Apple Orchard Program
The Apple Orchard is one of the signature elements of Hopewell Furnace that vistors can enjoy during a visit to the Park. Although present throughout the year, the orchard is highlighted in the fall when fruit ripens and the public is invited to pick from trees as their fruit is ready to enjoy. The orchard reflects one of the ways that the inhabitants of this industrial village provided food for their use and is maintained to appear as the trees would during the active period of the furnace operations. Picking apples at Hopewell is a fond memory for many people in the area.
The Friends of Hopewell Furnace conduct fund raising and sponsor activities to support the various missions of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, including support of the Apple Orchard.. The National Park Service provides expertise for the development of the orchard management plan, and advises on horticultural practices and assessment of varieties. Maintenance activities such as tree pruning, tree culling and replacement is typically performed by Hopewell Furnace NHS personnel.
Some expenses, such as services for spraying to protect the trees, are performed by a contractor . Most of the trees in the orchard are susceptible to one degree or another to infestation and impact by fire blight (bacterial), apple scab and powdery mildew (fungus) and cedar apple rust (fungus). Spraying of antibacterial and fungicide treatments may be required as much as three times per year to manage the impacts of exposure to disease agents, so that the trees remain health and vigorous. As impacts from changes in temperature, rainfall, winds and invasive species change the environment of the orchard, treament strategies become more critical.
Tree replacement will be needed for several of the trees as they reach old age and a gradual decline in their ability to maintain health and vitality, leading to increased susceptibility to diseases and environmental stressors. In some cases the Park has requested that the Friends assist in funding spraying or other tree maintenance and replacement. The Friends collect donations for these purposes.
Please consider a donation to the Friends Apple Orchard Fund. Designation of funds for the Orchard will be placed in a restricted fund designated tor support of the maintenance of the orchard as needs are identified by the Park staff.
Click on the above tabs for further information on the History of the Apple Orchard, Apple Orchard Apple Varieties, the Purpose of the Orchard and Orchard Management, and some interesting information on the History of Apples in America.
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