AUGUSTA, Maine — A committee of the Maine Legislature is slated to resume a debate over a proposal to prohibit aerial spraying of herbicides in the state's forests.
The proposal has faced opposition from the Maine timber industry. Members of the industry say it would take a useful tool away from them in managing the state's working forests. The Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry is going to revisit the issue on Thursday.
The committee held a lengthy session on the proposal last week and did not reach a vote. A vote in favor of the proposal would give it a greater chance to pass the full Maine Legislature. Some northern Maine residents support that idea, but timber representatives say the spraying helps control vegetation for companies that harvest trees.
