Vancouver’s Old Apple Tree finally succumbs after nearly two centuries
Vancouver’s Old Apple Tree, whose roots extend through three centuries, has died, the city reported Saturday.
Legend has it
an English officer brought apple seeds with him in from London in his
vest pocket. The seeds were planted in 1826. One turned into a tree that
turned into a legend, before finally succumbing at the venerable age of
196.
“That
is extremely rare, unlike any other apple tree,” said Charles Ray,
Vancouver’s urban forester. “Typically, apple trees are a shorter-lived
tree because they’re constantly producing apples. That wears on a tree
over time.”
Not this one, which has been known as Old Apple Tree for more than a century.
“We
saw a picture of the 1918 flu pandemic,” Ray said. “There were these
ladies standing there, and there was a sign behind them said ‘The Old
Apple Tree.‘ ”
Over
the years, the tree has become a beloved part of the city and its
history, celebrated annually at the Old Apple Tree Festival in October
at Old Apple Tree Park,
located at 112 Columbia Way, directly east of the Interstate 5 Bridge
within the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. The tree is thought to
be the oldest apple tree in the Northwest.
It
bore fruit that sometimes turned up in pies throughout its long life
before apparently falling victim to a recent hot spell and, well, age.
“We
would get people from all over the region telling us stories about the
Old Apple Tree,” Ray said. “We would give out cuttings every year, and
people would come back and tell us they took a cutting years ago, and
now it’s big.
“We are encouraging people to submit stories and photos to our Letters to Trees program,
which is available on our website. We will share those stories through
our website and social media to celebrate the history of the tree.”
There
had been trouble signs in the old tree in recent years. A significant
spiral crack had been expanding in the tree’s trunk, which led to some
dry rot and decay.
The
Vancouver Old Apple Tree Research Team has been planning for the next
step, and nurturing suckers growing up from the tree’s root system.
“Knowing
this day would come, we started planning for it,” Ray said. “We’ve been
caring for those root suckers where they were, especially the strategic
ones, knowing at some point they could be the new Old Apple Tree
because they are from the same root stock.”
Which means, really, the Old Apple Tree hasn’t died, but lives on.
-- Ken Goe
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