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VAFHP evolved from the Association of Virginia Gypsy Moth Managers (AVGMM). In the late 1980s, AVGMM was developed by and for municipal-level governments in northern Virginia to help organize, train, and license local Gypsy Moth Coordinators in response to the emergence of the spongy moth (Lymantria dispar, formerly known as gypsy moth) caterpillar. The federal, state and municipal governments organized a defensive plan to adapt to the presence of this new pest. 

 

As the spongy moth populations diminished in the late 1990s, AVGMM initially expanded its scope to address fall cankerworm (Alsophila pometaria) management and then added other forest pests such as hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) and emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis).


As its mission expanded, AVGMM was dissolved in 2008 and replaced by Virginia Association of Forest Health Professionals (VAFHP). In this new incarnation VAFHP carries on with the educational functions of the former AVGMM. VAFHP focuses on:

  • Existing and emerging forest and arboricultural pests and disease

  • Supporting both the urban and rural forest health professionals throughout Virginia and surrounding states

  • Sharing information with other states such as North Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky and Tennessee

  • Promotes the safe and sustainable use of pesticides through integrated pest management

History

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