AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine forestry officials are asking residents who want to decorate for the fall to be on the lookout for common invasive plants.
The plants are sometimes used in wreaths and garlands and other decorations, according to the Maine Department of Agricultural, Conservation and Forestry. State law prohibits the import or sale of invasive plants in any form.
The forestry department said the most common invasive plants in the decorations are Asiatic bittersweet and multiflora rose. The plants can cause environmental damage and overtake forests, wetlands and backyards.
The state said the plants are also difficult to control and can re-sprout after being cut. It’s asking decorators to use native species, such as winterberry holly, red twig dogwood and American mountain ash.