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HARRISBURG -- In an effort to protect wildlife habitat, the Pennsylvania Game Commission will spray for gypsy moths on more than 23,907 acres of state game lands beginning next week.
Spraying will occur on 14 different state game lands, in areas identified as having the greatest need for treatment to prevent defoliation and tree loss due to gypsy moth damage.
"Those participating in spring gobbler season might encounter helicopters or other aircraft spraying state game lands or other forested areas," said Dave Gustafson, Game Commission Chief Forester. "We want those hunters to rest assured that the spray -- Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) -- is not harmful to humans, and it usually only takes a few hours to complete each spray block."
This year's spraying will includes 2,611 acres in the Southcentral region. Areas to be sprayed are State Game Lands 88 In Perry and Juniata counties; State Game Lands 107 in Juniata County; and State Game Lands 171 in Perry and Juniata counties.
The spraying follows a 2016 statewide inventory of gypsy-moth impacts that detected defoliation on more than 15,000 acres.
"This year, we are spraying additional acreage beyond what was actually defoliated last year," Gustafson said. "Based on the egg mass counts in 2016, we anticipate some local gypsy-moth populations are growing again, and we want to be proactive to prevent a population build-up that would result in similar defoliation and loss."
The game lands to be sprayed were selected based on the importance of oaks there; whether they included existing Important Bird Areas, Important Mammal Areas or critical/unique habitats; their past gypsy-moth impacts and resulting forest-habitat conditions; and the financial values of timber stands there.
Gustafson noted that previous gypsy moth impacts enabled a rapid transition of forest habitat types on state game lands, from mixed-oak to stands dominated by birch and maple, which are not nearly as beneficial to wildlife as mast-producing oak stands.
"Prior to gypsy moth impacts, oak trees in Huntingdon County reportedly were producing 173 pounds of acorns per acre. After gypsy moths, the same areas were yielding only 67 pounds of acorns per acre. Seven of the eight lowest acorn production years occurred after gypsy moths hit the area, and 43 percent of oak trees were lost."
Peter Sussenbach, director of the Game Commission's Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Management said that, based on how valuable oaks are for wildlife on game lands, the agency simply can't afford not to invest in spraying this year.