Garrett Co Forest Pest Report

Melissa Nash
Feb 25, 2020
2 min read

The MD Dept of Agriculture has released the 2019-2020 Garrett County Private and State Lands Forest Pest Report.

This Forest Pest Report is to inform you of the results of our 2019 gypsy moth egg mass surveys for Garrett County. The Western Maryland Office of Forest Pest Management began gypsy moth egg mass surveys on private and state land in Garrett County on July 3, 2019 and completed them December 9, 2019. A total of 1034 surveys were conducted on 64,619 acres throughout the county (see table 1), 600 surveys were conducted on private land and 434 surveys on state land. There were 9 positive sites in 2018 and 232 positive sites in 2019, indicating a 2477.78% rise in the number of positive sites. However, the population levels that were detected in 2019 are below our minimum suppression requirement of 250 egg masses per acre. It is a pleasure to report there are no areas proposed for treatment for gypsy moth caterpillars in the spring of 2020.

Table 1

Western Maryland Office of Forest Pest Management

Egg Mass Survey Totals for Garrett County 2019

#Private land Survey Points 600 #State land Survey Points 434 Total Survey Points 1,034 # Acres Surveyed 64,619

I have included a color- coded map that indicates where the surveys were conducted for gypsy moth egg masses in 2019 and the population levels of gypsy moth egg masses in those areas. We will begin gypsy moth egg mass surveys again in July 2020.

In addition to gypsy moth surveys, we monitor for several damaging forest insect pests and diseases in Garrett County. First, the forest insect pests include: Sirex noctillio (an invasive wood wasp), Walnut Twig Beetle, and the Southern Pine Beetle. These have not yet been detected in Garrett County. We also treat and monitor Hemlock Woolly Adelgid populations on State Land and conduct Emerald Ash Borer parasitoid releases.

Secondly, the forest diseases include: Beech Bark Disease (found on State and private Land), Beech Leaf Disease, Bacterial Leaf Scorch and Oak Wilt which were not detected in 2019.

If you have any questions or concerns or would like literature on any of our forest projects

mentioned above please contact our regional office in Cumberland at (301) 777- 3601 or e-mail me at: sally.cannon@maryland.gov. You may also visit our website at http://mda.maryland.gov/plant-pests/Pages/forest_pest_management.aspx