Area legislators want state to fund spraying

State Assemblymen Joseph Malone and Ronald Dancer have introduced legislation that directs the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to adopt a comprehensive gypsy moth control plan and provides $5.5 million in funding for the implementation of those control measures.

"The damage caused in New Jersey by gypsy moth infestations has been extensive and we need a coordinated, fully funded effort to control this problem," said Malone (R-Burlington, Ocean, Monmouth and Mercer). "If we do not address this issue we will continue to see an expansion of the destructive defoliation that has occurred throughout this state."

The bill, A-4468, directs the secretary of agriculture to determine annually areas for gypsy moth control measures and to implement those control measures. It provides up to $5.5 million in state funding to support the full implementation cost of that plan.

According to a press release from the assemblymen, it is estimated that in the past 30 years the gypsy moth has destroyed nearly 1 million acres of forest each year nationally, although in certain years that destruction has spiked much higher, such as 1981 when 12 million acres were defoliated.

In addition to the defoliation of trees and shrubs, during heavy infestations the gypsy moth caterpillar can become a nuisance for homeowners, often infiltrating homes and outdoor furniture.

"If we do not effectively deal with this problem now, the cost of this destruction will grow in the future," said Dancer (R-Ocean, Monmouth, Burlington and Mercer). "People's properties are being destroyed by this pest and we need to act now to control this infestation."

According to the press release, repeated defoliation can be fatal to trees and New Jersey is in one of the hardest hit regions in the nation. Nearly 200,000 acres were defoliated in the state last year and this year has been particularly troublesome for New Jersey as control efforts early in the season were hampered by a large forest fire that diverted resources.

An identical bill, S-2875, has been sponsored in the state Senate by Sen. Robert Singer (R-Ocean, Monmouth, Burlington and Mercer).