The American Chestnut Cooperators' Foundation

American Chestnut (Castanea dentata): In the first 40 years of the 20th century, chestnut blight destroyed 3.5 billion American Chestnuts. What had been the most important tree in our Eastern Forests was reduced to insignificance. No comparable devastation of a species exists in recorded history.

ACCF is a nonprofit scientific and educational foundation, organized in 1984, dedicated to restoring the American Chestnut to its former place in our Eastern hardwood forests. Priorities include the development of blight resistant all-American Chestnuts and economical biological control measures against chestnut blight in the forest environment. We support American Chestnut research and engage senior citizens and school children, volunteers and professionals in planting, grafting and managing the fruits of this research.

The Lost Treasure

When the Europeans arrived in North America, one-fourth of the trees in the forest were American Chestnuts (Castanea dentata). Commonly over one hundred feet tall with trunks five to seven feet in diameter, they were the tallest and most bountiful member of the forest community. The durable, straight-grained wood was used for houses, barns, furniture, paneling and fences. Today much of the rail fencing along the Blue Ridge Parkway is chestnut. A dependable yearly crop of nuts provided food for wild birds, squirrels, turkeys, deer, and bears and cash for mountain families. Before 1900 and the introduction of Chestnut blight, Chestnut mast fell like rain in the fall of the year. After the blight struck, it left in its wake over 3.5 billion dead Chestnut trees and a void that could only partially be filled by Oaks and other tree species. Through the years, much has been learned about Chestnut Blight and breeding for resistance so that today, with recent breakthroughs, restoration of the American Chestnut tree is increasingly possible.

Breeding for blight resistance. ACCF all- American intercrosses accumulate resistance exclusively from American Chestnuts. We do not use hybrids, other Castanea species or GMOs in our breeding program.

Cloning resistant American Chestnuts. The ACCF grafts scions of American Chestnuts with tested blight resistance onto existing sprouts in selected forest settings.

Reclaiming the habitat needed to rescue the species. Where clearcutting, fire and storms create suitable openings, we reestablish American Chestnuts by cutting the competing hardwoods, planting and grafting blight-resistant chestnuts and introducing hypovirulent (weakened) strains of the blight fungus. This is integrated management for blight control.

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ACCF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Dues and all contributions are tax deductible.