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U1/Uti/U4 '1'11U lti:5t3 N'Ab bU3 ytSti 4ltSti UUA YLA1V'1' ll1V. 11JL UU1 ~U I ?~f r ~Y~ ~ cSSt.U~ April 12, 2001 V ~ ~ ~ v ~ \ - Mr. Dick Wanderscheid p~~`~" ~ ~ City of Ashland i~ City Hall ~ C.~ 20 East Main St. Ashland, OR 97520 Dear Dick: Pursuant to 14 C.F.R. 137.51(b)(1), the Oregon Department of Agriculture respectfully requests the City of Ashland to authorize low-altitude helicopter flights associated with the gypsy moth eradication program to be conducted in Ashland by the Oregon Department of Agriculture in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. The eradication area covers about 160 acres south of Southern Oregon University and between Glenwood Dr. and Indiana St. It is likely that a small buffer area surrounding this eradication area will receive some Btk, but in quantities much less than the eradication area. Three aerial applications of Btk are planned at about 7 to 14 day intervals. Spraying will be done by helicopter, and start approximately one-half hour before sunrise. Spraying should be complete in less than two hours unless delayed by weather or operational problems. The tentative treatment schedule is as follows: April 24, May 7 and May 17, 2001. If not eradicated, the gypsy moth infestation detected in Ashland poses a major problem for Ashland, our state and the West. Introduced accidentally into Massachusetts in 1869 from Europe, gypsy moth has become a major pest of trees of shrubs in the northeastern United States and in the midwestern and southern states where it has spread. Caterpillars eat the leaves of over 500 plant species from April through June. Millions of acres of forested and urban areas aze defoliated annually in the eastern United States. Most trees in the area of Ashland where a gypsy moth infestation has been discovered aze prime hosts for gypsy moth. Oaks and madrone trees are especially preferred, but caterpillars also feed on evergreens such as pine and Douglas fir. Important orchard and backyard trees like cherries and apples are also attacked. Evergreen trees may die after one year of defoliation and deciduous trees may weaken and die after a couple years of severe gypsy moth feeding. Trees stripped of their leaves become more susceptible to other pests and pathogens. Gypsy moth establishment in Ashland (and spreading to the rest of Oregon) would have significant negative impacts, including • quarantines covering outdoor household articles, recreational vehicles, agricultural and timber products and other items • increased pesticide use and production costs (to protect crops and meet quarantine requirements) • timber production losses - tourism losses