KENNEBEC JOURNAL • January 22, 2023
Viles Arboretum in Augusta is planting the “forest of the future.” Ryan Martin, who became executive director in June 2020, used that phrase to describe a grove of climate-zone-pushing trees slated to be planted at the arboretum later this year. Site preparation has already begun. “The climate is clearly warming, and we are going to plant these species that don’t grow here now to see how they fare,” Martin said. The new trees are being tested because many of Maine’s native trees are in danger, from both the warmer weather and also a variety of invasive pests.