Transcript Cogon Grass - SE-EPPC

Scotch Lumber
Company
Cogon Grass Plan
ALIPC Presentation
Scotch Lumber Company
 170,000 Acres in 8 Counties
150,000 Acres in Clarke County, AL
 Family Owned Lands – 4 Families
Harrigan, Woods, Skipper, O’Melia
 Managed for Sawtimber / Veneer / Pole
Production
 Mills in Fulton, AL – Beatrice, AL –
Waynesboro, MS
SLC Cogon Grass Plan
 Our program is product of trial and error
 Everyone normally will fall into one
position or another in regards to our
tactics
 You will agree with our position – Aggressive
 You will disagree with our approach – Too Costly!
DISCLAIMER
 Please hold all your questions until the
end of presentation
 WE DON’T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS!
History of our Efforts
 Began 8-9 years ago – Did not know
depth of problem (Company Labor)
 5-6 years ago – More serious (1
Contractor)
 3 years ago – Better records (Mapped
Spots, 3 Contractors)
 2 years to Present – More Detailed (GPS
Spots, 13 Contractors)
Reconnaissance
 Prior to last year we only looked for
cogon grass while spraying (MayOctober)
 Presently- Done in dormant months
 Customized flagging
 GPS point taken and downloaded to
Arcview
 Maps prepared for spraying contractors
2007 Recon Comp. 4 & 7
Required Equipment








Carrier Vehicle
Pump
Gun Jet (AA2 or AA2A w/45 orifice)
2-200 gal. tanks (minimum)- graduated
4-wheeler w/15-25 gal. spray rig
Flagging
Aluminum Tags/Nails
Calculator
2007 Prescription
 Per 50 gallon mix




32 oz. Accord XRT
100 oz. Chopper
32 oz. Conquer (MSO)
12 oz. Dyna Mark Dye (Blue)
 Sprayed to wet / runoff
 More grass surface area requires more volume/acre
 Objective- More smaller droplets means better
coverage
 Calibration- Not easy in a forestry setting
Spray Procedure
 Arrive on site- Flag a 12’ buffer around patch
 GPS patch (one point in the center of each
patch)
 Spray to wet- insure thorough coverage
 Aluminum Tag (Crew name-date sprayed)
 Determine Acreage (calculator)
 Keep accurate measurements
 Record all data on spray sheet
2006 Sprayed Comp. 21
Test Plots (2007)
 18 Plots using various concentrations
(adjusted by water volumes)
 Also spraying for seed prevention weeks of 4/2/07-4/16/07
 ½ % solution of glyphosate at 10 gpa - will
be resprayed with normal solution in late fall
Our Results
 Nothing really scientific- but real good
results after 2 years
 We “THINK” we have killed some cogon
grass
 Our recorded data will help us make
adjustments
Preventive Measures
 Educate everybody- loggers, road crews
(company, county, and state), site prep
contractors, burning contractors, hunters,
public, etc.
 Wash all logging equipment before it enters our
tracts (we pay our loggers to wash)
 Hunting clubs are not allowed to disc / bush
hog anything containing cogon grass unless
treated and okayed (this year equipment will be
washed and checked before beginning work)
 Prevent an outbreak- Save Money!
What’s Next




Our program is a work in progress
We are open for constructive criticism & suggestions
We can’t cover all 170,000 acres in 1-2 years.
Possibly focus on smaller strategic areas: scheduled
harvests, burns, etc.
 When can you move onto a “treated tract” with
confidence that you won’t spread cogon grass if logged
through?
 Most of us hate cogon grass because of COST!
 Largest limiting factor
 If your neighbor isn’t fighting cogon grass- you are in for a long
hard fight!
My Opinion
 We think we are close to solution- cost is where the
major problem lies
 We need undisturbed time to observe our results from
the past few years
 History of Southern Conservative Attitude
 Solution is government funding- so everyone can
participate
 Politicians are only ones that can affect this solution
 Get involved!
 Share information
Contact Me At:









George Robertson, Chief Forester
Scotch Lumber Company
P.O. Box 38
Fulton, AL 36446
334-637-2127 (Office)
1-800-936-4424 (Operator)
334-456-1300 (Cell Phone)
1*29*365 (Southern Linc)
E-mail: [email protected]
Questions?
 I have one. Does anyone have a true
success story?