[MAIPC] Basal oil on ailanthus as stump treatment

Mon Aug 7 12:11:36 PDT 2023

Hi,

One key point to add onto the recommendations listed below is to ask that herbicide be applied immediately after cutting. I know this is hard to do with a large tree removal but the herbicide wants to be applied with a minute or so of the cutting (important detail to include in the contract or to staff). We have had success with both triclopyr and glyphosate for cut stump treatments. However, using an oil-based herbicide treatment would makes sense in case the trees are being removed during the growing season instead of fall/winter since it allows the herbicide to stick longer on the stump for better absorption. Just my two cents.

Warm wishes,

Patricia (Pa-tree-syah) Greenberg
Community and Urban Forest Coordinator
Forest Pest Branch<https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/publicworks/trees/forest-pests>, Urban Forest Management Division<https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/publicworks/trees/forest-pests>
Dept. of Public Works and Environmental Services, Fairfax County

Phone: 703-324-8673
ISA Certified Arborist, MA-6067A
Tree Risk Assessment Qualified (TRAQ)
(She/Her/Hers)

From: MAIPC <maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org> On Behalf Of Patrick D. Kelly
Sent: Monday, August 7, 2023 2:43 PM
To: Ossi, Damien (DOEE) <damien.ossi at dc.gov>; Elizabeth Mizell <beth at blueridgeprism.org>
Cc: MAIPC Listserve <maipc at lists.maipc.org>
Subject: Re: [MAIPC] Basal oil on ailanthus as stump treatment

Being a one-man "Shop" both in PRE-retirement municipal govt AND now POST-retirement  (2010 business started PT/retirement FT effective 2018) operating my own invasive plant control business...oil-based basal bark application has been my cost/time efficient and go-to remedy for Ailanthus. Trunk cutting mature ailanthus trees is the Looney Tunes "don't EVER push the red button" equivalent in invasive plant management. The process is made easier by the use of pre-mixed RTU (Ready To Use) oil-triclopyr herbicide product Pathfinder II. I add red-dye forestry Base-Oil to the mix as a tracer colorant to ensure applications are even and well distributed. Got HUGE Ailanthus? I recall attending an Invasive Plant Control Inc. workshop MANY years ago at Ft. Detrich, MD where they demonstrated the greater the trunk diameter, the higher UP the trunk was treated (painted). IPC Inc. lamented that on the largest diameter trees a followup application may be needed the next year to seal the deal. I've found some sprayer application methods cumbersome and instead opted for brushes, sponges or small paint rollers "on-a-stick" i.e. mounted on broomsticks or long house painting applicators (the small rollers can screw into the house panting extension handles). You want to apply a good oil/herbicide bark soak application; pretend you are painting a wall... BUT not to the point of runoff or drip down to the soil. The oil will be readily absorbed through the thin Ailanthus bark taking the herbicide into the tree's vascular system.

I'm currently using this Pathfinder II method to address invasive Ailanthus at Adkins Arboretum, Ridgely MD, on the Eastern Shore as part of a corporate sponsorship. Spring 2023 results at isolated groves (post trunk cutting) have been extremely successful.

Hope this helps.

Patrick D. Kelly, Principal and Horticulturist

PDK Horticultural, LLC Phragmites and Invasive Plant Control Services

301 Hope Road

Centreville, Md 21617

443-262-2079 mobile

pkelly.licensetokill at gmail.com<mailto:pkelly.licensetokill at gmail.com>

https://<https://pdkhorticultural.com/>PDKH<https://pdkhorticultural.com/>orticultural.com<https://pdkhorticultural.com/>

https://www.facebook.com/PDKHorticulturalLLC

On Monday, August 7, 2023 at 11:59:29 AM EDT, Elizabeth Mizell <beth at blueridgeprism.org<mailto:beth at blueridgeprism.org>> wrote:

If the timing works, you might consider this strategy recommended by Penn State Extension:

If cutting tree-of-heaven for immediate safety reasons, do so and treat the stump. However, cut stump herbicide applications are not recommended because they do not provide effective control of roots. Stump treatments will keep the stump free of sprouts, but they will not prevent root suckering. When tree removal is necessary, it is best to treat with one of the above-mentioned herbicide applications first, wait for symptoms to develop (generally 30 days), and then cut.

https://extension.psu.edu/tree-of-heaven

_______________________________________
Elizabeth Anne Mizell
Executive Director | Blue Ridge PRISM
beth at blueridgeprism.org<mailto:beth at blueridgeprism.org>

Blue Ridge PRISM<https://blueridgeprism.org/> is a partnership for regional invasive species management in Virginia.

On Mon, Aug 7, 2023 at 10:50 AM Ossi, Damien (DOEE) <damien.ossi at dc.gov<mailto:damien.ossi at dc.gov>> wrote:

Hi MAIPC members,

Does anyone use oil-based triclopyr rather than water-based on ailanthus as a stump-cut treatment?  We’re looking to remove a large number of ailanthus in DC before the spotted lanternflies arrive in force, and the vendor is proposing to do a stump-cut treatment with triclopyr.  I want to recommend that they use Garlon-4 or equivalent rather than Garlon-3a or equivalent, because the herbicide can be applied to both the sapwood on the stump and the bark on base of the stump.  But I also saw a study from Italy that indicated that glyphosate is better for stump-cut treatment of ailanthus.

The trees must be removed at the time of treatment, so using hack-and-squirt or typical basal bark treatments won’t fly.  Any advice from the membership?

Thanks,

Damien

Damien P. Ossi

Wildlife Biologist

Fisheries & Wildlife Division

Department of Energy & Environment

Government of the District of Columbia

1200 First Street NE, 5th Floor

Washington, DC 20002

(202) 741-0840

damien.ossi at dc.gov<mailto:damien.ossi at dc.gov>

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