Carbon County officials are conducting field assessments for the 2016 gypsy moth suppression program.

On Thursday, the county commissioners approved agreements with Monroe Cressley, Todd Kriner, Fred Merluzzi, Chris Santore, Jim Warnagiris and Jeff Wartluft at a compensation of $10 per assessment plus mileage for services from Sept. 28 through Oct. 23.The assessments will be used to determine which landowners qualify for the suppression program.Criteria includes having a total of 23 acres of forested residential property that must contain trees 25 feet or more in height and consist of at least 20 percent or more of highly favored species, including apple, aspen, basswood, beech, birches, box elder, hawthorn, larch, oaks, willows and witch hazel trees; and also have at least 250 healthy gypsy moth egg masses per acre, which is determined by Horvath using a specific equation.Residential properties with only scattered ornamental trees and shrubs or any property with trees that are readily accessible to ground spray equipment do not qualify for this program.Areas that have very small egg masses, regardless of the number, often do not qualify for the program because the gypsy moth population will most likely succumb to natural mortality agents shortly after they emerge in the spring.This past year, Carbon County was the only county in the state to utilize the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, Division of Forest Pest Management's program and offer spraying to combat the influx of gypsy moth infestations.This year, a total of 774 acres were sprayed in the county at a cost of $26 per acre for a total of $20,124.Of that total, 610 acres was Mauch Chunk Lake Park property and cost the county $15,860. The remaining 164 acres was private residents who qualified to be part of the spraying, and they shared the $4,264 balance.The cost per acre for the 2016 spraying is unknown, but it could be as high as $55 an acre.The application deadline has passed for the 2016 spraying program.In other matters, the commissioners voted to award contracts for the home rehabilitation project program throughout the county. The home rehabilitation project helps low income families receive necessary home updates to their house.There are six projects that will be completed during this round of funding.The Service Team of Lehighton was the apparent low bidder in all projects.Project details have not been released by the county Office of Planning and Development.