Two helicopters flew for several hours today over 2,000 hectares of cork oak forests in the municipalities of Sinnai and Burcei for the 2026 phytosanitary campaign against cork oak leaf-defoliating moths. Ten flights sprayed 5,000 liters of product onto the trees to stop the Limandra moth, which can devour the leaves and weaken the tree. The operation, commissioned by the Regional Department of the Environment, began on May 2nd and covers approximately 30,000 hectares of cork oak forests . It will be completed in the coming days in Gallura. The intervention is coordinated by Agris, Forestas, the Forestry Corps, and the University of Sassari.
Since 2023, Sardinian cork oak forests have been affected by increasing infestations of Lymantria dispar , Malacosoma neustria and Tortrix viridana , whose caterpillars cause extensive defoliation in late spring, with effects on plant vitality and cork production.
The Regional Council, with a resolution dated September 24th, upon the proposal of Councilor Rosanna Laconi, declared a state of phytosanitary emergency for the third consecutive year , allocating €2.35 million and activating the derogation procedures required by law. The Ministry of Health has authorized the use of the organic formulation based on Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (Btk), a selective insecticide used in aerial spraying.
"We are in the third year of active action, with results that confirm the validity of the strategy. The cork oak forests are a strategic asset for Sardinia—environmental, economic, and identity-building—and their protection, based on scientific evidence, is an imperative commitment for this Region," stated Councilor for Environmental Protection Rosanna Laconi.
"Dibomed data placed Sinnai and Burcei among the areas with the highest egg density in the Cagliari area. Hence today's intervention: ongoing monitoring is the scientific basis for all our operational decisions."
