WVDA outlines spotted lanternfly trunk-application treatment strategy for county properties

Tyler Schwisow of the West Virginia Department of Agriculture presented the department’s spotted lanternfly (SLF) remediation protocol to the Brooke County Commission on Feb. 27.

Schwisow said the protocol begins by searching permitted properties for Tree of Heaven, the preferred SLF host, then marking each tree to determine the treatment strategy. For trees under 5 inches in diameter, crews apply the herbicide Pathfinder II directly to the trunk, a method the presenter said kills the tree within a month and confines chemical exposure to the trunk. For trees more than 5 inches, the department uses the systemic insecticide Transect applied to the trunk so the tree becomes toxic to SLFs; larger trees are not treated with herbicides because of the risk of a standing dead tree causing injury or property damage. The department will not spray within 15 feet of a water source and will reassess treated sites annually to check for resprouts.

Schwisow said trunk application targets SLFs while minimizing impacts to non-target native species by limiting environmental dispersal of chemicals. The presentation referenced attached pesticide labels for both Pathfinder II and Transect; no formal county action was recorded on the protocol during the meeting.