A BBC piece a while back looked at a decision by Heineken to grub up a large area of orchards in order to sell the land.
There are a few relevant issues for the potential GCSE Natural History curriculum here.
Orchards are a lost part of the English landscape. The climate of the country is perfect for growing this crop. We used to have far more varieties of apple than we do now - and many apples in supermarkets are imported e.g. Pink Lady.
Common Ground are clear on the importance of apples, celebrating Apple Day on October the 21st.
Daniel Mason's excellent 'North Woods' is a great book on the significance of apples. The whole book is themed around an apple tree.
