From Pine to Pippins: Northwestern Ontario Youth Cultivate Apple Comeback

Seeds are starting to sprout, and being placed into soil for planting this spring. These hopeful sprouts represent the beginning of a community-led effort to revitalize apple growing in Northwestern Ontario.

Seeds of Change: Apple Initiative Takes Root

Apple seedlings are carefully placed in soil, marking the start of a community effort to cultivate a sweeter landscape in Northwestern Ontario.
Apple seedlings grown from seeds are called pippins. This week they’re being carefully placed in soil, marking the start of a community effort to cultivate a sweeter landscape in Northwestern Ontario. It will take a few years for them to grow.

BORUPS CORNERS, NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO – Forget towering pines and lumber futures, this spring in Northwestern Ontario, a different kind of seedling is taking root. Local youth and community members are leading a community initiative to plant apple trees, harkening back to the area’s agricultural past and sowing the seeds for a fruitful future.

While Northwestern Ontario is known for its vast boreal forests and timber industry, many long-time residents remember a time when farming played a larger role in the local economy. Vestiges of this era can still be found in older properties, where hardy apple trees continue to bear fruit, a testament to the region’s historical agricultural potential.

Last year saw a small but significant step towards reviving this tradition with the planting of a handful of apple trees. This season, that initiative is blossoming. Roughly 25 new apple trees are slated to be planted by local volunteers in community spaces, marking a tangible shift from the region’s dominant coniferous focus to a sweeter, more diverse landscape.

Organizers say the project is about more than just apples. It’s about engaging young people in community building, fostering an appreciation for local food sources, and reconnecting with the area’s agricultural heritage. As seedlings sprout indoors, anticipation is growing for the spring planting season, promising a future harvest of both apples and community spirit.

Art Borups Corners

Art Borups Corners is a dynamic participatory arts collective and living lab, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. It's a space where innovation and creativity thrive. The program was founded in 2014, with its arts incubator established in 2021 and 2022 with funding and support from the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse. Today, working with students and faculty from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, we fuse traditional and participatory media arts with artificial intelligence, music, storytelling and community-driven, land-based artist residencies to cultivate new voices and bold ideas. Whether through collaborative projects or immersive experiences, our small but vibrant community supports creators to explore, experiment, and connect. Join us at the intersection of artistry, technology, culture and community—where every moment is a new opportunity to create.