No. Tordon can be active for 5 years. It can wash off stumps from rain and kill for years.
Def not a forgone conclusion and in fact probably fairly rare, but it's a risk. And when there are other options, I'm just not going to risk it.
Def not a forgone conclusion and in fact probably fairly rare, but it's a risk. And when there are other options, I'm just not going to risk it.
T_Max
PMA Member
Tracking. Thanks for the info!
DMarley83
DMARLEY83
Need some controversy here. I have had many farms with tons of honey suckle, multifloral rose, etc....Tracking. Thanks for the info!
I AM NOT A FORESTOR!
I fully understand the desire to eradicate. (Mainly the multifloral) I am an advocate of the honeysuckle. IMO (very easy to remove if need to)
Personally like it for deer cover/browse/mid day movement.....
However, I can not count the 1000's of times I have kicked deer out of both of these.
I think back to my memory of 5 or less where I have kicked up beded deer in an open pasture with no tree/shrub/brush.....
Just some food for thought.
Weeds are better than bare soil.
If mine I'd remove themulti floral once there was a better cover moving in.....
gsquared23
Member
I absolutely target patches of MFR during my scouting and hunting on public as it’s great cover and its the only thing that keeps other guys out. I have a hard time leaving it on private, but if I clear out an area and provide the sunlight, something thick will grow up.
northcedar
Well-Known Member
I stopped being that guy some years ago because it doesn't go over well on these forums. We've been buried in the crap for decades. Maybe someday a new version of me will try to take it on, but we honestly have millions upon millions of the BHS plants, as do all the neighbors. Although I hate how it looks and what it's done, I'm busy as it is, and it's on my list albeit way down there (as in 1,000th+) for things to tackle. Our deer absolutely browse the crap out of it, bed in it, and hide from enemies in it. It nearly accomplishes everything that the guys on habitat forums are trying to achieve. Yes I know it outcompetes natives and isn't desirable. People can't figure out why we have an occasional mature buck to hunt. Well IMO it's largely because of BHS.
BearCreek
Member
Honeysuckle plants are easy to remove or kill, but when you have to remove thousands (some requiring you to lay on the ground and cut), I can assure you they are not easy to remove. That species is causing what will eventually require specific and direct government intervention (beyond EQIP) because of the damage it is causing to the environment. Deer will bed in any shrub and I'm sure would much prefer plum, dogwood, or hazelnut, etc. but those native species are displaced. I'm sure its browsed in some places, but it is minimal and not preferred. If it is being browsed heavily (I hear this repeatedly and have never witnessed it, must not like it too much or it wouldn't be invasive), your habitat is in poor shape. Its proliferation will also end oak regeneration in our forests.
People also ignore the decerease in land value it causes. Potential buyers are unlikely to desire BH monocultured landscapes, especially with no timber regen once logged. Call up a forester or other operator and get quotes for running a skidsteer and following up with a foliar spraying for two years. These add up quickly on a per acre basis.
Of course you're not going to kick deer up out of an empty pasture. That's a classic false choice argument. Bush Honeysuckle v open pasture, no one is advocating for the latter.
Remove all the honeysuckle, AO, and MFR on your property. Especially if you are planting shrubs and trees. MFR is the easiest to deal with and my preferred method is basal bark spraying in dormant season. BH and AO should be your initial focus. I prefer cutting the stump and using herbicide, or if smaller in size, foliar spraying in mid to late fall (if you can do this and not disturb deer) is really effective. Don't use tordon.
Aerial spraying is a promising method for control as it can be implemented via drone and done in the fall when everything else is dormant.
If you let BH or AO go unchecked, it will eventually (2-3 years) outpace your ability to control it. You will always be fighting it as one of your neighbors will let it go unchecked. I really need to write up a canned cohesive response for my anti-invasive rants. My experience with BH and AO is limited to the midwest, perhaps in other regions it is less of a problem.
DMarley83
DMARLEY83
Sounds like you have a lot of knowledge on the subject, how ever real world experience IDK. Laying on the ground and cutting by hand tells me a lot.....
have literally removed 10s of thousands, 0 by cutting.
Pull/stack/burn. No chemical/ no mess/ good seed bed when complete....Personally would never remove 100%. Most human plantings fail for one reason or another....
To each his own. I'd suggest easing into it. Compare the 2 areas a year or 2 later. Will be able to detrimn What habitat the animals prefer. ...
BearCreek
Member
If the plant is big enough and canopied to the ground, especially on steep slopes, yes, one occasionally has to get down on the ground to get to the base of it. A lot of the terrain here does not allow for the use of machinery to pull honeysuckle (which will have a massive seedbank of BH under if mature). Plants that are only 1-2 years old are too small to use equipment to pull, but pulling by hand is somewhat effective if the ground is wet.
We must have vastly different infestations as pulling would be a monumental undertaking. But if I had open areas with mature BH and AO, your method is certainly preferable. I wish I had less real world experience, but invasion removal isn't my profession, just a passion.
We must have vastly different infestations as pulling would be a monumental undertaking. But if I had open areas with mature BH and AO, your method is certainly preferable. I wish I had less real world experience, but invasion removal isn't my profession, just a passion.