Senate committee hears bill to create Washington 'Heritage Orchard' program

Senate Bill 6090, introduced to the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee, would require Washington State University to establish a Heritage Orchard Program to identify, preserve and propagate historic and rare apple varieties in Washington.

Kelly Gunn, staff to the committee, told lawmakers the bill defines a heritage orchard as either ‘‘an orchard with at least 5 apple trees that are more than 74 years old’’ or ‘‘an orchard with at least 1 tree of a rare or lost apple variety,’’ and would require a registry, preservation resources, and a list of rare cultivars. Gunn said a fiscal note was requested but not available for the hearing.

Sponsor remarks emphasized local agricultural and cultural value. ‘‘It’s a very straightforward bill,’’ said the sponsor who identified himself as John Brown, describing orchards he encountered while traveling and arguing Washington should preserve its apple-growing heritage. The sponsor said he would file an amendment if a fiscal note later required changes.

The committee closed the brief public hearing after questions and moved to a scheduled work session on student complaint systems. No formal vote or committee action on SB 6090 occurred at the hearing.

What’s next: The committee did not record an outcome on SB 6090 at this meeting; the bill remains at the public hearing stage pending further staff work and any required fiscal analysis.