Ledyard — A town committee tasked with researching and implementing a townwide aerial spraying program for gypsy moths is planning to apply for one of the first permits to do so in decades.

As a test case of sorts in the state, the committee also faces a number of hurdles in the coming months as it begins to gather its application materials. It is hoping to spray in the spring, may not be able to secure the permit in time for this year.

Last year's defoliation caused by the gypsy moth, whose caterpillars feed on the leaves of oaks and other hardwood trees, was one of the worst in recent memory, according to officials at the state Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven.

Resident Naomi Rodriguez, who brought the gypsy moth infestation to the Town Council's attention last summer, serves as the chairwoman of the ad-hoc committee and has been in frequent contact with state officials.

So far, the committee has held a meeting with officials from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to discuss its plan, researched the companies that could apply the non-chemical pesticide and staked out areas they would be able to spray.

The committee also has sent reports on its research out to first selectmen and mayors of towns from Chester to Hopkinton, R.I., to spark regional interest.

Due to time and manpower limitations, the committee has been focusing on a small, roughly hundred-home area along Seabury Avenue, Lynn Drive, Eska Drive, Maybell Circle and Church Hill Road after its meeting with DEEP but said it would be able to accommodate other areas if there is interest.

"Right now it's just leg work, getting the signatures, and we're going to have to go door to door" in the coming weeks, Rodriguez said in an interview Friday, adding the committee would welcome anyone interested in helping out.

Before the committee applies for the spraying permit, it will have to conduct a pre-assessment of the area and secure signatures from property owners that want spraying and property owners nearby that indirectly may be hit with the biological pesticide. Depending on what type of aircraft is used, there will be a 200- to 300-foot buffer around property owners that do not consent to spraying.

"It's been a long learning experience, not only for me, but it's (also) going to be for town officials and for the state," Rodriguez said.

Finally, the committee also will need to secure a contractor to conduct the spraying of Bacillus thuringiensis, or Btk, a naturally occurring bacterium that only affects the caterpillars.

Robert Isner, director of the Waste Engineering and Enforcement Division of DEEP, described the bacterium as "safe for the environment and exposure to humans" to The Day in August.

Acting Supervisor for Pesticide Management Diane Jorsey, who oversees aerial spraying permits, said she believed the last permits for gypsy moth spraying were issued in the 1980s, during the last outbreak, and the last aerial spraying permit for any pesticide was granted for tobacco fields between five and seven years ago.

It will be a long process for the department to review the application, Jorsey noted.

"Just the time to compare the signature sheets to the mapping ... is going to be time consuming," she said.

Only one company, Dynamic Aviation, is certified in the state to do aerial spraying. A company representative told the committee that several thousand acres are needed to justify the cost of fixed-wing aircraft, but it could sub-contract to use helicopters.

The idea of using drones to spray the smaller area the committee is eyeing has been raised several times, but drones are not permitted under current regulations and DEEP has said it would need time to review them.

"I think that the potential is there for having to review regulations ... I think we need to have a legal review to see if our regulations need to be amended," Jorsey said.

A mold, Entomophaga maimaiga, introduced from Japan, has played an important role in combating outbreaks of gypsy moths, and in large part has prevented the kind of large-scale outbreaks that Connecticut saw in the 1980s.

But it needs a wet spring to be activated, and droughts in the past two springs have hampered its effectiveness. Because most moths were able to reproduce over the summer, things are not looking good for 2017, said Dr. Kirby Stafford, the Chief Entomologist at the state Agricultural Experiment Station.

"I expect another large gypsy moth outbreak again this year," Stafford wrote in an email. "There are a lot of egg masses out there."

A map released by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station shows damage from the gypsy moth concentrated in southern and eastern Connecticut.

In Rhode Island, according to Paul Ricard, forest health coordinator for that state's Department of Environmental Management, roughly 50 percent to 75 percent forest cover was affected by the gypsy moth.

Even if the committee is unsuccessful, Rodriguez said, and must resort to a backup plan of less-effective ground spraying by a licensed arborist, the information it has gathered won't be a total loss.

"Next year it should be easier," she said.

n.lynch@theday.com