I have just returned from attending the American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) annual fall meeting in Portland, Maine. Maine is one of the states where the mighty chestnut tree once grew in very large numbers. In Kentucky, American Chestnut trees are also disappearing, though Bernheim is working to restore them.
We had a great meeting and we met each day to talk about the breeding and restoration programs and how we will bring this great tree back to our American eastern forests. Bernheim and the American Chestnut Foundation has worked together as conservation partners for many years, with one common goal in mind and that is to bring this tree back to our forest here at Bernheim and across the state of Kentucky.
Bernheim has always had very strong outreach program. We are always looking for way to give back to our local communities and to the state of Kentucky. And, by serving as a conservation partner with TACF it has allowed us to do this on a national level. If you have some free time and would like to see American chestnut trees, come on out and visited us here at Bernheim and I would be happy to show some of these great trees that we have planted in the Arboretum.