CountyYork County
RegionSouthern Maine
EAB quarantineEntire county
Hemlock woolly adelgidEstablished
Tree Medics protects trees for homeowners, businesses and municipalities in Wells and across York County. We diagnose tree problems and treat the insects and diseases threatening Southern Maine’s trees, from emerald ash borer to browntail moth.
What’s threatening trees in Wells
Hemlock woolly adelgidWells was one of only six Maine towns under hemlock woolly adelgid quarantine before the state expanded it.[1]
Emerald ash borerAll of York County is inside Maine’s emerald ash borer quarantine.[2] In 2026, ash dieback and mortality were reported throughout southern Maine.[3]
Hemlock woolly adelgidAs of December 2024, the Maine Forest Service lists it as established in Wells.[4]
Browntail mothFound in all 16 Maine counties, and its toxic hairs stay in the environment for up to three years.[5] Maine CDC says browntail moth populations have been steadily decreasing over the past couple of years, with higher populations in 2026 in parts of Androscoggin, Cumberland, Hancock and Oxford counties.[6] Even in a quieter year, a single infested oak or apple tree can make a yard miserable in spring.
Beech leaf diseaseNow found in all 16 Maine counties.[7]
About Wells’s trees
Local landscapeWells is a York County town with a 2020 Census population of 11,314 and a land area of about 57.7 square miles.[8]
Local landscapeThe Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, designated in 1984, protects 2,250 acres of fields, forests, freshwater wetlands, salt marsh and beach in Wells.[9]
Local landscapeThe 288-acre Perkinstown Wildlife Commons in Wells is mature forest conservation land crossed by several miles of looped trails.[10]
Local landscapeThe Nature Conservancy’s Wells Barrens Preserve is part of the Kennebunk Plains focus area, known for rare sandplain grasslands bordered by pitch pine–scrub oak barrens.[11]
Local landscapeIn October 2021 the Wells Reserve identified its first black tupelo, also called blackgum, along the Muskie Trail.[12]
Hemlock woolly adelgidBy July 2009 the Maine Forest Service had found hemlock woolly adelgid in Wells, one of seven southern Maine towns with known infestations at the time.[13]
Tree care services in Wells
Emerald Ash Borer
Trunk injections that protect ash trees from emerald ash borer.
Emerald Ash Borer in Wells
Tree Health Assessments
Find out what’s wrong with a tree and what to do about it.
About tree health assessmentsBrowntail moth season starts in your trees right now.
From October to March, young browntail moth caterpillars overwinter in silk webs at the tips of branches. The Maine Forest Service recommends clipping and destroying webs within reach between mid-December and early April.[14] Browntail moth help in Wells.
A year of tree care in Wells
- WinterClip browntail moth webs, assess trees while branches are bare, and plan spring treatments.
- SpringTrunk injections for ash trees after leaf-out, and browntail moth treatment before caterpillars feed.
- SummerWatch for thinning crowns on ash and early leaf drop. Check beech leaves for dark bands between the veins.
- FallLook for white woolly masses on hemlock twigs, and spot new browntail webs once leaves drop.
Nearby towns we serve
Sources
- Portland Press Herald: State proposes expanding hemlock woolly adelgid quarantine
- Maine Forest Service: EAB found in seven more Maine towns, with York and Cumberland counties under quarantine (2020)
- Maine Forest Service: Forest & shade tree conditions, August 2026
- Maine Forest Service: Hemlock woolly adelgid overview and distribution
- Maine CDC & Maine Forest Service: Browntail moth hairs pose risk during spring outdoor activities
- Maine CDC Health Advisory: Browntail moth (May 2026)
- Maine Forest Service: Forest & shade tree conditions, September 2026
- U.S. Census Bureau: QuickFacts, Wells town, York County, Maine (2020 Census)
- NOAA Office for Coastal Management: Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve
- Town of Wells: Perkinstown Wildlife Commons
- Maine Natural Areas Program: Kennebunk Plains Focus Area of Statewide Ecological Significance
- Wells Reserve at Laudholm: Black Tupelo – A First for the Reserve? (2021)
- Bangor Daily News: Maine hemlocks to be surveyed for adelgids (2009)
- Maine Forest Service: Browntail moth management overview