The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced Monday the start of aerial spraying of state-owned woodlands to combat the spread of spongy moths populations poised for spring outbreaks in many areas of the state.
Spongy moths, formerly known as gypsy moths, defoliated 855,406 acres in Pennsylvania last year, DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said in a press release.
“Suppression efforts are commencing now as these insects emerge and begin feeding,” Dunn said. “As the statewide leader in protecting our Commonwealth’s natural resources, we are conducting aerial spraying to keep this invasive pest in check and protect the trees from defoliation to maintain Pennsylvania’s 2.2 million acres of state forests.”
DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry will oversee spraying of 274 sites totaling 290,753 acres. Included will be portions of 13 state forests and 18 state parks, in 19 counties located in southcentral, central, northcentral, and northeast Pennsylvania.
The agency’s spraying efforts will cost more than $6 million, using a combination of General Funds, DCNR Special Funds, and Federal Funds.
In 2022, a total of 209,000 acres were treated. In addition to DCNR’s spray program, the Pennsylvania Game Commission will also be conducting an aerial spray program in 2023 on approximately 109,000 acres of State Game Lands.
State parks to be sprayed include:
Bald Eagle, Centre County
Black Moshannon, Centre County
Colton Point, Tioga County
Fowler Hollow, Perry County
Hyner Run, Clinton County
Hyner View, Clinton County Kettle Creek, Clinton County
Kings Gap, Cumberland
Leonard Harrison, Tioga County
Little Pine, Lycoming County
Ole Bull, Potter County
Pine Grove Furnace, Cumberland County
Poe Paddy, Centre County
Poe Valley, Centre County
Promised Land, Pike County
R.B. Winter, Union County
Ravensburg, Clinton County
Sinnemahoning, Cameron County
“In Pennsylvania, these destructive, invasive insects go through cycles where outbreaks generally occur every five to 10 years,” DCNR Forest Health Manager Rosa Yoo said. “Populations had declined in 2019 and 2020 thanks to the spongy moth fungus disease and wet spring weather, but that no longer is the case in 2021 and 2022, resulting in the need for suppression efforts.”
The suppression program is conducted with the goal of minimizing defoliation so that trees do not become stressed and succumb to disease, other insect pests, or drought.
Aerial spraying will be conducted by one helicopter and seven fixed-wing aircraft. Progress of the spray program can be followed using the interactive map on the DCNR web page, which shows the location of all 274 spray blocks.
Targeted sites are determined by surveys of egg masses and other indicators across the state indicating populations are increasing and have the potential to cause major defoliation.
Feeding while in the larval – or caterpillar – stage, the insect usually hatches and begins feeding from mid- to late April in southern Pennsylvania, and in early to mid-May in the northern part of the state. Oak, apple, sweet gum, basswood, birch, aspen, and willow trees are most affected by the spongy moth.
Bureau of Forestry experts note the state’s oak stands are especially vulnerable to infestations, often resulting in tree mortality. The loss of habitat, timber, and tree growth are considerable when populations go untreated.
A tree begins to significantly suffer when 30 percent or more of its leaf surface is lost, experts said.
Source: fox43.com
Photo Credit: pexels-heru-vision
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