A New Orchard

Adapted from article by Eleanor Jones, Hancock County Food Programs Manager.

This fall, Healthy Acadia is putting down roots for a healthier future.

Through a new partnership with ReTreeUS, Healthy Acadia is transforming part of the lawn at our Beechland Road office in Ellsworth into a community orchard. The orchard will include apples, pears, plums, and peaches, creating a source of fresh, nutritious food while adding beauty and habitat to our shared community space.

On Friday, October 2, Healthy Acadia staff and volunteers gathered with support from the City of Ellsworth Parks and Recreation staff to plant 17 fruit trees. It was an exciting first step toward creating an edible landscape that will grow and provide benefits for years to come.

For more than 12 years, ReTreeUS has helped schools, community gardens, and other organizations across New England plant and care for fruit orchards, with more than 100 projects completed. Through each project, ReTreeUS provides hands-on guidance, from preparing planting holes and mixing natural fertilizers to planting trees and applying mulch.

The process gives participants practical experience with growing fruit, sustainable agriculture, and caring for the land. Fruit trees also offer lasting benefits to the community, including nutritious food, improved air quality, and habitat and food for pollinators.

The orchard is a natural fit with Healthy Acadia’s Healthy Food for All initiative, which works to improve access to healthy, nourishing food and address food insecurity across Hancock and Washington counties. From growing and gleaning food to connecting neighbors with local food resources, we recognize that access to good food is an important part of community health.

By turning our office lawn into an edible landscape, we are creating another way to grow healthy food while strengthening our connection to the land and the people we serve. As these trees grow, we look forward to watching the orchard become a place where food, learning, community, and environmental stewardship come together.

This is just the beginning. We are grateful to ReTreeUS, the City of Ellsworth Parks and Recreation staff, our staff, volunteers, and everyone who is helping us plant the seeds of a healthier community.

To learn more about the orchard or how you can support the project, contact Sean O’Connell at sean@retreeus.org or Katie Freedman at katie@healthyacadia.org.