MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 28, 2024
Mythologized by artists, hiked by explorers and revered by the Wabanaki, Katahdin is a towering symbol of Maine’s untamed natural beauty, its storied logging and sporting traditions, and its Indigenous peoples and culture. Now the state’s tallest peak is becoming a symbol of climate change. Global warming is fueling the uphill march of its mountain tree line, with warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons enabling firs and spruce to grow higher up the 5,267-foot mountain than ever before. By comparing old and new aerial photos, Jordon Tourville, an Appalachian Mountain Club ecologist, has calculated that the tree line is moving up Katahdin about 10 feet a decade.