'Banner Year' For Gypsy Moths, But State's Trees Suffer

If you've stepped out into the wilderness lately you may have noticed some unusual leaves. In fact, they may look a bit like Swiss cheese.

That's the calling card of the gypsy moth. The moth has exploded this summer over the state's forests and turned what would ordinarily be thousands of acres of green into big patches of brown, defoliated trees. Scientists say it's in part because the lack of rain this spring has decimated a fungus that normally keeps the moths in check.

We took a walk through the Upton State Forest with Ken Gooch, forest health program director at the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, to see how bad the damage is this year.