Have you found an American Chestnut Tree?
We receive many calls from people who may have found an American chestnut tree. This is great! It means you are interested and paying attention, you know what you are looking for, and you know we are here.
Due to low staff numbers and high volumes of American chestnut sightings, we are unable to travel to your location to identify trees.
If you think you may have found an American chestnut, here is what we ask of you:
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Fill out and send us a tree locator form and a sample (instructions below). It is not necessary that you call us, but you are always welcome to call if you have questions about the process. You will typically receive a response from us within six to eight weeks of receiving the sample, however at very busy times of the year it may be longer. The data from your form is useful if the tree is not identified as a wild-type American chestnut. So keep looking for trees and sending the forms!
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Got a smartphone? Check out the TreeSnap.org App. You can report information and share photos directly with us using this App. We will still require a sample. Be sure to include the TreeSnap id number when you mail it.
Remember, whether you use a paper form or the smartphone app, we would like you to submit a leaf and twig sample for each reported tree (if at all possible). Photos can be helpful but are not required and do not take the place of a leaf and twig sample. Email photos to mail@patacf.org.
We will confirm the identity of your tree(s) and add them to our Dentatabase, a database of American chestnuts and related species. If the tree is a wild-type native, we may ask that you send us nuts for our breeding research.
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Late Spring or summer is the best time to collect samples for identification purposes.
Cut a 6″ to 8″ twig with at least 3 mature leaves attached. From a sunny exposure, if possible.
Press leaves between pieces of cardboard to flatten and prevent curling or crushing as they dry. Crushed or bent leaves are much harder to analyze, as are leaves that are not freshly collected.
To prevent mold, do not put the sample into a plastic bag.
Photographs can help with identification. We are not likely to be able to ID solely from a picture, but it can add to the whole package of understanding your tree.
Please be sure to include a Tree Locator Form or the TreeSnap id number, so we can keep track of your sample and send you results. This is vital for our inventory of wild trees.
Send Sample to:
Penn State University | PA-NJ TACF
108 Research A Modular Lab
118 Serviceberry Road
University Park, PA 16802 -
If we are able to identify the tree, we may contact you with a request to send us nuts during harvest season. Nuts sent in from identified trees are used in our breeding program.
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And/or if you are unable to download and print the tree locator form. You may contact our office at 814-863-7192 or admin@panjtacf.org and we can send you a paper copy.