Gypsy moths wreaked havoc on trees in Carbon County this spring.

Around 75 residents impacted by the devastation turned out Tuesday night to hear how the state's aerial pesticide spraying program can help their cause in 2016.During a half-hour presentation in the Carbon County courthouse, Tim Marasco, section chief for the Bureau of Forestry's Forest Pest Management Division, outlined how county property owners can qualify to have their trees sprayed.The program targets 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 measured by Dave Horvath, county gypsy moth coordinator.The catch is that the spray block will extend to 23 acres, even if you have less land."That means if you have an acre of land and none of your neighbors apply to be in the program or agree to share the cost, you'll have to foot the bill for the entire 23 acres," Marasco said. "The Forestry Service determined that for the program to be the most effective, we would need to include a 500-foot buffer in each direction. If a bunch of neighbors also get in on the program, that spray block is going to be bigger than 23 acres, but the idea is that we can't just spray a single residence."The cost per acre for the 2016 spraying is unknown, Marasco said, but it could be as high as $55 an acre. That's up from $26 per acre in 2015 and due to an expected decrease in federal funding.Horvath said Tuesday that 138 property owners had already expressed interest in the program for 2016. It will be the third straight year the county has participated in the state program.Applications were available Tuesday night and can also be picked up at the Mauch Chunk Lake Park office. The deadline to submit an application is Aug. 30.After the spraying blocks are determined, bills will be sent out to participating property owners in November.If properties qualify, spraying would take place between early May and early June.Neighbors not involved in the program and objecting to the spray could eliminate an entire spray block or, at the very least, modify it."If there is a neighbor within that 23 acres or whatever the spray block is that objects, we may not be able to do it," Marasco said. "It's best to talk to your neighbors and get them on board."Horvath said the spray, of which a half-gallon is used per acre, worked well in 2015."We had 700 acres sprayed at Mauch Chunk Lake Park and you could notice the difference," he said. "I've had homeowners who got the spray tell me the same thing."On the residential side, 164 acres of private residential land was sprayed in 2015 with a total cost to the property owners of $4,264.Meeting attendees seemed mostly satisfied with what they heard, though some are concerned about the potential cost and liability if their neighbors get upset."The cost is going up, which isn't a good thing, but I'm willing to pay for the 23 acres to save my trees, even though I only have 5 acres," said Tom Weisman of Franklin Township. "My concern is that if I sign on to have that done and I can't get my neighbors on board, what happens if they get ticked off. I'm hopeful but still a little skeptical."Oak, apple, sweet gum, basswood, birch, aspen and willow trees are affected the most by the gypsy moth. Older larvae also will feed on hemlock, pines, spruces, northern white cedar, and other conifers.A tree begins to suffer when 30 percent or more of its leaf surface is lost."We all know it was bad here this year," Commissioner Wayne Nothstein said.According to Marasco, the gypsy moth has been in Pennsylvania since 1932 and the Poconos have traditionally been the most defoliated area of the state."Pennsylvania has a lot of oak trees," Marasco said. "When these gypsy moths are in the later stages and fully grown, they can strip a whole tree."While this year was bad, it likely won't match the peak of 1990, when 4 million acres in the state were defoliated.So what can area residents expect in 2016?It all depends on the weather."April and May are the key months," Marasco said. 'If they are cold and wet, a natural fungus kicks in and a lot of the gypsy moths will die. If it's warm and dry like this year, we're in trouble again."