Ozark Chinquapin Foundation

Ozark Chinquapin Foundation The official page of the Ozark Chinquapin Foundation, a non-for-profit organization whose members strive to restore the Ozark Chinquapin trees.

The Ozark Chinquapin (Castanea Ozarkensis), sometimes called the Ozark Chinkapin or Ozark Chestnut, was drought tolerant, grew to heights of 65 feet, 2-3 feet diameter, and grew on acidic dry rocky soils on hilltops and slopes. The trees produced a bounty of sweet nuts every year without fail and was sought as a nutritious food source by humans and wildlife. The wood was highly prized because it w

as rot resistant and made excellent railroad ties and fence posts. Now the trees are gone. Logging practices and later the chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) wiped out the Ozark Chinquapin. Today only blighted stumps remain of this once important Ozark tree. Sprouts emerge from the stumps, many managing to produce some nuts, but within 4-6 years the blight again strikes, killing the sprouts and starting the blighted cycle all over again. The numbe rof surviving stumps and the historic range of the tree continue to shrink.

An ant on male catkins of the Ozark chinquapin.
05/29/2026

An ant on male catkins of the Ozark chinquapin.

Female flowers occupy half of a catkin from the base to the middle of the stalk. The rest of the stalk are male flowers...
05/27/2026

Female flowers occupy half of a catkin from the base to the middle of the stalk. The rest of the stalk are male flowers that produce pollen after the exclusively male catkins are done blooming. This means the ozark chinquapin tree produces pollen for a longer period maximizing the potential for pollination of the female flowers on another tree.

In this photo the spent male catkins are yellow brown and the new male flowers on the female stalk are bright creamy white. Each female flower looks like a tiny pineapple with white tufts at the top. Those little pineapple looking structures are future spiny burs.

Rain can wash pollen from the male catkins rendering it unavailable to another tree for pollination. The good news is t...
05/20/2026

Rain can wash pollen from the male catkins rendering it unavailable to another tree for pollination. The good news is that male catkins mature gradually along the flowering stalk providing new pollen after a storm, thus improving the chances of pollinating a female flower.

More beauty in the blooms. Early morning light made these chinquapin blooms look so amazing.
05/18/2026

More beauty in the blooms. Early morning light made these chinquapin blooms look so amazing.

Insects are attracted to chinquapin blooms. By restoring this tree to the landscape we are helping pollinators.
05/14/2026

Insects are attracted to chinquapin blooms. By restoring this tree to the landscape we are helping pollinators.

Beauty in the blooms. It’s that time of year again when the Ozark chinquapin trees begin to bloom. Their cream colored b...
05/11/2026

Beauty in the blooms. It’s that time of year again when the Ozark chinquapin trees begin to bloom. Their cream colored blossoms are distinctive and stand out in the forest. They also have a unique aroma. OCF vice president AJ Hendershott describes it as, “a pleasant mixture of honeysuckle and mushroom aroma.” He also indicates some people really like the smell and some do not. It is unique nonetheless. The male catkins have numerous pollen producing stamen stalks that also produce the nectar and the aroma. The female flowers look like miniature green pineapples with white stigma at their apex to receive pollen. Chinquapins do not self pollinate, so you need more than one tree where you plant them. To learn more about Ozark Chinquapin pollination visit:

https://ozarkchinquapinmembership.org/pollination-breeding/

https://ozarkchinquapinmembership.org/2024/11/25/the-night-shift-on-the-ozark-chinquapin/

Tornados are destructive and no doubt unwelcome when they arrive. Two years ago northwestern Arkansas had several that ...
05/04/2026

Tornados are destructive and no doubt unwelcome when they arrive. Two years ago northwestern Arkansas had several that caused damage to infrastructure and habitat alike. In the aftermath there can be some bright spots, and one has to do with the Ozark chinquapin.

Chinquapins like full sunlight and tornado destruction does provide a messy sort of access to just that. Some volunteers are trying to use these broken forest systems to restore blight resistant chinquapins. To learn more read the report below from OCF board member Steve Chyrchel.

Both Kris and Bert have been steadfast Ozark chinquapin volunteers for years. Hobbs State Park would not have a successful Ozark chinquapin program without individuals like these.



On May 26, 2024, NW Arkansas endured seven tornadoes, two of which were the largest ever recorded in Arkansas. All seven were the broad, wedge tornadoes. The Rogers tornado was 1.7 miles wide, the Decatur twister 1.8 miles wide.

The War Eagle tornado, the one that hit Hobbs State Park, was three hundred yards wide. It began south of War Eagle, heading north. It was on this trajectory that the visitor center survived yet severely damaged the trees on the Ozark Plateau Trail immediately next to the visitor center. Of the 3.2 miles that this tornado was on the ground, most were in Hobbs State Park.

What remained was sad to look at. The damage was extensive. The short Ozark Plateau Trail is one most frequently used at the park and had to look good. Unfortunately, getting equipment into the area to do cleanup work caused even more damage. What remained were large open areas in the forest.

To Steve Bost, this was experimenting time, and he suggested we plant two groupings of three Ozark chinquapins each in the damaged area. Mark Clippinger, Hobbs’s superintendent, selected locations that were not only appropriate, but easily accessible (for watering) from the Ozark Plateau Trail. One location is close to the trail for interpretation purposes.

Then came planting time. Kris Simpson and Bert Hart, two of the Hobbs Ozark chinquapin guardians, did the planting. They planted using vented grow tubes, and with Lake Ouachita’s interpreter, Emily Stubblefield’s, idea of using homemade, tight, wire mesh “grow tubes”.



Combining recommendations from Steve Bost and Mark Clippinger, incorporating learned knowledge from interpreter Emily Stubblefield, and relying on steadfast Hobbs volunteers like Kris Simpson and Bert Hart, this once devastated area is back on track. As the forest begins to heal at the Ozark Plateau Trail, Ozark chinquapins will again be a part of the core native plant material that Mother Nature intended to be there

Back in October OCF vice president AJ Hendershott found one of his Ozark Chinquapin trees had been treated poorly by a r...
05/03/2026

Back in October OCF vice president AJ Hendershott found one of his Ozark Chinquapin trees had been treated poorly by a resident deer. The deer had use the tree for sparring purposes and effectively girdled the trunk. While Hendershott was not pleased with the deer, he decided to leave the tree alone in hopes that it would sprout. This spring has hopes or fulfilled as several sprouts have come up from the base providing hope for that particular trees future. Hendershott indicates he will let the sprouts grow for 2 to 3 years and then trim back all, but one in hopes that the tree will renew its former vigor.

If you have an Ozark Chinquapin tree that has been damaged by severe weather a machine or a renegade Whitetail buck, keep in mind. Chinquapin trees can sprout from the base giving the tree a new lease on life down the road.

Chris Wyatt provided an update on the grafting project that was done a couple of weeks ago. He said one of the eight gra...
05/01/2026

Chris Wyatt provided an update on the grafting project that was done a couple of weeks ago. He said one of the eight graphs worked well. He also indicated they are looking forward to getting better at this in hopes that it will work better next year.

Address

PO Box 162
Western Grove, AR
72685

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 6pm
Tuesday 10am - 2pm
Wednesday 1pm - 2pm
Thursday 11am - 6pm
Friday 11am - 1am
Saturday 11am - 1am
Sunday 11am - 1am

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Ozark Chinquapin Foundation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Ozark Chinquapin Foundation:

Shortcuts

Share

Category