About Us
Our Mission
Our mission is to bring about the restoration of the American chestnut tree as a prominent part of Georgia forests.
The Georgia Chapter was founded to bring about the restoration of the American chestnut tree as a prominent part of Georgia forests by assisting the national foundation in its propagation efforts, by promoting public awareness through education and by supporting the scientific research efforts of TACF directed at restoring American chestnuts.
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
President
Jack Rogers
Vice President
Kathy Patrick
Secretary
Zach Felix
Treasurer
Vince Payne
Tree Breeding/Preservation (Science Coordinator)
Dr. Caitlin Conn
Honorary Director
Mary Belle Price (posthumously)
Board Members
Tim Chesnut
Dr. Zach Felix
Dr. Scott Merkle
Ana Metaxas
Dr. Caitlin Conn
Taryn Heidel
David Keehn
David Green
Partnerships
The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) and the Georgia Chapter (GaTACF) seek out partners that will not only help further its chestnut restoration program but also bring attention to the importance of the chestnut in American history. These partners include major universities, private foundations and businesses, as well as state and federal government agencies. With plantings at high-profile sites such as the Carter Center, Callaway Gardens Preserve, and the Atlanta Beltline Arboretum Project, GaTACF has been able to attract significant support from many partners throughout Georgia.
Each of our partners offers a unique perspective on chestnut restoration and gives GaTACF the best possible opportunity to be successful in its efforts to bring the American chestnut back to the forests of Georgia.
Georgia TACF Partner Organizations
- Atlanta History Center
- Berry College
- Bittersweet Gardens
- Bottletree Bees
- Byron Herbert Reece Farm & Heritage Center
- Carter Center
- Charlane Plantation
- Cloudland Vineyards
- Dalton State College
- Douglas County
- Elachee Nature Science Center
- Georgia Department of Natural Resources
- Georgia Forestry Commission
- Georgia Governor’s Mansion
- Georgia Piedmont Land Trust
- Georgia State Botanical Garden
- Kennesaw State University (Research Farm)
- Kistner Center
- North Georgia Canopy Tours
- Pettit Environmental Center
- Rabun Gap Nacoochee School
- Reinhardt University
- Rising Fawn Gardens
- Runnin’ Wild Farms
- Smith-Gilbert Gardens
- The Blueberry Farm
- The Callaway Gardens Preserve
- The Carter Center
- Cherokee County Recreation & Parks
- Sandy Creek Nature Center
- The University of Georgia (UGA) Horticultural Farm
- The UGA Mountain Research & Education Center (GMREC)
- The UGA Warnell School of Forestry
- The Southern Company (Georgia Power)
- Toccoa Falls College
- Trees Atlanta and the Atlanta Beltline Arboretum
- University of North Georgia
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S.D.A. Forest Service
- Vogel State Park
- Young Harris College
FOR OUTSTANDING FINANCIAL SUPPORT WE WISH TO THANK
- Ailene Phillips Trust
- Dr. Austin Flint
- Berry College
- Eleanor & Tom Ratchford
- Georgia Appalachian Regional Commission
- Georgia State Specialty Crops Grant
- Lumpkin Coalition/Hemlockfest
- Dr. Martin Cipollini & Kathryn Patrick
- Mary Belle Price
- Rome Rotary Clubs
- Temple-Inland Foundation
- Urban & Community Forestry Commission
Georgia Chapter Menu
Georgia Facebook
Georgia Chestnut Enthusiasts:
On Saturday April 22, from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Trees Atlanta will be hosting their 2nd annual Conserve the 4-0-Forest event, where they host invasive plant removal projects all over the city. This year, one of the sites is the Langhorn chestnut orchard. The long term goal is to clean up the site, install signage, and connect the orchard to the Atlanta BeltLine to increase public education. A lot of invasive plants are blocking this connection to the BeltLine and the orchard itself has become very overgrown over the years. There are some sizeable backcross chestnuts as well as Chinese, and F1. During the event, Trees Atlanta hopes to include education about chestnut blight at the project as well and the impact of invasive plants.
The link below goes to the Trees Atlanta information and signup page.
Thanks, Jack Rogers, GA-TACF President
treesatlanta.secure.force.com/GW_Volunteers__VolunteersJobListingFS?nMonthsToShow=6&ShowNumberAva...
Conserve the 4-0-Forest! This project in the Langhorn Chestnut Orchard, adjacent to the Atlanta BeltLine Westside trail is part of our 4-0-Forest celebration. Volunteers will help restore native plant diversity in all 12 city council districts in two days! Your work will improve habitat for humans who use the greenspace for recreation and wildlife that call it home. Activities include hand-pulling and cutting invasive plants such as English ivy, Chinese privet, and kudzu in a densely wooded area off trail. Physical activity such as bending, pulling, lifting, and kneeling is required. Forest restoration can be physically strenuous - be ready to break a sweat and get dirty and learn a lot while doing it!
What to wear and bring with you
Gloves: Bring your own work gloves.
Recommended clothing: Long pants and long sleeves are recommended as you will be in close contact with plants that could scratch your skin. All volunteers need closed-toed shoes or boots, clothes that can get dirty.
Tools: Trees Atlanta provides necessary tools, but if you'd like to bring your own, any of the following tools would be helpful: hand pruners, hand saw.
Drinking water: We strongly recommend you bring drinking water in reusable containers. No one-time-use plastic bottles, please.
Allergy medication: If you've experienced life-threatening allergic reactions to insects, please come prepared with your own emergency medicine, such as an auto-injector or oral medication. Please notify the coordinator of your need for medication in the case of an allergic attack.
You may also want: Sunscreen and bug spray as needed, snacks as needed (Trees Atlanta will not provide any of these items).
Please Be Advised
In forested areas we sometimes encounter yellow jackets, poison ivy, and mosquitoes. Your coordinator will help you learn to identify any plants or animals of concern and notify you if they see any present in the area.
Liability Release
All volunteers will sign a waiver upon arrival at the project. You can preview our liability and photo release waiver here. There is no need to print a waiver ahead of time unless you are 16 or 17 and attending without a parent/guardian.
Age requirements
This project is for volunteers ages 12 and up. Volunteers under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Volunteers who are 16+ are allowed to attend without a parent/legal guardian present if they bring a signed waiver with them to the project.
Need Court-Ordered Community Service Credit?
If you are interested in receiving court-ordered community service hours you must first fill out Trees Atlanta's Community Service Request Form on our website. We will approve or deny your application based on the nature of your offense. You are not eligible to receive court-ordered community service hours until you are approved.
Weather
Projects happen rain or shine, so please check the weather beforehand and come prepared. We will cancel projects if inclement weather such as lightning occurs and is forecasted to persist for the duration of the project. Because weather is sometimes unpredictable, the decision to cancel is typically made at the project start time. We will contact you via email if we choose to cancel in advance.
No restrooms are available on site
Most of our work sites are in public parks and greenspaces that do not have public restroom facilities available. Volunteers will need to leave the site to use the restroom at a local business.
Photo example of proper clothing:
Attire Taryn.jfif
Parking Safety
Do not leave valuables in your car when attending projects. When parking along streets in neighborhoods, please do not block driveways and observe street laws such as 'No Parking' signs, fire hydrants, emergency lanes, etc.
Meeting Location:
Please meet along the Westside Beltline Trail bordering Langhorn St SW. We recommend you park along Napoleon Dr SW as there is very limited street parking along Langhorn St SW. The closest street address is 1223 Westview Dr SW, Atlanta, GA 30310.
Map to Meeting Location
sign up
Saturday 4/22/2023 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
confirmed: 0 - available: 10
treesatlanta.my.salesforce-sites.com
treesatlanta.secure.force.com
Conserve the 4-0-Forest! This project in the Langhorn Chestnut Orchard, adjacent to the Atlanta BeltLine Westside trail is part of our 4-0-Forest celebration. Volunteers will help restore native plant...
Please log on to hear from Morgan Wingo, 2023 GA-TACF/Berry College summer intern, along with two other student presenters at this Friday’s TACF “Chestnut Chat”. The talks start at 11:30 am and you must preregister to get access using this link: acf.org/event/chestnut-chat-2022-fall-symposium-student-poster-session-participants-2/
The work was derived from the paper that Dr. Caitlin Conn, Dr. Martin Cipollini, and Berry College students Shanna Lee, Marshall Lynch, Noah Howie, and Eden Young published recently with TACF and VA Tech collaborators: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36383986/ . While Morgan helped collect just some of the data that went into the paper, she developed and presented the poster version of the study which was awarded 2Nd place at TACF’s Annual Meeting in Ashville, NC. Morgan then developed the Powerpoint version for the 20 min talk that she will give on Friday.
Please consider logging on and learning about what we’ve been doing!
Thanks to Karrie Ann Fadroski, her University of North Geogia (UNG) students made short work of the clear-cut debris at the soon-to-be Hurricane Creek chestnut Prr screening orchard west of Dahlonega. The next step will be to install the weed block fabric, in preparation for planting about 100 chestnuts later this month. The before-and-after drone photos show one day's work at the site.
Remember that in addition to the upcoming planting event at this site, our annual GA-TACF meeting (open to members and non-members alike) will be held at UNG on Saturday May 13 starting at 10 am. Details forthcoming.
Thanks everyone!
Jack Rogers, GA-TACF
Latest News
GA-TACF Science Progress 2022
2022 was a very productive year for the Georgia chapter of TACF and its many citizen volunteers. Here is a quick summary of progress, starting with a summary of what we've been able to accomplish in the breeding program since 2006. Seed type Crosses American chestnut...
So you want to plant some chestnuts?
We're happy to be hearing from so many folks like you who are interested in planting chestnuts on their property. We’ve received a lot of requests for chestnut seedlings and that’s good news, since it indicates a high level of interest in restoring American chestnut...
Georgia Chapter Activities Summer 2021
GA-TACF members and other chestnut enthusiasts, We just wanted to give a quick update on some of the activities going on in our chestnut breeding and disease resistance program. Many of you have expressed interest in volunteering, and very soon we will have some...