BC hazelnut production is rebounding as orchards replanted with Eastern Filbert Blight–resistant varieties mature. Yields have climbed from 35,000 pounds in 2020 to 148,000 in 2023, with 2024’s 272,000-pound harvest still below early 2000s levels but growing 10–30% annually. Fraser Valley Hazelnuts, processing 85% of...
Drivers on the Trans-Canada Highway in Chemainus have noticed significant tree removal at Hazelnut Hills orchard, which was cut down due to Eastern Filbert Blight, a fungal disease that kills hazelnut trees. The orchard had been in production for nearly 30 years. Despite the setback,...
A study led by Chelsey Geralda Armstrong from Simon Fraser University reveals how ancestral Indigenous peoples actively cultivated and traded beaked hazelnut (Corylus cornuta) across British Columbia, challenging colonial misconceptions of untouched landscapes. Using genetic analysis and oral traditions, the research highlights Indigenous stewardship over...
Ferrero Hazelnut Company, part of the Ferrero Group, has awarded $350,000 in research grants to Oregon State University ($180,000) and Rutgers University ($170,000) to support sustainable hazelnut cultivation in the U.S. The funding grants aim to improve farming efficiency, combat invasive species, and reduce herbicide...