Richard Silliboy, a member of the Aroostook Band of Micmacs, is seen with his traditional brown ash baskets. Photo from Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance / Facebook

The Aroostook Band of Micmacs in Maine is working to protect an important part of its culture.

The ash tree figures prominently in the tribe's creation story and the trees are used for baskets. But the tribe is worried that the emerald ash borer, an invasive species, could devastate the tree as it has in other parts of the country.

“We’d be really surprised if it’s not here. It’s just that nobody’s found it yet,” Dena Winslow, a tribal planner and historian, told The Bangor Daily News.

To address the threat, the tribe has enlisted youth to plant hundreds of ash tree seedlings on the reservation, the paper reported. They also will be giving away ash saplings for others to plant, the paper said.

In the past, the tribe has received grants to protect the ash tree.

Get the Story:
Ash tree project enlists Micmac youths to counter invasive borer (The Bangor Daily News 3/15)

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