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THEAMERICANCHESTNUT

FOUNDATION2012 ANNUAL REPORT

As The American Chestnut Foundation approaches its 30th year, a look back on nearly three decades of effort by our volunteers, partners and donors offers a stunning view of what human imagination, scientific vision and hard work can achieve. TACF’s laser-like focus on our historic mission has brought us to the brink of success in achieving one of our greatest goals.

2012 was an amazing year for TACF. Our emphasis on science, which remains our top priority, and years of hard work are now paying off. This year, we finally were able to look at the performance of our Restoration Chestnuts 1.0 and tests clearly demonstrated the Foundation’s backcross breeding program is successfully incorporating genes for blight resistance into these trees.

Our NY state chapter, in partnership with the State University of New York, College of Environment Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), announced they had successfully inserted a gene to provide resistance to chestnut blight and they are currently testing these trees in regulated and highly controlled field tests. The NY state chapter program’s proof of concept will be the result of 22 years of focused and dedicated work.

Across the country, TACF volunteers and partners continue their efforts towards the goal of establishing seed orchards to produce Restoration Chestnuts 1.0. Five state chapters have already established their first seed orchards: Indiana, Pennsylvania/New Jersey, Carolinas, Maine and Massachusetts/Rhode Island. These orchards will start to produce Restoration Chestnut 1.0 seeds very soon, while the remainder of our state chapters will establish their seed orchards over the next few years.

And 2012 will also be remembered as the year that TACF created the first version of the American Chestnut Restoration Plan. This evolving document outlines how TACF will reintroduce the American chestnut to its native range, and also proposes new and innovative strategies to continue to improve the disease resistance of our Restoration Chestnuts 1.0.

We are at an exciting juncture as we approach our thirtieth anniversary in 2013.

Bryan Burhans

MESSAGE from the PRESIDENT & CEO

A tractor passes one of thousands of chestnuts that are part of the breeding process at Meadowview Research Farms in Meadowview, VA.

Our Miss ion

TACF ANNUAL REPORT 20124

The mission of The American Chestnut Foundation is to restore the American chestnut tree to our eastern woodlands to benefit our environment, our wildlife, and our society.

Our Miss ion

Nature’s Storehouse LostAt the turn of the last century, an estimated four billion American chestnut trees thrived in the forests of the eastern United States. Often called the “Redwood of the East,” the tree was remarkably fast growing, often reaching over a hundred feet in height and five feet in diameter. It was also a prolific food source for both humans and animals, producing up to fifty times more edible mast than its next nearest rival, the oak tree. Wildlife, including bear, wild turkey, deer, squirrels and many other birds and animals, relied on chestnut as a dependable food source. Its timber was light, straight grained and remarkably rot resistant, making it an important building material.

In 1904, a new fungus was identified, which causes chestnut blight. Accidentally imported from Asia, the fungus quickly spread throughout the range of the tree, and by the mid-1950s the American chestnut was effectively wiped out. Several efforts were undertaken to save the chestnut, but none proved successful. The loss of the American chestnut has been called one of the greatest ecological disasters of our time.

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What Are “Restoration Chestnuts 1.0”?The result of thirty years of advanced scientific research, breeding and testing, Restoration Chestnuts 1.0 are the first generation of potentially blight-resistant chestnuts produced by The American Chestnut Foundation.

We will not fully know the exact level of blight resistance inherent in these chestnuts until we have been able to monitor thousands of trees well into their maturity. Initial results are promising, suggesting that large-scale plantings of these seeds could create healthy populations that will survive and reproduce in the wild. This is just the beginning, however. TACF is continuing to breed better and more disease-resistant trees, and Restoration Chestnuts 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 will certainly be introduced in years to come.

Before the blight, a typical mature chestnut could reach 100 or more feet in height and be limbless for over 50 feet, making it a valuable timber tree. Photo courtesy of President and Fellows of Harvard College, Archives of the Arnold Arboretum

Creation of The American Chestnut FoundationIn 1983 a small group of scientists set out to develop a blight-resistant chestnut using a backcross breeding technique. They founded The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) and established Meadowview Research Farms in southwest Virginia. Twenty-two years later, in 2005, TACF announced that it was harvesting the first version of potentially blight-resistant seeds that would be known as Restoration Chestnuts 1.0.

Where We Are TodayThe American Chestnut Foundation has nearly 6,000 members and sixteen state chapters that maintain more than 450 breeding and test orchards that can be found in every region of the American chestnut’s traditional range. In 2009 TACF embarked on our long-held dream of planting potentially blight-resistant chestnuts in forest environments across the eastern United States. Although these plantings are currently part of our research, they represent both a tremendous success and the opening of a challenging new chapter in our organization’s history.

Sowing Seeds of the FutureWhile full reintroduction of the American chestnut still lies many years away, the first steps in this effort are now being taken. Even as we begin to establish test plantings in forest environments, a more immediate challenge is to develop locally adapted blight-resistant chestnut trees. Our Restoration Chestnuts 1.0 are currently produced at Meadowview Research Farms. However, large-scale reintroduction of the chestnut will come from trees developed by our state chapters.

Five of our state chapters–Pennsylvania/New Jersey, North Carolina/South Carolina, Massachusetts/Rhode Island, Maine, and Indiana–have already established their seed orchards and will soon begin producing Restoration Chestnuts 1.0 that are adapted to their regions. Over the next decade, many more state chapter seed orchards will be completed. Locally adapted trees represent the key to fully reintroducing the species to our eastern forests.

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Called a “wordle,” this word art is based on responses from our members on what words most represent the work of The American Chestnut Foundation to them. The more times a word was submitted, the larger it appears in the wordle.

Our Miss ion

Opposite: A volunteer takes a small sample of the fungus that causes chestnut blight from a petri dish. She will use the sample to inoculate a chestnut tree, testing its resistance to the blight.

Our Sc ience

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2004 - New breeding efforts are launched to combat root rot, a disease that presents a significant challenge to chestnut restoration in the southern range; already showing promising progress, the program has the potential to produce Restoration Chestnuts that are resistant to both chestnut blight and root rot.

2005 - TACF announces the harvesting of the first potentially blight-resistant chestnuts, later called Restoration Chestnuts 1.0.

2009 - In partnership with the US Forest Service, USFS Southern Research Station and the University of Tennessee, the first saplings from Restoration Chestnuts 1.0 are planted in real

forest environments. Their progress will be the subject of research and testing for years to come.

2011 - The result of years of cutting-edge research and development by SUNY-ESF, the first transgenic, potentially blight-resistant American chestnut is planted in the New York Botanical Gardens just a short distance from where

chestnut blight was first identified in 1904.

2012 - TACF’s board of directors prepares the final draft of the American Chestnut Restoration Plan developed by TACF scientists, foresters and planners. Adaptive and comprehensive, the plan is a blueprint for restoration efforts in the coming years.

2012 - TACF chapters report that over 450 regional breeding and test orchards have been planted in 19 states, including the first seed orchards (the final stage of the breeding orchard process) in five states.

Our Sc ience


Utilizing the Best Available ScienceSince its inception in 1983, TACF has stayed on the leading edge of research, utilizing the best available science and technology in our mission to restore the American chestnut. Although there is still much we don’t know about the biology and ecology of chestnut trees, our progress has been steady. Through our partnerships with universities and the extensive efforts of some of the world’s leading plant scientists, our knowledge grows every year as we continue to move forward in our achievements.

TACF volunteer Eric Evans walks past a newly planted field of chestnuts at Meadowview Research Farms.

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Meadowview Research Farms – 2012 A Year of ExpansionMeadowview Research Farms and the Glenn C. Price Research Laboratory are the epicenter of TACF’s research and breeding program. Headed by Chief Scientist Dr. Fredrick V. Hebard, the research farms are where TACF develops advanced breeding lines and methods and tends the Legacy Tree seed orchards that produce our Restoration Chestnuts 1.0. During the spring and summer of 2012, Meadowview staff planted an additional 3,000 trees in our Legacy Tree orchards. Staff also inoculated over 9,000 trees throughout the farms and made selections among more than 13,000 trees that show blight resistance.

The results from the first two years of screening our Restoration Chestnuts 1.0 for blight resistance are encouraging. Our work is far from done, however. We will continue to improve blight resistance as we select only the most effective lines to carry our breeding program forward.

New Rain Garden Controls Runoff at MeadowviewMeadowview Research Farms now boasts a beautiful and thriving rain garden, thanks to the help of community volunteers and local organizations. Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, and other local volunteers helped plant the rain garden in an effort to reduce storm water runoff and improve water quality around the Glenn C. Price Research Laboratory. The garden is planted with native species such as asters, Joe-Pye weed and a variety of grasses and ferns that can tolerate both wet and dry spells, cycle nutrients, and neutralize pollutants. The project was funded in part by the Upper Tennessee River Roundtable, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Dominion Foundation.

Workers at Meadowview Research Farms prepare to plant a new grove of chestnuts. More than 7,000 new chestnut trees were planted at Meadowview in 2012 as part of the ongoing breeding program.

Pictured left to right are local volunteers Gail Olson, Cordelia Meyer, and Doug Levin, who were instrumental in the development and planting of the rain garden.


This year the Glen C Price Research Lab was outfitted with a new array of scientific and test equipment. This has enabled TACF scientists to begin to identify small molecules released in infected chestnut bark that induce the tree to produce the plant hormone ethylene. These molecules are

released from cell walls in bark by enzymes from the fungus. Better understanding of how the blight fungus attacks the American chestnut and how the tree responds will advance our efforts to help the tree resist the disease.

Our scientists have also begun to adapt DNA

markers for use at Meadowview Research Farms. These markers will help identify trees that should breed true for blight resistance, and will assist in determining how much Chinese chestnut DNA is present in our hybrids and confirm our trees are correctly identified.

Our Sc ience

Dr. Laura Georgi working in the Glenn C. Price Research Laboratory at Meadowview Research Farms

Glenn C. Price Research Laboratory – Advancing Our Mission

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Testing Our Restoration Chestnuts 1.0TACF relies on public and private partners to test our Restoration Chestnuts 1.0 in what we call progeny tests. The purpose of a progeny test is to assess the blight resistance and American chestnut character of the Restoration Chestnuts 1.0 over time and under natural conditions. This year, four new progeny tests were established throughout the range of the American chestnut.

• Through a partnership with scientists at Rutgers University and Duke Farms in Hillsborough, New Jersey, TACF established progeny test plantings at Duke Farms. Duke Farms supplies the long-term plot commitment and assistance in monitoring and Rutgers University runs the research study and compiles data.

• In cooperation with the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Georgia Chapter of TACF established their first progeny test site at Lake Allatoona involving the planting of 300 Restoration Chestnuts 1.0.

• The Beaver Brook Association in Hollis, New Hampshire, entered into partnership with the Vermont/New Hampshire Chapter of TACF to create and maintain the first large-scale test planting of Restoration Chestnuts 1.0 in northern New England.

• Bendabout Farm near Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, is the site of yet another progeny test site that was installed by TACF volunteers and scientists in 2012.

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Restoring the American Chestnut to Our National ForestsFueled by a grant from the National Forest Foundation Matching Awards Program, TACF involved community volunteers and partnered with the USDA Forest Service to help plant 2.800 Restoration Chestnuts 1.0 on national forest lands this year. To date, TACF has planted 5,425 Restoration Chestnuts 1.0 on national forest lands. These plantings fulfill an important goal of the USDA Forest Service to restore native trees to our forests and allow us to test and evaluate our Restoration Chestnuts 1.0.

Restoring American chestnuts to our national forests will benefit the health of the forests, provide a nutritious food for wildlife, and will create more diverse ecosystems.

“One of the highlights of my life! Yesterday my family joined other volunteers with the The American Chestnut Foundation to plant over 700 blight-resistant American chestnut saplings on national forest lands. Hopefully my daughter can return to the same spot with her grandchildren to harvest chestnuts from a forest of towering chestnut trees.”

Juliet Blankespoor, a TACF volunteer from Asheville, NC, recently took part in a planting of American chestnut trees on national forest lands.

TACF volunteers Mark and Vicky Stoakes prepare holes for planting Restoration Chestnuts 1.0 on national forest lands.

Using Biotechnology to Build Disease ResistanceFor more than twenty years, the New York Chapter of TACF and research teams led by State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) scientists Dr. William Powell and Dr. Chuck Maynard have been pursuing a biotechnology approach to producing blight- and ink disease-resistant American chestnut trees. Working in concert with a wide variety of partners, including Dr. Scott Merkle and Dr. Joe Nairn (University of Georgia), TACF’s Dr. Joe James, USDA NIFA BRAG, the ArborGen Corporation, the Institute of Forest Biotechnology, The Forest Health Initiative, and The Monsanto Fund, they are now testing the newly developed trees in the field at several locations.

In April of 2012, ten potentially blight-resistant transgenic trees were planted at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York, a fitting site for disease-free American chestnuts because it is just across the street from where chestnut blight was first identified in 1904.

Also this spring, SUNY-ESF researchers and the New York Chapter of TACF planted their first round of transgenic nuts, which were the result of controlled crosses made last summer between transgenic chestnut pollen and wild-type American chestnuts. This demonstrates that transgenes can be passed on to a second generation and shows that biotechnology is a viable option for American chestnut restoration. More success followed in the the summer of 2012, as the first line of transgenic American chestnut trees, the ‘Darling 4’, clearly demonstrated enhanced blight resistance in field trials at SUNY-ESF.

Our Sc ience


Battling Ink Disease in the Southern RangeThroughout the southern range of the American chestnut, ink disease has been more damaging to the tree than chestnut blight. In 2012, new research revealed that a small percentage of TACF’s most blight-resistant trees also carry resistance to ink disease. This suggests that careful breeding of these trees could produce a chestnut that is resistant to both chestnut blight and ink disease, making restoration of the species in the southern range feasible. Much of this work is being conducted by Dr. Joe James at his Chestnut Return Farm in Seneca, South Carolina, in partnership with the Carolinas Chapter of TACF, TACF scientists, Dr. Steve Jeffers of Clemson University, and the USDA Forest Service.

Dale Travis of the New York Chapter of TACF with one of the ten transgenic American chestnuts that were planted at the New York Botanical Garden this spring.

Dr. Joe James leads a tour of Chestnut Return Farm, where ink disease research is yielding promising results.

Research Funded Through TACFResearch is a vital tool that points the way to successful restoration of the American chestnut. TACF has funded many research programs that have provided critical knowledge and helped us to understand the remarkably complex ecology of the chestnut and its interactions with the natural world. In 2012, the Foundation awarded $70,347 in grants to external organizations to conduct chestnut research. This year’s dollars funded the following projects:

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R E S E A R C H P R O J E C T S O R G A N I Z A T I O N S

Evaluating the genetic and genomic basis for varying levels of blight resistance among Chinese trees (Castanea mollissima, Castanea henryi, and Castanea seguinii)

State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Chestnut restoration in northeastern forest gaps: experimental plantings to advance forest structure and restoration ecology practice

Center for Urban Restoration Ecology at Rutgers University

Bull Run Mountains chestnut survival studyBull Run Mountains Conservancy, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Virginia Chapter of TACF

Development of Castanea pumila specific single nucleotide polymorphisms to detect the occurrence of hybridization between American Castanea species Department of Horticulture at Auburn University

The establishment of a genetically diverse population of hybrid American chestnut trees resistant to both chestnut blight incited by Cryphonectria parasitica and to ink disease incited by Phytophthora cinnamomi

The Carolinas Chapter of TACF and Clemson University

Comparative analysis of chestnut growth and survival on Appalachian surface mine lands Ohio University

Preservation and multiplication of elite backcross American chestnut hybrids by micropropagation State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Plant and fungal dynamics in American chestnut restorationMiami University; USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station; The Wilds Conservation Science Training Center

Maintaining a backcross orchard planting to assess the integration of host resistance and hypovirulence West Virginia University

Assessing phenological differences among American chestnut sources in a range-wide progeny plantingThe University of Vermont; USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station; Vermont/New Hampshire Chapter of TACF

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Orchards/Plantings

The breeding and test orchards established and maintained by TACF’s state chapers. These orchards help us develop chestnuts that have a high degree of genetic diversity and regional adaptation, which are needed to improve the tree’s survival in the wild.

Regional Breeding Orchards: Building A Better ChestnutTwo factors are critical to breeding an American chestnut that can flourish in the harsh environment of the eastern forests: regional adaptation and genetic diversity.

Early in TACF’s history, our scientists realized that there would be a great benefit in establishing local breeding orchards in each state of the chestnut’s natural range. These orchards would complete the final breeding generations of the process begun at our farms in Meadowview, VA. The local breeding orchards would enable growers to produce trees that were regionally adapted–that had a genetic predisposition to thrive in the local environment. It would also allow states to constantly include new genetic material from local surviving American chestnuts, adding important genetic diversity to the breeding population. This system of regional orchards would mean Maine would breed chestnuts uniquely suited to Maine’s environment and Georgia would breed chestnuts that could thrive in Georgia’s forests.

Our 5,800 volunteers support and maintain more than 450 breeding and test orchards in all 19 states of the chestnut’s original range. These orchards contain a total of more than 60,000 trees. More importantly, the final stage of this breeding process is the establishment of seed orchards, which have now been planted in five states.

Opposite: Volunteers Jim and Maureen Molnar plant Restoration Chestnut 1.0 trees as part of a project to reforest areas of the Flight 93 National Memorial.


Our Volunteers


TACF Regional AchievementsRestoring the American chestnut will require decades or even a century of work to complete. For nearly thirty years, our TACF volunteers have worked diligently toward making this dream a reality. Our model of partnering skilled scientists with volunteers to achieve a common goal makes TACF unique. This partnership is the reason why the organization is succeeding in our mission to restore the American chestnut.

New England RegionSTATE CHAPTERS Maine, Vermont/New Hampshire, Massachusetts/Rhode Island, Connecticut

REGION STATS • Approximately 23,586 chestnuts harvested

• Approximately 7,550 chestnuts planted

• 4 new orchards established

• 151 new members enrolled

NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• The Maine and Massachusetts/Rhode Island Chapters established their first seed orchards. Seeds from these orchards will one day help restore the region’s forests with Restoration Chestnuts 1.0 that are direct descendants of the great American chestnuts that once grew in New England.

• The Vermont/New Hampshire Chapter planted the first New England progeny test at Beaver Brook Association in Hollis, NH. Progeny tests are plantings of our most advanced seeds, Restoration Chestnuts 1.0, in natural growing environments. The performance of these trees will be monitored for years to come.

• Restoration Branch events held in Maine and Massachusetts helped to promote local awareness of American chestnut restoration and build membership.

Mid-Atlantic RegionSTATE CHAPTERS

Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia

REGION STATS

• Approximately 11,571 chestnuts harvested

• Approximately 635 chestnuts planted




• The West Virginia Chapter participated in the installation of a new progeny test planting on national forest land. Volunteers will continue to monitor and track the planting to determine the blight resistance of the Restoration Chestnuts 1.0.

• Rowlesburg, West Virginia, held their 4th Annual West Virginia Chestnut Festival, attracting people from all over the mid-Atlantic region to join in celebrating the return of the American chestnut.

• The Maryland Chapter installed two new orchards, as well as several demonstration and ceremonial plantings, that will advance their mission and increase their public outreach.

• The Virginia Chapter worked diligently this year to produce two new backcross chestnut orchards, one at Fried Farm in Crozet, VA, and the other at The Ranch in Culpeper, VA.

Our Volunteers

Volunteers roasting chestnuts at the West Virginia Chestnut Festival, the only chestnut festival in the Appalachian region.

New England intern Dan Hale delivers an educational program about American chestnuts to kids attending Camp DREAM, a camp for urban kids.


North Central Region STATE CHAPTERS

New York, Pennsylvania/New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana

REGION STATS






• The region increased visibility of The American Chestnut Foundation through presentations, plantings, signage, and attendance at public outreach events.

• The New York Chapter and their partners planted a new transgenic American chestnut test plot near Watertown, NY.

• Restoration Branch events held in Indiana and Pennsylvania helped promote local awareness of American chestnut restoration.

Southeast Region STATE CHAPTERS

Kentucky, Tennessee, North/South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama

REGIONAL STATS






• The Carolinas Chapter established their first seed orchard in Edneyville, North Carolina. The seeds from this orchard will produce regionally adapted, potentially blight-resistant chestnut trees for the forests of the Carolinas.

• The Georgia Chapter held a fundraiser at the Carter Center in Atlanta drawing nearly 130 attendees, including special guests Former President Jimmy Carter, Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell. The chapter added 30 new members and raised nearly $4,000 in funds.

Thad Jones, park ranger at Sewickly Heights Borough Park, takes every chance he can to plant chestnuts. This year, he worked with students at Sewickley Academy to plant and monitor chestnuts in their greenhouse.

Former President Jimmy Carter shakes hands with TACF member Steve Barilovits, IV at the Georgia Chapter’s Carter Center event.

TACF volunteers Judy Sutton and Judy Coker help plant the Carolinas Chapter’s first seed orchard near Asheville, NC


Restoration Branches – Building Membership Through ParticipationRestoration Branches are special regional groups affiliated with TACF state chapters. These hardworking volunteer groups focus on recruiting new members, hosting events, supporting chapter efforts and implementing TACF’s vision and programs at the grassroots level.

One of a Restoration Branch’s most exciting contributions is holding events that attract new members and update local communities on TACF’s activities. In 2012 events were held in six states: North Carolina (Cataloochee Ranch), Massachusetts (Sturbridge Village), Indiana (Powtawatomi Wildlife Park), Maine (Freeport), Pennsylvania (Raystown), and Virginia (Southwest VA). The Raystown Pennsylvania Branch alone recruited 52 new members and renewed 43 members. In total, Restoration Branches were responsible for 15% of all new TACF members in 2012.

Citizen Science – Training Our Volunteers and Expanding Our ReachRestoration of the American chestnut would simply not be possible without the efforts of thousands of dedicated TACF volunteers. These “citizen scientists” perform basic field tasks under the direction of TACF’s scientists and science coordinators, which dramatically increases the reach and effectiveness of TACF’s science-based breeding and restoration efforts. As more chestnut plantings are established across the eastern United States, even greater numbers of trained volunteers will be needed to collect the data necessary to evaluate the progress of our breeding program.

To help make this vision of citizen scientists a reality, in 2011 and 2012 the Richard King Mellon Foundation funded TACF’s organized training program for citizen scientists: FOREST (FOrest REstoration Specialist Training). TACF’s Regional Science Coordinators designed the FOREST curriculum and led the training for a group of enthusiastic members in southwestern Pennsylvania.

These new forest restoration specialists will use their skills to maintain trees in their local communities and teach others what they have learned. TACF will replicate this training program in 2013 and 2014 as part of a long-term project to reforest reclaimed mine lands throughout Appalachia funded by a Conservation Innovation Grant from NRCS. Volunteer Terry Stamper bags chestnut flowers to prevent uncontrolled pollination at Meadowview

Research Farms.

Our Volunteers

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Education and Outreach to the PublicYounger generations have heard stories about the chestnut tree from their parents and grandparents. Some even live on “Chestnut Street.” But if asked about the relevance of the American chestnut tree, many are unaware of the impact the loss of the tree had on our environment and society.

The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) is committed to providing educational opportunities for our nation’s youth and strengthening the bond between communities and forests. Reaching out to schools and communities is an important part of TACF’s activities.

Students Reintroduce American Chestnuts to Their CommunityFifth graders at Elwood Kindle Elementary in Pitman, New Jersey, designed a project dedicated to restoring the American chestnut to their town. Their project won “runner-up” in the New Jersey Disney Planet Challenge and the trees they planted will be enjoyed for generations to come.

Teacher Training Workshops – Utilizing the American Chestnut Learning BoxThe American Chestnut Learning Box is an educational tool that brings the story of the American chestnut to classrooms, nature centers, and civic groups in a tangible, thought-provoking way. It contains hands-on materials such as chestnut leaves, burs, and wood samples, and a series of photos, presentations, and posters that showcase the American chestnut before, during, and after the blight. Teacher trainings organized by TACF volunteers and staff help educators integrate the American Chestnut Learning Box into an engaging classroom or outdoor learning environment.

Bringing American Chestnuts to Public SpacesThroughout the year, TACF volunteers deliver presentations to communities and local organizations, organize ceremonial plantings to raise public awareness, participate at local shows and fairs, and create Restoration Branches to inspire community involvement in restoration efforts

TACF Regional Science Coordinator Sara Fitzsimmons assists fifth graders from Elwood Kindle Elementary in their Disney Planet Challenge project to restore the American chestnut to Pitman, New Jersey.

Myra Orr and Craig Ashbrook investigate the distinctions between American chestnuts and species commonly confused with it during a teacher training at TACF Meadowview Research Farms in Virginia.

Carolinas Chapter President Doug Gillis presents at a ceremonial planting in Columbia, South Carolina. Doug has a rich knowledge of American chestnut history that he enjoys sharing with the public.

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Mega-Transect: Mapping Surviving American Chestnuts Along the Appalachian TrailThe Appalachian Trail MEGA-Transect Chestnut Project is a collaboration between TACF scientists and volunteers and the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) to train volunteers to collect data on American chestnut trees growing along the Appalachian Trail (AT). Information gathered will help scientists to better understand the preferred site requirements for American chestnut by evaluating where they still continue to grow.

An AT MEGA-Transect training workshop was held in June 2012 at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Wesser, NC. Participants hiked one mile of the AT to count all American chestnuts greater than 3-feet tall and less than 15 feet from the trail edge. One highlight of the workshop was the discovery of a large, 16-inch circumference, blooming American chestnut found by Bert Crabtree and Kevin Kimbrough.

Mapping Surviving American Chestnuts

Our Volunteers

Chestnut Survivor Density (FIA Data)

stems / sq km2,559 - 6,5391,034 - 2,558450 - 1,033226 - 449140 - 225107 - 13921 - 106Native Range (Little)

John Scrivani - January 2011

Sources: Miles, P.D. Tue Jan 11 12:13:04 CST 2011. Forest Inventory EVALIDator web-application version 4.01 beta.St.Paul, MN: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. [Available only on internet: http://fiatools.fs.fed.us/Evalidator4/tmattribute.jsp]The National Atlas of the United States, ESRI, Tele Atlas North America, Inc.

Opposite: Male Eastern Towhee sings from a perch in a chestnut seedling growing in a woodlot in Central Massachusetts. Photo courtesy of Mass Wildlife/Bill Byrne

Mega-Transect Workshop participants gather around a blooming American chestnut found near the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina by Bert Crabtree and Kevin Kimbrough.

Map by Dr. John Scrivani showing relative density of surviving American chestnuts - most of which are small understory sprouts.

Prior to the blight, the American chestnut was the dominant canopy tree in the eastern forests of the United States. An estimated four billion American chestnut trees populated these forests. This estimate refers to large, mature trees that could reach 100 feet or more in height. Add small seedlings to this number and the total was probably much greater.

The chestnut blight reduced this magnificent tree to what is today a population of sprouts surviving in the understory, undergoing repeated cycles of growth and dieback from chestnut blight. No longer

the mighty giant of the forest, the average American chestnut today is less than ten feet tall and under two inches in diameter.

But how many of these sprouts still survive? Using the USDA Forest Service’s FIA (Forest Inventory and Analysis Database) we estimate the surviving American chestnut population of sprouts in excess of one inch in diameter at 464 million trees (+/- 10% error).

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Our Environment Our Wildlife

23www.acf.orgThe American chestnut once provided the most prolific and reliable source of food for wildlife in the eastern forests.

Chestnuts and WildlifeBefore the arrival of chestnut blight, the American chestnut was one of the most important food sources for wildlife. Animals of all types, including white-tailed deer, bear, raccoon, wild boar, squirrels, mice, wood rats, wild turkey, grouse, crows, blue jays – even the now extinct passenger pigeon – were all consumers of American chestnuts.

The chestnut was renowned for having a nutrition-rich, reliable and very plentiful nut crop. Recent studies have shown that the amount of mast produced by a single American chestnut may have been many times greater than the next most prolific forest tree – the oak. More importantly, the chestnut’s relatively late spring bloom meant that the nut crop was seldom damaged by late frosts. This, combined with the chestnut’s ability to be pollinated by multiple methods – wind, animals and insects – made chestnuts the most reliable food source in the eastern forests.

Restoration: A Boon to WildlifeIn addition to the 5,425 Restoration Chestnuts 1.0 that have been planted in national forests, more than 5,000 of them have been planted on other public and private lands. The restoration of the American chestnut will return one of the most prolific and dependable sources of food to the eastern forests. There is little doubt that in so doing, the capacity of the forest to nurture and support a wide array of birds and mammals will dramatically increase.


Chestnuts and Reclaimed Mine Lands: A Win-Win ScenarioThe natural range of the American chestnut tree encompasses much of the rugged coalfield region of the Appalachians. Since 2005, TACF and our partners have worked to find the best methods to restore healthy, diverse hardwood forests to reclaimed mine lands. Key to this effort is the establishment of thriving, early-succession woodlands that include American chestnuts.

Also vital to the restoration process is a technique called the Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA). This method uses huge bulldozers equipped with powerful steel hooks to rip deep furrows in the once compacted mine spoils. Amazingly, the resulting rock-strewn, barren-looking sites offer great growing conditions for chestnut–well drained, slightly acidic soil with virtually unlimited sunlight. Here chestnuts can not only grow, but thrive–and as they grow quickly, they break down the rocky soils, helping to “jump start” a vibrant forest ecology that will support diverse plant life and offer both food and shelter to a wide variety of wildlife.

In 2011 and 2012, with generous support from the Norfolk Southern Foundation, TACF worked with the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative and other partners to facilitate 56 major planting events that reforested 806 acres of land, planting 455,516 mixed hardwood trees including more than 5,000 chestnuts. All told, this effort involved the coordinated efforts of more than 4,240 volunteers.

Our Environment Our Wildl i fe

A Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) awarded to TACF by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will fund 12 major mine land restoration plantings that will constitute the largest planting project in the Foundation’s history. Over three years, TACF and project cooperators will plant approximately 250,000 seedlings, including more than 14,000 potentially blight-resistant chestnuts on 12 sites totaling 360 acres. The first of these plantings took place in Schuylkill County, PA, and included more than 1,000 Restoration Chestnuts 1.0.

Boy Scouts help plant chestnuts on Fishtrap Wildlife Management Area in Pike County Kentucky. Photo from TACF partner Green Forests Work

Bill Reichert and volunteers prepare a CIG planting on reclaimed mine lands in Schuylkill County, PA.


Restoration and Remembrance at the Flight 93 National MemorialTACF volunteers were among the 600 people who participated in an April planting of thousands of hardwood trees, including 72 Restoration Chestnut 1.0 seedlings, on the Flight 93 National Memorial. Scene of the tragic crash of Flight 93 on 9/11, the memorial is located on a reclaimed surface mine in southwestern Pennsylvania. Among the volunteers were several who had lost family, friends or co-workers in the crash. TACF is honored to participate in this historic project organized by the National Park Service and many other partners, which will eventually reforest 250 acres. In spring of 2013 TACF will plant an additional 480 Restoration Chestnuts 1.0 on the memorial with support from the Colcom Foundation and Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds via GenOn Settlement Funds.

Chestnuts Help Restore Palmerton Superfund Site The American chestnut’s ability to reforest damaged lands goes beyond restoring reclaimed mine lands. Palmerton, Pennsylvania, was for many years the site of a zinc smelting plant where heavy metals pollution devastated more than a thousand acres. Today the site is the largest remediation and re-vegetation project ever undertaken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program, and TACF is playing a part. With support from ARCADIS US, Inc. the Pennsylvania/New Jersey Chapter of TACF recently planted 2,000 B2F3s and 75 Restoration Chestnut 1.0 seedlings as part of a multi-year project to reforest what was once a barren industrial wasteland.

Tom Baloga, vice president of engineering for BMW North America, plants a tree to honor the victims of Flight 93. Tom was a friend and colleague of BMW employee Linda Gronlund, who was aboard the ill-fated flight.

Volunteer inspects a chestnut recently planted at the Palmerton Superfund site

P A R T N E R S


PartnershipsOur work would be impossible without the cooperation of devoted partners. We collaborate with various non-profit, corporate and educational partners across the country to achieve our mission to help bring American chestnut research to the forefront of the nation’s conservation efforts on both public and private lands.

Corporate PartnersAir Products

Alcoa Corporation

American Electric Power

ArborGen, Inc.

Banks Hardwoods

Bartlett Tree Experts

Biltmore Estate

Bridgestone/Firestone

Cataloochee Ranch

Central Vermont Public Service Corporation

Connecticut Light and Power

Duke Energy

DuPont

Edge of the Woods Nursery

Empire Chestnut Company

Exxon/Mobile Corporation

GenOn

Geo/Environmental Services

Georgia Pacific

Kane Hardwoods

Lark Nurseries

MeadWestvaco

Michael Coal

National Grid

News Printing Company

NSTAR Electric & Gas

PP&L

Russell Lands

Trexler Zoo

Vermont Electric Co-Op

Educational PartnersBelleville-Henderson School

Berea College

Berry College

Carroll County Schools

Centre College

Clemson University

Cornell University

Emory & Henry College

Glenville State College

Goshen College

Grove City College

Jackson State University

Juniata College

Kentucky State University

Miami University of Ohio

Michigan State University

Milton R. Hershey School

Montreat College

Ohio University

Penn State University

Pennsbury High School

Purdue University

Reinhardt College

Rutgers University

Saint Anselm College

Schuykill Center

Smith College

State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Tennessee Tech University

Unity College

University of Georgia

University of Kentucky

University of Maine

University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

University of Vermont

University of Wisconsin at Lacrosse

Volunteer State Community College

Warren Wilson College

West Virginia University

Westtown School

Wilkes University

Wright State University (OH)

Government PartnersFort Detrick

I-26 Visitors Center, NC

Lancaster County Solid Waste Authority

National Park Service

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Rhode Island Natural Resources Conservation Service

Schuylkill Conservation District

Maryland State Highway Administration

Tennessee Army National Guard

Tennessee Valley Authority

Town of Middletown, CT

US Army Corps of Engineers

USDA Forest Service

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

USDI Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement

Waynesboro Watershed

Park/Forest PartnersAbraham Lincoln’s Birthplace

Alabama Forestry Commission

Alabama State Parks

Allegheny County Department of Parks

Appalachian Regional Restoration Initiative

Black Hill Regional Park

Black Mountain Watershed

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Calloway Gardens

Chattanooga Arboretum

Cleveland Metro Parks

Columbus Metro Parks

Dawes Arboretum

Fern Hollow Nature Center

Green Forests Work

Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Kentucky Division of Forestry

Mammoth Cave National Park

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife

Mohonk Preserve

Morris County Park Commission, NJ

National Park Service

New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands

New Jersey State Forestry Service

New York Botanical Garden

New York City Department of Parks & Recreation

P A R T N E R S

27www.acf.org

New York Department of Environmental Conservation

North Carolina Division of Forest Resources

Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Pennsylvania Game Commission

Potawa-tomi Wildlife Park

Vermont State Parks

Viles Arboretum

Virginia Department of Forestry

Virginia State Arboretum

Vogel State Park

Westchester County Department of Parks

Non-profit PartnersAtlanta History Society

Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary

Beaver Brook Association

Blooming Grove Hunting and Fishing Club

Carter Center

Chestnut Grove Foundation

Clark Foundation

Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research

Forest Health Initiative

Freshwater Land trust

Future Farmers of America

Great Mountain Forest Corp

Heritage Conservancy

Highlands Nature Sanctuary

House of Dreams

International Forest Biotechnology

Izaak Walton League of America

Jewel Mill Plantation

Lancaster County Conservancy

Litchfield Hills Audubon Society

Little Schuylkill Conservation Club

Longacre Leadership Camp

Longwood Gardens

Lula Lake Land Trust

Merck Forest and Farmland Center

Merle Thorpe Charitable Trust, MD

Merryspring Nature Center

Middletown Garden Club

Milford Experimental Forest

Monsanto Fund

Nanticoke Conservation Club

The National Hardwood Lumber Association

National Wild Turkey Federation

Natural Lands Trust

The Nature Conservancy

New York Division of Science Technology and Innovation

Norcross Wildlife Foundation

Northeast Wilderness Trust

Northern Connecticut Land Trust

Northern Nut Growers Association

Old Sturbridge Village

Penn Cumberland Garden Club

Penobscot County Conservation Association

Piedmont Environmental Council

Public Service of New Hampshire

Quality Deer Management Association

Red Clay Reservation, Delaware

Schuylkill Headwaters Association

Sewickley Civic Garden Club

Shade Sportsmen’s Club

Silver Ridge Hunt Club

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

Stanback Foundation

Stronghold, Inc.

Tenafly Nature Center, NJ

ThorpeWood

Trexler Nature Preserve

Tyler Arboretum

Unger Vetlesen Foundation

University of Rhode Island Master Gardeners

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

Western Maryland Research and Education Center

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

The Wilds

Woodbridge Land Trust

Smoky Mountains Hiking Club enjoying the big chestnut tree stop. The day before the snowstorm. March 5, 1932Photo courtesy University of Tennessee digital collections.


Allegheny Foundation

American Electric Power

ARCADIS US, Inc.

Archie W. and Grace Berry Foundation

The Ceres Trust

Constellation Energy

Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds via GenOn Settlement Funds

Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation

The Manton Foundation

MeadWestvaco Foundation

Richard King Mellon Foundation

National Forest Foundation

Norfolk Southern Foundation

Northern Connecticut Land Trust

Peabody Energy

Sordoni Foundation, Inc

Steele-Reese Foundation

Sustainable Forestry Initiative

The Tucker Foundation

Upper Tennessee River Roundtable

USDA Forest Service

USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

The WestWind Foundation

Wolf Creek Charitable Foundation

Major Government, Foundation, and Corporate Sponsors

Donors

D O N O R S

$25,000 + Brad Stanback and Shelli

Lodge-Stanback Richard and Carol Will

$10,000 to $24,999 Dr. John D. Agricola Robert H. Dunlap William Winston Hoy, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Fred

Stanback, Jr.Timothy Sweeney TACF-Pennsylvania/New

Jersey State ChapterTACF-Virginia State Chapter

$5,000 to $9,999 Donald and Mary Stout

Foundation Wallace and Nancy McCurdy Jack McKee Jay and Jennifer Mills The Neil and Anna

Rasmussen Foundation Burton J. Willingham

$1,000 to $4,999 Ailene Phillips Trust Betty and John Allison AnonymousSteve Antoline

Apple Matching Gifts Program Ralph ArthurGadi Avshalomov Bailey Nurseries Foundation Anne Bain Stephen G. Banks Steven Barilovits IIIBeaver Run Hunting and

Fishing Club Jack Bertsch Shelby Bonnie Mr and Mrs. Darnall W. BoydA. Mitchell Burford Jr. Ronnie W. Camp Dr. Gary and Darlene Carver Philip Chaplin Charles W. Gaddy and Lucy

Finch Gaddy Endowment Fund of the North Carolina Community Foundation

John Cholin Peter DartleyJohn and Katie DawesMichael Doochin Susan Dorward Philip and Jennifer Dubois EcoRebates, Inc.Friends of Raystown Lake E. Marianne Gabel R Michael GadbawGeorgia PacificCharles Gleason III Graham-Kucera Philanthropic

Fund at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

H.O. Peet FoundationLois Hindhede Isaac W. Jeanes III James and Gretchen L.

Johnson Barbara B. Knapp Knox Family FoundationSandy LernerLittle Acorn Fund of the

Community Foundation of Western North Carolina

Donald K. LorenzoDr. William and Nora

MacDonaldJacqueline Mars, Stonehall

FarmCharles Mathes Catherine and Randall D.

Mayes Richard D. McClure Kincaid and Allison Mills Geary and Beth Mizuno Isaac A. MorrisMrs. Justin J. Nathan Mrs. Shirley Nicholson Catherine A. Novelli OppenheimerFunds Legacy

Program Robert and Elizabeth Owens Alan Palmer Deborah Pearsall Dr. V. Watson Pugh Celia and Jim Rutt Patrick Scanlan Frederic W. Scott, Jr. Nicholas A. Skinner William T. Smith The T. Rowe Price Program for

Charitable GivingTACF-Maryland State Chapter Turner FoundationU.S. Army Corps of Engineers

- Raystown LakeRufin Van BossuytBruce Wakeland Kelley and Stephen Wilkinson Peter H. WilliamsRichard Wipperman Vanguard Charitable

Endowment ProgramStephen & Suzan Zoukis

$500 to $999 Preston H. Abbott Peter AlexeasAnita AntenucciBruce AtkinsonSarah Barlow

Daniel K. BarthelsDavid BartlettMr. and Mrs. Peter P.

Blanchard IIIBernd Blossey Roberta Bocock Mary Brock Henry and Maria Campell Phillip and Cynthia ChaseJon and Lois Claycomb Ralph L. Crisp, Jr. D. Blair Crump Robert L. deCourcyJames Donowick Oliver and Eileen B. Evans Thomas Gerstle John Gerstmayr Keith Halstead Wayne and Jeanne Hearn Guy Hendrix Beth and Dale HowellVictoria Jaycox James and Gretchen L.

Johnson Peter Kemmerer Chandis and Violet Klinger Joseph Kohrs Walter G. Lake Harold Levy Cortney LoCarlos LopezWilliam and Faye Lord Emon Mahony Kathleen and Rob Marmet Vincent J. Marold, Jr. David Mason Doug McBethDebby Lundstrom McMullen Alex Minard Robert More Elizabeth T. Muir Dr. Anne M. Myers BobigianJoseph Nicholson Tim Onnen George L. Ohrstrom II Douglas H. Oswald Oliver and Barbara Parker Joseph and Sarah Parrish Andrew Place Ponoco Lake Preserve

Allen and Susan Proper Thomas M. Pugel Noel Rowe Lorin S. Rydstrom Safari Club International New

England Foundation David Shapira Edith Shapira Katherine J. Simpson Gregory M. SomervilleDonald W. StricklerCynthia and Terrence TobiasNaomi Tokos Hilltop Conservancy, Inc. Edward W. WilburnDonald Willeke Esq.David Wilson Michael and Mary WiseBrad B. Worrall John ZavodniDr. and Mrs. T. Price

Zimmermann $300 to $499Arnold Abel Carolyn Adams David Adams Edmund and Marion Adams Matthew Akers Steve AlbrightAllegheny Chapter of the

Safari Club Kenneth Allshouse Clyde Anderson Gail Anderson Dr. Stephen R. Angeli Dale Angerman, M.D.Clay AngleRichard Antes James D. Arnholt AT&T Matching Gift Program TJ and Wendy Atkinson David AurandSandra BackauskasWilliam BakerDr. Richard S. Banfield, Jr.Edwards Barham Andrew Barnebey Harry Barnes III Mrs. Gretchen Bauta

29www.acf.org

D O N O R S

Kenneth BeardDon Beaver Chris Beckham David Behunin Jane R. Bensche Keith A. Bibbee Ryck Birch Lucille S. Bishop Bobst Mountain Hunting ClubCatherine Boettner James A. Bolinsky Ed Bowen Karen J. BoydDan Boyer John BradyDr. Peter M. Bradley Greg Bragg Eleanor Braun Daniel Breunig George D. Brooks Tim and Michelle Brookshire Keith I. Brown Kenneth Brown Magalen Bryant Dale Buchanan Charles Buck Todd Burnworth Carol Burrill Ben Burton Connie Calvey Carl L. Campbell James Campbell Wayne Capolupo Robert W. Carmony Mr. Eugene M. Carr, Jr.Rachel Caviness Kent Chastain The Chestnut Hill Garden Club Scott Chinery James ClodfelterChristopher ClouserThe Coca-Cola Foundation Dennis and Catherine Collis Wayne Conley DDS Bob and Kit Corley Henry and Irene Cotter John Crabtree Walter Cwynar Dr. Laura N. Dabinett Henry and Adrienne Danforth

Iris and David Daugherty Mrs. Lois Davie Maria and Glenn Davis David DawsonAlex and Sandy Day Michael Day Brian Decker Michael Deimler Scott Deitchman and

Irene Hall Kenneth DeRocheC. A. DetwillerDan and Eileen Detwiller James DeYoung Douglas Deyton Rick Dietz Robert A. Dietz James and Susan Ditmore Frank Dorman, Jr. Nicholas Dovidio

Ms.Thayer Drew, Greenwood Farm

Thomas Dumm E.I. DuPont de Nemours and

Company Duquesne University Charles and Mary H. Edwards II Norman Egbert Katia Engelhardt Brock D. Eppley Gene Erickson Ken Evans The Evergreen Foundation Peter Ewing Anne and Jerry Farkas Josephine G. Farwell Mervin Feathers Ben Finegan Dr. Mary F. FinlayRodney FleckEugene Foor Thomas Franz Richard Frase Andrew Fronk Thomas Garigan

Jean C. George Gloria Geyer-Zora Joanne K. Gianniny Dorian S. Goldman Frank Green Pamela Greenwood Mike Grice William Hamric Dwight and Peggy Harley Sr. Wayne and Cheryl Harlow Robert Kevin Harrell Mr. Norman HarshHarry’s Valley Rod and Gun Shain Haug Jonathan Hayes Hewlett-Packard Company

Foundation Darlene Hills Christina T. and Sturtevant

Hobbs

Richard L. Hoffman John Hopple Illinois Tool Works Foundation Jeff Jens and Ann Boisclair William P. JewettDan and Karol Lynn Johnson Patrick Johnson Sherwood Johnson Gregory Jones Jerry L. Jones Matthew Jones Juan Jorge Markus Jork Ernst Juhl Ronnie JusticeDiane Kent Francis Kerchenske Dale and Linda Kerns Julius P. Kreier Jeff and Lori KrauseRonald KuipersClarence A. Larson Simeon Duke Layfield League of Kentucky

Sportsmen, Inc.

John Lee Jon M. LindberghThe Little Garden Club of Rye Little Schuylkill

Conservation ClubGreg Long Richard D. Long Anthony and Caroline Longo James Losch Marshall Lowe Alice P. Lupton Nicholas Lynn Joey Malone William Marcus Mark R. Martin Thomas McArdle Eleanor McCain Drs. Brian and Dawn C.

McCarthy

Dwaine and Frances McCollum

Kyle McNamara Larry J. McReynolds Eric Medici Wilhelm Merck Microsoft Matching Gifts

Program Luke Miller Richard MingleAnthony Miyake Mark Mohr Carol L. MooreBill Morgan Morgan/Limestone Alabama

TREASURE Forest Association

Andrew Morison Dr. David and Katherine L.

Morris James Morrison James MuirRobert F. Mulch, Jr. George Naugle Network for Good Steve Neu

Ann Newell Dennis and Carol Oakley John C. Oliver Gail and Dick Olson Anne Todd Osborn Manuel Ovando Roxane Palone Tom Parsons Kathleen A. Patnode Pamela and Dallas Peak Bryan Pearson Donald G. Peck Jean Perin Edgewood Sam PettwayJim Phillips Mrs. Daniel and May Pierce Justin and Margaret Prassel George and Nicole Price Edward A. Raymond III

Neel Rich Robert C. Richardson Roger Roahrig Quincy and Charlotte Robe Alan RobertsonJeffrey and Andrea Roesch Ross Rogalski John Rogers Margaret Ronsheim Paul D. Ross, Jr. Stephen Rozak M. E. Sarvay Douglas Sauer Hans Schaefer Paul Schaefer Schrack RealtyMark A. Scheel Jerome J. Schentag Thomas Schmidt Harvey Schorr Mr. and Mrs. David B.

Sherwood, Jr.Robert and Nancy Shipman Joe Slater Lucas Smith

Perry Smith Roy Smith Ken and Laura Southworth James Spagnoli Starlight Forests LLC Joshua Stevens Chris Stockdale William S. StrongDave Stubbs Carolyn Summers and David

Brittenham Roy R. Sumner Jeff Szkutnik George and Carol Taylor Richard and Dianne L. Taylor Barry Thacker Dr. Bruce ThomasDale Thorpe David A. Travalini Nathaniel W. Tripp Jason Vagliano David Vaughn Lou Ventura Guy A. Wadsworth Robert Walker Roderick S. Walker David A. Wallace Gil Warmoth Philip L. Watts, Jr. Nancy L. Weiss, M.D. Robert E. Weiss Judith Wentz Christopher White William Whitesell Jim Wightman William T. Oxenham

Foundation, Inc. Richard Williams Ronald Williams Lawrence E. Williamson Erin WilliganRichard Wilt Michael Wright William Wright Robert and Janice Yelnosky Christopher Zach

Thank you for all that you make possible


A Legacy TreeLegacy Trees represent one of the most advanced stages of TACF’s breeding process, and at Meadowview Research Farms they form our core “seed orchard.” The Restoration Chestnut 1.0 seeds produced by this orchard contain the greatest level of American chestnut characteristics and the most blight resistance that we have achieved to date. Many of the trees in the Legacy Tree Orchard have been sponsored by individuals, either in their own name, the name of a company or organization, or in honor of a friend or relative. These sponsors have made a significant donation that will help fund our scientific research and hands-on restoration efforts. In effect, each tree in this orchard is a living legacy to the work of TACF’s scientists and volunteers, and each Restoration Chestnut 1.0 seed that is harvested holds, as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “the promise of a hundred future forests.”

Please visit our website for more information at http://www.acf.org/Legacy_Tree.php

Our Legacy Tree Sponsors21st Century Parks Inc.

The Family of the Rev. and Mrs. Hugh W. Agricola, Jr.

Allegheny Foundation

Anonymous in honor of Maine Chapter of TACF

Steve Antoline

Stephen G. Banks in honor of Glenn Banks

David and Annie Bingham

The Blackmore-Gott Families

Jonathan Butler in memory of Dr. John M. Butler

John M. Cholin

William Coffey in honor of Richard Will

Scott Conking & Thomas Wall in memory of Jerry S. Conking

Connecticut Chapter of TACF

Robert W. Cramer in honor of Lewis L. Cramer

Linda and Michael Doochin and Family

Robert H. Dunlap, Mennen Environmental Foundation, dedicated to Gary & Lynn Anderson

John Evangelakos Family

The George Family, Chappaqua, NY

Georgia Chapter of TACF

Peggy & Dwight Harley, Sr. in honor of Harley and Ringer Families

In memory of Robert C. Hempel

Betty Johnson in honor of Marshal Case

Kentucky Chapter of TACF

Randolph and Grace Knight

The LaRoche Family, Ted, Gloria, Ashley & David, their spouses and children

Lewis & Kate Lobdell in honor of Kale Partners and The Chestnut Ridge, Pennsylvania

Partners in Conservation

Maine Chapter of TACF

Mark Mayer in honor of Richard Will

Paul McArthur in honor of Richard Will

Meadwestvaco Foundation

Peter Mennen

Janice Michelle Foundation

Northern Virginia Community Foundation in memory of Henry B.R. Brown

Robert I. Owens

Yvonne & Alan Palmer

Deborah Pearsall

Dr. Gary Roop Family

Emily Rutherford in honor of children and grandchildren of the Rutherford, Smykal, and Cookerly families

William T. Smith in honor of the Myers and Smith families of Pennsylvania

Edwin Smoots

Donald and Mary Stout Foundation

The Sudbury Foundation in honor of John Taft

Timothy Sweeney

Rufin Van Bossuyt

Virginia Chapter of TACF

West Virginia Chapter of TACF

Westwind Foundation

Richard Will Family

Richard Will in honor of: TACF Volunteers Donald Willeke Dr. Norman Borlaug Brad & Shelli Stanback Dr. Al Ellingboe Rex Mann James Ulring Dr. William MacDonald Marshal Case Dr. Paul Sisco Dr. Fred Hebard Phil Rutter Daphne Van Schaick

Marilyn & Alan Youel

Suzan and Stephen Zoukis in honor of Cashiers Village

D O N O R S

31www.acf.org

As of June 30, 2012, according to Cusack & Co. Complete audited financials and TACF’s 990 are available at http://www.acf.org/annual.php or by calling (828) 281-0047. Chart reflects expenditures for fiscal year ending June 30, 2012.

PERMANENTLY PUBLIC SUPPORT AND REVENUE UNRESTRICTED RESTRICTED TOTAL

Contributions and foundation grants $ 1,451,556 – $ 1,451,556Federal grants 371,885 – 371,885Membership dues 324,369 – 324,369Investment income (loss) (95,957) 4,441 (91,516)Merchandise sales (net of cost of $16,332) 18,230 – 18,230Donated services 263,500 – 263,500Other support and revenue 787 – 787

TOTAL PUBLIC SUPPORT AND REVENUE 2,334,370 4,441 2,338,811

EXPENSES

Program services 2,026,655 – 2,026,655Management and general 348,737 – 348,737Fundraising 205,957 – 205,957

TOTAL EXPENSES 2,581,349 – 2,581,349

Change in Net Assets (246,979) 4,441 (242,538)Net Assets, beginning of year 3,791,094 19,772 3,810,866

NET ASSETS, END OF YEAR 3,544,115 24,213 3,568,328

Statement of Activities and Changes in Net Assets (July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012)

Program Services

Management and General Expenses

Fundraising

8%

13%

79%

OfficersGlen Rea, Chair

Carolyn Hill, Vice-Chair, Development Cabinet

Dr. Kim Steiner, Vice-Chair, Science Cabinet

Catherine Mayes, Secretary

Steve Barilovits III, Treasurer

Donald C. Willeke, Esq., Legal Counsel

Bryan Burhans, President & CEO (non-voting)

Board of Directors (as of June 2012) William AdamsenSteve Barilovits IIIDr. Gary Carver

Dr. J. Hill CraddockHerb DarlingTimothy EckDr. Albert H. EllingboeYvonne FederowiczSean FisherLynn GarrisonDoug GillisCarolyn HillHugh IrwinDr. Joseph B. JamesJimmy JenkinsGrace KnightDr. William LordDr. William MacDonaldRex MannBryant Marsh IICatherine MayesDr. Brian C. McCarthyJames O. MillsJoe NicholsonTim PhelpsMac PhillippiGlen ReaDr. John Scrivani

Tom ScrivenerDr. Paul SiscoBradford StanbackDr. Kim SteinerGeorge ThompsonRufin Van BossuytBruce WakelandRichard S. WillDonald C. Willeke, Esq.

Honorary DirectorsThe Honorable James Earl

Carter, Jr.Dr. Richard A. JaynesMrs. Mary Belle PriceDr. Peter H. RavenMr. Phillip A. Rutter

Office LocationsTACF National Office160 Zillicoa Street, Suite DAsheville, NC 28801(828) 281-0047

TACF Meadowview Research Farms29010 Hawthorne DriveMeadowview, VA 24361(276) 944-4631

Northern Central Regional OfficeThe Pennsylvania State

University206 Forest Resources LabUniversity Park, PA 16802(814) 863-7192

New England Regional OfficeNorthern Research StationForest Service705 Spear StreetSouth Burlington, VT 22903(802) 999-8706

Mid-Atlantic Regional OfficeVirginia Department of Forestry

Central Office900 Natural Resources DriveCharlottesville, VA 22903(434) 906-9312

State ChaptersAlabamaCarolinas (North and South)ConnecticutGeorgiaIndianaKentuckyMaineMarylandMassachusetts/Rhode IslandNew YorkOhioPennsylvania/New JerseyTennesseeVermont/New HampshireVirginiaWest Virginia

“The American

Chestnut Foundation

has earned five

consecutive 4-star

ratings from premier

charity rating company, Charity

Navigator. Only 4% of the charities that

Charity Navigator rates have received

five consecutive 4-star evaluations”.

– Ken Berger, President and CEO

of Charity Navigator

F I N A N C I A L S

160 Zillicoa Street, Suite DAsheville, North Carolina 28801

Phone: (828) 281-0047Fax: (828) 253-5373

www.acf.org

www.facebook.com/americanchestnutwww.twitter.com/chestnut1904

the american chestnut foundation€¦ · 2012 a year of expansion meadowview research farms and the...

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