Today, June 16th, 2009 Ian Helfant, Tim McKay, Tim Volk, Ben Taylor, and John Pumilio made a visit to check on the progress of the willow plot and to get Tim Volk’s impression and feedback. Here were the take home points:
- The site looks good, and overall, is in good condition
- There were weeds (goldenrod, milkweed, white ash) that were growing throughout the plot and this could present problems down the road as they will compete with the willow and effect their growth
- There were gaps in sprouting willow that could be problematic. This presents a problem because with the open space will be a place for weeds to take route and spread. Tim Volk suggested planting shoots in the gaps to cover the spaces. The longer the time goes by before doing this, the shorter the willow will be in comparison to the other plantings.
- There seemed to be a difference between the three varieties of plantings. The strain closest to the road (fish creek) was least developed and the one furthest away seemed to be in the best condition. The difference could be the strains and how they were planted using Dennis’s planter or the difference could be that Dennis and his crew became better at planting (more evenly spaced, more accurate).
- If we get 80% of the plants to sprout and grow – that is considered success.
- Deer can be a problem especially in smaller plots with a lot of edges. Deer will browse close coverage.
- Tim Volk suggested that the herbicides would not be a problem for the surrounding watershed. Prowl and Grow cling to the soils (esp in the case of ours where it is clay-based) and do not move downward very far. Furthermore, there was no evidence of soil movement down slope.
- Would we have to use herbicides after every cutting? Not sure – it is a wait and watch proposition. Once the willow takes root and begins to grow tall, they will shade out weeds.
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