The landscape of Southern Maine is changing as hundreds of ash trees die

ALFRED, Maine – Beautiful views full of trees and wildlife is one of the reasons why many people decide to buy real estate in Maine.

The Vivians live in Alfred and say they don’t even need to see the inside of their house before they buy. The land and the trees around it are what sold them. Unfortunately, they are faced with the harsh new reality that most of those trees will soon be gone.

Their home is located in the middle of the colorful forest that surrounds the property. When autumn begins every year, Teri Vivian looks forward to seeing her country sparkle with the golden leaves of hundreds of ash trees. This year, Teri’s attitude changes rapidly.

“That one is dead, those behind him are dead, those standing at the edges of the goods line over there are dead,” he said while pointing to the hundreds of trees in his yard.

His trees have the emerald ash borer, an invasive insect that eats and eventually kills ash trees. For the Vivians, losing those ash trees means more than losing their beautiful landscape. For 17 years, they have relied on their rainforest to do most of their heating and cooling.

“In the winter, the trees keep the sunlight, which keeps our home warm and in the summer they give us shade and keep it cool. So, we will no longer have those benefits.”

The Maine Forest Service first spotted the beetles in Aroostook County in 2018 and they have been moving south ever since. Teri Vivian’s family was surprised by the little warning they received.

“We had someone from the Maine State Forest Service and he said most of them will be dead before the end of the year.” By the time Teri Vivian saw the disease, it was too late to save many trees. Now you have to go through the expensive process of removing them.

On Wednesday, Teri Vivian asked Christopher Everest to come check on her yard. Everest works as a Consulting Arborist at Davey Tree. He said trips to Alfred have become more frequent, as EAB poses a threat to the area.

“Usually all the parts of the trees go down. So, it is a very dangerous situation once they are attacked by this insect,” he said. When a tree reaches that stage, there is no choice but to remove it, which can be time-consuming and expensive.

However, Everest said removal is not the only option. It’s really a last resort. “Most of our work, when it comes to pest control, is to find trees before they are attacked.” Everest said there is a treatment for the poison that can save the trees, but in order to use it you have to catch it quickly before more physical symptoms start to show.

“Once you start noticing the death of the tree, it’s really too late to start the process.”

Everest says he recommends taking preventative measures as soon as possible. “If you have Ash trees that are kind of a prominent part of the landscape that you really want to keep alive, we would recommend that you call your arborist. Ask them to come out and look at them and put you on the vaccination program before that.

Teri Vivian hopes her neighbors will take action, before their neighborhood is changed forever.

“We will find our way in this and manage it as we need to do. But, people must know wherever you live, this is coming,” he lamented.

His property is just a few acres in the community of Alfred, where thousands of ash trees lie, also at risk of infection.

For the latest news, weather and traffic alerts, download the NEWS CENTER Maine mobile app.