Maine Urges Woodlot Owners to Join Budworm Spray
The Maine Forest Service is encouraging small landowners in Northern Maine to take part in a free spruce budworm spray program.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Organic Food
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Should Maine use state-supported pesticide spraying to control forest pests like spruce budworm?
The Maine Forest Service is encouraging small woodlot owners in Northern Maine to join a free spruce budworm spray program. Owners representing about 80 landholdings have applied to join the program this year.
Why it matters
Spruce budworm has defoliated spruce and fir around Fort Kent in recent years, and early intervention aims to head off another outbreak like the one that killed millions of acres of Maine forest in the 1970s and 1980s. Patchwork land ownership means some areas will likely not be treated.
About 80 landholdings have applied to join the spray program this year, while the 1970s and 1980s outbreak killed millions of acres of Maine forest. Applications for small landowners are due by Dec. 1, and the extent of acreage ultimately treated is not yet known.
The players
Maine Forest Service
The state agency responsible for forest management, which is encouraging small woodlot owners to join the spray program.
The details
The program uses limited amounts of specialized pesticide deployed from planes and helicopters to bring budworm populations down to levels manageable by native predators and disease. Landowners apply to the state to confirm their property is eligible for spraying, and a public forum was recently cancelled due to lack of interest.
Timeline
- The 1970s and 1980s: budworm outbreak defoliated northern Maine woods and killed millions of acres.
- Two years ago: state officials and commercial timberland owners launched the early intervention campaign.
- Dec. 1: deadline for small landowner applications to the spray program.
Culture Shift
The early intervention effort is a direct response to the 1970s and 1980s budworm outbreak that defoliated wide swathes of Maine's north woods and killed millions of acres. Today's program reflects a shift from reacting to forest pests after the damage to trying to head off a repeat.
Small woodlot owners in Northern Maine who want their tracts sprayed for budworm must apply before the Dec. 1 deadline. Applying confirms with the state whether a property is eligible for treatment.
The takeaway
Woodlot owners in Northern Maine who want to take part in the free spray program should check eligibility with the state before the Dec. 1 application deadline, since patchwork land ownership means some areas will not be treated.
What happens next
Applications from small landowners to join the spray program are due by Dec. 1.
Further reading
For related coverage of Maine's food and land practices, see Organic Food.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Maine Public.
Live Poll
Should Maine use state-supported pesticide spraying to control forest pests like spruce budworm?
