A few post back I spoke about ClearCast, the chemical I had flown onto about 52 acres of the property that
supposedly kills Tallow trees but has little effect on most native trees. The verdict is still not 100% certain, but Andy Dolan (USFWS) and I made an inspection a couple weeks ago and looks very, very promising. Tallow trees in the unsprayed area and off the property are fully leafed out and bright green. On the entire portion of the property we sprayed I have yet to find a Tallow tree leafing out or a sapling in the understory popping up . The trees also seem to be heavily laden with lichens which I take as a good sign. If you grab a lower branch and pull down with little effort the branch will snap and is bone dry in the interior and the cambium layer seems dead. The understory is full of bright green flowering springtime herbaceous species and native saplings (with leaves).
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| Helicopter application, August 15, 2015 |
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| Tallow trees just beginning to show signs of treatment, September 13, 2015 |
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Tallow trees just beginning to show signs of treatment, September 13, 2015
Oddly enough the leaves did not dry up or crinkle. Instead the top of the tree showed yellowing around the leaf margins, then all the leaves began falling off the trees from the bottom up. Before winter hit the entire forest looked like it was dead of winter in Jan-Feb...no leaves on any Tallows. Only the Natives. |
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| Tallow trees on March 20, 2016 !! |
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Tallow trees on March 20, 2016 !!
If nothing re-sprouts then this chemical saved literally countless hours of backpack spraying and a lot of sweat....probably blood too. |
