Spruce bud-doom? Not yet 🌲
Fifty years ago, an army of tiny caterpillars invaded Maine’s North Woods. They devoured millions of acres of spruce and fir trees and left a vast landscape of skeletal trunks.
The legendary spruce budworm outbreak lasted more than a decade, sparked a massive aerial pesticide campaign and turned the forest industry on its head.
Now, after years of quiet, one of the most destructive forest insects in North America is back.
But this time around, Maine landowners are prepared, with a strategy inspired by our northern neighbors’ efforts to fight the insects in New Brunswick and Quebec.
If left unchecked, a massive spruce budworm outbreak could spell devastation for Maine’s forests and timber industry. But there’s another, lesser-known reason why it is imperative that Maine’s government and landowners band together to tackle the outbreak before it gets out of hand: climate change.
The North Woods have often been referred to as the “lungs” of Maine. Through photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, storing it in their trunks. According to the Maine governor's Forest Carbon Task Force, the North Woods remove at least 60% of the state's annual carbon emissions.
The figure gets even larger when forest products, such as building and shipping materials and furniture, are added to the mix, bumping it up to a whopping 75% of Maine’s annual carbon emissions.
But an infestation could change that. Spruce budworms feed on the buds and needles of fir and spruce trees, impeding the trees’ ability to draw down carbon in a few ways.
“There's a fairly direct relationship: defoliation equals carbon sequestration going down. But that's not the only effect,” says Erin Simons-Legaard, research associate professor at the University of Maine in the School of Forest Resources. “Defoliation can also increase a tree's respiration.”
Trees sort of breathe: they ‘inhale’ CO2, but they also ‘exhale’ it. Usually, trees are taking in more carbon dioxide than they release. But when under stress, they’ll start releasing more, using it for energy, she says.
Defoliation prevents trees from drawing down as much carbon through photosynthesis, and continued stress causes them to release more CO2 than usual. It stunts their growth, which means trees will absorb even less carbon the following year. And after three-five years of this process, the affected trees will die.
A spruce budworm outbreak wouldn’t just destroy a forest of great economic and recreational value to Mainers. It would majorly harm or undercut the state's goal to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2045. Maine can’t afford to lose a resource that takes in 60% of the state’s annual carbon budget.
Peter McGuire trekked up to the North Woods this week to see the outbreak firsthand. You can listen to his excellent account of the problem, and what is being done to fight the outbreak, here. 🎧
And, for landowners, there’s a helpful breakdown of how to best manage your trees here.
EPA cancels PFAS research grants to Maine organizations
Maine organizations researching PFAS are the latest groups to face sudden grant terminations, this time from the Environmental Protection Agency. And while some are appealing those decisions, they say even if funds are reinstated, this has delayed important research into how PFAS moves through the food chain.
Proposed changes to Endangered Species Act could harm protected plants and animals
The Trump administration has proposed changing the legal definition of "harm" to exclude threats to a species' habitat, focusing only on direct injury or death to a species itself.
Maine solar developer fined for water pollution
A solar company has been fined almost $236,000 by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection for polluting the Kennebec River.
Advocates flood the State House as clean energy bills come up for debate
Under consideration are bills aimed at reaching 90% clean energy by 2040, creating a cabinet-level Department of Energy, and creating new affordability standards for utilities.
Scientists say algae are waging 'chemical warfare' on kelp forests in the Gulf of Maine
Rapidly growing turf algae are effectively waging chemical warfare on kelp forests in the Gulf of Maine, according to a new study from researchers at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and the University of Maine.
State says more than 30 municipalities have new emerald ash borer infestations this spring
"If you have an ash that every year it's been leafing out and now has four or five branches not leafing out or sprouts at the stump, those are signs it's pretty well infested," said State Horticulturist Gary Fish.
NOAA predicts colder than normal deep-water temperatures for the Gulf of Maine
NOAA projects deep water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine will be cooler by 0.9 to 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit this summer, compared to the seasonal average. The outlook is based on new models developed by NOAA researchers that provide large-scale predictions of the ocean and regional ecosystem changes.
Wild oysters on the rise, soft-shell clam population declining in the midcoast
Midcoast shellfish harvesters have documented an abundance of wild oysters, once considered a rarity, in the Damariscotta and Medomak river estuaries.
We’ve been getting great feedback from you all on this section! Thank you for reading and writing in with feedback on how you’ve been using phase in/phase out. I hope it’s a place where we can share information that feels empowering; a place where we can take a common climate or environmental question and get to the bottom of it.
I don’t want it to feel like I’m dishing out directives here that folks have to continually keep up with. But, if I am giving out assignments, this week's homework is easy: Go outside and spend some unplugged time in the natural world. Touch grass! Or a tree, or a flower - and I mean this sincerely, not in the snarky way people sometimes suggest online.
Notice the intersections between the natural world and the built environment: a sewer drain, an A/C unit, a raised garden bed, the foundation of a building. Take time to simply notice, reflect, and think about all the ways in which our human systems rely on nature.
Many Mainers already have a good relationship with the great outdoors. It turns out, according to research, that’s one of the easiest ways to start caring about, and for, the environment (researchers call it ‘pro-environmental behavior’). And, it’s a conversation starter — a great way to find common ground to start to talk about climate change with friends and loved ones.
Next time, we’ll get into discussing climate change with friends and family in more detail. But I’ll leave you with these statistics from the Nature Conservancy:
Even though more than 7 in 10 Americans believe climate change is happening, and 6 in 10 are worried about it, two-thirds of Americans rarely, if ever, talk about climate change with the people they care about.
And a shared love of the outdoors is one of the easiest ways in to these conversations.
And with that: some ways to get outside this month.
Get outside
Saturday, June 7 @ 8:30 a.m.: Outdoor Goat Yoga
Smiling Hill Farm, Westbrook
“Goat yoga classes at Smiling Hill Farm include mama goats, baby goats, and yogis in a large outdoor pen. These are beginner friendly, all levels yoga classes! We start with meet and greet time with the goats, then yoga, then straight snuggling time at the end.”
Cost: $30
Sunday, June 8 @ 1 p.m.: Let's Talk Biodiversity Tour
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay
Explore the rich biodiversity at the Gardens and share stories about how biodiverse landscapes enrich and strengthen our communities against change and other challenges.
Cost: Free
Tuesday, June 10 @ 7:30 p.m.: Full Moon Walk
Laudholm Reserve, Wells
“Maine Master Naturalist Linda Littlefield Grenfell for a slow and quiet walk to the beach. We'll watch the sun set over the fields and the moon rise over the ocean, while sharing stories and poems.”
Cost: $8
Wednesday, June 11 @ 2 p.m.: Forest Bathing
Range Pond State Park, Poland
“Generations of Mainers have called it ‘Going up to Camp.’ In Japan they say ‘shinrin-yoku,’ which literally means ‘forest bath.’ Make time for yourself, life is hectic. Come over to slow down and connect with Range Pond's forest and wildlife. Enjoy an hour of quiet.”
Cost: Free with park admission
Thursday, June 12 @ 5:30 p.m.: FRUITS: a queer summer story slam & fruit potluck
Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, Falmouth
The theme is IN A JAM: share a five minute story of getting stuck or getting into trouble, and bring a fruit dish to share.
Cost: Free
Saturday, June 14 @ 2 p.m. (and every Saturday through October): Marine Touch Tank Program at the Schoodic Peninsula
Dorr Hall at the Schoodic Education and Research Center, Acadia National Park
“What happens to marine animals when the tide goes out? Learn about the challenges that these animals face at low tide and how their adaptations help them to survive.”
Cost: Free
Wednesday, June 18 @ noon: Planting for Climate Resilience in Northeast Landscapes
Laudholm Reserve, Wells
Join Tyler Refsland of Wild Seed Project to explore the benefits of native plants in the age of climate change.
Cost: Free
Saturday, June 28 @ 4 p.m.: Charity softball game
The Ball Park at Old Orchard Beach
Watch the Maine Game Wardens take on the West Virginia Natural Resource Police Officers in a charity softball game.
Cost: $10 for adults, any youth wearing a little league uniform gets in free
Various times all month: Pride Month trail mixers with Queerly Maine
Brunswick, Portland, Bar Harbor, and more
“Trail Mixers are LGBTQIA+-centered outdoor gatherings that celebrate community and the joy of being out in nature. Light, rotating conversation starters invite participants to ‘mix it up’ and chat with someone new as they walk, sparking fun and meaningful connections on the trails.”
Cost: Free
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