Project Summary

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Introduction:

Vigorous public opposition to the use of forest herbicides has resulted in a shift away from chemical control of competing vegetation, toward manual control in several Forest Districts of the Nelson Forest Region. The magnitude and cost of this trend was clear in 1992 when 83% of the $5,280,000 Ministry of Forests' regional vegetation management program was spent on  manual brush control.

Despite the reliance on manual vegetation control, silviculturists have numerous questions about the practice. Their main questions concern optimization of the treatment, and the number of treatments required to establish the plantation (e.g. in other words, total cost) in their dominant vegetation complexes.

The majority of manual brushing studies established to date in the mixed shrub and fireweed communities, are first generation trials intended to determine if repeated, annual clippings will produce a response in crop seedlings. As well, herbicides are often included in these experiments to provide a manual/chemical treatment comparison. There are very few studies that evaluate the seasonal timing of these treatments and the use of multiple treatments during a season, and which also incorporate those manual brushing tools now known to be practical for operational use.

Objectives:

• To examine the effects of timing and frequency of operational methods of manual control on fireweed and the mixed shrub community in the Nelson Forest Region.

Treatments:

Layout:

• Three factors and twenty replicates per treatment were used for a total of 1080 plots in a completely randomized design, consisting of staked, circular plots with unique numbers on aluminum tags.
• In each treatment plot, all competing vegetation was cut with a machete to the prescribed radius established using a plastic hoop of appropriate diameter.
• An additional 600 plots were established for ecophysiology work by George Harper.

Subprojects:

1. Physiological Component of the Nelson Forest Region Multifactor Manual Brushing Study

Sites:

1. Bigger Creek

Related Projects:

• EP1135.01 Effectiveness of Repeated Manual Cutting for Release of Engelmann Spruce from Mixed-Shrub Communities in the Revelstoke District
• More information can be found at http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/nelson/research/EPLOCATION/eb119900.htm

References and Publications (Click on Highlighted References to Obtain an Electronic Copy in PDF Form):

Pollack, J. and C. Thompson. 1994 Multi-factor trials of manual brushing in the Nelson Forest Region. EP 1199 Working Plan and Bigger Creek establishment report. B.C. Ministry of Forests, Nelson, B.C.

To obtain any publications that are not highlighted click here.

Acknowledgments:

Support for this project has been provided by the B.C. Ministry of Forests and Forest Renewal BC.

Last Updated: May 28, 1998.