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April is Invasive Species Awareness Month

April is Invasive Species Awareness Month, and we thought it would be a great time to further detail the services we provide to help control and eradicate certain vegetation and pests that can seriously affect your woodlot or community forest.  The term “Invasives” in this sense refers to plants, animals, or pathogens that are non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause harm.

Invasive plants can be trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, or flowers, and they can reproduce rapidly by roots, seeds, shoots, or all three.  Some of the top species of concern in our region include Japanese honeysuckle, multiflora rose, Japanese knotweed, Japanese stiltgrass, tree-of-heaven, oriental bittersweet, purple loosestrife, and garlic mustard.  A complete and detailed list can be found at the following websites: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/plants/invasiveplants/index.htm, or http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/plants/main.shtml

FORECON is equipped with the qualified expertise to help you control invasive plants in a variety of ways.  These methods include Foliar Spraying (where the appropriate herbicide is applied directly to leaves of plants; this method is used for spot treatments to ensure non-target species are not treated); Basal Bark treatment (where herbicide is applied to the lower 6-12 inches of the base stem of the target species); Hack and Squirt (which is used to treat larger woody plants/trees, and where the bark is hacked and herbicide applied directly to the cuts); Direct Injection (a process where herbicide is injected into the bark of the target species); and Cut Stump Application (where the herbicide is applied to the exposed inner bark within minutes of being cut.)

Invasive pests and disease are taking a toll on urban, rural and private forests throughout the country. In the U.S. Northeast, we have seen new infestations and afflictions as never before.  While complete eradication of the pests is not feasible, there are steps landowners and forest managers can take to help protect valuable trees.  A tree can now be injected with a chemical tailor-made to combat many specific ailments and infestations.  When trees are proactively treated, they stand a much better chance of survival, even under the most damaging of situations.

FORECON also has the experience and expertise to provide licensed tree injection and other treatments for a variety of woodlot pests and diseases, including the Emerald Ash Borer, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, a variety of Mites, Asian Longhorned Beetle, Pine Bark Beetles, Tent Caterpillar, Gypsy Moth, Oak Wilt, Root Rot, Sudden Oak Death, and even Dutch Elm Disease.

FORECON Inc. offers affordable services to forest landowners of all types for controlling invasive species (plants, pests, and diseases) in their woodlots.  Please contact us for your free initial consultation, property inspection and  price quote for services.