Albert County group aims to grow living apple tree museum
Some Albert County residents want to preserve unique New Brunswick apple varieties and they are looking for help in locating apple trees.
Foods of the Fundy Valley is asking people in the area about their apple trees.
"That area of Albert County was a major, major apple tree exporter," said Lisa Brown, who chairs the group.
"It was a huge part of our history — huge. And its just kind of gone right now."
Brown said many of the trees still exist in the region, either in backyards or growing in the forst.
"We'd just like to see it collected," she said.
Brown has partnered with the Albert County Museum for the project.
Donald Alward, the museum curator and manager, says not many people know about the rich history of growing apple trees in the area.
"What we're expecting is people might come forward with the idea that, 'Well my grandfather said this was a such-and-such variety of apple and its not a very common one today,'" Alward said.
"And we're hoping that that's the kind of information that we'll get."
The two groups hope to graft parts of the old trees and eventually have a living museum.
"We're looking at trying to bring some of those varieties back and possibly propagate them, to spread the wealth," said Alward.
"Spread the word of what varieties — that are close to being extinct."
