The invasive Emerald Ash Borer continues to spread rapidly across Maine, with 44 new towns added to the list of confirmed detections so far this year, compared to 14 new towns last year.
Maine Forest Service entomologist Mike Parisio said much of that expansion took place in Oxford County, but that several so-called "satellite infestations" were reported in Bar Harbor, Belfast and elsewhere.
"So all these random points pop up, you know, new towns that don't necessarily appear to be connected to things we're well aware of," he said.
Parisio said the increase in reporting could be due to a combination of exponential population growth and greater public awareness. And he encouraged Mainers to keep an eye out for dead trees in their area this winter.
"Look for those trees that are getting attacked by woodpeckers, you know, especially seeing all that bark that's been knocked off accumulating on fresh snow below those trees," he said. "Those are dead giveaways."
Suspected emerald ash borer sightings can be reported through the Maine Forest Service website.
Parisio said the department is also ramping up preservation efforts, such as releasing wasps that attack the emerald ash borer, saving ash tree seeds and applying insecticides to certain groves in the hope that they could outlast the infestation.
