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NEWS BRIEFS
Gypsy moth treatments planned in 2 W.Va. counties
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia officials are proposing the aerial treatment of nearly 3,800 acres in Grant and Preston counties this spring to slow the spread of gypsy moths.
Agriculture Commissioner Walt Helmick says his department is accepting public comment through March 15 to identify any significant issues related to the project.
Helmick says the spraying should occur in mid-May.
Officials say wildlife experts have assured them that no rare, threatened or endangered species would be harmed by the treatments.
The gypsy moth is a non-native caterpillar that has become established in most of the northeastern United States. It feeds on more than 500 species of trees and shrubs but prefers the leaves of oak trees, West Virginia’s predominant forest tree.
