Help us plant chestnut seeds at the Western Maryland Research and Education Center (WMREC) on Monday 8 April from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm. This event was originally scheduled for Thursday 4 April but was rescheduled because of poor weather. The work will involve placing nuts and soil in already-dug holes, then carefully setting a screen to protect the nut from hungry animals.
These nuts come from a multi-state program that selected parent trees best able to resist the blight that has wiped out nearly all wild American chestnuts. We hope to learn how well these seedlings fare when both parents are among our best prospects. This work is at the exciting frontier of the American Chestnut Foundation's hybridization program that aims to restore a native tree to our region's environment.
Volunteers can join the work for whichever portion of the day suits them. You may want to bring water, snacks, gardening gloves, a hat, and sunscreen.
The WMREC orchard is at 18330 Keedysville Rd, Keedysville, MD 21756. Inside the Center, turn right at the first intersection. After passing through a deer fence gate, the orchard site will be on your far right, beyond several plots with other research plantings. Carefully follow other car tracks in the grass.
Please let us know if you can join us by completing an RSVP form at https://forms.monday.com/forms/8a5c1002710fcabc2eaaf9c976c614dd
