Groups are working to protect trees — and traditions — from the emerald ash borer

Maine was the last state in the Northeast to see the arrival of the destructive emerald ash borer in 2018. The invasive pest lays eggs which hatch into larvae that feed under the bark of ash trees, depriving it of water and nutrients. Hundreds of millions of trees across the U.S. have been killed by the beetle. That's a threat not just to the forests, but for the Wabanaki tribes that have used brown ash for generations to make traditional baskets. But new strategies to protect ash trees in Maine are underway. At the UMaine Forests Office, the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik (APCAW) is training three dozen conservationists, educators and landowners on how to collect the seeds of various ash varieties. "The Big Shot," a giant sling shot mounted on a pole shoots a weighted rope across an ash tree, causing seeds from its branches to cascade down onto a tarp on the ground.