THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT FOUNDATION

Virginia Chapter Website

Virginia Chapter News

Disappearing Chestnuts
Local group tries to re-establish trees in Virginia
October 5, 2007 ~ Daily Progress

A Race To Save The Ash Tree
August 30 ~ The Washington Post

Use Chestnut Harvest to Help Us Find New Mother Trees

Around the equinox the weekend of September 22-23 hiker and hunter members of Virginia ACF will have one of their best opportunities to spot chestnut survivors throughout the Blue Ridge and Piedmont.

Both groups are likely to spot the trees through the eager activities of squirrels attracted to the opening burrs high in the canopy. So look up for the next couple of weeks as the burrs open; or look down to see squirrel nut tables where they are being demolished.With so many portable GPS units out in the woods, you may find our next mother trees in locations all over the range.So far this year more than 20 new survivors have been added to the data base; and the Piedmont Environmental Council is helping us map them in new and more useful ways to push forward our restoration efforts.It does help if they are near logging roads on public land; or if you find a sympathetic land owner who will allow access to a promising tree.

Northern Virginia chapter members start their own harvest schedule this week on the five trees we pollinated in June. If you can be involved in some aspect of this process, e-mail the ACF main office in Marshall at vachestnut@grthompson.com, or call 1 (540) 364-0364.

Virginia Chapter TACF Committees

Location Committee
Chairperson: Ralph Bolgiano
540 896-4407 ~ e-mail: castanear@yahoo.com
The American Chestnut Location Committee shall make efforts to discover the location of American chestnut trees and other types (including hybrids) of chestnut trees growing in this State and to keep accurate records of the location of such trees, their condition, size, and other matters of interest relating to such trees in connection with the work of the Foundation. It shall provide information concerning such trees to the Foundation on a periodic basis.

Research Committee
Fred Hebard ~ fred@acf.org
The Research Committee shall maintain close contact with the Scientific Steering Committee of the foundation and shall engage in research activities relating to hybridization and back-crossing of chestnuts, blight hypo virulence, chestnut insect pests, chestnut culture, habitat, and other matters relating to chestnut trees in general and American and American-hybrid chestnut trees in particular.

Membership Committee
Chairperson: Bob Paris
276-944-4631 ~ e-mail: bob@acf.org
The Membership Committee shall maintain close contact with the Membership Department of the Foundation. It shall keep the Chapter’s membership records and shall conduct membership campaigns to enroll new members. It shall endeavor to retain those members who have become delinquent in the payment of their dues. Whenever possible, a Membership Committee composed of more than one individual should be formed. The work of the Committee should be shared among its members.

Program Committee
Monroe Jamieson
276-676-4362
The Program Committee shall make all plans and arrangements for the regular meetings, except for matters relating to Chapter business that may be transacted at such meetings. The Committee shall make arrangements for lectures, discussions, and such other events as may promote interest and appreciation of conservation, renewal, ecology, and natural history of the American chestnut tree.

Publications Committee
Deborah Fialka
703-538-5419 ~ e-mail:drfialka@mac.com
The Publications Committee shall publish at least once a year, a bulletin or newsletter for the members of the Chapter and shall prepare any other publications helpful to the Chapter’s program.

(L to R) Sally Collins, Associate Chief of the USDA's Forest Service, Former TACF President Phil Rutter, TACF board member Dick Will and TACF President and CEO Marshal Case.jpg

George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens Hosts TACF

Mount Vernon, one of the most beloved of all the national historical sites, played host on October 13 to The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) and to the Association of Consulting Foresters (ACF) in an event that featured the dedication of an American chestnut on the grounds of the estate.

The 15-foot tree, one of TACF's most genetically-advanced trees, was planted on the grounds earlier this year and is "thriving" according to ACF executive director Lynn Wilson. Lynn coordinated the event which drew guests including Associate Chief Sally Collins of the USDA's Forest Service, James Reese, executive director of Mount Vernon, TACF board officers Dick Will and Essie Burnworth, and TACF staff members Meghan Jordan and Fred Hebard.

"We're proud to help reintroduce the American chestnut to Mount Vernon, home of America's first hero and farmer, George Washington," said Lynn Wilson, executive director of ACF.

TACF President and CEO Marshal Case said, "The restoration of the American chestnut is a long-term project and we're delighted that Mount Vernon has given us the opportunity to feature this most beloved of trees within its landscape. We'd also like to thank ACF for all of its work in making this event a reality."

Other historic sites in the Washington DC area have received trees from TACF including the White House and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Mount Vernon, which is located on the banks of the Potomac River, offers visitors the chance to see 20 structures and 50 acres of gardens as they existed in 1799. The estate also includes a museum, the tombs of George and Martha Washington, Washington's greenhouse, an outdoor exhibit devoted to American agriculture as practiced by Washington, the nation's most important memorial to the accomplishments of 18th-century slaves, and a collection which features numerous decorative and domestic artifacts. Mount Vernon welcomes an average of one million visitors each year.

For more information on Mount Vernon, please visit www.mountvernon.org.

For further information about the Association of Consulting Foresters, visit www.acf-foresters.org.