DNA Testing: it’s not just for humans! A new project from the Wasatch County - USU Extension is asking for community input about local fruit trees with the option to have them DNA tested.
Assistant professor Wesley Crump is looking for residents with apple or peach trees in their yards, or stewards of trees on public land, to help determine what fruit trees thrive in the Wasatch Back.
“I thought one way of doing that would just be to tap the local wisdom and aggregate all of that information into a central location, a database that can then be accessible to the public," he said. "And I'm using community members to report so that the benefit is for the community and it's driven by community members.”
He outlined the process for those willing to grow for good. “We have two online surveys during bloom time and then harvest. For each tree they're reporting on, they'll report that tree ID that will be associated with its data. And then we can keep track through the years of each individual tree.”
Crump said preliminary reports show honeycrisp apple trees thrive in the Wasatch Back because they’re very cold-hearty. He hopes the project will attract new growers as well.
“You can't get more local produce than your backyard," he said. "And so starting at that really hyperlocal level and growing your own fruits and veggies, I think that's a really powerful concept. And so is the idea of creating a community around that with like-minded individuals.”
Like-minded individuals who will hopefully help each other–and their trees–to better bloom where they’re planted.
There are two informational meetings in Wasatch and Summit counties: April 10 from 6-7 p.m. at Wasatch Mountain State Park and April 17 from 6-7 p.m. at the Park City Library’s Community Room. Crump said interested parties should contact him wesley.crump@usu.edu if they’re unable to attend.
