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', slopes. For areas that have a low level of access difficultly, hand control is considered inappropriate because of its high costs. Hand cutting is considered very appropriate for areas of special concern; areas in close proximity to valuable native vegetation, historic and archeological sites; areas in or around campgrounds; or for projects that involve volunteer support. Mechanical • Mechanical removal - This approach uses heavy equipment to physically remove tamarisk. This is accomplished in one of two ways - root crown removal or mulching. o Root crown removal is the extraction of the root crown by either root plowing accompanied by root raking to remove the root crown from the soil or by extraction of the entire plant. These approaches do not use herbicide. o Root plowing and raking is extremely disruptive to the soil, native plants are destroyed, and the intense soil disturbance would support weed viability. It essentially removes all vegetation in a manner that would be similar to preparing land for intense agricultural production. For this reason and because areas may not be accessible for large equipment (Cat D -7 or larger), using root plowing and raking will depend on the site location and the type of mechanical equipment that will be utilized. • Extraction approaches using a large tracked excavator (Cat 325 or larger) is appropriate for some areas, especially those areas that have steep banks such as ditches and river banks and along roadway embankments. This approach results in high levels of soil disturbance and thus may require significant revegetation efforts. The removed biomass may also require disposal or additional treatment such as mulching. o Mulching uses newly developed, specialized equipment followed by herbicide application to the cut stumps. The most commonly used pieces of equipment are the Timber Ax, the Hydro Ax, and the Bull Hog. The resulting mulched materials can reduce soil disturbance, and provide a good seed bed for native plant recruitment if the mulched materials are not too thick while discouraging establishment of noxious weeds. Tracked mulching equipment provides a lighter footprint pressure than those with wheels and thus causes less soil disturbance. ARKWIPP areas suitable for this approach are limited to wide or somewhat level floodplains or terraces in scattered locations along the Arkansas River. A few larger tributaries could also be treated by mulching. • Mechanical Tamarisk Control