Maine Woodlot Owners Can Join Free Budworm Spray
Small landowners in Northern Maine can apply for the state's spray program, with applications due Dec. 1.
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 this year, and applications for small landowners are due Dec. 1.
Why it matters
Spruce budworm defoliated wide swaths of Maine's north woods in the 1970s and 1980s, killing millions of acres, and it has eaten developing spruce and fir buds around Fort Kent in recent years. Early intervention aims to head off another outbreak before it reaches that scale, and patchwork land ownership means some tracts will likely not be treated.
Enrollment figures show owners representing about 80 landholdings have applied for this year's spray program, following an earlier campaign that brought budworm populations down to levels manageable by native predators and disease. The historical record of the 1970s and 1980s outbreak, which killed millions of acres, provides the baseline for the risk the program is designed to prevent.
The players
Maine Forest Service
The state agency responsible for forest health and management in Maine, 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. Landowners apply to the state to confirm their property is eligible for spraying. Organizers aim to keep budworm populations low enough that native predators and disease can control them, and the program is expected to last years, until the current budworm surge wanes.
Timeline
1970s and 1980s: Budworm outbreak defoliated Maine's north woods and killed millions of acres.
Two years ago: State officials and commercial timberland owners launched the early intervention campaign.
This year: About 80 landholdings applied to join the spray program.
Dec. 1: Application deadline for small landowners.
Health Landscape
Maine's current spray effort follows directly from the 1970s and 1980s budworm outbreak, which killed millions of acres of north woods forest. Early intervention now aims to stop a comparable surge before it spreads across the region's spruce and fir stands.
If you own a small woodlot in Northern Maine, the program's Dec. 1 application deadline is the practical next step to confirm your property's eligibility. Because some tracts may not be treated due to patchwork ownership, owners of land near affected areas may want to review their options and discuss any concerns about pesticide exposure with a local health professional.
The takeaway
Early intervention is aimed at preventing another budworm outbreak on the scale of the 1970s and 1980s, when millions of acres were lost. Landowners who want to participate should note the Dec. 1 deadline and confirm eligibility with the state.
What happens next
Small landowner applications for the spray program are due Dec. 1.
Further reading
Explore more on Organic Food to see how land management and pesticide use shape the food system.
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?
