Kanin the Apple Guy speaks:
I guess for me, the old cultivars hold historical significance but also have meaning beyond seedling trees because they were found to be valuable in the past. Rediscovering cultivars in abandoned orchards, experiencing their unique flavors, and speculating on their past utility contribute to the allure to these fruits…
Kanin is the lead author on that “Lost Apples Found” paper, and he has other good reasons too for conserving apple diversity as apples not genes.