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State forestry urges Warren County to designate coordinator, pursue grant for spongy moth aerial spraying
Summary
Virginia Department of Forestry staff briefed Warren County supervisors on a rising spongy moth outbreak, recommended a county coordinator and grouped spray contracts to reduce per‑acre costs, and outlined grant timelines and outreach duties for any local suppression program.
State forestry officials told the Warren County Board of Supervisors that spongy moths (formerly called gypsy moths) have re-emerged across parts of the valley and that local governments can use state grant funds to help landowners arrange aerial spraying at a lower per‑acre cost.
The briefing came during the board—s July work session as the agency described recent defoliation patterns, natural controls that suppress the pest, and how counties can organize spraying programs and outreach.
State forester staff showed maps of last year—s heavy defoliation (blue polygons) and this year—s activity (yellow polygons), and said the insects prefer oaks and hickories but will defoliate a wide range of species when populations are high. Aerial spraying using bacterial material commonly called Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) is a common treatment; the forester said droughts in recent…
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