Each co-op uses only trained and licensed personnel to apply herbicides. Sprouts grow back from the tree roots after having been mechanically cut. Crews walk through these ROW areas and apply an herbicide droplet mixture directly to the tree sprouts, so only those trees are controlled. This leaves low-growing plant growth that stops soil erosion and is good for the environment. Herbicides improve the land by enabling co-ops to control only the undesirable species of vegetation, while leaving those species essential for wildlife habitat.
EnergyUnited crews use backpack sprayers to selectively target unwanted vegetation.
All utilities have been using the increasingly popular herbicides for ROW management over the last few years. Herbicide applications save money, are safe for the environment, and even serve to protect wildlife habitats in most cases. Professor Pete Bromley, a wildlife biologist and department Extension leader in zoology at North Carolina State University, served as the principal investigator on a ROW management research project for Carolina Power and Light Company. When working with farmers in eastern North Carolina, Dr. Bromley has seen excellent results from the selective herbicide treatment with regard to wildlife. The selective herbicide system leaves blackberries and dewberries and other fruit vegetation that wildlife use for nesting, for cover from predators and for food.