REGIONAL— If you hear a low-flying helicopter near you in the coming days, it may be part of a routine effort by the St. Louis County Land Department to manage several reforestation projects in the area.
The county has eight parcels, totaling 253 acres, about half of which are located in the Burntside state forest, where managers are opting for aerial application of herbicide to “release” planted pine stands from competing broadleaved brush and young trees.
“We’ve been doing this for about 15-20 years,” said Jason Meyer, St. Louis County Land Commissioner. “This year, it’s mostly in the Ely area,” he said.
In fact, most of the work will be undertaken in the Eagles Nest area, with one other treatment set to take place about two miles west of the Y Store in Vermilion Lake Township.
The county spraying is being undertaken by a DNR contractor, since the DNR conducts similar work throughout forested parts of the state. Young pine regeneration can become inundated with faster-growing broadleaved competitors. While the DNR and St. Louis County often use hand-treatment of herbicide to control competing vegetation, in some cases they opt for aerial application. Statewide, the DNR is planning to aerially apply herbicide on 15 sites totaling 434 acres, including the eight sites in St. Louis County.
“We strive to use the right tool to grow forests, and sometimes that includes herbicide,” said a spokesperson for the DNR’s forestry program. Given that the DNR manages about 10,000 acres of reforestation annually, the percentage where chemicals are sprayed aerially is quite small.
“Pesticide is not our first choice for establishing or tending young trees on state forest land, but in some cases, it is the best tool for helping to get planted conifers established and past competing hardwood competition,” he added, noting that most sites are sprayed just once in the rotation cycle of the stand.
The timing of the spraying is determined by the growth of the young pine. Late in the summer, the growing bud tips for the following year harden off and, at that point, they aren’t vulnerable to the effects of the herbicide. In either case, the spraying is scheduled to be wrapped up by Sept. 15.