Date of Graduation

1999

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MA

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Geology and Geography

Committee Chair

Gregory A. Elmes

Committee Member

Timothy Warner

Committee Member

Daniel Weiner

Abstract

Gypsy Moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), has been an exotic pest in West Virginia for at least fifteen years. The initiation of treatment to prevent defoliation has been an important method that helps to reduce the spread of, and the area defoliated by, this pest. This research study identifies the recent expansion of the gypsy moth population and the extension of the affected area, documents the defoliation, and evaluates the treatment of gypsy moth infestation in West Virginia for the years 1986 to 1996. Repeated defoliation by the gypsy moth damages and kills trees and has hygiene and aesthetic consequences. The study incorporated GIS capabilities to produce map overlays of defoliation location and treatment areas. It also describes the problems faced when incorporating data from many different sources. The defoliation from gypsy moth in West Virginia has undergone a significant decline in the recent years so it seems that the treatments were working in preventing the defoliation. Although the gypsy moth is moving west, it would also seem to be controlled sufficiently in the areas defoliated during the early years in this study.

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