Kentucky Chapter

About Us

Hello from the Kentucky Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation! 

 We are an active group of Volunteers who work together to help the national effort to restore the American Chestnut back into its native forests.  With our Partners, we manage several orchards of hybrid American Chestnuts and full American Chestnuts that facilitate breeding options. 

Wild American Chestnuts are still found across Kentucky in their native range forests.   While an extremely small number of wild American Chestnut trees survive the blight to grow large enough to produce flowers and burrs, there are many sprouts that grow from the roots of the original trees.   Take a look at the original American Chestnut Range Map.   American chestnuts like well-drained, acidic sandstone soils.   They do not like low acidic clay soils or soils and low areas that hold water.

We invite you to help search for wild Americans and to record them on the free ‘TreeSnap’ app.   Or you can contact us via our Kentucky Chapter Facebook Page to let us know their location and if you need help to ID that your trees are full American or a Chinese or Japanese Chestnut, or a hybrid with mixed parentage.   You can see general locations of wild American Chestnuts found and mapped to date on the TreeSnap website:     https://treesnap.org/       Choose “MAP” from the menu to see general tree locations, with the knowledge that the app moves the exact tree locations by about five miles each to protect the individual trees and the landowners.   With the “OBSERVATION CATEGORY” filter box, select “American Chestnut” to remove the visual clutter of other species that are also entered into TreeSnap.

JOIN US.   Become a Member.    Become a Volunteer.    Click on the BECOME A MEMBER button to the right to simultaneously join the national TACF organization, plus the Kentucky Chapter.      You will enjoy working beside and developing friendships with many other conservation minded people who are taking a variety of actions to do our part, along with our sister Appalachian state chestnut chapters, to restore this iconic American tree. 

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Successful Volunteer Work Day at EKU Hybrid American Chestnut Orchard

Saturday May 16th was a perfect day to come together in the EKU OCHARD. Thank you to the eight productive volunteers who made the work seem like play.

We used hand pruners and chain saws to trim out briars and small trees that were growing in the fence line around our 2.5 acre orchard. It will be easier for our EKU Partners to mow around the interior and exterior of the long fence line that protects our trees from hungry deer.

Stay tuned......more opportunities coming to JOIN US on a VOLUNTEER EVENT ********
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Successful Volunteer Work Day at EKU Hybrid American Chestnut Orchard

Saturday May 16th was a perfect day to come together in the EKU OCHARD.   Thank you to the eight productive volunteers who made the work seem like play.

We used hand pruners and chain saws to trim out briars and small trees that were growing in the fence line around our 2.5 acre orchard.   It will be easier for our EKU Partners to mow around the interior and exterior of the long fence line that protects our trees from hungry deer.

Stay tuned......more opportunities coming to JOIN US on a VOLUNTEER EVENT     ********Image attachmentImage attachment+3Image attachment

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Well done

EKU VOLUNTEER WORK DAY Moved from Saturday March 9th to Saturday March 16th,
9:30 -1:00 pm

This morning’s weather forecast increased the rain volume for Saturday March 9th ......

We prepared for the EKU VOLUNTEER WORK DAY yesterday, with our EKU Partner:

We are ready to trim brush from the Fence Line Saturday March 16th 9:30 am - 1:00 pm

1st and 2nd Photo: Tandy Deskins coordinated with EKU Grounds Team to mow inside and outside the 2.45 acre deer fence to facilitate our trimming of the South Fence Line. Adam Rhodus, EKU, is on the HD EKU Mower.

3rd Photo: Ken completed first spray to protect against Ambrosia Beetles. Temperature reached 74 degrees. Flies and gnats were out. Beetles will be emerging as well, looking for tasty chestnut trees to bore into and leg eggs, for their larvae. We spray 3-4 times every Spring to stop these invasive pests.

4th Photo: Another thanks to our EKU Partner. They had a crew out yesterday with a tractor and blade smoothing out the ruts on the single lane farm road across Taylor Fork Ecological Area, which leads to our Regional Chestnut Seed Orchard. *****

TACF, KY TACF are blessed to have this strong PARTNER ***************** Come out to meet fellow “CHESTNUTTERS” COME OUT TO SEE 591 hybrid American Chestnut Trees 😊
... See MoreSee Less

EKU VOLUNTEER WORK DAY         Moved from Saturday March 9th to Saturday March 16th,    
9:30 -1:00 pm       

This morning’s weather forecast increased the rain volume for Saturday March 9th ......    

We prepared for the EKU VOLUNTEER WORK DAY     yesterday, with our EKU Partner:

We are ready to trim brush from the Fence Line Saturday March 16th     9:30 am - 1:00 pm

1st and 2nd Photo:     Tandy Deskins coordinated with EKU Grounds Team to mow inside and outside the 2.45 acre deer fence to facilitate our trimming of the South Fence Line.  Adam Rhodus, EKU, is on the HD EKU Mower.

3rd Photo:      Ken completed first spray to protect against Ambrosia Beetles.    Temperature reached 74 degrees.    Flies and gnats were out.    Beetles will be emerging as well, looking for tasty chestnut trees to bore into and leg eggs, for their larvae.    We spray 3-4 times every Spring to stop these invasive pests.

4th Photo:       Another thanks to our EKU Partner.    They had a crew out yesterday with a tractor and blade smoothing out the ruts on the single lane farm road across Taylor Fork Ecological Area, which leads to our Regional Chestnut Seed Orchard.      *****

TACF, KY TACF are blessed to have this strong PARTNER    *****************      Come out to meet fellow “CHESTNUTTERS”        COME OUT TO SEE 591 hybrid American Chestnut Trees       😊Image attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

VOLUNTEER WORK DAY EKU Regional Hybrid American Chestnut Seed Orchard Saturday March 9, 2024, Eastern Kentucky University Agricultural Area, Richmond, KY

Awesome Partnership in EKU Regional hybrid American Chestnut Seed Orchard between national TACF, Eastern Kentucky University and KY Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation since 2016. Now entering our ninth year together. * * * * *

This hybrid American Chestnut Orchard (94% American genes, 6% Chinese genes, on average) looking good thanks to an ongoing series of VOLUNTEER WORK DAYS over the last eight years.

VOLUNTEER WORK DAY: Saturday March 9th 9:30 am – 1:00 pm

We will be trimming brush and briars out of the South Deer Fence line. We cleared out the fence lines around the active hybrid American trees in 2023 Looking great on that side ****

EKU Grounds Team will be bush hogging the briars on that half of the orchard field before March 9th

Each VOLUNTEER will need to bring: Leather work gloves, hand pruners, loppers, hand pruning saws A couple of small chainsaws will come in handy. A couple of pitch forks to toss cut briars. Also bring a light rain jacket, in case of some scattered rain.

Everyone needs to bring their own water, snacks, lunch, toilet paper (No restrooms, except over the hill behind some trees)

Come see the Orchard and our surviving 591 trees out of 3,574 planted. Oldest trees are now eight years old. Come and meet fellow ‘CHESTNUTTERS’.

If you are coming, please email individually to Ken Darnell, to let me know # of VOLUNTEERS dkdarnell@roadrunner.com I can also send directions to the orchard to those who have not visited before
... See MoreSee Less

VOLUNTEER WORK DAY     EKU Regional Hybrid American Chestnut Seed Orchard     Saturday March 9, 2024, Eastern Kentucky University Agricultural Area, Richmond, KY

Awesome Partnership in EKU Regional hybrid American Chestnut Seed Orchard between national TACF, Eastern Kentucky University and KY Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation since 2016.   Now entering our ninth year together.    * * * * *

This hybrid American Chestnut Orchard (94% American genes, 6% Chinese genes, on average)   looking good thanks to an ongoing series of VOLUNTEER WORK DAYS over the last eight years.

 VOLUNTEER WORK DAY:        Saturday March 9th         9:30 am – 1:00 pm

We will be trimming brush and briars out of the South Deer Fence line.    We cleared out the fence lines around the active hybrid American trees in 2023     Looking great on that side ****

EKU Grounds Team will be bush hogging the briars on that half of the orchard field before March 9th     

Each VOLUNTEER will need to bring:    Leather work gloves, hand pruners, loppers, hand pruning saws    A couple of small chainsaws will come in handy.     A couple of pitch forks to toss cut briars.    Also bring a light rain jacket, in case of some scattered rain.

Everyone needs to bring their own water, snacks, lunch, toilet paper    (No restrooms, except over the hill behind some trees)

Come see the Orchard and our surviving 591 trees out of 3,574 planted.   Oldest trees are now eight years old.   Come and meet fellow ‘CHESTNUTTERS’.

If you are coming, please email individually to Ken Darnell, to let me know # of VOLUNTEERS        dkdarnell@roadrunner.com        I can also send directions to the orchard to those who have not visited beforeImage attachmentImage attachment
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Using Pollen from Land Between The Lakes

Using Pollen from Land Between The Lakes

WE’RE SO HAPPY …….. RETURNED TO STEVE HARTMAN FULL AMERICAN ORCHARD, SCOTTSVILLE, KY near Tennessee Border to apply pollen from three LBL wild Americans, harvested, processed and stored last June by Lee Grace, UK Forestry Technician, from trees previously TreeSnapped...

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