WELLS, MAINE — SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 — Kameron Culbertson, a member of the Acadia National Park Fire Crew, lights flames during a prescribed back burn at the Wells Barrens Preserve. Conducted by TREX Maine and the Acadia National Park Fire Management Team, the burn targets “ladder branches,” the lower limbs of trees that can carry flames into the canopy. By removing the ladder branches of birch, which are outcompeting pine, land managers aim to give pines a better chance to regenerate. Because the fire is limited to lower branches, most pines survive, helping maintain a pine-dominated landscape over time.