Hello Everyone, I am looking to get some advice on managing black locust regeneration. I am studying grassland bird communities on reclaimed surface mines in Pennsylvania. As part of a manipulative research project, we cleared 100 plus acres of black locust trees (most of which were planted about 3 meters apart). The trees (1-5 inches DBH) were chopped with a hydro-axe down to the stump during the winter in order to protect grass cover and soil from being destroyed by the machines. The locust are, of course, going to resprout from the roots sometime this summer. We’re thinking about hitting the new growth with some type of herbicide in August (after our data collection is over for this summer). We could delay herbicide application until the fall if needed. We want to minimize impact on the grass and forbs.
There’s a lot of information on the web, but most of it is for ideal situations and best practices. Our situation, and timing of our management efforts, was dictated by financial and logistical constraints. Does anyone out there have any experience controlling black locust regrowth over a large area or in a situation similar to ours? I would appreciate any and all feedback and suggestions about different herbicides and timing and method of application pertinent to our situation. Thank you, Jason Hill 'Nothing in biology makes sense, except in the light of evolution' --Theodosius Dobzhansky-- Jason Hill 221 Forest Resources Building University Park, PA 16802-4705 Office: 814-865-0772 Fax: 814-863-4710 Ecology Program - PhD Candidate Pennsylvania State University School of Forest Resources
