Herbicide Application

Home Forest Management

Eastern Forest Consultants maintains pesticide business licenses and applicator certifications in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.  However, we are willing and able to acquire certifications in additional states as needs dictate.  Primarily landowners contact us regarding invasive species control, but we also conduct several pine releases every summer.  Currently we are equipped to handle applications with an ATV sprayer and back-pack sprayers for broadcast or spot applications.  We utilize spray bottles for hack-and-squirt applications on larger trees.   Invasive Species   Invasive tree and plant species are becoming a widespread problem throughout the east coast.  Exotic, invasive species are often able to outcompete native, desirable tree species creating unsightly infestations that often decrease property and timber value.  Through rapid growth and/or allelopathic functions, invasive species choke out native vegetation quickly.  It is highly recommended that landowners address invasive species infestations early before they become more difficult and expensive to manage.  All invasive species infestations are different and create new challenges.  We have found that utilizing appropriate herbicides through one or multiple techniques such as broadcast spraying, spot spraying, cut-stump treatments, basal applications, and/or hack-and-squirt to be the most efficient and inexpensive way to deal with most invasive species infestations.     Pine Seedling Management   The typical pine plantation should be released from hardwood competition during the 1st through 3rd growing season.  A pine release involves broadcast spraying a selective herbicide at a rate that will kill or control hardwood species but not pine trees.  This operation is performed in late summer after the pine tree buds have had time to harden.  Alternatively, it is often advisable that new stands undergo a site prep spray prior to tree planting if the area contained a lot of Virginia Pine pre-harvest or when seed-producing pine trees surround the harvest area.     The Truth About Herbicides   Many misconceptions about the dangers of herbicide usage exist within the general public.  Unlike insecticide or rodenticides, herbicides do not target bodily functions of human beings.  Herbicides are formulated to attack the plant processes (ex: photosynthesis) so coming in contact with an herbicide is not nearly as dangerous as inhaling or touching other types of pesticides.  Of course, Eastern Forest Consultants abides with all herbicide labels which provide mandatory personal protective equipment requirements during application, but the truth is that the toxicity levels of most herbicides used in forestry are lower than items you may consume every day.  For more information regarding herbicide toxicity levels or herbicide application in general, please read "Environmental Safety of Forestry Herbicides" or "Herbicides and Forest Vegetation Management; Controlling Unwanted Trees, Brush, and Other Competing Forest Vegetation".  Further information on herbicides can be found at our Resources page.