Got nuts? Confirmed wild-type American nuts?

We are seeking confirmed wild-type American chestnuts for our restoration breeding here at Penn State University. It is important to expand our germplasm conservation orchard with new sources of wild-type American chestnuts as we look forward to incorporating the D58 and other advances into our orchard stock.

What is a confirmed wild-type American chestnut? If you submitted a tree locator form to TACF and received a response confirming that your tree is an American chestnut, we’d like to get nuts from you. We can use nuts from any location but we are setting the following locations as high priority

Southwest corner of Pennsylvania
Northwest corner of Pennsylvania
Northeast corner of Pennsylvania
Southeast corner of Pennsylvania
And anywhere in New Jersey

Packing nuts to ship:
> Remove the nuts from the burs
> Pack them in a small zip lock baggy with a small amount of peat, slightly damp but not soggy. Poke 10 or 20 tiny holes in the baggy with a pin.
>Be sure to include your contact information along with the latitude and longitude of the tree or the TreeSnap ID.

Ship nuts to:
Pennsylvania State University
PA/NJ TACF
108 Research A Modular Lab
University Park, PA 16802

Please note: Issues with USPS and shipping labels: Penn State University is in the process of reverifying all of the addresses at the University Park Campus. We are receiving mail but if you are attempting to create a label for a package, through the USPS website or other metering platform, the address will be rejected because it hasn’t been verified by USPS. 

Similarly, your local post office may at first reject a package. If this happens, please ask them to defer the verification of the address. We have been assured that they are able to defer verification but if they refuse please call our office. Once the package reaches University Park the campus post office will deliver it.

Questions? Contact our office: 814-863-7192 | mail@patacf.org

Shucks! It’s time to break out the nuts at PSU!

Volunteer Day at Penn State University
Bur shucking at the chestnut seed orchard.
Friday, September 29 (9:00 AM to 4:00 PM)
Sign up to help our new Orchard Manager open burs and count seeds for winter storage. We will provide gloves, water, and snacks. We will have a few metal folding chairs but you are welcome to bring a camp chair if you’ll be more comfortable. Spend a few hours or stay all day!
Contact Noah Vincent to learn more:814-863-7192 | nev5073@psu.edu

PA/NJ Chapter 2023 Fall Meeting

Saturday, November 4 | 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM

Berks Campus Pennsylvania State University
Perkins Student Center
2080 Tulpehocken Rd
Reading, PA 19610

Google Map

Join us for the 2023 Fall Chapter Meeting! We will be gathering for a day of networking and educational programming at the Berks Campus of Penn State University in Reading, PA. The day will include a continental breakfast, a presentation by a special guest Charlie Canham, Senior Scientist, Emeritus from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and author of Forests Adrift, lunch, a panel discussion on Perspectives on Land Protection and Easements, and a screening of the TACF Documentary Clear Day Thunder.

Program Highlights
Tickets

Tickets are $25 and include continental breakfast and lunch. Prefer to pay at the door? Please RSVP by 11/1/23 by contacting our office: mail@patacf.org | 814-863-7192

PARKING

Parking is free for our event in Lots G1, G2, G3, and G4 shown in the image below, parallel to Route 222. Berks Campus Map

https://berks.psu.edu/map?id=1139#!ct/34251,27371,26515?m/269820?s/?mc/40.358104999999995,-75.97219100000001?z/18?lvl/0

Seeking Volunteers for Fall Outreach Event!

Autumn Lights Festival

We are seeking early commitments from volunteers to help with the Autumn Lights Festival in West Milford, PA. This is a popular one-day festival that draws thousands of attendees. We have attended for several years, and according to past volunteers, it is worth continuing our participation.

LOCATION: 1 Marshall Hill Rd, West Milford, NJ 07480
DATE: Saturday, October 7, 2023
EVENT WEBSITE: https://autumnlightsfestival.com/

West Milford is very close to the New York border, in a rural setting with a small-town vibe. It’s the perfect venue to chat about the American chestnut on a Saturday in October. Check out this video: https://youtu.be/rEkFONrMXO4

To volunteer contact Jean
mail@patacf.org | 814-863-7192

Targeted American Chestnut Conservation Missions

In order to help achieve our wild American conservation objectives, Chapter Board Member, Lake Graboski is setting up targeted “American Chestnut Conservation Missions”. Each mission will identify areas of special interest to our breeding program. We encourage individual hikers and local conservation groups to join these missions to help search for American chestnuts. 

Mission #1: Southwestern PA (Issued 6/3/2022)

Mission #2 Southern New Jersey