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Laurel wilt disease has been spreading through the U.S. since 2002 and is fatal to tree species in the laurel family. Forest Service researchers are continuing to monitor the disease, search for treatment methods, and develop a better understanding of how it is affecting sassafras and other susceptible species.
The Laurel Wilt Public Dashboard story map – a collaboration between the Georgia Forestry Commission, multiple branches of the Forest Service, and other state forestry agencies – shows the annual spread of the disease. The story map shows that new detections occur mostly in the Coastal Plain, not in the Appalachian mountains where sassafras reaches its greatest sizes.
Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry. Maine Forest Service.
Maine Forest Service. Winter moth was first recorded in Nova Scotia in the 1930s and then in the Pacific Northwest in the 1970's. It showed up in eastern Massachusetts in the early 2000's and has since spread into coastal Maine from Kittery to Bar Harbor. Fill out the Tree Ailment Form to help us gather information about the distribution of these moths across Maine (or use survey for any tree health or forest pest issues you're observing).