Apples, anyone?

This spring we held our annual Apple Tree Release and Pruning Workshop at the Fells Historic Estate & Gardens and the Forest Society's Hay Reservation, both in Newbury.  The classroom session was inside The Fells's offices, and we snowshoed across the street on the Hay Reservation for some field practice.

Land Steward Henry Taves tries out a pruning saw

Nigel (red hat) shows the group how to make a proper pruning cut

 As usual, our very own Nigel Manley, director of the Rocks Estate, led the workshop.  A dozen participants attended and asked lots of excellent questions about fruit tree pruning.  We found two old apple trees near the cellar holes of the old Sarah Bartlett Farm to work on, and they did indeed need work.  We pruned about a third of the live wood out of one of them (all that is recommended for a single year) and several workshop participants tried their hand at using the aluminum pruning ladder and pruning saws.  Opening up the canopy in these trees should increase air flow and sun exposure, and will eventually increase fruit production for wildlife.  Despite heavy snowcover still, it was a fun and productive workshop!

Trying out the pruning ladder

Several kids on the workshop enjoyed the large cellar holes of the Bartlett Farm

Way up!