Excerpt from Forest Plantation Release: What It Is, How to Do It

Only a limited amount of brush release by spraying with the chemical herbicides has been done so far in Minnesota. Back-pack pumps have been used but are practical only for small areas (fig. Power pumps mounted in trucks, in trailers pulled by a jeep, or on cat wagons seem to be satisfactory. Such pumps may be equipped with a boom with several nozzles or with one or two hose lines. For extensive areas of low brush, aerial application seems very promising.

Figure 6.-low release by spraying foliage of overtopping brush with Chemical herbicides.

In applying chemical herbicides, the user should be guided by the manufacturer's suggestions. On the basis of work done thus far, satisfactory top kill of such common brush species as hazel, willow, and alder, and of many common herbs, can be obtained by applying 30 to 50 gallons per acre of a water solution containing 1 to 2 pounds of pure -d (acid) per 100 gallons. Other competing species are killed only by the similar chemical -t, so it is often necessary to apply the two in mixture. There is considerable resprouting the second year from most species of woody plants, just as there is from hand-cut brush. Repeat applications may, therefore, be necessary to do an effective job of release of young plantations in heavy brush.

For plantation release involving woody plants, only the ester formulations of these two chemicals should be used. Since there is always a chance of injuring crops on neighboring lands by drift, spraying should be done only when the air is calm. The foliage of the vegetation to be sprayed should be relatively dry. Although the brush can be killed back to the ground by spraying at any time after the leaves are well developed, resprouting is lessened in most species if the work is done in mid-growing season (july). However, pine plantations may be injured by the herbicides at this time, so it is better to delay release spraying of these until early August when the new growth of conifers will have hardened off.

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