The American Chestnut Foundation's Southern Regional Meeting

Click here to see the group photo

Date:
Feb. 25, 2006

Time:  the Meeting will start at 9:00 a. m. at "The Cabin" at Bendabout Farms.

Location:
Bendabout Farm, McDonald, Tennessee, east of Chattanooga (see map below).

Agenda:

1. Report from state chapters on plantings (lines, number of trees actually alive) plus seed to be planted this spring.

2. Report on James/Jeffers program to breed for resistance to Phytophthora cinnamomi as well as to Cryphonectria parasitica

3. Report from Chattanooga Chestnut Project regarding new sources of resistance and screening of B2F2 hybrids.

4. Report from Dr. Jim Maddox on screening of B2F2 hybrids.

5. Data on hybridization between chestnut and chinkapin in the South.

6. Discussion of cooperation among chapters.

7. Introduction of Dr. Bob Paris, new plant breeder at Meadowview, and Dr. Kim Steiner, new Chair of TACF's Science Cabinet

8. Ecology of flowering American chestnut trees in Kentucky and Tennessee by Joe Schibig.

8. Report on Meadowview's plans for pollen collection this summer; new sources of resistance

9. Report on support from the National Forest Foundation grant for 2006-2007.

10. Where do we go from here: Unique challenges of the Southern Region and ways to respond to them.

In the afternoon, weather permitting, Dr. Hill Craddock will lead a tour of the Chattanooga Chestnut Project orchards at Bendabout Farms.
 

Directions:
Our meeting will be at "The Cabin" at Bendabout Farm, in McDonald, TN. The Cabin is one mile east of McDonald Grocery, on the north side of Old Lee Highway, at the end of a long driveway that runs beside a horse pasture.

From the North and East:
Take I-75 southbound to exit 20. Go east toward Cleveland on the US 64 (Cleveland bypass) about one mile and exit the bypass onto US 11 South / Old Lee Hwy / US 64 West. Go southwest on Old Lee Hwy 2.4 miles. Turn right into driveway along horse pasture to cabin.

From the South and West:
Take I-75 northbound to exit 11 toward Ooltewah. Go east on US 11North / Old Lee Hwy / US 64 East about 6.5 miles through the village of McDonald and pass the McDonald Grocery on your right. One mile past the grocery, turn left into driveway along horse pasture to cabin.

Lodging: 
The nearest motel to Bendabout is a Super 8 Motel at Ooltewah, Tennessee, which is at Tennessee Exit 11 of Interstate 75. Web rates are $39.99 for a king-sized single and $44.44 for a 2-bed double room.

Make reservations on-line at:

http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/home
Or you can phone toll-free 1-800-800-8000

The motel address and contact information is:
Super 8 Motel - Chattanooga - Ooltewah
5111 Hunter Rd.
(I-75, Exit 11)
Ooltewah, TN 37363
Phone: (423) 238-5951

About Bendabout Farm:
The late William Raoul established the first chestnut breeding orchard (Orchard #1) at Bendabout Farm in the early 1990s by transplanting surviving American chestnuts from the forest. Two populations are represented: Lookout Mountain and central Mississippi. The Lookout Mountain trees are a sampling of the "local" American chestnuts and the Mississippi trees come from the extreme southernmost portion of the species' native range. These American chestnut trees have been used successfully in backcross breeding since they started blooming in 1996.

Mr. Raoul and his group of enthusiastic volunteers planted the second orchard at Bendabout Farm in 1996 using open pollinated seed (B2F2) from Meadowview. These TACF hybrids have been  screened for blight resistance.

Chattanooga Chestnut Tree Project volunteers and students from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga planted Orchard #1 backcross progeny in the third orchard at Bendabout farm beginning in 1997. Orchard #3 now includes interspecific F1 hybrids, second, third and fourth backcrosses hybrids and seedlings and grafted clones of local and introduced Castanea cultivars.

 

Information provided by:

Paul H. Sisco, Ph.D.                     
Regional Science Coordinator                
The American Chestnut Foundation
Southern Appalachian Regional Office     
One Oak Plaza, Suite 308                     
Asheville, NC  28801
PHONE: (828) 281-0047
MOBILE: (828) 713-6636
FAX: (828) 253-5373
E-MAIL: paul@acf.org
WEB: www.acf.org

James Hill Craddock, Ph. D.
Robert M. Davenport Associate Professor of Biology
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
615 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga TN 37403-2598 USA
http://www.utc.edu/~jcraddoc/
WEB: www.acf.org