Neighbors of Jefferson County timber company land are being warned that annual herbicide spraying is about to begin.
Jefferson County forest landowners and managers will apply herbicides – various combinations of Oust XP, Riverdale and Transline – on their property by helicopter later this month and in early May.
Sites of the aerial spraying will be throughout East Jefferson County.
Dates of application will depend on the weather.
The herbicide will not be sprayed if it is rainy or excessively windy to ensure the herbicide does not drift onto adjoining properties, said Al Latham, director of the Jefferson County Conservation District.
Neighbors within 1,000 feet of the spray sites are notified by the timber companies involved, normally by house calls, he said.
The spraying will be conducted by a low-flying helicopter which releases spray through multiple, calibrated nozzles.
Latham said the risk to neighbors from the herbicides is not clear.
“Risk – it depends on who you talk to,” Latham said.
But he said the conservation district is taking measures to ensure that neighbors aren’t surprised by the spraying, and so that they can be out of the area when the herbicide is applied, if they desire.
“It’s expensive, so they don’t just do it carte blanche,” Latham said.
“They make every effort not to have any drift.”
The spraying is considered necessary to control vegetation that competes with tree seedlings and affects their growth.
The spraying personnel are regulated by the state Department of Agriculture and the spraying itself is regulated by the state Department of Natural Resources.
All wetlands and streams will be buffered so the herbicide does not contact surface water.
A monitoring program coordinated by the Jefferson County Conservation District has been in place since 1985.
A voluntary agreement was drawn up between the Jefferson County and forest land owners and managers regarding aerial application procedures.
The overall intent of the agreement is to notify the public about the chemicals involved, when and where the spraying will occur.
For more information, phone Dave Stafford at Olympic Resource Management at 360-297-0570, Ext. 25, or the Conservation District Office, 360-385-4105.
