Southern Research Station Headquarters - Asheville, NC
![[Images] Five photos of different landscape](/images/imstr1.jpg "[Images] Five photos of different landscape")
Issue 11
Take a Chestnut Journey Along the Appalachian Trail
As part of its 25th anniversary celebration, The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) has invited the group’s members, volunteers, and scientists to collect data on the remaining American chestnut trees along the Appalachian Trail (AT) this summer. The data will not only help TACF scientists estimate how many American chestnut trees remain along the AT, but also enable them to locate and document trees that produce flowers towards incorporating more genetic diversity into their breeding programs.
The idea of hiking the AT to study the American chestnut population began in 1999 when Eric Wiese, a graduate student of Hill Craddock at the University of Tennessee, counted the number of American chestnuts along the trail as part of his degree program. Wiese documented 40,701 American chestnut trees as visible from the AT, with the highest population density in the Nantahala Mountains of southwestern North Carolina, and the most evidence of blooming and nut production in Pennsylvania.
Those interested can print off the tree identification sheet on the right or from the TACF Web site. Hikers are encouraged to log the miles they walk as a way to focus attention on the importance of restoring the American chestnut to its native forests as well as on the ongoing work of TACF, its State chapters, and its volunteer community. The 2008 “chestnut journey” ends in Chattanooga, TN, at TACF’s 25th annual meeting October 24–26.
