$1.7M in aid helpful, but won't cover all the losses from Fiona, apple growers say

In the Belvedere Orchardnear Brookfield, P.E.I., nothing appears out of place. The rows of apple trees are sprinkled with fruits ready for this year's U-pick.

What you don't see are the 2,300 other trees lost afterpost-tropical storm Fiona blew through more than a year ago.

"We had some that were missing that we never found," said the orchard's owner, Teo Herweijer,standing beside a pileof branches in an empty plot.

"It was a devastating site."

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Herweijersaid he left many of the trees alone for about three to four weeks to "see if there was any life in them."

"After four weeks we start pulling them up because we know it wasn't going to be good."

The P.E.I. Tree Fruit Growers Association says about 100,000 apple trees alone were lost in the storm. Itestimates the damages could cost as much as $10 million.

It was a massive setback for the industry, leaving growers with costly repairs and little produce to sell.

"It was pretty, pretty emotionally devastating," said association president Geoff Boyle, who lost 3,200 trees that night. "Wherever there was a weak spot, Fiona exposed the weak spot."

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'We're just trying to make a living here, and try to make it work. We want to sell apples to the public ... we'll just try and hang in,' says Teo Herweijer.

The federal and provincial governments have promised support for the tree fruit industry. On Tuesday, $1.7 million was announced for eligible growers impacted by the storm.

The money can be used for areas such as replacing or straightening damaged trees or trellises and helping with extra labour costs from cleanup or mulching ground fruit.

Growers say it may not be enough, but they don't want to upset the apple cart.

"It's a double-edged sword because you turn around and you say, well, that's inadequate, you're crying sour grapes," Boyle said.

"Obviously you're thankful for any amount of support that you get. But if we're talking about what Fiona and what disaster relief looks like compared to the losses, it seems a little bit small."

John Handrahan, a blueberry and apple grower in western P.E.I.,said the money is a step in the right direction but he questions how much of the damage it will actually cover.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't cover it. Certainly, I don't think it's going to cover all the losses for every farmer there."

Handrahan said he lost 1,200 trees in Fiona. He hasn't replanted any yet but hopes to next year.

Herweijer, meanwhile, has replanted 500 trees. It will be years before they produce any apples.

"We know the cost is up this year for our crop ... and next year it's going to be higher again," he said.

"We've got to look after them and treat them with fungicides and all that stuff and time is the biggest thing. Like five years it's a long time to get apples."

Boyle and other growers have begunbuilding back their infrastructure to be more resilient to future storms.

He said members of P.E.I.'s Tree Fruit Growers Association are planning to meet with the government soon to talk about the impact Fiona had on the industry.

"To this point we have worked together quite well. So I don't see that changing in the future."