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The Destructive Gypsy Moth, A Tree Defoliator and Major Forest Pest

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Tree Damage of a Gypsy Moth Caterpillar
The Destructive Gypsy Moth, A Tree Defoliator and Major Forest Pest

Gypsy Moth Damage

Louis-Michel Nageleisen/Invasive.org
The effects of defoliation depend primarily on the amount of foliage that is removed, the condition of the tree at the time it is defoliated, the number of consecutive defoliations, available soil moisture, and the species of host. When a tree loses most of the leaves, was unhealthy and in a drought at the time, had lost leaves in prior infestations and was an oak...probably a dead tree will be the results.

The good news is, if more than 50 percent of a tree's crown is defoliated, most hardwoods will refoliate or produce a second flush of foliage by midsummer. Healthy trees can usually withstand one or two consecutive defoliations of greater than 50 percent. Trees that have been weakened by previous defoliation or been subjected to other stresses such as drought are frequently killed after a single defoliation of more than 50 percent.

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