Maine’s tallest mountain is greening faster than others in New England

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 9, 2026

Four decades worth of satellite observations reveal that alpine tundra across the Northeast are undergoing widespread vegetation expansion, not just at the advancing tree line but well above it, too. The new growth is transforming rare, high-elevation ecosystems once thought buffered from rapid change. And Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak at 5,268 feet, is greening faster than any other New England summit. Vegetation has increased there by 7.9% from 1984 to 2024, according to a recent study in the journal Ecosphere by scientists at Dartmouth College and the Appalachian Mountain Club.