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Demonstrations
Title: Applied Herbicide Demonstrations and Webinars at the Dixon Center
Background: Landowners often have multiple objectives for their property including but not limited to timber production, wildlife habitat management, invasive species management, wildfire risk reduction, and aesthetics. Timber harvesting, prescribed fire, and mechanical treatments are tools that can used to achieve these objectives, but issues with liability, species composition, invasive exotic species, and economics can leave landowners and land managers with few options. Often, no management is conducted which limits the health of the forest and wildlife habitat. Forest managers and private landowners need more information about the benefits of herbicide applications as another set of tools in their toolbox for management. Landowners and land managers need more information about practical herbicide treatment options that can be used to help overcome management barriers and achieve a mixture of objectives. This webinar series will focus on applied herbicide treatments on Dixon Center.
Demonstration 1: Mid-rotation Understory Treatment in Pine Stands
This webinar will focus on a mid-rotation understory treatment in pine stands. The objective will be to showcase “on-the-ground” demonstrations at the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center of converting an understory dominated by woody broad-leaf and waxy-leaf plants to a more grass and forb dominated understory. The application will include a tractor or all-terrain vehicle (ATV) mounted sprayer and highlight rates and mixtures including but not limited to Imazapyr, Glyphosate, Metsulfuron Methyl, Triclopyr, and surfactant as appropriate. The webinar will also provide information about forestry herbicides, application methods, training, and safety information.
Webinar:
Mid-rotation Understory Treatment in Pine Stands
Demonstration 2: Strip and Spot Treatments in a Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) or Mixed Pine Forest
This webinar will focus on strip and spot treatments in a longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) or mixed pine forest where improving fire effects, longleaf pine natural regeneration, and diversity of native understory are the objectives. This “on-the-ground” demonstration at the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center will showcase maintaining a desirable understory of grasses and forbs through the use of selective herbicides like Garlon (Triclopyr), while also addressing problem areas of wood vegetation for the purposes of natural regeneration. This application will include a tractor mounted sprayer and backpack applications. The webinar will also provide information about forestry herbicides, application methods, training, and safety information. The effects of both demonstrations will showcase opportunities for improvements in prescribed burning options, wildlife habitat, and potentially lower costs for future site preparation treatments.
Webinar:
Strip and Spot Treatments in a Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) or Mixed Pine Forest
Demonstration 3: Invasive Species
This webinar will focus on various treatments of invasive species including Japanese climbing fern (Lygodium japonicum), cogongrass (Imperata cylindrical), and Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinese). Invasive plant control is an ongoing battle which will continue to be a challenge in modern forestry and wildlife management. The objective of these “on-the-ground” demonstrations at the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center will be highlight application methods using both a tractor/ATV mounted sprayer and backpack sprayers using rates and mixtures including but not limited to Glyphosate and/or Triclopyr as appropriate. The webinar will also provide information about forestry herbicides, application methods, training, and safety information.
Webinar:
Expected Outcomes: The effort will focus on three key aspects of practical herbicide applications. Each demonstration and webinar will include photograph points, videos, and manager notes that will be completed before, during, and after the treatments to provide users with the full documentation of the application throughout the process. The power of technology and the internet provides opportunities to reach and engage landowners and land managers through an online format along with having functional real-life demonstrations to visit.
Funding provided by the Alabama Forests Forever Education Grant
Alabama Forestry Association
https://www.alaforestry.org/page/AFFF?
https://www.alaforestry.org/
Demonstration pictures and videos can be accessed online via the SDFEC Collection on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/140857272@N08/collections
Title: Last line of defense: firebreaks for Japanese climbing fern control
Background: Landowners and land managers need more information about strategies to attempt to control Japanese climbing fern (JCF) (Lygodium japonicum). JCF is becoming a silent threat that is creeping across our stands and often going unnoticed until it begins growing vertically. We are actively trying to develop a strategy for the property by prioritizing stands with Japanese climbing fern infestations and trying to treat sites where possible. A large part of the monitoring and treatment strategy has involved roads and firebreaks. Firebreaks are plowed and refreshed on a periodic basis as part of our prescribed fire program. Whenever possible, we try to utilize natural fire breaks, wet areas, and limit soil disturbance. With over 40 miles of firebreaks and roads, these areas provide an open seedbed for JCF and are a conduit for the spread. Attempts have been made in selected stands to treat fire breaks to contain JCF from growing vertically and spreading to other stands. Once the firebreaks around a selected stand are treated by backpack sprayers or an all-terrain-vehicle (ATV) tow-behind sprayer, JCF is then treated within the stand with spot treatments from backpack sprayers.
Expected Outcomes: This effort will focus on demonstrations of firebreak and stand treatments, which will include photograph points, videos, and manager notes that will be completed before, during, and after the treatments to provide users with the full documentation of the application throughout the process. These materials and the associated webinar provide information about JCF, highlight the biology, and offer examples of the attempts to treat and monitor JCF at the Dixon Center.
Funding provided by:
The Alabama Invasive Plant Council
Links for more information:
Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council
Biology and Control of Japanese Climbing Fern (Lygodium japonicum)
Demonstration photos can be accessed online via the SDFEC gallery at Flickr.com.
Direct link to the Session – begins December 14th at 10:00am Central Time. View the Japanese Climbing Fern Webinar
Access the chat program for the Session if you want to ask questions or interact.
ACES Public Programs Folder – ACES public content.