BEMIDJI, Minn. - The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will begin herbicide applications on select state lands to improve reforestation efforts, officials said Wednesday.
Applications will begin about July 15 and continue through approximately Aug. 15 to 37.7 acres on two sites in the Bemidji Forestry Administrative Area, a release said.
"Herbicides will be sprayed on the ground to reduce competing woody vegetation," Nick Severson, Bemidji area program forester, said in the release. "This gives the tree seedlings a better chance to grow and survive."
Herbicides will not be applied within 100 feet of any water body, following DNR herbicide application guidelines.
Signs will be posted on all herbicide treatment sites. Adjacent landowners within a quarter mile of the treatment sites will be notified prior to treatment, the release said.
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The DNR plants trees on state lands to reforest harvested areas, provide wildlife habitat, protect watersheds and maintain healthy state forests. Part of the reforestation process involves applying herbicides to the harvested areas prior to or following tree planting. DNR foresters determine the right tree species for the site and private contractors do the actual planting.
Statewide, more than 4,500 acres of state forest lands are planted with more than 3 million seedlings and 5,500 acres are seeded each year. This past spring in the Bemidji area, the Division of Forestry planted 159,825 seedlings on 233 acres to a mixture of white spruce, jack pine and red pine, and aerial seeded 353 acres to jack pine, the release said.
For additional information on sites treated with herbicide in the Bemidji area, contact Severson at (218) 694-2146 or email nick.severson@state.mn.us .
