The fungus that could save Maine’s trees one seedling at a time

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 4, 2026

During a major spruce budworm outbreak in the 1990s researchers discovered some healthy fir trees unaffected by the deadly pests. They took needles from the healthy trees to study at their University of New Brunswick lab, and found they contained a fungus with a beneficial relationship with the trees. They succeeded in growing the fungus in a petri dish. The discovery attracted the attention of Irving Woodlands, a division of the Canadian forestry conglomerate J.D. Irving and the largest owner of forested land in Maine. The partnership, which started in 1999, resulted in a novel way to combat future outbreaks: breeding budworm-resistant trees.