“We will have (gypsy moth) defoliation next spring in some areas.”

That was the message Cecile Stelter, district forester with the state Bureau of Forestry brought to the City of Warren Street Landscape Committee on Tuesday.

She explained that “quite a few” egg masses have been found in surveys this fall “but (the) egg mases are small.” While a cold winter might help, Stelter’s prediction was clear: “We will have defoliation next spring in some areas.”

She said some of the trees defoliated this year re-leafed.

“And a tree can do that. It can cycle so a lot of those areas did,” she said. “There is resiliency.”

She said monitoring would continue and that the Bureau will communicate where the worst defoliation is anticipated.

FALL TREE PLANTING

City Arborist Joe Reinke told the committee that the city received a grant from TreePennsylvania for 20 free trees.

“(You) kinda have to pick your trees before you have a planting site for them,” Reinke said, explaining that this fall’s planting will include these 20 trees as well as 20 more.

He said that 12 of those trees are slated for S. South St. where a street reconstruction project is wrapping up. That project, he added, “turned out real nice. Hopefully here in a few years (we will) have a nice tree lawn as well.”