Young Cedars and Winter Maintainence

 

Red cedar seedlings are becoming conspicuous in this area of the prairie.  At this point I'm content to let some these trees grow a while.  Red cedars are not the greatest threat to the prairies in these areas, and since they don't resprout from cut stumps they are easy to control.

Seedlings of red cedars have needle like leaves.  The leaf scales develop later on in the plants life cycle.

Juniperus virginiana seedling

Above is an autumn olive sprout that is reestablishing dominance.  A 15% solution of triclopyr in a oil carrier, applied with a sponge on a stick will take care of these sprouts neatly.

These native black raspberries severely impact the quality of the prairie plant growth.  I plan on targeting these with triclopyr on a stick as well.

So far the winter has been mild and nearly snow-free allowing for many productive days of cutting and treating.  This winter's goal of cutting and treating all of the big hollow restoration area is well with in reach.