Volunteers sought for annual chestnut harvest at the Hopper-Birge Pond Preserve on Tuesday

Hiking paths in Hoppers area where housing development is being planned. | R. Carter

Posted By: David Fortier September 16, 2024

An annual harvest of chestnuts will be held this Tuesday, Sept. 17, 9 a.m. with volunteers meeting at the lower parking lot at the Hoppers on Ambler Road, according to an email from the Friends of the Hoppers-Birge Pond Preserve.

The Friends’ original announcement in a email to members reads in part, “Calling all volunteers! American Chestnut trees, formerly the giants of the forest, all got killed off over 100 years ago from a blight. But only the tops of the trees died. The roots still survive even 100 years later and send up new shoots ….”

“The Hoppers is a special place for American Chestnut trees. Because of a fire that ran through the Hoppers maybe 30 or so years ago, it opened up the forest so that the Chestnut shoots could have enough sunlight to reach maturity and produce fertile nuts.” 

Jack Swatt, the president of the American Chestnut Foundation CT Chapter, will lead this year’s harvest on Tuesday morning.

To volunteer or for more information, please email friendsofthehoppers@gmail.com.

For information about the Connecticut chapter of the ACF, click here.

Editor’s note: This article was updated with the time and meeting place at 3:23 p.m.

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