A Management Guide for Invasive Plants in Southern Forests James ...

32Fixed-wing aircraft sprayers have spray booms mounted below the lower wing. With payload capabilities and airspeedsboth greater than that of helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft sprayers have been effective in controlling brush and weedsin large areas since the 1950s. Spray tank capacities vary from 400 to 800 gallons. GPS/GIS systems are used forprecision applications. Fixed-wing planes are not suited for spraying highly irregular-shaped sites or mountainous areasand require a nearby airport. Many herbicides are not labeled for application by fixed-wing aircraft.Large fixed-wing aircraft applicators include specially modified C–130H aircraft andModular Aerial Spray Systems (MASS). MASS are designed for specially modifiedC–130 aircraft that spray biting insects such as mosquitoes, sand fleas, and filthflies. The systems also control vegetation growth on military bombing ranges.Although such services are available nationwide, there are few managementareas sizeable enough to utilize such a service in the Eastern United States. As anexample, one project conducted by the 910 th Airlift Wing, U.S. Air Force Reserve,in Youngstown, OH, sprayed 2,880,662 acres, or 4,501 square miles—an areaequivalent to the State of Connecticut. Fourteen thousand gallons of pesticideswere used, and the missions comprised 191.4 hours of total flying time with 46.5hours of actual “spray-on” time flying at 150 feet aboveground level. Future useon military reservations and extensive invasive plant infested lands is possible,since the system has been perfected.Manual MethodsManual methods include hand pulling as well as use of a wide array of tools for C-130H aircraft and Modular Aerialcutting, chopping, wrenching, and girdling invasive plants. Manual methods are Spray Systems (MASS).mostly used on woody invasive plants when they are small. Eradication is onlypossible when the root crown or roots that can sprout are completely extractedand seedlings are pulled or eliminated following seed germination. Because it isdifficult and even impossible to extract all of the shallow roots, stolons, and rhizomesof many invasives, resprouting will usually occur. Merely pulling small plants andcutting top growth will result only in short-term control before stump or root sproutingoccurs, unless a herbicide is applied to cut surfaces.When using manual methods, wear gloves, a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, andeye protection. Several invasive plants can cause skin irritation, especially amongsensitive individuals. Some invasive species have thorns and sharp branches thatare eye hazards, as well as flying soil from wrenching and digging that might enterthe eye and warrant wearing safety glasses.Ron Nehrig and Karl HaagsmaHand pulling can be readily performed on seedlings of invasive woody plants (andsome large herbaceous invasives) when soils are moist or loose. If the roots arecompletely extracted, then eradication is possible. But hand pulling will disturb thesoil, creating a seedbed for other surrounding invasive plants that might be establishingin the site. This problem can be reduced by firming the soil with your bootsand replanting dislodged desirable plants.Hand pulling privet.