If you live near one of these eight parks, you’re getting apples

Locations of 48 new fruit-bearing apple trees will be selected to avoid bears and rodents

Stock imageDziana Hasanbekava, Pexels

City parks workers will be planting six apple trees in each of eight municipal parks as part of a pilot project aimed at bolstering food security.

"Parks staff have selected fruit tree species that are hardy for our area and pest resistant," says Susan Hamilton Beach, the city's director of public works.

"This year’s group of plantings shall be a pilot project with advantages and disadvantages to be tracked in the upcoming years to be able to best determine program expansion," Beach says in a report to Mayor Matthew Shoemaker and city councillors.

"The plan is to plant eight city neighbourhood parks with six edible apple trees consisting of four different varieties of apples in each park.

"We will be planting four-foot-high, four-year-old trees which should start producing apples in three to four years time after planting."

Beach says the eight selected parks were chosen to ensure citywide distribution:

Clergue Park
Bellevue Park
Lasalle Park
Rosedale Park
Brookfield Park
Zuke Park
Littner Park
Arizona Park

"The intent of planting fruit-bearing trees in an effort to combat food security issues serves as an educational program as well as a community growth initiative as stated," Beach says.

"Determining a suitable location to mitigate the attraction of bears and other animals/pests as well as all other aspects of maintenance will be critical."

Seven years ago, the city and Algoma District School Board planted 25 edible apple trees at the Etienne Brule site near Esposito Park in the downtown area.

"These trees have been bearing edible apples for two seasons now," Beach says in her report.

"Through observation, we have not seen any increase in rodents or animals being attracted to the existing orchard site.

"Planting trees has a positive influence on our city's carbon footprint. Overall, tree planting is an effort to maintain and enhance our overall tree inventory while also allowing the opportunity for our citizens to enjoy fresh fruit."