WATERBORO, Maine — An aggressive forest pest was discovered for the first time in Maine, and the state said it's concerned.
University of New Hampshire Ph.D. student Caroline Kanaskie found the southern pine beetles in Waterboro, Maine, and Ossipee, New Hampshire, in October 2021. The insects have the potential to kill thousands of pine trees.
"This is a beetle that really relies on working together to kill trees," Kanaskie said.
According to the United States Forest Service, the beetles are the most damaging insect to pine trees in the eastern U.S., causing nearly $4 billion in economic damage.
"We're definitely concerned. Not a great thing to have turn up on our doorstep," Maine Forest Entomologist Tom Schmeelk said.
Schmeelk said the beetles are native to the southeastern part of the U.S. but are moving north because of mild winters. He said they feed on pitch pine, jack pine, and red pine trees. Schmeelk said those trees are valuable to landowners, the tourism industry, and ecosystems.
"It's not like some of our other invasive species that are coming in from overseas. They won't make those three pines species extinct. They will just really kill a lot of trees." Schmeelk said.
Schmeelk added the state is working on a plan to inform landowners and prevent infestations. That includes trapping starting in the spring.