In an effort to preserve a symbol of Penn State, an organization is raising money to protect one of Mount Nittany’s most important assets — its trees.
This year, the Mount Nittany Conservancy hopes to raise enough money to spray Mount Nittany to prevent damage caused by gypsy moths, said Ron Woodhead, the president of the organization.
Gypsy moths, which hatch in late spring, cause massive defoliation and can wipe out many of the mountain’s trees. If nothing is done by August, Mount Nittany will be leafless, Woodhead said.
“To prevent that, the conservancy has been raising money to spray the mountain, but the problem isn’t just losing the leaves,” Woodhead said. “It’s a long-term issue and one that doesn’t look good.”
The Mount Nittany Conservancy manages several hundred acres on the summit of Mount Nittany, specifically the part that is wooded. This year, there is a large number of gypsy moth egg masses on the trees that will hatch out in May, Woodhead said.
“If you have more than 200 egg masses per acre, it’s worth spraying,” he said. “There are places on Mount Nittany that are more than 5,000 egg masses per acre, so this really is a problem.”
The state of Pennsylvania, and specifically Centre County, experiences the worst gypsy moth defoliation nationwide.
“We’re at ground zero here. Trees’ lives are at stake,” said Erich May, a member of the Mount Nittany Conservancy board of directors.
The Mount Nittany Conservancy spends about $13,500 each time it sprays the mountain with bacteria to eliminate the moths. If the nonprofit organization were not partnered with the state, the cost of spraying would be near $50,000, Woodhead said.
“There were areas last year that were wiped bare ... It spreads like a rash,” he said.
May said the conservancy wants to make sure the gypsy moth threat doesn’t affect the mountain’s ecosystem and aesthetic appeal.
“Essentially, we’re in the business of keeping the mountain green,” May said. “There’s a man-made threat, which is people buying adjacent properties, but we also have this big issue with gypsy moths causing defoliation.”
Gypsy moths originated in Europe and were brought to the United States with the thought that it might be a new silk worm, Woodhead said.
“It turned out to be more than we bargained for,” he added.
Gypsy moths rest on trees and when they hatch, the larvae crawl up the trees and eat the leaves. Over time, they can cause serious defoliation, leading to health problems for trees, associate professor of biology Katriona Shea said.
“A tree can handle a few — it’s just like any other insect — it’s just when there’s an outbreak, trees get killed,” she said.
Woodhead said keeping the mountain and its trees safe from damage would be an ongoing task that continues past this summer.
“This isn’t a once and done deal,” he said. “Even if we raise enough for this year, we may have to spray next year and the year after that to keep at them.”
