The Boulder Apple Tree Project

two people sitting underneath apple trees

Delicious discoveries

In the late 1800s there were thousands of unique apple varieties grown in the United States. As apple production became more industrialized throughout the 1900's, many old apple orchards were left untended and old varieties were forgotten. Dr. Katharine Suding and a team of researchers, students, and community volunteers are working together to locate the oldest of these trees in Boulder County. Many neighborhoods in the city of Boulder are built upon the old orchards and still have an apple tree from that era. Do you have a favorite apple tree in town?

Ecology and storytelling uncover old orchards

The Boulder Apple Tree Project collects historical information along with biological information. Our researchers have connected with many long-time residents of Boulder County to gain insights on Boulder’s evolution from wildlands to agricultural lands to suburban environments. Oral histories are being collected and published at the Carnegie Library for Local History in conjunction with the Boulder Public Library.

map with apple icons showing locations of old trees

Students use new methods to help find old trees

Undergraduate students from computer science have created an interactive map showing the location and varieties of trees throughout Boulder County. Another student, Chance Nelson, has created an highlighting the locations of past orcharding activity using aerial photos from a 1938 survey and qGIS software. These efforts help the researchers to focus attention on areas that could contain old, rare, or disease/drought-resistant varieties.

Engaging students with place-based research

The Boulder Apple Tree Project has partnered with students from EBIO 1250, HIST 2326,, CSCI 4308, and BRIDGE participants from Front Range Community College to research and analyze data from apple trees on both public and private lands within Boulder County. Artists have collaborated with the Project through a NEST grant in which participants created clay sculptures depicting what apples mean to them. The apple trees of our area spark a great amount of feeling from various members of our community and we are excited to be able to create a space in which all apple enthusiasts can deepen that connection!

Historic artwork paints old varieties found locally

One of the most popular varieties planted in Boulder County in the late 1800s and early 1900s is the Wealthy Apple. This watercolor is part of the , a series of lithographs commissioned to showcase the most common varieties of fruits and nuts available in the United States at the time.

Student holding clipboard looking at tree

Students become leaders during the AppleBlitz

Each September since 2018, researchers and students have worked with community citizen scientists to visit apple trees on both public and private lands. The is a one day event where volunteers tag and sample as many apple trees as possible. The trees visited are all reported to the project by enthusiastic members of the community. Student leaders train and lead small groups of community volunteers to collect data on the local apple trees. The first year of the AppleBlitz was one of the best apple producing years and all participants marveled at the variety of flavors of apples in Boulder. Ultimately, our goal is to map as many of the oldest apple trees as we can in Boulder County and preserve the most interesting varieties we encounter.

A collaboration between science and art

A NEST grant enabled researchers with the Boulder Apple Tree Project and students from the Department of Art to collaborate and create an interactive experience for the community. Both groups used thematic instruction to bring together ceramics and biology to increase students’ and community members’ knowledge and appreciation of apples. Students and community members saw, touched, smelled and created apples as well as gained an appreciation for plants through this experience. We hope these pieces help to preserve Boulder’s natural history and strengthen civic engagement.

Preservation through a centuries old technique

Grafting is a form of plant propagation that is used in preservation and has been used for centuries. We graft trees by taking plant material from the desired tree and attaching it to a new root stock. This allows researchers and gardeners to select for desired qualities: great tasting apple, disease resistance, known genetic make-up, drought tolerant, or sentimental reasons. In this picture, graduate student Irfan Alam is preparing the root stock for a cleft graft. The scion material from the apple tree will be inserted into the cleft of the root stock, bound in grafting tape, and kept in a cool area until the joined part begins to scar over. The buds from the scion material will begin to leaf out as the new graft heals. In some cases, grafted trees will begin to bear fruit in five years.

The is committed to studying the age, health, history, and genetics of Boulder’s apple trees. In the late 1800s, much of the land in the city of Boulder was planted for fruit production. For a period of time at the beginning of the 20th century, Boulder was one of the top apple-growing states in the nation. Disease, drought, and possibly Prohibition combined to hasten the decline of apple productivity in the state. As commercial apple production in Washington State began to flourish, many of the orchards in Colorado were falling into disrepair or subdivision for development. Most of the remaining trees are ending their natural lifespan now. Time is of the essence for research and preservation!

Our work connecting the ecological and cultural heritage of apple trees in Boulder County helps to create a living resource that preserves the cherished place of apple trees in Boulder culture and provides a bank of historic, sustainable cultivars for the future. Furthermore, building connections among the people who cherish this resource has been vital to the success of the project.

Uncovering Boulder’s Apple Tree Legacy

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0NeBOjofKA&feature=youtu.be]

Curiousity Starts in Your Own Backyard

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=lDn4o_IEgZ0&feature=emb_logo]

Citizen Science Resources

Additional Reading

Historical Illustrations

Browse botanical illustrations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Pomological Watercolor Collection.

CU Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry Bert Tolbert discusses the apple trees raised on his property in 1955.

Explore the location, variety, and ecological information of individual apple trees across Boulder County.

The untold stories of women and children

Although many historical sources focus on the accomplishments and influence of male figures in the settlement of the American west, women played just as big of a role in homesteading and establishing places like Boulder, Colorado. Not only did womens’ work keep the family fed, clothed, and clean, they often acted as the keepers of family history. Women were encouraged to keep diaries and record recipes, which tell their unique stories. This effect is magnified when examining the legacy of apple trees.

Another underrepresented group in the annals of history are children. In oral histories many people mentioned their connection to apple trees through memories. Some of their fondest memories of childhood involve playing in the apple orchards, throwing apples at other children, and eating various apple confections. Instead of simply examining the historical record of important settlers in Boulder, the Boulder Apple Tree Project’s focus on apples allows new narratives to be told because of an awareness of alternative sources like recipes, photographs, journals, and oral history.

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