MAINE MORNING STAR • April 8, 2026
The emerald ash borer, an invasive species of beetle, is creeping across Maine, bringing the possibility of near-total extinction for the state’s ash species, and a potentially devastating loss to what Richard Silliboy, a member of the Mi’kmaq tribe and a master basketmaker, calls “the oldest art in the Northeast.” But so far, a majority of Maine’s trees are alive and healthy, and tribe members, scientists and government officials are trying to keep it that way. Basketmakers favor brown ash because of the way its rings grow, without fibers connecting them. When a log is pounded with a mallet or axe the rings split easily and can be shaved thinner and cut into strips for weaving. A 2023 study predicted that 95 percent of Maine’s ash trees will be dead by 2040. Combining forestry science with native knowledge is at the heart of the “all-hands-on-deck” approach to protection and restoration.