PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 23, 2021
It is one of the largest and most recognizable trees in Maine, and it’s a bellwether for the suffering that many other trees are experiencing as a result of invasive insect infestations and lack of rain in recent months. The beautiful and beloved Candelabra Tree, as it is widely known, is a sprawling pin oak at the edge of Deering Oaks, a 55-acre park in Portland. It lost 90 percent of its foliage when it leafed out in early May, ravaged by browntail moth caterpillars despite the city’s efforts to control the infestation.