Forest Herbicide Prescription
Vegetation Management Tour

A Pre-conference Technical Field Tour
APSAF 2007 Winter Meeting

January 24, 2007
Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst Village, NC

General Tour Information
This technical field tour is open to anyone wishing to attend, regardless of attending the APSAF Winter Meeting. The field tour fee is $35 and advanced registration is required because seating is limited. This workshop has been approved for 2 contact hours in Category 1 CFE from the Society of American Foresters. Immediately after the Pre-conference Herbicide Workshop a bus will depart from the Carolina Inn. If you registered to attend the morning Herbicide Workshop you will find your lunch waiting for you on the bus. If you did not attend the workshop, you should plan to have lunch prior to the bus trip, or bring food and beverage with you. Register early so we can save you a seat!

Tour Overview
The Herbicide and Vegetation Management tour will will focus on vegetation management utilizing herbicides, burning and harvesting to achieve multiple- purpose, resource values. It include multiple site visits on the NC Willdife Resources Commission's Sandhill Gamelands in the vicinity of  Hoffman, NC. Participants will be hosted by  Mr. Bill Parsons, Willdife Forester, NCRF # 1200. Additional tour stops will be hosted by Rick Studenmund, Director of the The Nature Conservancy's N.C. Sandhills Program. Rick is a botanist by training and oversees the acquisition and management of more than 12,000  TNC-owned acres  in the region.

TENTATIVE AGENDA

12:45 p.m. Bus departs Carolina Inn at Pinehurst Resort

Sandhill Gameland Tour Stops

Stop A- Longleaf pine managment area-  Focus of the stop will be to review and contrast use of Velpar vs Arsenal herbicides to control Scrub Oaks and other undesirable vegetation.

Stop  B- Quail Management Opportunitites in Longleaf Pine- Participants will view and discuss the challenges of vegetation control with longleaf overstory  residual basal areas thinned to prime wildlife densities (30 - 40 sq.ft/ acre)

Stop  C- Vegetation Management for Warm Season Grasses. Focus of the stop will be to evaluate and discuss the success of warm season grass restorations on this unique Sandhills site. Participants will view the accomplishments on a 6000 acre target area.  Quail response and challenges of continued vegetation management wil be discussed have shown a positive response to this new management regime.

The  Nature Conservancy Tour Stops

Stop D- Recent acquisition in need of restoration.  Participants will get a flavor of a typical conservation acquisition in its raw form. Rick will discuss the steps and planning that is use to restore longleaf overstry and wiregrass understory to its full potential. The before scenario.

Stop E- Restored Longleaf Property. Participants will evalute the finished product- a conservation property that has been restored after  more than 15 years of active management  The Nature Conservancy strategy and procedures for Longleaf ecosystem management and restoration will be discussed. Topics will include the use of thinning, prescribed fire and herbicides within Red-cockaded woodpecker habitat.

5:30 p.m. Bus returns to Carolina Inn at Pinehurst Resort.