Houlton Farm Planning Committee Meeting 2016-02-02

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girdling for a more effective treatment. Girdling has the added benefit of creating snags for wildlife habitat. While girdling a large number of trees is not feasible, girdling the occasional large tree will provide a matrix of habitat for species that depend on standing dead trees for food or nesting opportunities. Mechanical Control Three mechanical methods for woody plant removal are hand pulling (only useful on small seedlings and only if few in number), weed wrenching (using a weed wrench tool to pull stems of one to two inches diameter), and repeated or "critical' cutting ing and weed wrenching can be done any time when the soil is moist and not froze a isadvantage to both methods is that they are somewhat time-consuming, as the s m each stem should be shaken off. Weed wrenching also creates a great deal of soil u and should not be used on steep slopes or anywhere that desirable native for re grog The soil disturbance also creates opportunities for colonization by -0 r on -native its This method is the least preferable and is probably best used in areas that have iia any desirable native plant cover. IL Repeated cutting consists of cutting the plants (by hansh a brush cutter) at critical stages in its growth cycle, typically twice per growing ea utting in mid spring (late May) intercepts the flow of nutrients fro oots to the le atid cutting in fall (about mid-October) intercepts the flow of nutri a leaves t the roots. Depending on the size of the stem, the plants typically die ithin s, with two cuttings per year. Prescribed Fire Prescribed burning is th ost of nt, cost very small stems, see ' and re is of natural process to fire -de can only be accomplished if ate fuel (le. or early springig on s tions. Native Owe, and least harmful way to control oody plants. It also restores an important nunities (oak forests, for example). Burning litter) is present and can be done in late fall Prickly Ash A common nydisd ckly ash can become excessively abundant, especially in areas that have beegrazed. Complete eradication may not be necessary, but managementucing the extent of a population. Removal is most easily accomplished in the same manner as for buckthorn - cutting shrubs and treating cut stumps with glyphosate herbicide. Cutting can be completed at any time of the year. Smooth Sumac Like prickly ash, smooth sumac can become excessively abundant, especially in areas where fire has been suppressed for long periods of time. It can form dense, clonal stands that dominate other vegetation. Unlike prickly ash or buckthorn, however, controlling Friends of the Mississippi W. H. Houlton Conservation Area NRMP