The state faces a growing threat from nonnative plants and insects that are reshaping its landscapes. Experts urge early detection and public vigilance.
invasives
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine lakes, ponds at risk as invasive bladderwort plant moves in
Swollen bladderwort, an invasive aquatic plant, has been confirmed in eight southern and western Maine water bodies. Officials are worried it will continue to spread.
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Posted inLocal & State, News
Mills proposes $2M for preventative spruce budworm spraying
The early intervention program, modeled after one in New Brunswick, would fund the spring spraying of pesticides on 300,000 acres of commercial spruce-fir forests in northern Maine where state inspectors have found evidence of overwintering budworm larvae.
Posted inLocal & State, Politics
Bill before Congress would give Maine $14 million to fight spruce budworm
The species of tree-killing moths is making a comeback in northern Maine, raising concerns of another major outbreak.
Posted inFood & Dining, Maine Gardener
Some people hunt for deer and turkeys in the fall …
while others hunt for invasive plants.
Posted inLocal & State, News
How to protect ash trees and preserve a Wabanaki tradition
How to help protect the brown ash tree used in Wabanaki basketry from the invasive emerald ash borer. • Cut, buy, or burn only local firewood to avoid carrying beetle-infested wood to new territory. It’s the law. • Monitor for telltale signs of infestation – extensive woodpecker stripping of trunks, s-shaped larval tunnels in the […]
Posted inKennebec Journal, Local & State, News
Augusta officials consider limiting city’s plantings to ‘natives’ only
The Augusta Conservation Commission is advocating for the removal, including with the use of pesticides, of invasive plants.
Posted inLocal & State
Pest predictor i-Tree will help identify harmful nonnative insects
With invader insect numbers rising in Maine, the tool can help protect the native trees.
Posted inNation & World, New England, News
There’s a scourge on the Connecticut River. It could threaten a billion-dollar asset
Scientists found a previously undiscovered, genetically unique and exceptionally robust strain of the invasive weed hydrilla that so far has not been found anywhere else in the world.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Invasive freshwater zebra mussels creeping closer to Maine
State officials call attention to a new law that requires boaters to drain all water from their boats to prevent the tiny mollusks from spreading here.