LEAFLET No. 44 ARL15
U
I
IMPROVING FARM WOODLOTS
By Girdling and
Poisoning Weed Trees
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
41i,, ALABAMA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
E=. V. Smith, Director Auburn, Aiabama
APRIL 1954
IMPROVING FARM WOODLOTS
By Girdling and
Poisoning Weed Trees
GEORGE I. GARIN, Forester
FRANK F. SMITH, Associate Forester
FARM WOODLOTS, if kept productive,
will increase in value and furnish a
good source of revenue to the owners.
The most serious obstacle to wide ap-
plication of good forestry practices has
been the reduction in quality by cutting
most of the good trees and leaving the
poor ones. If a woodlot has been neg-
lected and abused, it will cost money
to restore it to good condition. After
improvement practices are started, good
trees will add valuable wood on their
trunks every year until they are har-
vested. When the trees are harvested,
the owner will receive a good return on
the small investment he has made in
stand improvement work.
A large percentage of the forest land
in Alabama can and should grow pines.
They grow rapidly and there is a mar-
ket for small pines that are cut during
thinning operations. In bottomland
woodlots, valuable hardwoods can be
grown and managed on these sites.
Hardwoods to be of value must be
grown to a fair size, not less than 16
inches in diameter at breast height, and
must have a clear first log without de-
fects.
ALLOW ONLY GOOD TREES
TO GROW 4z WOODLOTS
To be highly productive, a woodlot
must contain fast growing trees of high
quality. They can be very small, young
trees, but always should be those that
are increasing in value from year to
year. Pines and only the best hard-
woods must be favored. All poor, de-
fective, and slow growing trees must
be eliminated to permit good trees to
take over the growing space. This fact
is particularly true with regard to scrub-
by hardwoods that can be considered
as nothing but weed trees. Many ex-
periments in forest management con-
ducted by the Agricultural Experiment
Station of the Alabama Polytechnic In-
stitute substantiate this fact. The net
income from a properly managed wood-
lot is 2 to 5 times more than from one
that is neglected.
SELL MERCHANTABLE
TREES a4 LOW VALUE
In any neglected forest stand, there
are always some trees that, despite
their low value, can be sold. They are
Young pines need growing space. The two oaks that
have been girdled will die, making room for the more
desirable pines.
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1 .1 1 1__ Lal~t~ VV~I
41lxx tlt I, dt( p~trl t\ (citx Ill. tl okei,
bell'xtd 'lot-i hm~ xtlllit 4 prd. .. It is
ii 01( good prtict' f oi tit(' lir of1 it
wx 0011o1 to (et tiicS(trcc o7 '' ut Iof tile
(rood, \ (till 4 7 tree thu (dlca llJ ((VI ii iii
'1 Il(' bl a i s i l it Sxrt ill od of11( ti lix.
Stockedt x \itlt (o(o17 cxs itat Call bC
itt \ St('(i l it .tro 0( tllopi tr plcu
whli tlltcx zirt ridx to cuit.
ELIMINATE DEFECTIVE,
UNMERCHANTABLE TREES
Ill pri cticitllk ill tn tai iliagco-I wood-(
oilltr. This IS otccesil,tx Iloxx lx c, ill
forest still 1(. Experj~ Iimts aimc (07( t eA
fc(lt' xxlv ax , x (I oiligy tltjs himx been~
carrIied( oil for it mllttlc (If, x vars by
tisi Statiol. Relsutlts showtx tht, to( ridi
Stads l i llI(lxr of11 esrl l l~ tx.ics it xxill
coxt $82 toi 86t per acre. T'e xidut olf
itillit 4oxtlill go t iollc ts c oi11 llelmhiltilt
171 (cx xxilil qul or ex\ceed~ removttixai cttx.
lFertility of' lorest xoilx dectermljlie till
ltoll It (if grtoxxthi 1)(l alcret per xyear.
iii ittcd first.
SPROUTING uS a PROBLEM
1 II ra le tiltlll it 4(11111 tt t-x a l t tces
ttp(rout' 4llxill etaenito [t('st'dtlit IoI
Sill tillse i tice ta t e .1 lli to spt
Silc of' . l' t t i .t xta t ( tI II(' is Io It i ltsx
b~ik rlls ('dxII lll\5j 1lle altl(' lillt tlx ax
xx itt tht tol of xti~ e I\l ixtr ditIl Ijtr
of 12t hacks moret hilct'P aIltt treas liciol i
FIG 1. Defective, slow growing, hardwood
is girdled to give growing space to pines.
of kilt r XI'lol iii l i 1(1 ifc t X(IX little
POISON UNDESIRABLE TREES
MEDIUM ad SMALL SIZE
tr ees,, enif thiese (rood tree', ott' veiv
conslis't oll liherating( [011(5 of' All size,
ti a~ 4 lll, i detlix el'l' hardwodst lXXI1
',\eni ovecr t12 inchles put oiut such a
Ilrct iliiinhei iof sprou~ts tihat In('ly
X('ili 11( 511111k IltdI(' midlelcxl' X CilaC
tiallisi' toe lIt Aso( XX Ilk lt lieit',
Il MIAL USE Ol 1' ecr ,t so C l ,t',e~I~t
.IIt' I I 'tlXXI ("I\( X'cfail r NIIXs XAI fewI
HOW TO USE AMMATE j
CHOPPED CUPS
aIi it glYls ovXetr 12 ilties, aminaltc (tvs-
ls lacedt itIlI'lit c thopp t'd cops' at allf
th tili t', i it ov X a~ ofill tltt'jllae \ m t'is
XX lti ,tit il 'tl XX itl fort'mX (t' ItI--
tchaei C I - f81' to 35 IlI 'cets pe IXc' 2 t t 
dt
(>1stilIIlisloilllo ltipt\ ll 111 hcl nitis
ill~fit crt mst be torell musvt ll
pltie or ~lc ' it l Iae Ait isI
IIs 1111 to hast' III m th t b'e rt' l]I ippely
XXr ith i11 a. oewa overp00 t rees'
1
I~l~fl
Aimante 1 il cristat 11101 tmust' beap
FIG. 2. Mediurn-s~zed ut,desirobtc hard-
wood is poisoned by placing ammote crys-
tals in chopped cups at the root collar.
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It affects tree ci iiiiiliatcl\. Somei tirees
iliiax stait to tlit xx itltilit a(,\\- dax .x,
xx lie eas thtlit iiax Yiaiiulix (lie iix i
is iedcd toi 20 peri cclit or less.
HOW TO USE AMMATE Z.
KILLING HICKORIES
iliiiciate lijkiti ~)~ic e ixpim enlt-
\itli hickoiiles, it is ii ('xxii tii chop1
siiiale hack girdilts, are iixci appiii.,
deep ax clitx enring tlie ti c. Ailli
iliutc cri, x are appliedl ill thle tirill
o~l lixcheciiiiplete ciicuiifecience I'i the
tiec. The iioiiiit reipiii d is abouiiita
Ililiio ta it' epooi li li of foix (('I6
ii ic s iof frill.
HOW TO USE OTHER ORGANIC
POISONS i,, FRILLS
xxiii kill tirees anid tlxti pi cxci it iir liiiiit
sprouitingi. Thex i i' soldt ax Coloiilitss
li~ijit ilt are tltxigiilitta x iixx x t-oilt
tile etertsi of 2,1-1) or 2A15-T ''llt'
first ofi thicsc cheicatls tixiliallx sells 1(Ii
ailiiit S85 ori S6 a gailit i aiii the sciiit
hno about S812 at (alliiii. It itppiarx ttitt
2,4-1) is lairlx\ clet'tti t'iioi oe trcx
aitd that 2, 1.5-T ix tiiiitli ihl iloi
-clialilt iiild tfeteti o ii iioxt iif tlic
thc tioxt ofi tievittiilii it. hafiltiildliall
uixed . Tex tall lie ioliYlt ai ctt I
thuia it i cliliki ii bi. ut it ix iii iii,
tfl tttix t liii killing tireex anii(, n titiiig
ti
1 
ti ir ixallel iixall ioiii x.ese chix
tils itrae ti I6 i lli i x iii xxc sk -itti I ii i
l(iittth itddil ll at' ilct .lix ii
cloed ix. tctxol t'utii\liitg tpllic tcitt'
11ittic to i the ilo ci fal ijrcxx x lii
othert .iplcThu oriu.lic pi clic liixt lic
ar xltt corroxi to citl x oit itililtii
gFxor pxilllo xtireisi tliciiil ii l
t'iui fitted xx ili axliiii t)l pice ofi xil-
in tiliie li-ixea dxi solit tixilto fplxil
iti\ outlxxiiio ti eaiiti il)thix 
1 
itre t n.
tx ith catrie il aitl bclxac Xxitticl
iii itpl latid xiitho ii i I li h I o ii \i itl
FIG. 3. Medium-sized undesirable hard-
wood is poisoned by pouring 2,4,5-T into
a frill chopped at a convenient height.
'52 to) 84 per acret. 'I'lit' laboir ictililt
POISON STUMPS 4SMALL
TREES TO CURB SPROUTING
il liallia ete i ta t' [cmpete itil
size' iof stlilip. Cix ,stals aite applited ill
till ratio ot 1. ic'apillig talelspooifil o
imeithiiod is the leaist t \plcislxe c'xxax tii
wdle ut t) ltill' cc Itti h ll liitj a l t ird
aboit 1) I e ili ltt't iii il itt o il s ti to
Illa.lt
PLANT WHERE DESIRABLE
TREES ARE NOT AVAILABLE
\Vh1111's .utt' itixxo llt's t11(~i't ax
tjIi iii( cx ( ik lii i\(I-wst I a't i II j ( aIII
XX
1
) tIc I ' i st IIt i i i' I isiti to is t t i
plit I iiiii iI f(ii i t I iuce x \\ Jlt l it I c s Il\(
istoxx t illi~ spio t' an sportt l ilit idilit'
wttld ca ll) itt (41 lclt l ax a - ofit tlit'vt
itot ' worikli. NTh(e111 c s t'f tc'X ('tillf lit
or iii Ii-kc stll d \\i i lliit be ilitxcr- Iw lit'
2l ;II) IId~ 201' iii-S -llltill tt''
cati lii'\ otk ati retioi dwor poiti i hi\i
DI ti [his xxoods s uiihouitlid bt .1 i t
lilitli ageactict' e ht. Laxg 1oiitiiiitxiiiix
FIG,. 4. Smatt hardwood is chopped down
and 2,4,5-T is poured on the stump to
prevent sprouting.
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