The push is on to have the provincial and federal governments take action against the gypsy moth infestation in Hastings County and elsewhere.
A report to the county’s Planning and Development Committee on Tuesday showed that a number of areas across Ontario are experiencing outbreaks which are resulting in the defoliation of trees.
Hastings County experienced a large impact of the infestation during the summer of 2021.
In an effort to help to determine the private lands within the County that experienced challenges related to the control of the moth, the county Geographical Information Systems (GIS) department developed a Gypsy Moth Tracker application and encouraged the public to enter their private lands to track the severity of the infestation being experienced in Hastings County.
Warden Rick Phillips pointed out the high cost does not allow many property owners to spray to fight the moths.
“One being the cost. The other is the property owners themselves will not allow us, many of them, to spray … I’m just grappling with what it is that we can do. I think the ministry should be involved in this. I think it’s their issue. It’s not just Hastings County, it’s the province of Ontario.”
In an effort to help determine the private lands within the county that experienced challenges related to the control of the moth, the county GIS department developed a Gypsy Moth Tracker application and encouraged the public to enter their private lands to track the severity of the infestation being experienced in Hastings County. The application is not representative of the complete gypsy moth infestation as the process was reliant on individual members of the general public submitting their personal data.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for establishing and maintaining standards to prevent the introduction and spread of plant pests in Canada. The Ministry of Northern Development Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry may conduct ground and aerial surveys to map areas which are experiencing devastation and may also undertake pest-specific forecast surveys to help predict defoliation in future years.
The Ministry does not manage infestations on private lands and the responsibility of the management of property lies with the landowner. It is also recognized that localized and individual private property treatment is challenging in forested areas.
The County of Hastings does not have the jurisdiction, expertise or capacity to undertake a survey that accurately interprets the devastation of the Gypsy Moth Caterpillar and recognizes that the Ministry of Northern Development Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry does endeavor in some of the data collection being sought by the Township of Limerick.
