- Departments
- Environmental Services
- Invasive Species
Invasive Species
The Town of Orono is starting to monitor for invasive species. An invasive species is an organism (i.e. insect, plant, animal) that is not native to a particular area and generally causes harm to the native organisms present. If you would like to see where invasive species are mapped within Orono, please visit iMapInvasives Network and click "Public Map".
Terrestrial Invasive Plants
The Orono Tree Board has been awarded funds to create Invasive Plant Control Practice Plans (IPCPP) for municipal owned public property. For example, an IPCPP was created in 2022 for the Jeremiah Colburn Natural Area and they are applying this year for funding to manage the invasive Buckthorn in the area. This year, they have applied to create an IPCPP for the High School public lot behind the track on the RSU #26 campus. Slowly, the Orono Tree Board plans to work through these conservation areas to manage the invasives.
Aquatic Invasive Species
Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are taken very seriously as an infestations have devastating impacts to waterways. Invasive aquatic plants grow in dense mats that out compete native plants and wildlife. Invasive aquatic plants entangle boat motor propellers, and interfere with swimming, fishing, and other types of water recreation. Infestations may also reduce property values by degrading water quality and recreational use of the lake. Infestations are costly and sometimes impossible to fully eradicate or manage. To learn more about aquatic invasive species and how to keep Pushaw Lake and the Penobscot River healthy, visit our webpage here.
Invasive Insects
The Town of Orono has been involved in monitoring Browntail Moth and European Fire Ant infestations within Orono.
Emerald Ash Borer Special Announcement from the Tree Board:
It has been documented that Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), a destructive invasive insect to Ash trees, has spread from southern Maine to Corinna & Newport. That is only 30 miles away and contains Orono within the new emergency order area. The infestations are a direct result of human movement of EAB. The Tree Board would like to make everyone aware of the possibility of EAB spreading to Orono in the future. If you have beloved Ash trees on your property please help us in the effort of monitoring them so we can stay as proactive as possible. Additionally, we ask that you be very diligent about not transporting infested firewood. Untreated out of State firewood is banned, but even moving firewood from within Maine can spread damaging pests. We are working on creating a strong EAB management plan so that the Town is proactively prepared to deal with an infestation. Please refer to the Maine Forest Service webpage for more information on EAB infestations in Maine.