Forest Service Collaborates with Pennsylvania on Gypsy Moth Treatment

Caption: European Gypsy Moth. Photo by E. Bradford Walker, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, Bugwood.org

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PA DCNR) and Forest Service Eastern Region are collaborating to suppress European gypsy moth populations in the Keystone State.

“The European Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar or EGM) is native to Europe and first arrived in the United States in Massachusetts in 1869. This moth is a significant pest because the caterpillars have voracious appetites for more than 300 species of trees and shrubs, posing a danger to North America's forests,” noted the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Forest health surveys conducted in 2020 indicated the gypsy moth population is expected to increase or persist in certain areas of the state in 2021.

More than 203,000 acres of forested land is planned to be treated in Pennsylvania in 2021. PA DCNR will deploy two to three helicopters and six fixed wing aircraft to conduct the spraying operation in 2021.

The goal of the spraying operation is to reduce the gypsy moth population to improve forest health.

The Forest Service routinely collaborates with state agencies and cooperators on a wide range of forest health issues, providing grant funding and technical assistance.

The Forest Service is providing $500,000 this year for the gypsy moth spraying in Pennsylvania.

While most of the acreage to be treated will comprise mostly state lands, about $160,000 of the total federal funding will be used to treat 2,850 acres on the Allegheny National Forest. PA DCNR provides $340,000 in in State Cooperative Gypsy Moth Program funding for this aerial spraying. Total cost for the project including the state’s contribution is $840,000.

In addition to Pennsylvania, the Forest Service will be engaged in suppression activities in New Jersey and Maryland this year.