The American Chestnut Research & Restoration Project at ESF

A Forest Reborn

The ESF American Chestnut Project has developed a blight-tolerant American chestnut tree, and is working to restore this iconic and valuable cultural symbol to the forest ecosystems of the eastern United States.

The Chestnut Project in a 'Nutshell' (video)

Contact

Kaitlin Breda, chestnut@esf.edu

A Growing Effort

We nearly killed off these trees. But biotech can bring them back. (Washington Post, 5/18)

Learn more about how a solution developed by ESF researchers is leading the way in returning the American chestnut to our forests.

Thanks for your help!

Our team submitted a Petition for Determination of Nonregulated Status for Blight-Resistant Darling 58 American Chestnut to the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) in January 2020. The 60-day public comment period ended October 19, 2020. We received many supportive comments, and appreciate those individuals who took the time to submit. You can review comments here. We have received notice from the USDA-APHIS that they will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). There will be a second 30-day public comment period in regards to the EIS. The best way to actively support our work and achieve the goal of public distribution is to submit a public comment during the regulatory phase. If you’re interested in submitting a comment, please email chestnut@esf.edu to be added to our notification list. Please include your first name, last name, and email. It is optional to include your city, state. We use this list to notify individuals of regulatory updates such as the public comment periods. Thank you!