GORHAM — The state is requiring a farm to refund customers who destroy invasive trees they purchased there from from May through September.
Gary Fish, a Maine state horticulturist at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, said the agency discovered King’s Farm Market in Gorham had sold Crimson King Norway and Flame Amur maple trees from May to September after receiving an inquiry about a project involving 11 of the trees in Rangeley. Both species were placed on Maine’s “do not sell” list in 2018 because they spread quickly and disrupt natural ecosystems.
The department found that King’s Farm Market had purchased 27 Norway and 24 Amur maples in April from an auction in Pennsylvania, where the trees are legal to sell. Fish said that everyone who purchased the trees should ensure they are dead by cutting the base and disposing of the root balls in the trash.
A social media post from the department instructs customers to call the market at 207-839-5844 to confirm reimbursement requirements, which include taking a picture of the disposed tree.
Barry King, owner of King’s Farm, declined to comment when a reporter visited the farm Tuesday and said he would sue if the paper reported on the issue.
Crimson King Norway maple leaves have three to five lobes and exude milky sap from their base when removed from their twig, according to the Ohio Woodland Stewards Program. Flame Amur maple leaves have three lobes, and the middle lobe is typically much longer than the side lobes, according to the Western New York Land Conservancy.
Fish said there have been few instances of these maple species being sold in Maine since they were banned. It is more common for small hobbyists to be found selling wreaths with bittersweet or multiflora rose berries, he said, which are also banned.
More information about Maine regulations on holiday-related plant sales and the “do not sell” list can be found on the department’s website.