Since Congress funded the Slow the Spread Program (STS) in the year 2000, ten states located along the leading edge of gypsy moth populations, in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service, have implemented a region-wide strategy to minimize the rate at which gypsy moth spreads into uninfested areas. As a direct result of this program, spread has been dramatically reduced by more than 70% from the historical level of 13 miles per year to 3 miles per year. In just 6 years, this program has prevented the impacts that would have occurred on more than 40 million newly infested acres.

Congress funded full implementation of the gypsy moth slow the spread strategy (STS) in fiscal year 2000. The USDA Forest Service (FS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) expect that integrating STS into the USDA’s national gypsy moth management programs will reduce spread rates of this exotic pest at least 50% from historical averages of 13 miles per year. The two USDA agencies along with state partners located along the leading edge of gypsy moth populations cooperatively implement STS. The states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and North Carolina are actively involved in STS. Minnesota and Iowa will likely join the program in the near future. The nonprofit STS Foundation, which manages the STS program, provides the states with a formal framework for cooperation and ensures that federal funds are targeted where biologically needed. Key highlights from the 2002 season follow.