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WVDA COMPLETES ANNUAL GYPSY MOTH TREATMENT; APPLICATION PERIOD
FOR NEXT YEAR BEGINS JULY 1
Charleston, W.Va – Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass has announced that 11,156 acres of forest and forested residential land has been treated through the Cooperative State-County-Landowner (CSCL) Program to control the population of gypsy moths, a destructive insect that threatens the health of West Virginia’s trees.
“The gypsy moth is the most serious plant pest in West Virginia. It eats a wide variety of trees and shrubs, and West Virginia’s vast forest resources offer an ideal habitat for this invasive pest to feed upon,” said Commissioner Douglass. “This treatment program helps to safeguard our timber and tourism industries, which are vital components of our state’s economy.”
The gypsy moth feeds on over 500 species, including West Virginia hardwoods. Defoliation by gypsy moth caterpillars can kill trees, or weaken them substantially, making them more susceptible to other pests and diseases.
Originally introduced into Massachusetts in 1869, the gypsy moth has slowly spread north to Maine and south to North Carolina. Despite control efforts, the infestation continues to move south and west.
Moths were first documented in West Virginia in 1972, and the first caterpillars were found in 1978. Each year, gypsy moths affect tens of thousands of acres of West Virginia forest and cause millions of dollars in lost forest productivity.
The aerial treatments were conducted out of Cumberland Airport in Wiley Ford between May 10 and May 17 and encompassed parts of Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, Morgan, Monroe and Webster Counties. The insect growth regulator Dimilin (diflubenzuron) was applied to 9,212 acres of state and private land while the bacterial insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (BTK) was applied to 1,944 acres of state and private land.
The CSCL Program is a cooperative effort between the WVDA, USDA Forest Service (USDA-FS), West Virginia University Cooperative Extension Service (WVU-CES), county commissions and private landowners. The Program requires landowners to pay 50 percent of the cost of application and insecticide and the USDA-FS pays the remaining 50 percent for those lands that meet program guidelines. For lands that qualified under the Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP), administered by the West Virginia Division of Forestry, the landowner paid 25 percent and the USDA-FS paid 75 percent. The entire program is a year-long process that culminates in the treatment project in May.
The application period for next year’s CSCL Program will begin July 1. Application forms are available at www.wvagriculture.org/Division_Webpages/plant_industries.html and at local WVU Extension offices.
For more information, or to request forms, contact WVDA Plant Industries Division Assistant Director Clark Haynes at 304-558-2212 (chaynes@ag.state.wv.us), or Gypsy Moth Program Coordinator Quentin “Butch” Sayers at 304-788-1066.
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The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org.
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