Improving Chemical Maintenance Techniques in Forest Plantations

This article covers concerns about the elimination of low-value deciduous trees by chemical treatment in favour of conifers. Various methods for removing undesirable vegetation are discussed with an indication of their advantages and disadvantages. Central attention is given to the use of arboricides for the treatment of young growth. It is considered that the chemicals must selectively affect the unfavourable plants, avoid any influence on economically valuable species, and be safe for human health and forest fauna. A practically common method of chemical maintenance was investigated, which includes the injection of arboricides into notches on tree trunks. The authors suggest devices confirmed by the patents of the Russian Federation that are suitable for this purpose. The operational principle is the drilling of the notches with the subsequent injection of arboricide. The proposed mechanical treatment increases productivity by decreasing the complexity of the procedure as well as the physical load on the operator during handling and moving of the equipment. The investigational results are compared with the properties of the Cobra apparatus, which was widely used in the Soviet Union and later in the Russian Federation. The research was performed in young stands of Kokshaysky Forest and Shulkinskoe Forestry in the Republic of Mari El. The comparative results of ecological and silvicultural monitoring on coniferous conditions after chemical treatment revealed the higher performance of the proposed device over the Cobra apparatus. The material in this article is recommended to forestry operators as a guide for chemical maintenance, mainly in young stands. For citation: Tsarev E.М., Rukomojnikov K.P., Anisimov S.E., Konyukhova Т.А., Krenev А.V. Improving Chemical Maintenance Techniques in Forest Plantations. Lesnoy Zhurnal = Russian Forestry Journal, 2023, no. 4, pp. 190–201. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.37482/0536-1036-2023-4-190-201