Crop quarantine imposed between Santa Rosa, Sebastopol

Eighteen square miles of land stretching from southwest Santa Rosa to Sebastopol has come under quarantine in the state’s efforts to eradicate the light brown apple moth.

Farmers, nurseries and residents inside the quarantine area are prohibited from improperly moving plant materials from their properties. Growers typically must have their crops or fields inspected before harvest and declared free of the pest.

The area, the third region of the county to fall under quarantine, was announced Monday when state agricultural officials released a map detailing its boundaries.

The quarantine area extends from Highway 12 in the north to Highway 116 and Stony Point Road in the south.

On the eastern side, the boundary begins at Highway 12 and Llano Road, runs south to Ludwig Avenue and then east to Stony Point.

The western boundary begins in Sebastopol at Highway 12 and Petaluma Avenue, a part of Highway 116. Other roads on the western boundary include Elphick, Snow, Bloomfield, Canfield, Blank and Hessel.

The moth, originally from Australia, was first confirmed in California two years ago. Since then 71,867 have been found, mostly in the Bay Area and south to Monterey.

Twenty-five moths have been confirmed in Sonoma County, according to a count released Friday by the state Department of Food and Agriculture.

In the county, the first two moths were found near Sonoma, but the quarantine there was lifted after months without subsequent moth discoveries. Another quarantine remains in effect in the Carneros grape growing region in the south of Sonoma and Napa counties.

The state maintains the moth can attack more than 2,000 plant species, including more than 250 crops. Officials say the larvae damages fruit by feeding on the plant surface, and the moth can deform young oak and cypress seedlings and damage new growth in forest canopies.

Critics dispute that the moth poses a threat to the state’s environment or agriculture.