Maine’s climate-warmed summers are harming wildlife, plants, and forests, threatening species and ecosystems.

Maine’s worsening summers, fueled by climate change, are disrupting ecosystems across the state. Rising temperatures and prolonged droughts are pushing river waters above 73°F, endangering cold-water species like Atlantic salmon and brook trout by shrinking vital refuges. Native plants such as dwarf bilberry face disrupted pollination due to shifting bloom and insect activity timelines. Forests are transforming as heat-sensitive spruce and fir decline, replaced by warmer-climate trees like hickory and oak, while the tree line advances up mountains at about a foot per year. In Acadia National Park, red spruce habitat could shrink by half by 2100. These changes signal broader ecological distress with implications for biodiversity, ecosystem stability, and human well-being.