PITTSFIELD (AP) – A decent apple harvest is expected in Maine despite last winter’s harsh weather that killed thousands of apple trees.

Russell Powell of the New England Apple Association, based in Hatfield, Mass., said the 2004 national crop is predicted to be slightly larger than last year’s harvest. That was the projection at a U.S. Apple Association conference last month in Chicago.

In Maine, Powell said growers are expecting to harvest nearly 1.1 million 42-pound boxes, which would match the state’s five-year average and is slightly up from 2003.

Elsewhere in New England, Powell said the New Hampshire harvest is expected to be up slightly over last year, while the crop in Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts will be flat or slightly down.

Maine growers say good summer growing conditions are making up for the rough winter. Depending on the location, the crop is running five to seven days ahead of a normal year, and early varieties such as Jersey Mac, Paula Red and Ginger Gold already are available at local farm stands and farmers markets.

Meanwhile, orchards across the state are gearing up for this weekend’s Maine Apple Sunday, an annual celebration of the state’s apple heritage when thousands of Mainers make their way to orchards and apple stands. The event is sponsored by the Maine State Pomological Society.

Apple orchards and farms will highlight the apple harvesting experience by providing samples and conducting cider demonstrations or offering hay rides, depending on the farm.

“Apple orchards throughout the state are operating in full force,” said Jennifer DeChant, the pomological society’s marketing coordinator. “Maine Apple Sunday encourages citizens to visit local apple orchards and farms to experience the long tradition of the apple harvest.

“This tradition is full of sights of rolling acres of apple trees, sounds of a farm humming with machinery, smells of fragrant apples waiting to be picked, and the irresistible taste of a variety of apples.”