Several new local counties placed under spotted lanterfly quarantine list
The Department of Agriculture has added six new counties to the spotted lanternfly quarantine list.
Butler, Clearfield, Clinton, Fayette, Lawrence and Somerset Counties have been added to the list.
The counties were added before the 2023 spring hatch.
The quarantine list now includes 51 counties.
Beaver, Allegheny, Armstrong, Westmoreland, Indiana, Mercer and Cambria counties were already on the list.
Officials say the lanternflies are invasive and damaging to agriculture.
“The purpose of expanding the quarantine is to raise awareness and slow the spread of the spotted lanternfly,” said Dr. Ruth Welliver, director of the department’s Bureau of Plant Industry. “Thanks to an actively engaged community, and aggressive treatment and monitoring by the Department of Agriculture and our partners, we are limiting the spread and impact of this pest across the Commonwealth and are assisting our commodity growers in protecting their crops.”
A $150,000 grant is also available for counties in the area to help them better follow the quarantine. A district can be awarded up to $25,000.
The application for those funds begins on March 5 and ends on April 7 at 5:00 p.m.
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