Journal of Arboriculture 31(5): September 2005 251 BIOLOGICAL VEGETATION MANAGEMENT: AN ALTERNATIVE TO CHEMICAL PESTICIDES By Jack Eric Vandenbroucke1 , Catherine Gaucher2 Abstract. We present data collected at 3 and 6 years on a rights- of-way project with Myco-Tech™ paste. This paste is based on a naturally occurring fungus (Chondrostereum purpureum (Pers. ex Fr.) Pouzar) in temperate climates that initiates wood decay. The project was done in Ste-Agathe, Québec, Canada, in 1998. After 6 years in the treated area, sprouting was sparse (density = 22,500 stems/ha [9,000 stems/ac]), and mean height was approximately 2.6 m (8.6 ft). In the control area, sprouting was uniform (density > 132,500 stems/ha [53,000 stems/ac]) and mean height was approximately 6 m (20 ft). According to Hydro-Québec’s clearance standard at that site, the control area should have been cut last year. In the treated area, clearing is not needed for at least 3 to 4 years. Key Words. Biological vegetation management; Chondro- stereum purpureum; competitive deciduous species; contour maps; herbicide, Integrated Vegetation Management; mechanical cutting; Myco-TechTM treatment. ; pesticide; resprouting; rights-of-way; stump In light of the 2003 blackout in the United States and Canada, vegetation management has been an important topic for arborists and rights-of-way (ROW) managers (USDOE and MNRC 2004). It has unveiled a large concern in the public in terms of power grid reliability and the capacity of managers to secure service. Having to deal with a large array of regulation, public pressure for environmental protection, budget concerns, and increasing demand, managers are faced with the difficult task of making the best choices, although the right tools are not always available to them. This situation is not specific to power grid ROWs but exists also in gas, roadside, or railroad ROWs. Reliability of the service is the utmost objective for ROW managers. Minimizing outage and time to repair can be accomplished only if vegetation management is under control at all times. However, tools such as mechanical cutting, chemical pesticides, and risk management do not always meet new standards, which are often imposed by social pressure. Reduction in chemical pesticide/herbicide use and a trend toward eliminating herbicides near popu- lated areas leads to increasing buffer zones in number and size (Owens 1999; EPRI 2003). To address the above-mentioned problems, several projects were launched in the early 1990s to find an alternative to chemical pesticide use (Jobidon 1991). The use of Chondrostereum purpureum (Pers. ex Fr.) Pouzar as a , and Norbert Major3 bioherbicide against unwanted vegetation has been consid- ered in Europe (Scheepens and Hoogerbrugge 1989; De Jong et al. 1990) and in Canada (Wall 1990, 1994; Wall et al. 1992). Extensive study to develop a safe and effective biological vegetation management tool has been conducted in Québec, Canada, since 1992 (Gosselin 1998; Goulet 1998). That research led to a product (Myco-Tech™ product) that received its registration number in April 2002 for inhibition of regrowth on cut stumps of deciduous tree species in rights-of-way and conifer release management situations (PMRA 2002). EPA registration is under final revision and was expected to conclude by mid-2005. Chondrostereum purpureum is a lignicolous, naturally occurring basidiomycete fungus commonly found in temperate deciduous forests. It does not cause diseases in coniferous tree species (Etheridge and Morin 1963), but it is a pathogen of various deciduous trees and a primary colonizer of freshly wounded tissues (i.e., pruning, wind damage, frost cracks) and cut hardwood stumps and logs (Etheridge and Morin 1963; Rayner 1978, 1979). Coloniza- tion occurs via airborne basidiospores (Kemp and Burden 1986). In stumps, it is not combative and is easily replaced, often after 6 to 12 months, by a wide range of other fungi (Rayner 1978, 1979; Gosselin 1996). Target species include most of the woody broadleaf species such as Betula papyrifera Marsh. (paper birch), Betula alleghaniensis Britt. (yellow birch), Acer saccharum Marsh. (sugar maple), A. spicatum Lam. (mountain maple), A. rubrum L. (red maple), Prunus pensylvanica L.f. (pin cherry), Populus tremuloides Michx. (quaking aspen), Salix spp. (willow), Alnus rugosa Spreng. var. americana (Regel) Fern. (speckled alder), Corylus cornuta Marsh. (hazelnut), Quercus rubra L. (red oak), and Fagus grandifolia J. F. Ehrh. (American beech). Myco-Tech gel is a formulated product containing viable mycelium but not spores of C. purpureum. The Québec Strain HQ1 was identified with a DNA analysis (Gosselin et al. 1996) and has been patented (CA2451038 and PCT pending). Myco-Tech gel is applied as a thin layer over the surface area of freshly cut stumps of deciduous species within 30 min of cutting. Following application of Myco- Tech, extensive spread of hyphae takes place throughout the xylem and inhibits resprouting and regrowth (PMRA 2002). It causes brown staining and wood decay. Depend- ing on species, wood devitalization may take from a few ©2005 International Society of Arboriculture
September 2005
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