COA Maine Apple Lab

college of the atlantic

Preserving historic apples through research, genomic profiling, and professional networking

The COA Maine Apple Lab engages in historical research, uses genomics to build profiles of heirloom apples, and networks with preservationists around the country and the world.

The lab’s purpose is to contribute to the conservation of heritage apples by tracking down, documenting, and solving the mysteries around their origins. Led by Todd Little-Siebold, COA professor of history and apple historian, the lab’s focus is to help reconstruct the history of apples in Maine and America generally to inform conservation strategies for the rare and unique apples we have found throughout the state and country.

The COA Maine Apple Lab’s work combines molecular techniques with traditional historical research and fieldwork to rescue and document apples that are the rarest of the rare from around our region.

professor Todd Little-Siebold with a class outdoors, handing freshly-cut apple slice to a student — Professor Todd Little-Siebold samples regional apples with students.

A collaborative approach

The COA Maine Apple Lab collaborates with the Maine Heritage Orchard to propagate and preserve the rarest and most unique apples from around the state, the Peace Lab at Washington State University in Pullman, and the Historic Fruit Working Group of North America.

Goals

Help develop new research approaches that will guarantee the long-term preservation of the genetic resources embodied in heirloom apples.
Rescue, document and preserve Maine’s rarest apples.
Tell Maine’s amazing orcharding history.
Train the next generation of researchers and heritage fruit researchers and preservationists.
Support regional and national heirloom apple collections through DNA research, data analysis, and nurturing shared approaches to their work.

Before They’re Gone project (AKA “The Warchest”)

Genetic testing of apple trees has provided a wealth of data about the identities of apples and the lost varieties that are still out there. This project allows the COA Maine Apple Lab to support DNA testing of high priority collections and trees around the country to answer the highest priority heirloom apple mysteries.

Current projects

From spring 2024 to summer 2026, the Penobscot Basin Project will engage COA students and community volunteers to sample the DNA of about 100 trees in the Penobscot River Valley from Bucksport down to Deer Isle and undertake in-depth follow-up testing on select trees of particular interest.

Other regional projects are set for off-shore Islands including Vinalhaven, North Haven, and Monhegan), the Mount Desert Island area, and Washington County.

field notebook sketch of apple and tree, with handwriting

regionally focused

The COA Maine Apple Lab is the continuation of fifteen years of tracking down, identifying, and documenting Maine’s unique, rare and disappearing heirloom apples. COA students have helped find some of the rarest apples in the state, and they have also done critical archival research both in Maine and on the national level. All of this has contributed to the national and international efforts to conserve rare apple genetics while also helping to reconstruct the history of American apples.

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