This webinar is part of the Virginia Master Naturalist Continuing Education series.

Description: The American chestnut was a dominant and vital component of the eastern woodlands in the US before an invasive pathogen removed its function from the landscape between 1904 and 1950. Since 1983, The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) has been attempting to bring the mighty giant back by working to breed disease resistant American chestnut trees. The Appalachian Trail MEGA-Transect Chestnut Project began in 2008 as collaboration between TACF and the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club to train volunteers to collect data on American chestnut trees growing along the Appalachian Trail (AT). This workshop will cover history of the MEGA-Transect Chestnut Project including results from historical data collection, how to collect mega-transect chestnut data along the AT, and American chestnut identification. 

Presenter: Matt Brinckman joined The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) in 2012 as the Regional Science Coordinator for the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes the Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland chapters of TACF. He holds both B.S. and M.S. degrees in Forest Management from Virginia Tech and has an extensive background in silviculture, forest ecology, geographic information systems, tree care, and pest management. Before joining TACF, Matt was an Extension Faculty member in Virginia Tech's Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation where he led multiple initiatives and dealt with diverse natural resource stakeholders from various levels of industry, academia, and youth. He has also developed multiple, self-paced online tutorials for foresters, loggers, and landowners.

This webinar was presented on 30 June 2015.