Wet spring causes maple tree infection

An official with the Maine Forest Service says a wet spring is the reason maple leaves are falling from trees across the state weeks earlier than usual. The Forest Service’s Bill Ostrofsky says calls from concerned homeowners have been pouring in. Ostrofsky says the wet weather this spring provided ideal conditions for two particular types of fungi to flourish. Dave Struble of the Forest Health and Monitoring Division told the Portland Press Herald the trees can weaken if the infections last more than a year or two.