(EWING) – The New Jersey Department of Agriculture will hold a public meeting from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., Wednesday, January 4, 2023, at the Public Health, Environmental and Agricultural Laboratory (PHEAL) in Ewing to allow members of the public to address issues and concerns relating to the lymantria dispar dispar (LDD) aerial treatment program proposed for the spring of 2023.

The purpose of the program is to suppress populations of LDD, formerly known as the gypsy moth, and reduce defoliation and subsequent tree loss caused by the caterpillars. Recently completed egg mass surveys, conducted by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, show that approximately 3,384 acres of residential, municipal and 1,115 acres of state-owned properties in Burlington, Cape May and Ocean Counties qualify for the treatment program.

The public meeting is an integral part of an environmental analysis of the proposed project. The session will include a presentation outlining the scope of the proposed 2023 treatment. The public will be given the opportunity to present oral comments pertaining to new issues and information regarding the proposed aerial suppression program. Written comments also will be accepted.

The LDD information session will be held 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday, January 4, 2023, in the Auditorium at PHEAL, 2 Schwarzkopf Drive, Ewing, NJ, 08628.

For more information on New Jersey’s LDD suppression program, visit: www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/pi/prog/gypsymoth.html. Also, for national LDD material, visit Lymantria dispar dispar (usda.gov).

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