A Philadelphia nonprofit is working to prepare the city's orchards for warmer temperatures and the impacts of climate change by using high tunnels – unheated greenhouses that protect plants from severe weather and extend the growing season.
The Philadelphia Orchard Project, which supports orchards across the city and distributes their produce to residents, has added two new high tunnels in The Woodlands Cemetery in West Philadelphia, where it also has a 90-tree orchard.
MORE: Philly's plan to boost urban farming is underway, but challenges lie ahead
The high tunnels are home to the "experimental food forest" that POP has created to develop climate-resilient fruiting plants and trees. The organization plans to grow plants that can withstand cold weather – like fig and persimmon trees – and those that typically grow in warmer climates – like guava plants and olive, banana, yuzu and kumquat trees.
"Plants that are grown in our climate are going to grow best in our climate and produce the best harvest," POP co-Executive Director Kim Jordan said. "So, this is a really important space for us to have."
The idea behind the food forest is to get plants used to growing in Philadelphia's environment, co-Executive Director Phil Forsyth said. Should the city experience warmer temperatures caused by climate change and need to adapt, it will have a head start growing more heat-tolerant plants.
Last winter, the U.S. Department of Agriculture moved Philadelphia into a warmer hardiness zone, a designation that helps gardeners determine which perennials are most likely to thrive where they live.
Many gardens in the city have high tunnels, but Forsyth POP's is among the first to experiment with fruit production.
"Many of these plants may be viable outdoors in the years to come as we continue to see the effects of climate change," Forsyth said. "So we're really taking the knowledge of best growing practices for these plants in preparation for that likely outcome."
POP also plans to plant two new orchards elsewhere in Philly this summer, with more on the way in 2025, Forsyth said. Their locations have not yet been revealed.
Urban orchards help combat climate change because they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They also promote the use of local food sources, which mitigates the use of transportation and refrigeration – contributors to the city's carbon footprint.
Jamie Gauthier, chair of City Council's Committee on the Environment, called POP's experiment critical because urban farmers are being forced to adapt to changes that make growing plants in Philadelphia challenging. At an event celebrating the new tunnels, she noted that urban agriculture provides clean air and fresh produce and are connected to lower violent crime rates.
"This work could not be more important to me, because I recognize the power urban agriculture has to uplift West and Southwest Philadelphia," Gauthier said.
This is POP's first major capital investment since the nonprofit was founded in 2007. The project was partially funded by the city, with support from the the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Junior League of Philadelphia and Citizens Bank.