Tri-Town Weekly cites Brzozowski, Yarborough in article on burning blueberry fields
Richard Brzozowski, a small ruminant and poultry specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, spoke with Tri-Town Weekly for an article about a controlled burn of a Freeport blueberry field, as suggested by the town and UMaine Extension in Cumberland County. Brzozowski said he connected town officials with David Yarborough, a blueberry specialist with UMaine Extension and professor in the School of Food and Agriculture, to determine the best way to combat small trees and weeds that are growing in the four acres of wild blueberries. “His job is to do research and educational programs,” Brzozowski said. “He suggested they get soil tests. You want low pH, or acidic soil, for blueberries.” Brzozowski said a combination of bush-hogging and burning is advised to control weeds and insects in blueberry fields. “What you’re trying to do is to burn so you’re getting rid of any disease impact,” he said. “Blueberries are low to the ground. The life is in the roots, which are underground. They come back after a burn.”