Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Invasive Species Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Minnesota Department of Agriculture details 2025 spongy‑moth treatment proposal and emerald ash borer guidance for Pine County
Summary
State entomology staff outlined a mating‑disruption aerial treatment planned for about 4,608 acres in the Nemadji State Forest area of Pine County, described public notification and safety steps, and summarized emerald ash borer quarantines and community assistance programs.
Jennifer Berglinton, outreach coordinator in the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Plant Protection Division, briefed the Pine County Board on proposed 2025 management of spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) and the status of emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) quarantines.
On spongy moth, Berglinton said the proposed management for Pine County covers about 4,608 acres concentrated in the Nemadji State Forest and would use an aerial mating‑disruption product commonly called Splat GMO. “It is called, Splat GMO,” she told commissioners, adding that the product is EPA‑certified as an organic pheromone formulation that is species‑specific and biodegradable.
Berglinton described the life cycle and impacts of spongy moth: egg masses (roughly 500–1,000 eggs), small caterpillars that can be as small as a fingernail at emergence and grow to about the size of a pointer finger, and the potential for large‑scale defoliation that stresses and can kill trees. She said the state has used trapping and pheromone monitoring for decades and that treatment targets the adult flight stage to prevent mating.
State plans include a multi‑layered public‑notification campaign: mailed postcards to residents in and around treatment blocks, public meetings and legal notices, email and text alerts the day before and the hour before aerial work, coordination with emergency responders and hospitals, and a staffed reporter‑pest hotline during operations. Berglinton said spotter and application aircraft will typically fly about 50–100 feet above treetops and that multiple fixed‑wing planes plus spotters are used to complete blocks efficiently.
On emerald ash borer (EAB), Berglinton summarized current Minnesota quarantines that restrict movement of ash wood, lumber, mulch and firewood out of regulated areas; she noted that Minnesota’s most recent confirmed finds have pushed quarantines outward and that the regulatory map is updated as new finds are confirmed. State staff advised property owners and the county to use DNR cost‑share programs, urban forestry grants and DNR forest stewardship resources for large‑scale management and to plan for long‑term ash‑removal and replanting strategies.
Commissioners asked about private‑property notification and the ability of landowners to opt out. Berglinton said insecticide (Btk) treatments and mating disruption notifications are provided to affected residents and that residents receive mailings in proposed treatment areas; for mating disruption the state also issues broader public notices because it is an EPA‑registered pheromone application carried out with US Forest Service partners.
Ending: The Department of Agriculture encouraged residents to report suspect egg masses and signs of EAB, provided contact information and urged communities to plan long‑term for ash‑tree loss; commissioners were added to the Department’s alert list for forthcoming email/text notices.
