TANTASQUA CHESTNUT TREE PROJECT
"When we try to pick out anything by itself we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords
that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe." - John Muir
that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe." - John Muir
Chestnuts in the Classroom
WELCOME!
Welcome to our American Chestnut Project! We are a junior high (7th and 8th grade) in Massachusetts. In the 2015/2016 school year we established a research orchard for American chestnuts to create a regionally adapted blight tolerant American chestnut. This came about after a series of unexpected events, including; a tornado, a discovery, and several partnerships. Our story is fascinating, inspiring, and always evolving! Please check back often on our progress. We are thrilled to be part of the biggest de-extinction project to ever exist and we love to share our progress and collaborations!
June 2016
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Mission Statement: In partnership with The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF), science students from Tantasqua Junior High School are endeavoring to cross-pollinate a dense population of flowering native American chestnut trees that were identified in the tornado path on the slopes of Mt. Ella, in Flynt Park, Monson, MA. Students will be using three genetic lines of blight resistant pollen, provided by the chief scientist of TACF to make the backcross. The nuts that grow on the cross-pollinated trees will be the seeds that are planted in an American Chestnut research orchard back at the Tantasqua campus. Students will work in the research orchard to grow a blight resistant American chestnut tree that is regionally adapted to grow well in the forests of western MA.