Privateers

Restoration Tips

Sassafras and Cottonwoods (in Grasslands)

Since they are clonal and wildly resprout after fire or cutting, where they are invading each and every last little stem needs to be basal barked. The band of herbicide (mixed with a penetrating oil) only needs to be as wide as the circumference, but it should go all the way around, below the first stem. News Flash: For the small stems, just swipe one side. Our own experiments and Chris Helzer's advice (prairieecologist.com) says this should be enough.

Daubing the Buckthorns (both Common and Glossy)

Buckthorns are a major target of our restoration work. They suck the life out of the wetlands (ie take out the water) and shade out the native wetland inhabitants. If we just cut them down, they simply resprout and we have even more stems to deal with. Like all our target shrubs, we herbicide the stumps, carefully applying all around the sap bearing inner layer of the bark.

Alas, the buckthorn is a bugger, he often resprouts anyway, further down the stump. This is a well known problem in the ecological restoration field, and the answer is quite simple: also swipe herbicide down the stump. This basal bark treatment works well to suppress the epicormic buds which burst through the bark after being awakened by our cutting through the bark. It is also helpful to cut closer to the ground, leaving less area for resprouts.



Tree of Heaven Techniques

This stinker is less common in most of our preserves, but it is very tricky to deal with. Never cut it. The trick is to get herbicide into the system, and keep the plant going long enough for the herbicide to be transported into the roots. If you cut and daub, the above ground part is killed, but the clonal root system will sprout up again nearby. For small sprouts and saplings, basal bark the stem, all the way around, for a foot or more length. It will start to wilt in a week. For larger stems, with a narrow blade (small hatchet) hack a downward angled cut and spray water based concentrated herbicide into the hack. Leave an inch of intact bark between hacks.

Black Locust needs similar treatment. It's clonal roots can resprout many yards distant, so work to get all the sprouts in as wide an area as possible.

Our very own daubers

The details of our daubers continues to inspire various "maker" projects. We are always trying to make the all important final kiss of death for the invasives just a bit easier on us, and a bit less likely to incur "collateral damage" on the precious plants we are trying to encourage.

Jeff has recently improved our basic buckets with a screen on one side to wipe off excess fluid and a clever tube and stake system to be sure the bucket doesn't tip over in the brush and snow. And of course there is the ever popular Buckthorn Blaster, and its much less expensive cousin the Bingo Marker (enlisted for off-label use by Chainsaw Chuck). David has his custom made sponge on a stick carried in the side pocket of his bedraggled painter pants, Brad has is famous mini-bucket and roller. Carol and Stan have both used various kinds of repurposed squeeze bottles. Tom recently discovered the Shur-Line Touch Up Painter at the hardware store: sort of a ready to wear version of Virginia and Rich's haute couture item (see below).


We have been especially fortunate to have our very own industrial designer take on this challenge, and Rich has designed and custom 3D printed for us several units of the Herbi-Roller (to the right of the photo below). A very posh mini-roller with its own belt attached holster, now at Release 0.5. These are very effective, and like any good tool, one needs to use them properly:

-At the start of a work session, shake up the fluid and knock the duff out of the mechanism by tapping it on your shoe or something.
-When in use in the field, the roller can be carried head down in the holster. It won't normally leak and is protected from accidental contact (the blue blotches of the Eco-Restorer).
-The roller should freely slide up and down to where it contacts the top of the pad where the herbicide is released.
-To get herbicide onto the roller, gently press down on the roller down against the stump to release the spring valve under the pad. Gently roll back and forth while pressing until the roller gets moistened.
-Apply the herbicide to the cut stump by rolling at an angle instead of straight down without pressing down hard (so the pad isn't worn out).

Between work sessions, store them roller up so the contents don't clog in the dispenser head. No need to empty them or wash them up between sessions.