The province is announcing plans to carry out a spongy moth treatment program throughout the Island, including Campbell River, this spring.

Invasive spongy moths - formerly known as gypsy moths - pose threats to forests, farms, orchards, and urban trees.

The Ministry of Forests will be spraying to keep the moths from becoming permanently established.

The treatments are planned for Campbell River, Courtenay, Port Alberni, and Victoria, between April 1 and June 30.

Spongy moth caterpillars feed on tree leaves and have defoliated sections of forests and residential areas in Ontario and the eastern United States in recent years. Should spongy moths become permanently established, trees, such as Garry oak, red alder, aspen, cottonwood, maple, orchard fruit trees, nut trees and many species of urban ornamental trees, will be affected. Other pollinators that rely on these trees face increased competition from the spongy moth caterpillars.

In a release, the province says it is using a biological insecticide that poses no threat to people, and only goes after spongy moth caterpillars once they have ingested the treated vegetation.