MPP Tim Hudak once again called on the Minister of Natural Resources (MNR) today to heed Niagara residents’ call for an MNR-funded gypsy moth spraying program. The gypsy moth (above) deforested more than 12,000 acres of foliage in Niagara in 2006The gypsy moth, according to the MNR, is a particularly dangerous pest because it can nest in more than 500 different native plant species. It is most destructive during the larval stage, typically in June, when entire areas can be stripped of foliage. Hudak last called on MNR Minister David Ramsay to fund a spraying program in November, which could have been administered in time to avert the same sort of destruction seen in the Niagara region last year. Professional arbourists have estimated that gypsy moths deforested more than 12,000 acres across the Niagara peninsula in 2006. Those experts estimate the same devastation will occur in Niagara this year, though it might have been avoided had the Minister heeded Hudak’s call for a comprehensive spraying program. “The longer we have to wait, the more expensive it is going to be when this annual infestation spreads throughout other greenbelt communities and across the province,” Hudak wrote in a letter to Minister Ramsay. (Letter is attached below) July 5, 2007 Hon. David Ramsay Minister of Natural Resources 6630-99 Wellesley St. W, 6th Floor, Whitney Block Toronto, ON M7A 1W3 Dear Minister Ramsay, I am writing to you to once again express the immediate need for a Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) funded gypsy moth spraying program for the Niagara region, particularly for the Township of West Lincoln. The gypsy moth, according to the MNR, is a particularly dangerous pest because it can nest in more than 500 different native plant species. It is most destructive during the larval stage, typically in June, when entire areas can be stripped of foliage. Professional arbourists have estimated that gypsy moths deforested more than 12,000 acres across the Niagara peninsula in 2006. Those experts estimate the same devastation will occur in Niagara this year, though it might have been avoided had you heeded my call for a comprehensive spraying program last November, which would have been administered in time for this season. In response to my November 1, 2006 letter, you suggested that municipalities, such as the Township of West Lincoln, should fund their own spraying program. You cited the City of Mississauga as a working example of a municipality that has a municipally-funded gypsy moth spraying program. Unfortunately, this is logistically impossible for smaller municipalities like West Lincoln. The City of Mississauga has a population of more than 700,000 and an annual budget of $457 million to spend as it sees fit. Despite the fact that West Lincoln is 100 square kilometres larger than Mississauga, it only has a population of about 12,000 and a modest annual budget of $7.8 million. As you can imagine with such a small population in such a large area, there are still plenty of forested areas that are at risk from gypsy moth infestation. The Township of West Lincoln simply can not afford to protect all of those trees on its own. West Lincoln is doing their best to offer a spraying program with the budget they have to work with and the area they have to cover, but it is limited to those landowners who have the financial wherewithal to have their entire properties sprayed. Despite their efforts, large areas of the municipality and countless trees currently home to gypsy moth larvae will not be sprayed. Furthermore, I have been told that even if a property owner has their land sprayed for gypsy moths and their neighbours abstain from spraying, their land will be vulnerable to infestation again the next year. Minister, while it could already be too late to save thousands of acres of trees this year, you could draw the line here by implementing a comprehensive MNR-funded spraying program for West Lincoln and the Niagara peninsula. The longer we have to wait, the more expensive it is going to be when this annual infestation spreads throughout other greenbelt communities and across the province. In closing, please accept my best wishes. Sincerely, Tim Hudak, MPP Erie-Lincoln cc: Katie Trombetta, Mayor of West Lincoln