Trees stripped bare by gypsy moth caterpillars in Northeast
7/20/2021 7:18:57 PM
CATEGORIES:
Plants & Wildlife
AFFECTED AREAS:
Connecticut
Massachusetts
Maine
New Hampshire
New York
Rhode Island
Vermont
Start Date: 7/4/2021
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A gypsy moth caterpillar outbreak in Vermont was the worst in many years, stripping trees of foliage. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented aerial forest inspections, allowing the outbreak to progress undetected for months.
Drought also was a factor in the outbreak. Rain would promote the growth of a fungus that kills the caterpillars and limit the population, but rainfall has been below normal. One million to ten million acres of forests may be defoliated in 2021 from this outbreak.
CNN (Atlanta, Ga.), July 4, 2021
Sources
