FOR INFORMATION AND ACTION

DA-2023-04 

April 10, 2023 

Subject: APHIS Adds Douglas County, Wisconsin to the Spongy Moth (Lymantria dispar) 

Quarantine Area

To: State and Territory Agricultural Regulatory Officials

Effective immediately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is adding

Douglas County in Wisconsin to the list of quarantine areas for spongy moth (formerly known as 

gypsy moth1

). The moth population in this county has reached the threshold to trigger the 

quarantine expansion. 

To prevent further spread of spongy moth, the attached Federal Order provides notification that 

APHIS is adding Douglas County in Wisconsin to the regulated area. Effective immediately, all 

interstate movement of regulated articles from Douglas County must be handled in accordance 

with 7 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 301.45. Wisconsin has established a parallel state 

quarantine. 

Spongy moth is a destructive insect of approximately 300 species of trees and shrubs. The 

Spongy Moth Program prescribes conditions for the interstate movement of regulated articles 

from quarantine areas. The federal and state partnership limits the establishment of the moth

outside the quarantine area that would result from human-assisted movement of the pest. We 

appreciate the cooperative relationship with Wisconsin in the effort to limit the spread of spongy 

moth. 

The full lists designating spongy moth quarantine areas and regulated articles are published on 

the APHIS website at: 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/plant-pest-and-disease-programs/pestsand-diseases/sa_insects/spongy-moth/

For more information about the Spongy Moth Program and Federal spongy moth regulations, 

please contact National Policy Manager, Kathryn Bronsky, at (301) 851-2147. 

Dr. Mark L Davidson 

Deputy Administrator

Plant Protection and Quarantine 

1

APHIS Announces New Common Names for Regulated Lymantria Moths

Attachment: Federal Order
FEDERAL ORDER

Domestic Quarantine of Douglas County, Wisconsin for Spongy Moth 

(Lymantria dispar)

DA-2023-04 

April 10, 2023 

This Federal Order lists the expanded quarantine area for spongy moth (formerly known as gypsy 

moth) to Douglas County, Wisconsin. 

This Federal Order is issued in accordance with the regulatory authority provided by the Plant

Protection Act of June 20, 2000, as amended, Section 412(a), 7 U.S.C. 7712(a). The Act

authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to prohibit or restrict the movement in interstate 

commerce of any plant, plant part, or article, if the Secretary determines the prohibition or 

restriction is necessary to prevent the dissemination of a plant pest within the United States. This 

Federal Order is also issued pursuant to the regulations implemented under the Plant Protection

Act found at 7 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 301.45. 

Effective immediately, APHIS adds Douglas County in Wisconsin to the quarantine areas for 

spongy moth. The spongy moth population in Douglas County has reached the threshold to 

trigger the regulated area. Accordingly, the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service (APHIS) finds it necessary to quarantine the county to prevent the spread of 

spongy moth. All interstate movement of spongy moth-regulated articles from Douglas County 

in Wisconsin must be done in accordance with the regulations implemented pursuant to the Plant 

Protection Act found at 7 CFR § 301.45 et seq. and any applicable provisions of this Federal 

Order.

APHIS confirmed spongy moth infestations in various areas of the United States, for which the 

Administrator has determined that quarantine areas are necessary to prevent the spread of the 

moth. The full list of quarantine areas due to the continuing spread of spongy moth are 

designated at:

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/plant-pest-and-disease-programs/pestsand-diseases/sa_insects/spongy-moth/

7 CFR § 301.45-2(a) allows the designation of less than an entire state as a spongy moth 

quarantine area only when the APHIS Administrator has determined, as in this case, that the 

designation of less than an entire state as a quarantined-spongy moth area is adequate to prevent 

the interstate spread of infestations. In addition, 7 CFR § 301.45-2(b) requires that the state 

enforce an intrastate spongy moth quarantine equivalent to the federal regulations. The state 

plant regulatory official for Wisconsin confirmed the establishment of an intrastate quarantine 

for the regulated area that mirrors the Federal Regulatory requirements as specified in 7 CFR § 

301.45. 
7 CFR § 301.45-2(c) provides the temporary designation of new quarantined areas to be added to 

the list on the APHIS website at: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/plantpest-and-disease-programs/pests-and-diseases/sa_insects/spongy-moth/. 7 CFR. § 301.45-2(c) 

further requires written notification to the owner or person who possesses a newly quarantined 

area. This is the responsibility of the federal and/or state regulatory personnel responsible for the 

spongy moth program in the affected state.

For more details on the Spongy Moth Program and Federal spongy moth regulations, please 

contact National Policy Manager, Kathryn Bronsky, at (301) 851-2147. For information on 

regulatory requirements for the movement of articles out of quarantined areas in Wisconsin, 

please call Wisconsin State Plant Health Director, Christopher Deegan at (608) 286-3608.

We continue to appreciate the cooperative relationship with Wisconsin in our effort to prevent 

the spread of spongy moth.