LINCOLN COUNTY NEWS • February 22, 2022
The Emerald Ash Borer is an iridescent-bodied beetle no bigger than a penny. Its emerald tones are reminiscent of stately varieties of scarab beetles, with their backs that catch the light, shimmer. But looks can be deceiving. For an ash tree, the Emerald Ash Borer bores until the tree is a hollowed matrix of dry dead wood. “The concern is that towns – including Whitefield – are not, don’t have this on their radar and really aren’t prepared for large numbers of trees dying along roadsides all at once,” said Charlene Donahue, who worked for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry for 25 years and now serves as vice chair for the Whitefield Select Board.