Experts: Apple tree may survive

After assessing weekend damage, arborists say that Vancouver’s venerable apple tree is still holding moisture well and that its health is not compromised by leaving two broken limbs in their current position.

Two of the three major limbs of the tree snapped away from the trunk over the weekend. It left foliage draped over a portion of the chain fence surrounding the monument at Old Apple Tree Park, near the south entry to the Vancouver Land Bridge.

The city is working with Collier Arbor Care and other arborists in assessing the chances of preserving the heritage tree. There is no decision yet about next step, said Loretta Callahan, city public works spokeswoman.

The tree dates back more than 180 years, when Fort Vancouver was the Pacific Northwest headquarters of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Despite its advanced age and some previous damage, the tree was green with new leaves and this year’s crop of apples.

Arborists said they’re not sure how the damage occurred, though winds were fairly strong during that time, Callahan said Tuesday.

For whatever reason, the strongest top branch broke, taking another fairly strong branch with it. The weakest limb, however, held.

It’s thought to be the oldest apple tree in the Pacific Northwest, and its weekend setback has drawn regional attention.

"We’ve gotten calls from other parts of the state," Callahan said.

Over the years, the city has worked with the National Park Service and others to take grafts and cuttings from the Old Apple Tree. Six young trees are growing just west of the reconstructed Fort Vancouver.

An even older offspring of the apple tree, estimated to be more than 50 years old, is near the southeast corner of the Clark County Historical Museum, 1511 Main St.

In recent years, the Old Apple Tree Festival had been temporarily postponed during construction of the Vancouver Land Bridge, but the city has been planning to resume that annual event this fall.

Tom Vogt: 360-735-4558 or tom.vogt@columbian.com.