Exhibit D 1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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25 | P a g e treatments are deployed, with both non-selective and selective herbicides, to treat weed species within areas where desirable broadleaf forbs and shrubs are present or have been seeded. Spot treatments using a backpack sprayer are often necessary to ensure accuracy of chemical application and prevent potential unintended impacts from overspray and vehicle travel. For early-stage reclamation areas (within growing season one and two), chemical treatments are only deployed when weed species are present that ca nnot be adequately treated via mechanical methods (perennial/biennial weeds, low rowing/prostrate weeds). Backpack spot treatments are used in early-stage reclamation areas to prevent damage to desirable vegetation in the germination and early establishmen t phases, where all plants are susceptive to chemical treatment. Broadcast methods with selective herbicides may be used in pasturelands with established grass communities where weeds are interspersed throughout the treatment area. Any chemical treatment within actively grazed pasturelands is coordinated with the surface owner or tenant rancher. Deployed chemicals are based upon grazing restrictions and product labels. The first site visit and herbicide application is done in the early spring of the approaching growing season or in the fall of the previous year. Non-selective, residual herbicide is applied on compacted working surfaces around equipment, at a minimum, as a safety precaution on active sites. This treatment type also prevents the prevalence and spread of annual weed infestations that are commonly observed on fresh and frequently disturbed sites. During this treatment, pesticide applicators inspect the location and surrounding areas for newly emerging weeds, or rosette “flushes” for sites treated in the fall. The second site visit and treatment is done in spring to early summer. This post - emergent treatment is intended to target early perennials (hoary cress, Canada thistle, etc.), biennial rosettes, and annual “obnoxious weeds” such as Russian thistle and kochia. Again, pesticide applicators will inventory the area for later maturing plant species such as Russian knapweed. During the third site visit, herbicide efficacy is monitored, and a mid-late summer inventory is conducted with intentions to spray late -bolting biennials and budding perennials; furthermore, mechanical removal of flowers and seed heads on biennial species (most commonly musk thistle) may also be done around this time Lastly, on many sites, a late-summer to fall herbicide treatment may be applied on creeping perennials such as Canada thistle and Russian knapweed in order to best capture the opportunity to kill root systems through the use of translocated herbicides. Following this step, the non-selective, pre-emergent treatments described above will be used where applicable, and the cycle will start again. This treatment plan is highly site-dependent; thus variations inevitably occur based upon individual site characteristics (i.e. time since seeding, elevation, soils, topography, moisture, etc.) and upon the various label requirements and recommended target growth stages of the herbicides being used. 4.3 Mechanical Weed Management Second to chemical means of control, QB utilizes mechanical weed management on a frequent basis. Large-scale mowing or “brush-hogging” projects are primarily executed on reclaimed sites that support a desirable plant component,