Appalachian Foothills Orchard

Gateway to Appalachian Traditions, Connection to Historical Homesteads, Pathway to our Future and Sustainable Agriculture

Appalachian Foothills Fruits and Nuts (AFFN) is a genetic library, where “the trees are the books.”

We are a non-profit enterprise dedicated to comprehensively discovering, collecting, preserving and popularizing the fruit- and nut-bearing plants that thrive in the countryside and homesteads in and about Appalachia.  This leads us to focus on native species and ones that mark the historic homesteads that dot the region.  

Appalachia is home to more self-sustaining, small farms per person than any other region of the United States.  We exist to further this culture that is bound to nature and is founded on self-sufficiency.

We are established as a non-profit 501.c.3 for promoting science and education.

In addition to the contributions that have come to AFFN from Fruit Explorers and Fruit Growers around the USA, many of the germplasms available at the AFFN Orchard would neither be available nor preserved without the work of the USDA-ARS Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) which is a part of the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System.  AFFN enthusiastically endorses and encourages support for their invaluable work preserving genetic variety of North American plant species.