Indiana News

April planting of pure American Chestnuts

On April 30, 2022 volunteers from the Indiana chapter of TACF planted an additional 24 pure American chestnut seedlings at the chapter’s germplasm conservation orchard (GCO) in Clinton county Indiana. This is the second year in which seedlings have been added to the original planting. A check of the trees planted last year showed very vigorous growth and nearly 100% survival, although there was evidence that deer had been nibbling on twigs that has grown out of the top of the tubes. Both the seedlings planted last year and those planted this year were planted in 5 foot tall tree tubes.

The first planting at the Clinton county site had been enclosed in a plastic mesh fence but the individual seedlings were not in tubes. We had noticed that the seedlings in the rows on the east side of the planting had suffered the highest mortality and speculated that this was due to drift of herbicide from the bordering corn field about 50 feet away. The tubes protect the chestnut seedlings from any herbicide blowing over from the field.

The pure American chestnuts being grown in this GCO are progeny of Indiana trees that had escaped the blight long enough that we were able to obtain seed from them or cuttings which could be grafted onto modern rootstock to continue their genetic lineage. The importance of preserving the genetics of these original Indiana chestnut trees cannot be emphasized enough! Although TACF has produced a transgenic American chestnut tree, the Darling 58 tree, this is only tree from one location. TACF plans to use pollen from the Darling 58 tree to pollinate other American chestnuts all over the chestnut range. It will confer the benefit of the OxO resistance gene to these other chestnuts. But surviving original chestnut trees are each adapted to their own unique original location. Their genetics will be preserved so that it can be combined with blight resistant trees like the Darling 58 to produce more highly resistant trees that are adapted to many Indiana locations.

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WANTED: information leading to the identification of this man for creating the world's most amazing and horrifying American chestnut costume.

The Facts:
1. Photo was taken on June 28, 1996 according to date stamp.
2. Photo has been circulated by TACF Chief Conservation Coordinator Sara Fitzsimmons for many years but she has no idea where it came from.
3. Google Image Search returns no matches on the web.
4. Eep.
5. The nut of an American chestnut does have a tassel on top. And we have to assume the green part is meant to be a chestnut bur... right?
6. Wow.
7. There are seedlings in milk cartons on the table so it is safe to assume this was a chestnut-related event, and not an open house where fathers in the military are invited to attend a Furry Convention.

If you or someone you love came into contact with this man 27 years and 9 months ago today, please come forward with any information.

Together we can solve one of the greatest mysteries in the history of American chestnut conservation.
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WANTED: information leading to the identification of this man for creating the worlds most amazing and horrifying American chestnut costume.

The Facts:
1. Photo was taken on June 28, 1996  according to date stamp.
2. Photo has been circulated by TACF Chief Conservation Coordinator Sara Fitzsimmons for many years but she has no idea where it came from.
3. Google Image Search returns no matches on the web.
4. Eep.
5. The nut of an American chestnut does have a tassel on top. And we have to assume the green part is meant to be a chestnut bur... right?
6. Wow.
7. There are seedlings in milk cartons on the table so it is safe to assume this was a chestnut-related event, and not an open house where fathers in the military are invited to attend a Furry Convention.

If you or someone you love came into contact with this man 27 years and 9 months ago today, please come forward with any information. 

Together we can solve one of the greatest mysteries in the history of American chestnut conservation.Image attachment

13 CommentsComment on Facebook

BIRDD is the word! Buh buh buh Birdd Birdd Birdd, Birdd is the word.

Ladies and gentlemen the mystery has officially been solved. Thanks to Dave Hsu who tracked down the perpetrator of this incredible costume at 2:56 pm today. Hopefully more information to follow soon.

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Ask away!

Our April 19 Chestnut Chat will provide detailed instructions on how to grow chestnuts. But we need to hear your questions so we know what to cover!

Please add your questions in the comments below and we will do our best to cover them all in the April Chestnut Chat.

Remember there are no dumb questions! We encourage everybody, from complete beginners to seasoned pros, to join in.

Let's grow some chestnuts!

Can't wait for an answer? Check out our Growing Chestnuts page in the meantime at tacf.org/growing-chestnuts
... See MoreSee Less

Ask away!

Our April 19 Chestnut Chat will provide detailed instructions on how to grow chestnuts. But we need to hear your questions so we know what to cover!

Please add your questions in the comments below and we will do our best to cover them all in the April Chestnut Chat.

Remember there are no dumb questions! We encourage everybody, from complete beginners to seasoned pros, to join in.

Lets grow some chestnuts!

Cant wait for an answer? Check out our Growing Chestnuts page in the meantime at https://tacf.org/growing-chestnuts

8 CommentsComment on Facebook

What other kind of trees or vegetation should they NOT be plant near?

Is it ok to plant them with other varieties of chestnut trees near by?

Where can we find seedlings? Seeds?

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Did you know that TACF has 16 state chapters? They each host a variety of events over the year and here are some that are coming up soon.

Visit our events calendar for more information on these and other TACF happenings. tacf.org/events/category/tacf/
... See MoreSee Less

Did you know that TACF has 16 state chapters? They each host a variety of events over the year and here are some that are coming up soon. 

Visit our events calendar for more information on these and other TACF happenings. https://tacf.org/events/category/tacf/

Thank you to everyone who attended a 40th Anniversary Celebration with their local chapter of TACF.

Top photo: Attendees of the TN Chapter Annual Meeting and 40th Anniversary Celebration, which took place at Cheekwood Estate and Gardens.

Bottom photo: Attendees of the AL Chapter post-meeting enjoying some brews.

To read more about these and many other TACF happenings, visit the link to read our most recent eSprout newsletter. myemail.constantcontact.com/March-2024-eSprout--Documentary-Wins-an-Award--Domain-Change--Plantin...
... See MoreSee Less

Thank you to everyone who attended a 40th Anniversary Celebration with their local chapter of TACF. 

Top photo: Attendees of the TN Chapter Annual Meeting and 40th Anniversary Celebration, which took place at Cheekwood Estate and Gardens.

Bottom photo: Attendees of the AL Chapter post-meeting enjoying some brews. 

To read more about these and many other TACF happenings, visit the link to read our most recent eSprout newsletter. https://myemail.constantcontact.com/March-2024-eSprout--Documentary-Wins-an-Award--Domain-Change--Planting-Resources--TACF-News--Featured-Photo--Chapter-News.html?soid=1106103828995&aid=M8kn7e4P1A4

Thanks to everybody who joined us Tuesday for an American chestnut demonstration planting with Jamie Van Clief (TACF Regional Science Coordinator) and Jon Taylor (chestnut enthusiast extraordinaire) at West Asheville Park's edible garden in Asheville, NC!

To find a planting event near you, vist tacf.org/events (link in bio)
... See MoreSee Less

1 CommentComment on Facebook

Are those the 18-20’s from the TVA plot? Good use for them, glad to see

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