About Us: MA-RI

Happy 2023!

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MA-RI Documents & Media (Minutes, Bylaws, Videos etc.)

The MA/RI Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the restoration of the American chestnut in our states. We support and work in coordination with The American Chestnut Foundation, other state chapters, and our much-appreciated volunteers and cooperating organizations.

Our orchards are primarily composed of hybrid American chestnuts that incorporate varying amounts of Chinese chestnut blight resistance, and we are always interested in new volunteers and technologies to further these and related goals. Our Annual Meetings usually have a Chestnut Potluck with delicious food; we like to have fun and we work hard. We wish to welcome all interested in this work restoring this beautiful keystone species.

The MA/RI Chapter of TACF acknowledges that the TACF National Science Oversight Committee on November 11, 2016 approved the 3 BUR Proposal for Integrated Research. We further state that while being supportive of TACF’s mission to explore all options to restore the American chestnut tree, we remain committed to the backcross method of breeding that we have been working with since the founding of the chapter. The transgenic tree developed by SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) researchers is in early testing status and under very strict Federal quarantine until an extensive deregulation process is completed and is therefore currently unavailable to our chapter. We will monitor the results of the most recent scientific developments and testing before making any determination of our level of involvement with transgenic breeding.