About – Upper Valley Apple Corps

The Upper Valley Apple Corps is a group of people who are cooperating to purchase, host, plant, and care for food bearing trees in our neighborhoods. The produce is free for the picking by everyone. Our goal is to find and organize all the resources needed to plant and care for trees throughout our community.

Each tree gets a plaque that identifies it as an Apple Corps tree, names the sponsor that funded it, and identifies the current care person.

It is exciting to think about the community connections that these trees represent…… the connection to the land and the people they help support. There are four main ways that you can join in this effort:

Donate

Sponsor a Tree: A $50 donation pays for the rootstock and soil amendments and also puts your name on a plaque that will be worn by the tree. (Donations of other amounts are gratefully accepted.)

Host tree(s)

Provide a Site: Those who oversee sites that are easily accessible to the public and could use one or more beautiful fruit or nut trees, may sign up to have an Apple Corps volunteer come to check out the perspective site. You may also commit to providing the water and care for the tree(s), or the Corps will coordinate other volunteer(s).

Care

“Adopt a Tree”: Those who water, prune, and care for the tree during the tree’s first years of life. Your name will be listed on the tree’s plaque. The primary responsibility is to provide approximately five gallons of water per day for the first three months after planting. The Corps will also help you learn all aspects of tree care if you wish, such as pruning. You can specify the duration of your commitment. The Corps will help you find a replacement care person for your tree when your commitment expires.

Gleaners: Help pick and distribute fruit so that it is easily accessible to the public.

Tree Scouts: Help identify existing fruit and nut trees in the Upper Valley that need care. Help keep our site map current by notifying the Corps of trees ready for picking or needing maintenance.

Skill Builders: Can you teach tree maintenance, grafting, pruning, canning, or other fruit related skills? Would you like to learn how? We need to cross-pollinate our knowledge for resilience in the Upper Valley!

Ready to join the fun? Fill in our participation agreement form.

Core of the Upper Valley Apple Corps

Our Lead Coordinator is Cat Buxton, you can email her at catduffybuxton@gmail.com or uppervalleyapplecorpsVT@gmail.com

Here are some of the Core of the Corps that work to find and coordinate all the resources needed for each tree. They are like the “match makers” for growing and sharing food in your community! If you would like to join this Core of the Corps team, please contact us, we would love the help!

History of the Corps

Both the UV Apple Corps and the Hartford Fruit Walk emerged from a local berry festival called the Raspberry Revolution. On October 10th, 2010, community volunteers planted over 75 raspberry plants, hosted a festival, and created a berry park. In response to the success of the berry park and the need it suggested, Upper Valley Apple Corps was born to further transform our public landscape and our relationships to it in ways that emphasize self sufficiency, mutual support, and community resilience.

Many of the current Apple Corps folks participated in this raspberry planting project. Since then, we have added in fruit and nut trees!

Spring 2020: Raspberry Revolution Park moved to the White River Community Garden at Ratcliffe Park in White River Junction.
Fall 2019: “Planting for Solutions” work day as part of the Global Strike Week at the Mascoma River Greenway in Lebanon, NH with the Mascoma River Pollinator Corridor Project.

Spring 2019: Pruning Walk hosted by UVAC

Summer 2018: Raspberry Revolution Park Workday

Fall 2017: Plum Tree planting at White River Elementary School
Summer 2017: Fruit Tree Guild Planting Workshop at Hartford Town Hall and Lyman Point Park in White River Junction
Spring 2017: Memorial Day Raspberry Revolution work party