The Palisades in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Restoring the Chestnut
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 5, 2021
Bringing Back the American Chestnut
In 1983 a dedicated group of scientists founded The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) with the mission of restoring the American chestnut to our eastern forests to benefit our environment, our wildlife, and our society.
Centered at our research farms in Meadowview, VA, the goal of TACF's breeding program is to develop the American chestnut trees that are resistant to the chestnut blight and able to create a self-sustaining population that can continue to evolve in a natural forest environment. Additionally, in order to breed trees that are regionally adapted to the wide climatic variations found throughout the vast range of the chestnut, TACF state chapters have established over 300 chestnut breeding orchards from Maine to Georgia, containing more than 120,000 chestnut trees.
In 2009, TACF announced the first forest planting of our potentially blight-resistant chestnuts. Today, planting, testing and evaluating these remarkable seeds continues, while additional breeding and development is underway to produce even more advanced and blight-resistant chestnuts in the future. Much of this work, as well as the tending of breeding orchards is being done by some of the 6,000 dedicated TACF members and volunteers in twenty states. These efforts are vital to the foundation's activities.
Recent developments in the science of molcular genetics now offer the promise of accelerating our breeding process by allowing us to screen the genetic sequences of chestnuts, to see if they have the genetic composition desired by our scientists.
Although it will likely be several decades before large quantities of American chestnuts once again populate our eastern forests, the future is beginning to look much brighter for "The Mighty Giant."
Erected by The American Chestnut Foundation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Environment • Horticulture & Forestry • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1983.
Location. 38° 56.295′ N, 77° 6.726′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in The Palisades. Marker is on MacArthur Boulevard Northwest, 0.1 miles north of Little Falls Road Northwest, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5900 MacArthur Blvd NW, Washington DC 20016, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The American Chestnut (here, next to this marker); Chestnut Blight (here, next to this marker); Original Federal Boundary Stone, District of Columbia, Northwest 4 (approx. 0.2 miles away in Maryland);
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 5, 2021
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 5, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 67 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 5, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.