by Kate Evans
Morgan County landowners who signed up for the spongy moth (gypsy moth) suppression program won’t likely see any cost share money to help them pay for the aerial spraying of their property this spring. In the past, that federal cost share covered up to half of the cost of treatment.
Landowners can’t opt out once their deposit invoice is paid so they will have to pay the full price for the spraying.
Spongy moths did heavy damage in local forests last spring as predicted, and a second year of moth damage to hardwood trees is expected in a few months.
Scott Hoffman, West Virginia Department of Agriculture Gypsy Moth Cooperative Suppression Program Coordinator, said in an email to The Morgan Messenger that his department was hoping to receive some cost share funding for landowners, but they haven’t heard anything. Spongy Moth treatment cost share dollars come from the USDA Forest Service.
Limited if any funding
Program officials have emphasized since summer during the sign-up process and the deposit invoice process that there would likely be limited if any cost share money available for the Spongy Moth Suppression Program.
Hoffman said they’ve stressed this to landowners during the sign-up process and the deposit invoice process.
Participants were told when they sent out the deposit invoices that the survey deposit was non-refundable and there may not be cost share dollars available. Landowners were told they may have to pay the entire treatment cost, Hoffman said.
The application does include this statement: “The WVDA has received cost sharing dollars in the past that have paid for approximately 50% of the actual treatment cost. If the cost share funds happen to not be available, due to the lack of sufficient U.S. congressional budget allocation, landowners should be prepared to pay the total cost of aerial treatment. The estimated maximum cost will be on the deposit invoice. Unfortunately it is often March before WVDA is advised of the cost share amount that we will receive. A final invoice will be mailed at the time with the remaining balance which will need to be paid before the treatment will be conducted.”
Hoffman said program staff has also stressed that landowners shouldn’t pay the Treatment Deposit unless they were prepared to pay for the total treatment cost if cost sharing money isn’t available. The treatment deposit is also non-refundable and was included in their documentation.
“Our deposit invoices had the estimated maximum cost per acre for each treatment material if grant money was not available so landowners could calculate what their cost would be without cost sharing,” Hoffman said.
Final invoices
Final invoices will be sent to landowners for the balance of the treatment cost on March 1.
Likely it will be for the entire contracted cost per acre. There is a federal government freeze on all grants, Hoffman said.
Hoffman didn’t expect his program would have any notification of assistance by March 1. Treatments are in May because of the life cycle of the spongy moth.
The WV Department of Agriculture program is required to send the March final invoice so landowners have time to receive and return the invoices before treatments begin.
“In some ways we are fortunate to have our treatment program set up as it is so landowners can still pay the total cost and still have their property treated. There are treatment blocks and programs in some states and federal programs that are having to be dropped because of the funding or not enough time to bid their aerial contracts,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman said he hoped that everything would get sorted out for next year.
