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. These plants are left when you use selective application of herbicides. Plant diversity may even be enhanced using this method, because you're doing away with the trees that, when grown, shade out everything else. If your interest is enhancing and protecting wildlife, this is the way to go.
Many people worry about the side effects of herbicide use in their yards and neighborhoods.
But Dr. Bromley stresses that not all herbicides are created equal. Mankind has had a history of problems with complex chemicals in the ground and air. But from the toxicology that we know and with the types of herbicides that we use, we know of no adverse effects of the use of herbicides to people or animals. These herbicides are designed solely to affect plants. All herbicides used by co-ops are registered with and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.