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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.

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.

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!

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.

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 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.

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.