MORNING SENTINEL • October 16, 2021
As browntail moths build their winter nests, communities across central Maine are taking a variety of steps to combat the spread of a pest that has damaged trees and raised health concerns for people as it moves inland from the coast. Waterville officials are preparing to launch a plan that includes removing nests, spring tree injections and leaf treatment. Augusta Community Services Director Earl Kingsbury said over the winter workers will cut nests from trees on city-owned property. When spring comes Augusta plans to inject insecticide into trees that haven’t been pruned. Gardiner acting City Manager Anne Davis this year called a halt to curbside pickup of brush and leaves, limiting the possibility of inadvertently exposing unaffected trees to infested brush. State Entomologist Allison Kanoti said it’s difficult to determine how the infestation will look in three, five or 10 years in Maine because outbreaks are thought to build and then be brought to collapse by any number of outside factors.