Help with the scientific process of testing chestnut seedlings for blight resistance - at the Baltimore County Agricultural Center on Wednesday 28 June at 10:00. (Because of weather, we rescheduled this volunteer opportunity.) The work will involve light physical labor, much of it seated at work tables. Specifically, volunteers will move pots, scratch seedlings, apply a dab of fungal blight, and wrap the wound in each tree.
These tests will help determine which gene lines are best able to resist a fungus that largely eliminated chestnut trees from the eastern woodlands. By selectively crossing the strongest trees, we hope to generate a new generation incrementally more resistant to chestnut blight. Later this fall, we will plant surviving seedlings in orchards around Maryland, or send them to a research center in Virginia. By repeating this work each year, we progress toward the American Chestnut Foundation's vision of restoring a native tree to our region's environment.
You might want to bring water, sunscreen, a hat, and a snack. The job will take about 3 hours.
The Agricultural Center is at 1114 Shawan Rd, Cockeysville MD. As you come in the driveway to the Center, you will see a parking lot to your left with a greenhouse beyond and uphill. The seedlings are in a fenced-in garden area further to the left (west) of the greenhouse.
Student participation in this service project is at the discretion of the student’s parent/guardian and must be completed outside of school hours. The nonprofit organization is responsible for maintaining student safety. Parents/guardians should contact the nonprofit directly with any questions and/or concerns.
