Laserfiche WebLink
Herbicides: <br />Moisture is probably one of the most critical factors affecting aspen <br />establishment. Aspen seedlings are very sensitive to water stress. Average <br />annual precipitation on the LMCT is between 16 and 20 inches. This is <br />toward the low end for aspen habitats. In addition, grasses are extremely <br />abundant and productive on live handled sites. Competition for moisture <br />from grasses could be contributing to the mortality of aspen sprouts. As a <br />result two grass selective herbicides (Poast and Fusilade) were selected for <br />another treatment. <br />STUDY DESIGN & METHODS <br />Figure 1 shows the study lay out. All topsoil was live-handled <br />(non-stockpiled) and no amendments were made to the topsoil. Topsoil was <br />~ moved with Terex TS-256 Scrapers and then bladed with a Caterpillar 16G <br />Grader. Topsoil was treated and layed down in 6 approximately one acre <br />blocks (100 by 450 feet) and then half of each block was fenced, which <br />resulted in 12 treatments. Prior to topsoil movement, trees were either <br />dozed off with a Caterpillar D9L Dozer or knocked down with the dozer and <br />treated with the Madge-rotoclear which chopped and mixed the trees into the <br />topsoil. Summer treatments occurred between September 18 and 27, 1985. <br />Fall treatments occurred between October 21 and 28, 1985. All summer <br />treated topsoil was moved in 2 lifts. Half of the fall treated topsoil was <br />moved in 1 lift and half in 2 lifts. The herbicide treatments were an <br />addition to the study and were applied between May 18 and June 3, 1987. The <br />herbicides were applied with a hand sprayer containing approximately 1-1';% <br />Poast or Fusilade herbicide and !~-%,% LI 700 surfactant at a rate of <br />approximately 2 gallons per 24' by 100' treatment area. A strip <br />approximately 24' by 100' within each of the 12 treatments was treated with <br />Poast. Only the summer treatments received the Fusilade treatment. This <br />resulted in a total of 28 treatments as shown in Figure 1. <br />In order to evaluate the effects of each treatment, tree & shrub density <br />by species was determined for each treatment by using belt transects. The <br />number of woody species within each transect was recorded. All transects <br />were 2 meters wide and length varied depending on treatment size. Seven 2 <br />