Tree of Heaven and Black Locust Control at Peninsula

Tree of Heaven and Black Locust Control at Peninsula

Remove and treat expanding populations of tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) and black locust trees at the Peninsula sub-unit within Folsom Lake State Recreation Area to control expansion of these invasive species which are outcompeting native vegetation and adding to the fuel load. Small tree of heaven, waist high or shorter, will be treated with a foliar application of herbicide (active ingredient Aminopyralid and or Triclopyr). Larger plants will be treated using a cut stump method of treatment which involves cutting the tree at or just above ground level with a chainsaw and immediately applying herbicide onto the cut stem. Herbicide applications will only be made to the target species (tree of heaven and a small number of black locust trees). Tree removal work will take place outside of nesting season in fall/winter when the cut stump treatment method is most effective. Foliar applications will be made in late spring or summer when foliage is fully emerged and before the transition into dormancy. It is anticipated that follow-up treatments may be necessary in subsequent years to exhaust the seedbank. Cut material will be piled in nearby areas and either left to decompose in place or burned when conditions are safe to do so during the rainy season (late fall-winter) by Cal Fire crews. A scratch line would be scraped, down to mineral soil, around each pile prior to burning pile to. help make burning piles safer.

El Dorado