Thien Tan: Inchworms cause concern for eucalyptus trees

Forest rangers and people check eucalyptus forests

Mr. Chu Van Thuan, Mo Vau village, the first person to discover the inchworms damaging the eucalyptus trees, said: My family has about 1.5 hectares of forest. At the end of October 2025, I went up to the eucalyptus forest to check and heard a "rustling" sound like light rain. Looking up at the tree canopy, I saw the leaves were eaten to pieces, and the ground at the base was full of fallen worm droppings. I found it strange so I immediately reported it to the village chief.

Not only Mr. Thuan's household, the neighboring eucalyptus forests also have similar situations. Mr. Tran Van Thuong, Party Cell Secretary, Head of Mo Vau village, said: The village has 84 households, 390 people, the people here mainly develop the forest economy , planting eucalyptus and acacia trees. On average, 1 hectare of eucalyptus has a 5-year planting cycle, with a value of over 200 million VND. Up to now, the village's eucalyptus forests have mainly been affected by fungus and leaf burn, but this type of inchworm has never appeared. When I received the news from the people, I reported to the commune government and specialized agencies to check and take remedial measures.

Faced with this situation, the Department of Agriculture and Environment conducted a field inspection in Mo Vau village, Thien Tan commune. Through the inspection, the commune has found leaf-eating caterpillars damaging eucalyptus trees with an average density of 10-20 individuals/tree, locally 50-100 individuals/tree, age 3-4, infected area of about 10 hectares. This is a leaf-eating caterpillar that damages many types of plants (acacia, eucalyptus...), the color is similar to the color of the eucalyptus trunk, difficult to detect without careful inspection. The eucalyptus canopy that has been eaten shows signs of drying out, directly affecting growth.

The Department of Agriculture and Environment also issued Official Dispatch No. 5094 dated November 12, 2025 on focusing on directing the prevention and control of leaf-eating cutworms that damage eucalyptus trees in the province. In particular, directing units under the Department to strengthen investigation, detection, and monitoring of the situation of cutworms causing damage to eucalyptus trees, acacia trees, etc., guiding and coordinating with local authorities to deploy effective prevention and control measures. At the same time, requesting the People's Committee of Thien Tan commune to assign staff to coordinate with specialized agencies and people to monitor the situation of cutworms causing damage to eucalyptus trees, acacia trees, and instructing people to prevent and control them in a timely manner.

Mr. Dang Minh Tuan, a forest ranger in charge of Thien Tan commune, said: This is the first time we have recorded inchworms damaging eucalyptus trees in Thien Tan commune. Through monitoring, the worms appeared in mid-October, coinciding with a period of warm and humid weather. Now, as the weather turns cold, some of the worms have entered hibernation. However, if the ground cover is not treated, in early spring, when the temperature increases, the worms will hatch and continue to cause damage.

According to the recommendations of the specialized agency, to prevent the Eucalyptus cutworm, people need to regularly check the forest, clear and collect the vegetation around the infected forest to eliminate the wintering place of the worm. For the forest areas planted for 4-5 years, people can harvest and treat the vegetation. Up to now, people have exploited the areas that are old enough to harvest and clear the vegetation in the infected area and continue to monitor closely.

According to the forecast of the professional agency, in the coming time, when the weather gets warmer, it will be the conditions for the inchworm to develop and cause damage. Therefore, the People's Committee of the commune and professional agencies continue to closely monitor the situation to have timely prevention measures, minimizing damage to the people.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/thien-tan-phong-tru-sau-hai-bach-dan-5066924.html