The Heritage Apple Corps is a volunteer-run, community-driven initiative to revitalize, protect, and maintain Central Oregon's heritage apple trees. Help us – volunteer, contribute, or simply appreciate these treasures hiding in plain sight.
It's 1886, and Julius and Sarah McCoin have just staked their claim near Gray Butte. With grit and a few saplings gathered on freight runs, they planted an orchard along a stream on their homestead. The Heritage Apple Corps builds on that legacy, helping to revitalize the McCoin orchard and others like it.
Revive, maintain, and protect the historic McCoin/Cyrus orchards as a symbol of regional resiliency and interdependence with our land, trees, and agricultural roots.
Recruit and train community members to lead heritage orchard preservation efforts long-term.
Through education and events, build connections to our historic roots – heritage orchards.
Through in-the-orchard work, we ensure these heritage orchards thrive for future generations
Workshops, public engagement activities, in-orchard signage and education generate connection and support.
With the U.S. Forest Service, employ DNA technology to identify and geotag historic apple varieties in our region
Establish a dedicated conservation arboretum to propagate and pass on the DNA of heritage apple trees.
Volunteer for restoration events
Visit historic orchards (open soon)
Join our workshops
Donate to fund our work and pass on the legacy
Oregon Public Broadcasting · May 2026
“For Central Oregon apple tree detectives, juicy cases hide in plain sight”
Volunteers with the Heritage Apple Corps are racing to document and preserve Central Oregon’s century-old apple trees planted during the homesteading era, using DNA testing, grafting, and community efforts to save these heritage varieties before they disappear. By Jen Baires
The Heritage Apple Corps is a fiscally sponsored project of Discover Your Northwest, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit for the Ochoco, Deschutes, and Crooked River National Forests dedicated to promoting the discovery of these public lands by enriching the experience of visitors, building community support, and creating the next generation of environmental stewards. EIN: 91-0921955
Heritage Apple Corps