Tree Board Offering Free Pruning Workshop March 26

The City of Elkins Tree Board and Elkins Friends of Trees is sponsoring a free fruit tree pruning and grafting workshop Saturday, March 26 at 2 p.m. in the heirloom apple orchard located on the grounds of the Gov. Kump House. The workshop will be led by David Proudfoot, a member of Backyard Fruit Growers, who has led several workshops on this topic in the area.

“The workshop at the Kump House will show how to graft an apple or pear tree and include a discussion about why we do this,” he said. “People have often been asked me how to save an old apple tree on their property.”

He explains that it is an involved process that includes cutting scion wood from the old tree and grafting it onto new rootstock. “The new tree will have the same apples as the old one. This sometimes takes two years to get useable scion wood,” he said.

Proudfoot will also prune the heirloom apple trees on the Kump House property and explain why it is so important to do this type of tree maintenance, especially in late winter/early spring.

Proudfoot and his wife own Proudfoot Mountain Farm, Belington, where they grow much of their food, including an orchard with various fruit and nut trees and a pick your own blueberries patch.

Another pruning workshop with the West Virginia Division of Forestry urban foresters will take place at Glendale Park. The date and time will be determined soon.

The Kump House is located across the street from Kroger’s at 401 Randolph Ave. Parking for the workshop is available in the rear of the house.

For more information on this event and the Elkins Friends of Trees program, visit the Elkins Friends of Trees Facebook page. If interested in joining Elkins Friends of Trees, email Katy McClane at katy.mcclane@gmail.com. Friends of Trees offers volunteer opportunities to increase and maintain the City of Elkins’ urban greenspace.

The Elkins Tree Board meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. in the Darden House next to City Hall. The public is welcome to attend.

Contact: Marilynn Cuonzo, Chair, Elkins Tree Board mcuonzo@cityofelkinswv.com