Wabanaki advocates are opposing repeal of ash quarantine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 4, 2026

State officials have proposed ending a ban on the transport of firewood and ash products across much of Maine — a restriction meant to slow the spread of an invasive, tree-killing beetle — because they say people are not following the rules. That’s prompted pushback from a number of Wabanaki tribes, their members and researchers concerned about the impacts on brown ash, a culturally significant species to the Indigenous nations in Maine. Since the emerald ash borer was discovered in Maine in 2018, tribal members have found themselves in a race against the beetle. They’re not willing to give up now. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry says the quarantine, intended to silo two growing infestations in the northern and southern parts of Maine, is no longer effective.