Finally some winter field work!

After waiting all winter, we were finally able to do some field work. Marci, Kathie, and I sprayed sumac clones on this sunny day with temperatures in the 40's F.

Although native, sumac is one of those shrubs that you can't allow to grow unchecked. It can form huge leafy clones which block out all the other native vegetation. Left unchecked, it can form a monoculture. (Take a look at some roadsides.)

Last fall, when sumac clones were easy to spot because of the brilliant red leaves, Heisley and I surveyed Pleasant Valley Conservancy with GPS. We established a waypoint for each clone, and we ended up with over 90 clones, some really large.

The control method was basal bark treatment with Garlon 4 in oil, which I had shown to be very effective in earlier trials. This is a very efficient method because you don't have to do any cutting. The sumac dies in place and eventually withers away.

Kathie wondered why I needed GPS. Why not just put a flag on each clone? As it turned out, flags would have disappeared, because every sumac stem was eaten about half way down, obviously by deer. But I could find each clone using my GPS waypoints.

The procedure is to spray the lower 6 inches of the stem with the herbicide. A red dye shows which stems have been sprayed. The oil penetrates the sumac bark and carries the herbicide to the stems, where it is transported to the roots.

At the same time, we basal barked any brambles, as well as other invasive shrubs.

It was actually fun getting back in the field! In a few weeks we'll be doing controlled burns, plantings seeds, and watching all the early spring flowers start to show. Even if we get a few more snow storms, we know they won't last.