A comparison of the effectiveness of ground versus aerial chemical site preparation

Abstract

Silviculture operations in northwestern Ontario can include the use of chemical site preparation to remove competing herbaceous vegetation to promote the establishment of conifer seedlings. Aerial and ground applications of herbicide are two common methods of chemical site preparation. There is limited literature on site-specific comparisons of these two methods, which can inform management decisions. Data was collected approximately 53 km west of Thunder Bay, Ontario (48°29'04.1"N 89°48'19.7"W) on the Lakehead Forest Management Unit from two adjacent sites. Each site received one of the two methods of chemical site preparation in 2016 and was planted with jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) container stock in 2017. An analysis of the crop species’ survival, height, current growth, and the competing species’ height yielded no significant difference between methods of chemical site preparation. The results indicate that either method of herbicide application can be implemented with the same degree of effectiveness.