The Connecticut Chapter of TACF manages an ever growing number of back-cross orchards to grow out our fourth generation BC3F1 Clapper line of resistant American chestnut backcross material.
View CT Chapter TACF Orchard Locations in a larger map
We are also in the planning stages of a much larger seed orchard where the open pollination progeny of those fourth generation trees would be grown. Those BC3F2 trees would be the parents of the nuts used for reforestation.
Sara Fitzsimmons presented a detailed plan to the Massachusetts Chapter last year as they are now getting ready to develop their own Seed Orchard. The seed orchard will be an issue confronting us in the next few years as we complete the pollination of our first line of resistance, and begin to innoculate the trees grown from that line.
There are currently five TACF backcross orchards in Connecticut, with several orchard tests completed, and several planned.
- NCLT/Swann Farm managed by the Northern CT Land Trust.
- Woodbridge Land Trust is on Land owned by the Town of Woodbridge, and managed by CT-TACF and the Woodbridge Land Trust.
- Salem is managed by CT-TACF on land owned by Dr. David Bingham.
- Great Mountain Forest managed by CT-TACF on land owned by the Great Mountain Forest Corporation
- Guilford Conservation is managed by the Guilford Conservation Commission
- White Memorial which is a BC2F2 research orchard managed by TACF.
