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Naturalists’ Corner: Mighty Oaks in Winter by Sonya Vickers
Newsletter: Winter 2024
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March Meeting
From Roxbury Russet to Honeycrisp:
The Changing Landscape of New England’s Orchards
Presented by Russell Steven Powell
New England has played a seminal role in American apple history. It is home to the earliest heirloom varieties and the birthplace of the fathers of American apples: John Chapman (a.k.a. Johnny Appleseed) and Henry David Thoreau.
But the contemporary orchard is changing. Standard-sized trees are rapidly being replaced by dwarf varieties that are packed closely together and so easier to pick and maintain. Apples with unfamiliar names are appearing in produce aisles. For legal reasons, many of them cannot be grown in New England. Climate change, too, is impacting New England’s fruit production. Weather-related events are more volatile and damaging than ever. In 2023, the region’s peach crop was lost in February, the apple crop was decimated by a late freeze, and the fall pick-your-own season was dampened by weekend rains. Pollinators are under duress, and new pests from around the globe are invading the orchard. At our March meeting, Russell Steven Powell will describe both New England’s rich apple history and the efforts of today’s apple growers to be resilient and resourceful amid contemporary challenges.
About the speaker: Russell Steven Powell has written about and photographed apples for the nonprofit New England Apple Association for the past 27 years, much of that time as its executive director. His books include America’s Apple (Brook Hollow Press) and Apples of New England (Countryman Press). A lifelong New Englander, he resides in Holyoke. Russell is an award-winning videographer, a publisher and artist. His paintings have been exhibited widely, most recently at Holyoke Heritage State Park. His passion for the New England landscape is evident throughout his work.