PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 4, 2025
During the last severe outbreak in the 1970s and 1980s, the spruce budworm infestation caused widespread tree mortality across Maine’s forest. It cost our economy hundreds of millions of dollars and the ecological effects were significant. This summer, landowners and state officials noted increased spruce-fir defoliation in northern Maine. Indicators predict elevated budworm populations in approximately 250,000 acres. In response, landowners implemented a coordinated plan. We hope federal and state funding will be approved so we can tackle spruce budworm head-on. The early intervention program will cost $15 million in 2025 alone. But if left untreated, the current infestation could disrupt Maine’s forest economy to the tune of $794 million annually. ~ Alex Ingraham, Pingree Associates, which manages 820,000 acres of forestland in Maine