Growing currants and gooseberries is illegal in Maine and there's a good reason for it
Aug. 16—Although neighboring states allow it, growing currants, gooseberries and other related berries is prohibited in Maine. And though some gardeners wish the law would change, there's a good reason for it, experts say.
Plants like gooseberries, currants and European black currant belong to the genus Ribes, which includes more than 200 species. And though they have caught on in health food circles and pick-your-own farms elsewhere, plants in the genus Ribes are the required host for a devastating fungus called white pine blister rust, which infects and eventually kills the Eastern white pine trees that fill the forests of Maine.
Recently, gooseberries, currants and European black currants have gained popularity among U-pick small fruit growers and health food stores.
"People are always looking for the next superfruit and currants are very high in antioxidants," said David Handley, vegetable and small fruit specialist at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
Despite the health benefits, Maine remains steadfast in its laws against Ribes for the sake of the state's forests.
Allison Kanoti, state entomologist at the Maine Forest Service, said the fungal spore hosted by a Ribes species will land on the needle and the fungus will grow into the branches and eventually infect the main stem of the tree.
"When it gets into the main stem, it can cut off the flow of water and nutrients in that tree and cause the tree to die," Kanoti said. "It can also cause decline and reduce productivity of those trees as well."
Ripening gooseberries on a branch Credit: Stock image / Pixabay
Tom Doak, executive director of Maine Woodland Owners, a statewide organization supporting Maine's 86,000 family woodland owners, said that white pine trees that are infected with this fungus will exhibit "weeping" sap in the nodes of branches.
"The biggest threat to the forest in Maine isn't fire or wind or rain or hurricanes, it's really introduced pests from other places that have no natural control," Doak said. "That's what was going on with blister rust."
