PA/NJ Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation

Many thanks to the folks who volunteered last Saturday at our shade house at University Park. With their help we were able to inoculate 580 seedlings. This activity was replicated across 3 other sites for a total of 2,400 inoculations. The next steps will be to monitor the seedlings and record canker measurements in October. The surviving seedlings will be planted into our orchard in spring of 2022 and reinoculated a few years later.

Would you like to help? We’ve had to change the date on this volunteer day due to inadequate inoculum. Please join us Friday, July 23rd at the Raystown orchard to do field inoculations (9:00 AM – 5:00 PM) Weather permitting.

Location: Raystown Lake Orchard near Entriken, PA (40.34804426519245 -78.1636570089084) Google Map

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Activity: Conduct field inoculations of young hybrid chestnut trees this July. No experience necessary. (Sign up for an hour or the whole day).

Roughly 1,500 seedlings at the Raystown Lake hybrid chestnut orchard will be inoculated with the SG2,3 strain of Cryphonectria parasitica. On July 16th volunteers will work together with staff to inoculate seedlings with the chestnut blight fungus. After 6 months, cankers will be rated to quantify resistance. The best trees will be retained for additional screening in 2 years.

Note:  This is a field site with no facilities available on location.

Volunteer today!

The 2021 PSU Ag Progress Days event is returning to an in-person event this August 10th, 11th, and 12th. The PA/NJ Chapter of TACF needs volunteers to help share the story of the American chestnut. It’s a three-day event and we need many hands to help fill the schedule.

Out table is located in the J.D. Harrington Building so volunteers will be out of the sun and rain. Look for this building next to the corn maze. Email or call our office if you have questions about being a volunteer: mail@patacf.org/814-863-7192

To learn more about this event visit Penn State’s website.

Sign-up here!

After a year of Zoom meetings and webinars, the PA/NJ Board is cautiously optimistic, planning an in-person gathering for our 2021 Fall Member Meeting on November 6^th. We understand that there is still some uncertainty and will make adjustments as needed but if things continue to improve, we look forward to seeing many of you in November.

We are excited about the venue we have chosen. The Allen Theatre in Annville, PA is historic and has its own story of restoration to tell. Located at 36 East Main Street in Annville, the theatre was originally known as the Hippodrome in the early 1900s. Later known as the Aster theater the story of this small-town theater on Main Street is similar to the stories of many of its kind. Small and serving a rural community it operated as a second-run theatre, declining in the ’60s and ’70s with the rise of malls and shopping centers it was forced to close down in the ’80s.

That could have been the end of this story but in the early nineties, the fates smiled on Annville and its closed-down theatre. A local grandmother, Mary Jane Hicks (1915-2006) won the Pennsylvania State Lottery and funded the restoration of the theatre and adjoining café under the direction of her son Skip. The theatre was reopened as the Allen Theatre on September 21, 1995, in memory of Skip’s father, Allen Hicks who had passed away in 1981. The AllenTheatre provides a nostalgic experience with all the perks of a modern facility including a cool cafe and very comfy seating. 

Annville is one of those charming small towns that dot the rural landscape of Pennsylvania. Located in Lebanon County, east of Hershey, PA, and north of Lancaster, PA. It is home to Lebanon Valley College. Parking is free and we will be providing a map to help with that.

The Center for Private Forests at Penn State has announced plans to hold its 5th Walk in Penn’s Woods, October 2-3. They are currently seeking hosts to offer walks to the public. Members of our Chapter have hosted walks in the past and we would love to be a part of this event again. 

Woodland walks that highlight the story of the American chestnut can be a great way to engage folks of all ages and build support for our restoration mission.  If you are familiar with a walk on public lands that includes confirmed American chestnuts, please consider hosting a walk. We can help promote and manage registration for your walk and provide materials to distribute.

Please email Jean at the Chapter office to learn more and share your idea for a Chestnut walk.

If you have a Walk in Penn’s Woods you would like to host and are ready to sign up, CLICK HERE to complete the online form.