The Fruit Tree Project

A group of local residents along with the OSU Urban Agriculture Program are wanting to make a difference in our community by creating awareness about urban fruit production in order to increase the amounts of fresh and preserved fruits consumed by residents, decreasing the amount of waste generate by fallen fruit, and cultivating appreciation for the value of fruit trees in the urban landscape. 

Proposed activities for this project include meeting to develop the organizational structure of this project, locate landowners in and around the city of Euclid and identify the location and types of fruit trees. As fruit trees were very important in Euclid for family health one hundred years ago, Roy Larick is interested in using Google Earth to help us map the locations of found trees. We will seek permission from tree owners and volunteer groups would go pick fruit that would otherwise go unpicked. Group harvests will be scheduled and the fruit will be distributed to area organizations such as the Euclid Hunger Center, other nonprofits, the culinary school, or even used for food preservation classes and demonstrations. Modeled after other fruit tree projects in the U.S., our project will also provide fruit to the volunteers. We also hope to increase the knowledge and skills related to fruit tree care and maintenance by creating workshops and other educational opportunities for Euclid area residents.

Would you like to help us with this initiative?  Contact Sherrie at 216-798-7089 or Nicole Wright of the OSU Extension Urban Agriculture Program 216-429-8200 x 249 for more information.