$10,000 Grant for Native Butternut Conservation

We are thrilled to announce that the Foundation of the State Arboretum of Virginia has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Oak Hill Fund in Charlottesville to expand our efforts in butternut conservation. This vital funding will support a comprehensive initiative aimed at protecting this culturally and ecologically important tree species.

Butternut (Juglans cinerea) is known for its edible nuts, which were once a staple for wildlife and a valuable resource for Native Americans and early settlers. Sadly, due to the invasive butternut canker disease, this magnificent tree has seen dramatic declines of up to 80% in some regions, making our conservation work more critical than ever. Although colleagues in West Virginia, Ohio, and elsewhere are working on this problem, Virginia has lagged behind- until now.

Project Goals and Activities

With this grant, Arboretum Curator T’ai Roulston and his graduate student, Mia Murray, will engage in a multifaceted project to identify and conserve butternut populations across Virginia. Key activities will include:

1. Locating Trees: We'll put the word out through civic organizations such as the Virginia Master Naturalists to discover the locations of butternut trees in counties throughout Virginia. Volunteers will help document tree locations and health through photographs and leaf samples, allowing us to build a comprehensive database that will benefit conservation efforts.
2. Genetic Analysis : T’ai and his team will collaborate with Purdue University to assess key regional sources of genetic diversity among butternut trees across the state to make sure that a broad section of the diversity in the wild is represented in protected plantings.
3. Seed Collecting and Screening for Resistance: Following the identification of healthy trees in the wild, we will collect nuts for propagation. Seedlings will then be tested over several years for resistance to butternut canker disease, with successful lineages planted in our seed orchard for future conservation efforts and shared with other botanical gardens and arboreta. Our hope is to find lineages that can go back into the wild better prepared to survive with a devastating disease.

Community Engagement

The responses we’ve received so far regarding butternut conservation have been overwhelmingly positive. This summer and fall, interest in this project has surged, with butternut conservation becoming a focal point in our tours and programs. We invite you to join us in this essential endeavor, whether by participating in our initiatives or simply learning more about these remarkable trees.

Together, with support from community members and organizations like the Oak Hill Fund, we can rise to the challenge of conserving the butternut and ensuring its future for generations to come. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting project, and thank you for your continued support of the State Arboretum of Virginia! 

If you know the exact location of butternut trees and would consider participating, you can email T'ai Roulston  and we'll put you on the list of people we'll reach out to with project details in late winter/early spring 2026.