The goal of THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT FOUNDATION is to restore the American chestnut tree to its native range within the woodlands of the eastern United States, using a scientific research and breeding program developed by its founders. The American Chestnut Foundation is restoring a species - and in the process, creating a template for restoration of other tree and plant species.
We harvested our first blight-resistant nuts in 2005, and the Foundation hopes to begin reforestation trials with blight-resistant American-type trees before the end of this decade, using sound ecological principles. The return of the American chestnut to its former niche in the Appalachian hardwood forest ecosystem is a major restoration project that requires a multi-faceted effort involving 6,000 members & volunteers, research, sustained funding and most important, a sense of the past and a hope for the future.