Fruit tree management is very different from hardwood tree management. With fruit trees you want to encourage lateral branching. If you are planting whips, tree tubes might work for a very short while.

Tree tubes are for hardwood trees where you want the tree to grow out of the tube before branching. Tubes work great for that use.

For fruit trees planted for wildlife the best method is to wrap the trunks with a white spiral tree guard from the soil level up to the first lateral branch. Then construct a cage around the tree using fence material that is 2” x 3” at least 60” tall. Use four steel T posts to support the wire. When windy, no part of the tree should rub against the wire.

I have planted more than 1,000 fruit trees and many more hardwoods and conifers. I recommend doing it right or don’t bother.

Leave the wild fruit trees in place, unless they are crowding.

The best solution is the Russian rootstock which is good for 40 below and produces a nice enough pie apple. Otherwise, look online how to sprout apple seeds from the apples you like in the grocery. No matter what the geneticists say, these will breed true enough in the crosses which are out there in the Honeyscrisp, Fuji etc...
Two of my best trees are from seedlings, which you just put seeds in a plastic bag, wrapped in a paper towel in the fridge and sprout. Container plant them, protect them, and you will have good apples.
A cousin of mine was telling me about the deer eating only the good apples, as they can tell a Haralson from the old pie apples too. By sprouting you get the best lines, and in most locations in Zone 4 south these apples will survive due to Minnesota breeding is the base of numbers of these varieties.
The seedlings I have are from a Minnesota crab apple called Chesnut, and they hang on the tree all winter, so the squirrels and deer were feeding on them in 3 foot deep snow.

I advocate everyone to sprout apple seeds and if you have property to put those trees out for wildlife. You will be surprised how many of them will be eating apples. Do not fall of the 'not a good apple" because not good apples are cider apples and you can make wonderful cider from them.

So everything is listed as sold out. When do they have inventory available?

We have to put a wire fence around our new Apple trees or the deer will mow them off.

The animals still love them.

The deer go crazy for those apples ; just smaller than a ping pong ball