Farm, a breeding station in Meadowview
, in southwestern Virginia
, to execute the backcross breeding program. A second research farm in Meadowview was donated to TACF in 1995, and a third Meadowview farm was purchased in 2002. As of late 2005, TACF’s Meadowview Research Farms have over 17,000 trees at various stages of breeding, planted on more than 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land.
In 2007, TACF began harvesting nuts that it expects will be suitable for planting back into the forest. However, these breeding lines are still in the testing phase, and their value needs to be proven on many forest sites until 2015 to 2020. One group of highly backcrossed
blight-resistant chestnuts produced by the organization is 15/16 (ca. 97%) American chestnut (Castanea americana) and 1/16 (ca. 3%) Chinese chestnut (Castanea molissima), a source of blight resistance.
A gradual increase in TACF seed
production is expected over the next few years. These will be distributed to cooperators who are assisting in a formal, rigorous testing program. In addition, seeds that are not needed for this purpose will be distributed for informal testing, principally to members of TACF. At the same time, TACF is continuing its breeding program to make further gains in disease resistance and forest competitiveness.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
organization dedicated to breeding a blight
Chestnut blight
The pathogenic fungus Cryphonectria parasitica is a member of the ascomycota category, and is the main cause of chestnut blight, a devastating disease of the American chestnut tree that caused a mass extinction in the early 1900s of this once plentiful tree from its historic range in the eastern...
-resistant American chestnut (Castanea dentata)
American Chestnut
The American Chestnut is a large, deciduous tree of the beech family native to eastern North America. Before the species was devastated by the chestnut blight, a fungal disease, it was one of the most important forest trees throughout its range...
tree and the reintroduction of this tree to the forests of the Eastern United States
Eastern United States
The Eastern United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River. The first two tiers of states west of the Mississippi have traditionally been considered part of the West, but can be included in the East today; usually in...
.
The mission of The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) is to restore the American chestnut tree to the forests of Eastern North America by breeding genetically diverse blight-resistant trees, evaluating various approaches to the management of chestnut pests and pathogens, and reintroducing the trees into the forest in an ecologically acceptable manner. The American chestnut tree once comprised a quarter of the eastern hardwood forest from Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
to Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and west to the Ohio River Valley
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
, providing a valuable economic resource in both timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
and nut
Nut
Nut may refer to:* En dash or nut, traditionally half the width of an em dash* Nut , a piece of metal wedged into a rock* Nut , the large, usually oily seed of some plants...
s, as well as an abundant food source for wildlife. An accidentally imported Asiatic chestnut blight
Chestnut blight
The pathogenic fungus Cryphonectria parasitica is a member of the ascomycota category, and is the main cause of chestnut blight, a devastating disease of the American chestnut tree that caused a mass extinction in the early 1900s of this once plentiful tree from its historic range in the eastern...
decimated approximately four billion trees, with devastating results to Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
n communities and economies.
TACF’s work is accomplished by the combination of a small professional staff and a large group of volunteers associated with fifteen state chapters from Maine to Georgia/Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and west to the Ohio River Valley. Chapters leverage TACF’s efforts by organizing volunteers to identify surviving American chestnuts, pollinate
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
these survivors with pollen from TACT's Meadowview Research Farms station in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, and establish and maintain local breeding nurseries. These nurseries expect to eventually produce blight-resistant trees adapted to local conditions throughout the original range. The requirements for both genetic diversity and regional adaptability were the key factors in the establishment of the state chapter breeding programs manned by volunteers. A strength of TACF has been its ability to develop effective partnership
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
s with other organizations leading to the advancement of the science relative to developing a blight resistant tree. TACF has many cooperators involved in chestnut study and restoration, among them university partnerships, the National Wild Turkey Federation
National Wild Turkey Federation
The National Wild Turkey Federation is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage...
, and the US Forest Service
The American Chestnut Foundation differs from the American Chestnut Cooperators Foundation
American Chestnut Cooperators Foundation
The American Chestnut Cooperators Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to re-establishing the American chestnut, Castanea dentata, as a viable species using only pure American chestnut genetic stock. They differ from the American Chestnut Foundation, which is seeking to re-establish the species...
, which is attempting to re-establish the species using pure American chestnut genetic stock.
TACF was founded in 1983 by a group of prominent plant scientists
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, including Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
-winning plant breeder Norman Borlaug
Norman Borlaug
Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate who has been called "the father of the Green Revolution". Borlaug was one of only six people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal...
; Peter Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden
Missouri Botanical Garden
The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder Henry Shaw, a botanist and philanthropist.-History:...
; independent chestnut researcher Philip Rutter; and the late Charles Burnham, a Minnesota corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
geneticist. In 1989 TACF established the Wagner Research Farm, a breeding station in Meadowview
Meadowview, Virginia
Meadowview is a census-designated place in Washington County, Virginia, United States. The population was 967 at the 2010 census...
, in southwestern Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, to execute the backcross breeding program. A second research farm in Meadowview was donated to TACF in 1995, and a third Meadowview farm was purchased in 2002. As of late 2005, TACF’s Meadowview Research Farms have over 17,000 trees at various stages of breeding, planted on more than 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land.
In 2007, TACF began harvesting nuts that it expects will be suitable for planting back into the forest. However, these breeding lines are still in the testing phase, and their value needs to be proven on many forest sites until 2015 to 2020. One group of highly backcrossed
Backcrossing
Backcrossing is a crossing of a hybrid with one of its parents or an individual genetically similar to its parent, in order to achieve offspring with a genetic identity which is closer to that of the parent...
blight-resistant chestnuts produced by the organization is 15/16 (ca. 97%) American chestnut (Castanea americana) and 1/16 (ca. 3%) Chinese chestnut (Castanea molissima), a source of blight resistance.
A gradual increase in TACF seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
production is expected over the next few years. These will be distributed to cooperators who are assisting in a formal, rigorous testing program. In addition, seeds that are not needed for this purpose will be distributed for informal testing, principally to members of TACF. At the same time, TACF is continuing its breeding program to make further gains in disease resistance and forest competitiveness.