University of Maine Cooperative Extension Tree Fruits Program staff develop and deliver research-based information on the production of tree fruit crops, primarily apples, through publications, workshops, meetings, farm visits, correspondence and telephone consultations. Annual meetings include the New England Fruit Meetings & Trade Show in January, the Preseason Integrated Pest Management Meeting in March and the Summer Tour in July. Two periodical newsletters, the Orchard Newsletter and the Apple Pest Report, that address current cultural practices and pest management strategies are sent out regularly throughout the growing season. The target audiences include farmers and Extension faculty. Applied research plantings are developed and maintained in cooperation with the Maine Agricultural & Forest Experiment Station. 

Program staff conduct research in collaboration with the NE-183 Apple Cultivar Evaluation Project and the NC-140 Regional Rootstock Research Project to address regional and national issues. NC-140 and NE-183 are collaborative multistate and multidisciplinary research projects of the USDA, CSREES, and participating state Agricultural Experiment Stations. These research groups coordinate trials in many different locations throughout the United States and Canada. The goal of NE-183 is to test new apple varieties for suitability in each fruit-growing region of the United States. We hope to identify high-quality varieties that will do well in Maine. The goal of NC-140 is to evaluate rootstocks in each region of the United States to identify rootstocks that will increase yield and fruit quality, and which are adapted to the growing conditions of each region. Extension staff also conduct independent research projects to address local issues.