NJ wants to cut gypsy moth spraying

TRENTON — Garden State officials want to cut the number of acres sprayed for gypsy moths by one third this year. They say the leaf-devouring insect is on the decline. The state Agriculture Department has proposed spraying more than 65,000 acres in 98 towns in May and June. An aerial survey in 2008 found that nearly 340,000 acres of trees statewide were moderately to severely defoliated by gypsy moth caterpillars. Sussex, Warren, Monmouth, Ocean and Burlington counties were hardest hit. That was only slightly more damage than 2007. The state says 30,902 acres of trees died in 2007 and 2008, with the largest number in Burlington and Ocean counties.