Interactive map displaying public fruit trees in Lethbridge, free for picking

The warm and hot weather has sped up the harvesting season quite a bit this year, and that includes fruits. For the past few years, Environment Lethbridge and the city has offered an interactive map to show public fruit trees around the city.

There are roughly 4,000 public fruit trees in the City of Lethbridge, and with the warm summer southern Alberta has been experiencing, some fruits are all ready to be harvested. 

Picking fruit from these trees is free for anyone, but you have to hurry before the fruit drops to the ground to decompose. Director of the Lethbridge Sustainable Living Association (LSLA), Peter Wynnychuk, says having the option to go out and pick fresh fruit for free is vital for the community. 

The LSLA has a fruit rescue program that operates each summer and is designed to help residents harvest fruit on their property who have an abundance of products. Wynnychuk encourages residents to look within the city for free fruit, adding that besides saving money, picking locally also offers more nutrition and less chemical pesticides.

Wynnychuk adds it’s important to let the community know where these locations are, which is why Environment Lethbridge created an interactive map displaying the locations of each tree across the city which includes apples, pears, cherries and walnuts.

The interactive map can be found here.