Introduction A wide variety of woody and herbaceous species native to Maine naturally occur in Maine's wild blueberry fields.
Any plant occurring in a field other than a wild blueberry is considered a weed.
The wild blueberry competes with weed species for space, water and nutrients. This competition usually results in a reduction in crop yields and prevents the blueberry from spreading. Weeds may also contribute distasteful fruit such as bunchberries and chokeberries, which reduce the quality of the processed pack. Weeds hinder harvest and reduce the quality of the fruit. When harvested by rakes, crushing and cutting of the fruit occurs.