Cogon Grass - SE-EPPC
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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?