Lori Valigra

The spruce budworm strips foliage from fir trees, making the trees unusable in Maine's valuable logging industry.

BDN ) -- Some 250,000 acres of Maine fir trees are at risk of defoliation from a moth that could cause millions of dollars of harm to the state's economy if ignored, forestry experts said during a webinar Wednesday.

Pristine lawns can add value to a property, but the chemicals used to kill crabgrass, grubs and other insect pests also can run off into nearby waterways and cause health problems for humans and animals.

December through March is prime time to start clipping the webs of browntail moths, the pesky creatures that shed poison hairs as caterpillars and cause painful rashes for people.

That adds to the 630 megawatts of community solar operational in Maine over 453 projects, according to state data.

Solutions range from stricter limits on the manmade chemicals in drinking water to alternatives in fast food paper containers.

Thick smoke from four wildfires has choked thousands of residents out of areas of southern California since Monday, with windstorms fanning the