Are you interested in the American Chestnut? Join the Grayson Chestnut project!
We are trying to connect with people interested in a novel breeding program with 100% American Chestnut genetics gathered from Long Surviving American Chestnut trees (LSAs).
The new website is here: https://graysonchestnutproject.net/
Our goal is to breed large surviving American chestnuts while building a welcoming, year-round community around the work.
Some American chestnuts survive long enough to reach the canopy, flower, and endure repeated blight infections. Those trees may carry useful combinations of native resistance genes. We find them, bring their genetics into accessible orchards, cross the best trees, grow their offspring, and help TACF evaluate which families deserve the next round of breeding.
This is serious science—but it is also a reason to hike, learn, plant, graft, collect pollen, harvest nuts, and celebrate together.