Maine’s 2007 wild blueberry harvest is expected to produce a crop that is higher than the industry’s five-year average, but lower than last year’s harvest, according to a federal survey.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released the 2007 crop forecast on Tuesday. It is based on surveys completed by about 400 Maine wild blueberry growers and processors who reported on the condition of the crop through mid-July.

According to USDA, the 2007 crop is expected to total 66 million pounds.

If the harvest, which is just beginning in some areas, matches that forecast, production would be about 8 million pounds less than last year’s crop, a decrease of about 12 percent. Production, however, would remain above the industry’s five-year average of 64.6 million pounds.

The 2007 forecast is well below the record harvest which produced 110,990,000 pounds of wild blueberries.

“Right now there’s a decent crop out there,” said David Bell, executive director of the Maine Wild Blueberry Commission.

But, as always, the weather will be a key factor as the bulk of the crop ripens over the next few weeks, and Bell cautioned that forecasting the harvest can often be a foolhardy exercise.

The long-term forecast does not include much rain, he said.

“The growers say, ‘You can’t count ’em until they’re in the box,’ and we’re in that situation now,” Bell said. “What is good for the tourists is not necessarily good for us. It has been pretty dry during the past couple of weeks.”

According to the USDA report, the year got off to a fair start with growers reporting minimal winter damage from the cold weather and lack of snow cover in January and February. And only a few reported problems with diseases in their fields.

Although showers earlier in July have helped the crop, the dry conditions late in the season have hindered this crop’s full potential, the report noted.

The mysterious die-off of bees that has plagued commercial pollinators around the country did not have an impact on this year’s crop, according to Bell.

“Growers were able to access the bees,” he said. “In fact, they brought in more hives than in recent years.”

The bee disease, however, has resulted in increased prices to rent the hives. Hive prices have jumped by more than 50 percent from last year, Bell said. While part of that increase stems from increased transportation and energy costs, it also reflects the costs hive owners have incurred as they try to rebuild their stock.

The USDA report also reported that the price paid for Maine wild blueberries in 2006 was 81 cents per pound, a 15 cent increase from the 2005 price. The average fresh market price in 2006 was $1.70 per pound.