Canadian Chestnut Council

The Canadian Chestnut Council will hold an Open House on the afternoon of Saturday, 11 September at Riverbend Farms.

  From about 12:30 till about 5:00 pm, members as well as all other interested persons will visit the planting site and view the American and hybrid chestnut trees in leaf.

  The CCC Board of Directors and Riverbend Farms have planned an educational and entertaining afternoon, all very informal and relaxed.

  A barbecue and coffee session will start the afternoon at 12:30 pm, followed by:

            - a field tour of CCC trees;

            - instructions in planting seedlings;

            - the importance of pH;

            - hybridization;

            - blight tests.

  A DVD on the American chestnut tree will be available for viewing.  Bring the children!

For Directions click below:

  The Canadian Chestnut Council (CCC) has been awarded a grant of $19,000 by the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to expand the Outreach Program.

  MPP David Levac, George & Dorothy Collin, Ron Casier, John Hill and Kelly Schafer were present to plant a ceremonial chestnut tree in the Recognition Trail at Tim Horton Onondaga Farms.

   Mr. Levac was impressed by the work being done to restore the American chestnut.  "I am very excited to hear that the Ontario Trillium Foundation has awarded a $19,000 grant to the Canadian Chestnut Council," he said. "Through the dedication of the staff and volunteers at the CCC, support from the OTF and the province, we will be well on our way to reintegrating the American Chestnut Tree back into the Carolinian zone."

  Present at the camp to celebrate a separate event was the Honourable Adrienne Clarkson.  Ms Clarkson spoke to a large group of new citizen families that were spending the day at the camp to learn about Canadian wildlife, camping and the environment.  She showed great interest in the plight of the American chestnut and spoke about the importance of Canadian culture, which promotes care of the earth and responsibility in stewardship of all living things.

  John Hill assisted along with several attendees in planting a ceremonial American chestnut sapling with Ms Clarkson.

  The CCC’s mission is to facilitate the return of the American chestnut tree to the Carolinian zone and other deciduous forest areas of Canada through the Breeding for Resistance program (developing a new strain of trees resistant to the lethal blight disease).  Public education is important, also; funds for these endeavours was sought through the OTF.

  “The generous support of the OTF is vital in contributing to the successes of the CCC's scientists and volunteers in developing a Canadian "Restoration" Chestnut and preserving the species' Canadian genome,” said CCC Chair Ron Casier.  “This grant is another step in the American chestnut's journey to take its place again in the Carolinian Zone of Canada.  In the interim, the OTF grant supports education and membership, which are vital to the CCC.”

  The grant will be spread over 32 months (ending June 2012), and will be used to provide presentations, increase membership, develop partnerships and enhance volunteer activities. 

  Free presentations will be made available to audiences in Brant, Hamilton-Wentworth, Haldimand, Elgin, Niagara, Norfolk, Kent, Essex, Lambton, Middlesex, Oxford, Wellington and Waterloo.  Contact Kelly Schafer if you know of a group that could benefit from a free presentation.

  The CCC will also be developing educational resources to be distributed to teachers within the chestnut range to aid in classroom discussions and learning around habitats and endangered species.