Bill would preserve Washington’s rare and historic apple orchards
By Dan Thesman on Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA – Washington state lawmakers are weighing a new initiative to safeguard the state’s agricultural legacy by identifying and preserving rare, historic apple varieties tucked away on small family farms.
Rep. Gloria Mendoza (R-Grandview) has introduced House Bill 2525 to establish the Heritage Orchard Program. The program would be managed in partnership with Washington State University (WSU) to document and protect trees that were previously thought to be lost to history.
Mendoza noted that while thousands of apple varieties once flourished, most have disappeared from commercial production. However, recent discoveries suggest that some varieties thought to be extinct are still growing on private land.
“Now they’re finding out that there are some small family farms that still hold some of these apples that were known to be extinct,” Mendoza said.
Under the proposed legislation, WSU would be responsible for maintaining a formal registry of heritage orchards across the state and providing resources to farmers to help preserve trees that meet specific age and rarity criteria.
Beyond historical preservation, Mendoza suggested the program could introduce Washingtonians to flavors they have never experienced.
“Imagine discovering an apple that we had not tasted that we can now say, ‘Wow, this is a small farm in our state,'” Mendoza said. “It gives us another reason to just be proud”.
Supporters of the bill say that the program would protect the state’s agricultural heritage while creating new economic and branding opportunities for small-scale growers.
