PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 24, 2026
An invasive species was found in southern Aroostook County trees this month, far north and south of where the species is known to be in Maine. A logger reported a tree in Benedicta that they suspected was infested with an emerald ash borer this month and their presence has since been confirmed, the Maine Forest Service said in a notice Friday. The invasive species can injure and kill ash trees and cause them to become brittle, and the agency considers them “one of the most serious invasive species threatening our forests.” The emerald ash borer is a small wood-boring beetle from Asia that invaded North America via transported wood, according to the Forest Service, and was first detected in Maine in 2018. Most of southern and central Maine, and part of northern Aroostok County, are considered quarantine areas, meaning ash wood should not be transported outside those areas.