Matthews State Forest
A living collection of American chestnuts descended from large survivors—and the home base for our local breeding work.
Where survivor genetics become a breeding population.
The Virginia Department of Forestry orchard at Matthews includes about 20 American chestnuts descended from large survivors whose material was grafted at Lesesne State Forest.
The trees were originally planted close together for evaluation. Because many survived, the orchard needed careful thinning so the strongest individuals could have room to develop broad crowns, flower heavily, and produce nuts.
Grayson LandCare and the Virginia Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation work with the Virginia Department of Forestry as needed to maintain the orchard, monitor tree health, remove poorer performers, graft selected material, and carry out controlled breeding.
The orchard and its people.
This orchard brings large-survivor genetics into one working breeding population. The selected trees, their Ragged Mountain and Thompson ancestry, and the volunteers who care for them all belong to the same story. Cankers are not automatically a failure: a tree that contains damage, stays vigorous, flowers, and produces nuts may still carry valuable resistance.
The orchard is the hub. Every other project feeds it—or learns from it.
Pollen comes in. Controlled crosses happen. Nuts go out to genomic screening and field tests. Promising wild trees return as grafts.