The apple orchard at Red Wing Farm is more than a collection of fruit trees. It restored a historic part of the property, provides food for the animals that live there, and holds memories for the families who helped bring it back. I, personally, paid $300 to have a tree planted, remembering a family member who had passed away, as did 12 other families.
The restoration began more than ten years ago, replacing trees that had been lost to neglect and invasive vines. I believe only three of the original apple trees remained, and 13 new trees were professionally planted, remembering people. A second round of fruit trees, acquired from a nursery going out of business, helped reconstruct the “old orchard.” This work followed the official site plan, with ConCom’s support, and restoring the orchard was a major component of that plan.
For years, COSS tended those trees and helped them grow into the orchard we have today. We pruned annually and as needed to improve airflow, monitored their condition, and twice brought in a properly trained local farmer to address fire blight. COSS covered the cost of spraying, and infected limbs were removed and burned. That care, along with work to control invasive growth around the orchard, was carried out under our MOU at no cost to the town.
Conservation has since terminated our MOU and formed its own land management crew. With that change, COSS suspended orchard maintenance and invasive control at Red Wing, and responsibility for that work passed to the town.
This year, I noticed the orchard showing signs of decline and what appears to be another round of fire blight. I asked the Tree Committee to take a look, and their response was clear: the trees are in trouble and need a maintenance plan. They recommended expert pruning and a licensed pesticide applicator, although they did not confirm that the current problem is fire blight.
These trees need attention before their condition gets worse, including pruning to maintain good airflow and someone regularly checking for problems. It is a lot of work, and the town will most likely need to bring in a qualified local farmer or professional company and set aside funding for ongoing care.
We put years of work into bringing this orchard back, and each memorial tree means something to a family. The orchard is now part of both the history and the living habitat of Red Wing Farm. Caring for it needs to be part of the town’s regular maintenance of the property so that what we restored continues to grow.
I will keep following this story because I have a personal interest in seeing our “family tree” survive and continue to provide shade for guests and food for wildlife. As always, COSS is willing to help, including resuming maintenance and covering the cost of spraying by a qualified professional, provided we have an MOU in place.