WVII speaks with Livingston for report on invasive emerald ash borers

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

June 4, 2018 In the News, School of Forest Resources

WVII (Channel 7) spoke with William Livingston, an associate professor of forest resources and associate director for undergraduate education at the University of Maine, for a report on emerald ash borers. The invasive Asian beetle was first found in the United States in Michigan in 2002, and was recently found in Madawaska, likely spread by transported firewood, according to the report. The beetle feeds on the inner bark of ash trees, and “once it gets in the stand it kills just about every ash tree that is growing on the site,” Livingston said. The ash trees growing along the UMaine Mall would be threatened if the insect is accidentally transported to campus. “It would be devastating,” said Christel Peters, the research communications coordinator at UMaine.