I believe that the mild winter has let the caterpillars thrive.
I've seen so many nests and destroyed trees surrounding  my land in the Burga.
I carefully removed around 60 to 70 nests last week by clipping of the branch and bagging them up. I then destroyed the nests on a controlled fire on my land.
I regularly walk my dogs in this area and don't wish for them to become harmed by the caterpillars, I also don't want to see the pine forests become decimated.