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Inside This Issue

• Chairman's Annual Report 2004
• Technical Director's Annual Report 2004
• Executive Secretary's Annual Report 2004
• Treasurer's Annual Report 2004
• Hybrid poplar in manure management
• Planting poplars in Fraser Valley of BC
• Membership questionnaire update
• Herbicide Working Group update

Chairman’s Annual Report 2004

John J. Doornbos

In the past few years there have been some significant changes in the level of interest in poplars across Canada. While we have seen some operational poplar programs put on hold or wound down, there has been a growing interest and activity in many things related to poplar.

At our Annual Meeting this year, we will learn about the work being done to sequence the poplar genome. This exciting work will help to unravel and better understand poplars at the genetic level and has significant implications for tree improvement and other areas of our work with poplars.

In August of 2003, the federal government announced the Forest 2020 Plantation Demonstration and Assessment Initiative. This short-term initiative, ending in March 2006, has two primary activities.

One is the establishment of 6000 hectares of fast growing demonstration plantations across Canada. These plantations are to serve as examples of the role fast growing trees can play in carbon sequestration and increasing fiber supply.

The second objective is to explore and develop mechanisms that will attract investment to establish additional plantations. The short-term nature of Forest 2020 and the very limited start-up notice could constrain the potential benefits of this initiative.

Within PCC there has been increased activity as well. The Herbicide Working Group has been quite active working to increase the tools available to control competing vegetation during plantation establishment. The Breeding and Genetics Working Group has been working on developing a common template and database to document the results of their breeding activities and to incorporate the 1986 data into this database.

The Council Executive has been busy as well. They are surveying members to determine member satisfaction with existing activities and explore the nature of possible future activities. The survey is another step in the process to re-evaluate the role of Poplar Council that began during our workshop in Regina. Also coming from our workshop in Regina, we have seen a revived interest in the number and quality of our provincial and sectoral reports. These will be available on our web site. Speaking of the web site, we are also in the midst of revamping the PCC web site as part of a larger project to spruce up our image or look.The past year has been a busy one for Poplar Council, its members and staff. I would like to thank Jim and Sandra for all their hard work and dedication this past year and note we have also received assistance through the Youth Internship Program.

Technical Director's Annual Report 2004

Jim Richardson

This is the eighth annual report to the Poplar Council membership from the Technical Director, a position created by the Executive Committee in April 1997. The general objectives of the Technical Director are to supply technical services and advice to the Council, to promote awareness and support for the Council and to increase membership. More specifically, the responsibilities of the Technical Director include maintaining and updating the Council’s web site; responding to technical enquiries using E-mail, phone, fax and mail; providing an international dimension to the Council through participation in the International Poplar Commission; contributing to the PCC Newsletter and supporting technical aspects of the organization of the PCC Annual meeting; and providing services to members and the Board of Directors of a technical rather than purely administrative nature. The specific responsibilities have changed somewhat since the position was originally established. This reflects the changing ways in which the Council operates and developing new directions and initiatives of the Council.

Recognizing the limited budget of the Council, the services of the Technical Director are provided for a minimal level of compensation. I work out of my home office in Ottawa, devoting on average two days a week to Poplar Council business. However, the actual time commitment varies greatly depending on the tasks at hand.

Web site

Our web site (www.poplar.ca) continues to be increasingly well used, with the number of ‘hits’ and ‘visits’ a month exceeding 15,000 and 1800 respectively. The most frequently visited pages relate to annual meeting information and newsletters. Maintaining the web site is a major focus for most of the year, which is important to keep the information accurate and current. All PCC Newsletters back to 1997 are available on the web site, with photos in full colour in the most recent issues; colour photos are not available in the printed version. ‘Events’ and ‘Links’ are regularly updated and checked, as is the information about individual and corporate members in the ‘Members Only’ section of the site. The web site is being increasingly used as a primary means of distributing PCC-related information, and has been particularly important for annual meeting information. When it is complete, the new poplar clone directory will be made available on the site. The ‘Reports’ section includes Provincial and sectoral reports presented to the last two annual meetings. Working Group materials are being increasingly added to the site. The present design of the web site dates back to 1998. We are currently in the process of doing a complete review and updating of the design that will improve the appearance and layout, as well as navigation through the site, and add a simple search engine.

Technical Enquiries

The Technical Director deals with a regular stream of technical enquiries – sometimes 2-3 per week – most of which are received as a result of contact through the web site and are dealt with by E-mail. When I am unable to provide the information requested myself, I involve other Council members who are experts in the particular field of interest of the enquirer, or who are closer to the geographic location of the enquirer. Whenever possible, advantage is taken of the opportunity to promote Council membership in responding to enquiries from non-members.

International Dimension

In late November and early December 2004, the XXIIIrd Session of the International Poplar Commission (IPC) will be held in Santiago, Chile, bringing together people interested in poplars and willows from many countries. PCC has been successful in obtaining funds from the Canadian Forest Service for a contract to prepare a National Report for Canada to IPC 2004. The previous such report, prepared for IPC 2000 and available on the PCC web site, is a valuable source of statistical, technical and organizational information about poplar and willow in Canada. The CFS funds will also permit me, as a member of the IPC Executive Committee, to travel to Chile for the Session. Unfortunately, PCC was not successful in an application to CIDA for funds to support participation by delegates from developing countries in IPC 2004. An informal meeting of the IPC Executive Committee was held in conjunction with the PCC annual meeting in 2003, with a focus on program planning for IPC2004, including the establishment of a Scientific Committee, of which I am a member; the Scientific Committee is presently reviewing some 140 paper and poster abstracts submitted from more than 20 countries (including Canada).

Together with a colleague, J.G. Isebrands of Wisconsin, I have undertaken to coordinate the preparation and publication of a completely revised and updated edition of the FAO-IPC book on poplars and willows. This was originally published in 1958, with a revised edition with the title ‘Poplars and Willows in wood production and land use’ in 1979. Both are now out of print and out of date. The new edition, tentatively entitled ‘Poplars and Willows in the World: Meeting the needs of society and the environment’, will be prepared over the next 2 years by a worldwide team of authors.

The coordination work is supported by personal service agreements with FAO.

Newsletters and Annual Meetings

The Technical Director makes regular contributions to the Council’s newsletter, including reports from meetings and other events. Two such articles were contributed to the two newsletter issues that have appeared in the past year, and I have also edited and reviewed others. Once again, the Council’s web site has been the primary source of information about this year’s annual meeting, and I have been involved in maintaining and continuously updating the program and related information for this event on the site. The organizing committee has done a great job of bringing together an excellent scientific and technical program for this meeting.

The Council’s Working Groups have been active this past year, particularly those on Genetics and Breeding and on Herbicide Registration. I have provided technical support and advice to these groups through the web site and through participation in several conference calls with the Council’s executive and leaders of the working groups.

In Memoriam

The poplar community in Canada, and indeed throughout the world, was saddened by the sudden death of Louis Zsuffa in November 2003. Louis was a founding member of the Poplar Council of Canada and served as its Chair for many years, providing a major influence to its scientific and technical direction. Through his international collaboration and contacts in IPC, he helped ensure that Canadian work on selection and breeding of poplars and willows benefited from expertise, materials and experience throughout the world. Louis was always a kind, gentle and generous person. For me, he was my introduction to the world of poplars and willows in the 1980s and remained a close personal friend and mentor. I was glad to be able to represent PCC at his funeral in Toronto. Plans for a fitting, lasting memorial to Louis Zsuffa are in progress.

Acknowledgements

Once again, I would like to thank John Doornbos and the Council’s Executive for their continued support and confidence throughout the year. Despite his busy work and travel schedule with the Canadian Forest Service, John somehow continues to find time for the Poplar Council. I also express my sincere appreciation to Sandra Williams, the Council’s dedicated, unflappable Executive Secretary. Without her hard work, ready support and reminders, my work as Technical Director would be much more difficult.

Executive Secretary's Annual Report 2004

Sandra Williams

I am pleased to file my sixth report to the Poplar Council of Canada. The Executive Secretary’s responsibilities include sending out announcements and information to the members both electronically and by surface mail, managing the finances and daily operations of the Secretariat, preparing agendas and recording minutes for meetings, researching, editing and proofreading the biannual newsletter, maintaining a library of technical information and responding to information requests. The Executive Secretary is also responsible for conference services including registration, events planning and organization.

Members were invoiced at the beginning of April and with the exception of a few individual memberships, most fees have been sent in. Of the current 61 individual members, 21 have three-year memberships, 34 are one-year members, 3 are students and 3 are associate members. Associate members include members of the US Poplar Council Executive and the PCC past chair.

Corporate membership currently stands at 20 members with 50 affiliates. The Poplar Council is very pleased to welcome our new individual members for the year 2004, Stewart Rood, Jim Mattson, Ahmed Koubaa, and Trevor Doerksen. As well, we welcome to the PFRA Shelterbelt, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada in Indian Head, Saskatchewan as the newest Corporate member.

Twenty forestry and resource libraries across Canada are included in the membership mailing list. In total, the PCC has 151 members, 23 of which (associates and libraries) are non-paying. The PCC promotes membership primarily through the web site.

The Secretariat has produced two newsletters this year, including one in February and one in July. I am especially pleased with the diversity of the article topics and the input we have received from both seasoned members and new members from across Canada. The Secretariat encourages the members to communicate and update their poplar-related activities to colleagues through the PCC newsletter. It has been suggested that the newsletter be distributed in electronic form only (.pdf), rather than incurring the costs of printing, postage, etc., which is a move I fully support.

I have participated in several PCC projects this year including discussions on the poplar clone database and the recent survey. Paprican was awarded the contract to compile the database with old and new information gathered this year from members. Compilation of the database continues to be an ongoing activity and we look forward to a very useful product for the members in the near future. I especially thank Barb Thomas for her time and dedication to this project.

Cees van Oosten, Vice-Chair West, had originally brought up the idea of canvassing the membership on input into current and future activities of the PCC. Jim Richardson and Cees van Oosten brainstormed and authored a brief survey that I distributed to the members early in July. Kailla MacLellan, an intern I hired through the Federal Public Sector Youth Internship Program, has been working on tracking preliminary results of the survey. A report will be issued by the Secretariat shortly.

I thank John for making this year another interesting and challenging year. I thank Jim for his wisdom and guidance on all things poplar and related. Both John and Jim invest a great deal of time and energy into the PCC. I also thank Kailla for her invaluable assistance – she will be with us until February of 2005. This is a great opportunity for Kailla to learn about forestry and office work.

Treasurer's Annual Report 2004

Lee Charleson

The Poplar Council of Canada (PCC) ended the year with its accounts in good order. There was a net operating surplus of $5,366. Income from memberships dues rose over the previous year from an increase in the
corporate members. Overall, the PCC worked from a smaller budget than the previous year since it earned less from contract work in 2003. At the end of the year there were accounts payable to five organizations and people. The bulk of the money owing is for past projects. The GIC investments were renewed.

We will see a significant increase in spending in the year 2004. This is due to an increased level of activity by some of the working groups. According to the budget we will need to cash in some GICs to help pay for the project work. This was anticipated when the membership agreed to fund work on the poplar directory.

The PCC appreciates the benefits it receives from the Northern Forestry Centre of the Canadian Forest Service. In 2003 the NoFC provided office space and utilities, and funded Sandra Williams’ time and travel expenses when she worked and traveled on PCC business.

Although I was not present at last year’s meeting I appreciated hearing about the comments and feedback on the finances. If anyone has questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

The PCC financial statements were prepared by Harris S. May in July 2004. Mr. May found that the statements are a fair representation of the financial position of the Poplar Council of Canada. Note that the statements are not audited.

New Technologies: Innovative Use of Hybrid Poplar in Manure Management

Cees van Oosten, Vice-Chair West

One of the stops during the field trip of the Poplar Council of Canada AGM on Tuesday the 10th of August was at a pig farm in Matsqui near Abbotsford, B.C. (Fraser Valley) that uses hybrid poplar for manure management. Since this use of manure is still experimental and exploratory, there is no information yet on variables such as maximum uptake rates and how these rates may vary as the growing season progresses, in relation to amounts and timing of applications. We do know that hybrid poplars require a rich environment in order to thrive, that they have a proven ability to absorb and utilize heavy doses of nutrients and that they can produce an enormous amount of below- and above-ground biomass in a single season. Poplars have been used for instance along crop fields to ‘catch’ nutrients that would otherwise end up in ditches or streams. Local poplar farmers sometimes affectionately refer to hybrid poplars as ‘nutrient pigs’. Their use in manure management offers some promising opportunities.

The farm is what is called in the industry a ‘300 sow farrow to finish operation’ and grows the pigs to the size required by the slaughter plants for optimum meat potential. This takes approximately 165 days from birth when the pigs have reached a weight of 100 to 110 kg. There are approximately 3000 animals on the farm. The barns are fully slatted with concrete pits underneath to collect the manure. An adjacent 8-hectare (20 acres) field was planted to a short-rotation-intensive-culture (SRIC) hybrid poplar plantation crop in the spring of 2002 to utilize the manure. The crop just started its third growing season, also referred to as R3 or rising-3 in the poplar business. Two hybrid poplar varieties (15-29, a Populus trichocarpa x P. deltoides cross, and 265-28, a P. trichocarpa x P. maximowiczii cross) were planted in distinct clonal blocks. Both varieties originated from breeding programs of the University of Washington and Washington State University poplar research project. Trees are planted in a square grid of 4.9 x 4.9 m spacing (16 x 16 ft), resulting in a crop density of 420 stems per hectare (170 stems per acre). The expected rotation is 7 years. The start of canopy closure was already evident during our field trip, indicating a thriving plantation.

Our tour host Dan Carson, poplar forester with Scott Paper Limited, provided the farm with the know-how to establish this plantation under Scott Paper’s Private Grower’s Program. The site grew corn before it was converted to poplar. Under BC Assessment regulations, intensively managed hybrid poplar is considered primary agricultural production, so there were no issues of land tax disincentives for the farmer when switching to a SRIC hybrid poplar crop.

Site preparation included use of a herbicide to control vegetation. Dormant, unrooted cuttings were used for planting and subsequent weed control consisted of cultivating in two directions for the first two years. A BUSH HOG® mower is now used to control the grass between the trees. At the time of the visit, the only grass present was in the tree rows. Manure is spread with a Loewen tank, made locally, with a modified down-spout that provides a 3.7 meter (12 foot) wide spread pattern. It takes 12 hours to cover the field.

Innovative use of hybrid poplar in manure management is still in its infancy, but offers tremendous opportunities. This plantation has entered the accelerated growth phase and the tree canopy will soon start to shade out grasses that are still present. In a few years, when plantation growth starts to level off and more light reaches ground level, the possibility may exist to grow a silage crop that can also benefit from the manure applications; however, at this crop density the light levels may still be too low to accomplish that. Time will tell.

Planting poplars in the Lower Fraser Valley
of British Columbia

Jim Richardson, Technical Director

During the Annual Meeting of the Poplar Council of Canada held in August 2004 in Vancouver, a full-day field tour was hosted by Scott Paper Limited in their hybrid poplar operations in the Lower Fraser Valley. Scott Paper is perhaps the company with the longest continuous experience of working with hybrid poplar in Canada and their operations, though not extensive and in ecosystems not found elsewhere in the country, have a lot to show in terms of poplar productivity and practical plantation establishment and management techniques.

The tour focused on the company’s nursery site at Harrison Mills and nearby operational plantations. This article is based on the author’s field notes from that visit and illustrated with photos taken on the same occasion.

The nursery produces planting stock mainly for Scott Paper’s own use, as well as some for clients. (One bed of ‘Walker’ poplar was producing stock for the interior of B.C.) There is also a small amount of the company’s own breeding material in the stoolbeds, produced with B.C. Ministry of Forests funding. Young nursery beds are irrigated once a week. Older stools were formerly replaced by hand after 7 years, but are now replaced using an auto-mechanical technique after 4 or 5 years. There is about 50% utilization of the beds. Clones being produced in the nursery included NM6, considered highly disease-resistant but not very productive, and DTAC-7, one of the company’s favourite clones. Equipment used in the nursery includes a 75 hp Italian rototiller for site preparation, capable of treating 2 ha per day with 2 passes per row, and a Bobcat with versatile applications including rototilling, biosolids incorporation, discing and, in the future, perhaps spraying.

Cuttings are produced 45cm long for planting in farm fields and 1.8m long for wildland planting. They are always planted 30cm deep with 2 buds in the top 5cm of the cutting. Improper stock handling and storage are cited as the biggest problems, and storage and planting of frozen material (-7°C) is preferred. Mound planting is used on the wettest sites but is very expensive so the spacing there is 5.2m rather than the normal 4.8m. Spring flooding is normal on many of the planting sites, but not in the fall when dykes keep flooding in check.

The nursery area includes an archival planting of hybrid poplar that the company finds is very important and valuable. Five trees per clone have been planted. A much younger clonal test was also seen, incorporating 100 varieties, mostly originating from the Poplar Molecular Genetics Cooperative (now disbanded). The test was planted in spring 2004 and includes all clones with B.C. parents, all of which have passed disease screening. The test area was treated with spot application of Casuron as a pre-emergent weed treatment. Also on the nursery site is the oldest hybrid poplar spacing trial of its kind on the West Coast.

Planted originally at 4.8m to 3.6m apart in 1988, the trees have not quite reached growth culmination, though thinning is no longer an option since there is less than 30% live crown on average. The TxM clones have much deeper crowns and so have more thinning potential. There is a 30% difference in productivity between the widest and the narrowest spacings, but the biggest gain with wide spacing is considered to be the large piece size that reduces the overall harvest cost. The native balsam poplar has only half the volume of the hybrids.

An operational planting was visited on a nearby leased site that had been abandoned from agricultural use about 8 years previously. The site had very heavy grass cover and site preparation was difficult. The grass was chopped with a flail and then disced and rototilled to a depth of 15cm for 2 years before planting in 2003. Fertilizer was applied at the time of planting and was thought to help with drought problems. Casuron + Atrazine were applied in the first year and controlled the grass very well. Only mechanical weed control was used in the second year. Wide spacing permitted diagonal tilling. Mowing was not considered due to the heavy vole population [see text box]. Double spacing was used in the outside row to reduce edge effect.

Scott Paper also demonstrated a “modified” extensive plantation at some distance from the nursery. This plantation system is termed “modified” because it runs counter to normal philosophy and practice on agricultural land. The plantation was on a piece of leased land with an unusual crescent shape. There was a problem with reed canary grass on the site and an excavator and rake were used to prepare for planting whips of clone TD15-29. Roundup was applied with a backpack sprayer to control weed growth and fertilizer was applied for three years at an extra cost of $400 per ha. After three years, there was 95% survival and growth had averaged 3m per year. There was a brush understorey but voles were not a problem because the understorey was more like forest vegetation than grass. Blackberries had been sprayed. The establishment treatment was considered to involve much less effort than if only land-tilling had been employed. Below-ground competition was felt to be more important than above-ground. The company believed this plantation could be harvested after 14 years rather than the normal 25 years.

Appreciation is expressed to Dan Carson of Scott Paper, New Westminster, B.C. who organized the field tour, hosted the visitors personally on-site and served as the chief tour guide and information source. Scott Paper kindly provided lunch for the tour participants.

Update on the Membership Questionnaire

Cees van Oosten, Vice-Chair West

In 2004 the PCC initiated a membership questionnaire to which we received an initial 20 responses. We discussed the preliminary results at the PCC business meeting at the August 2004 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Vancouver. After extending the submission deadline to the 30th of September, in order to get additional responses, we ended up with a total of 29 responses.

The Executive Committee and Working Groups of the Poplar Council of Canada had been discussing the possibility of PCC making efforts to become more visible and taking a more proactive role on issues relating to poplar growing and management. This could mean the PCC becoming more of an advocacy group than at present. We needed the membership guidance on the future direction of the PCC, which is after all your organization. The survey questionnaire was intended to help you tell the Executive Committee how you feel about the kind of activities in which PCC presently engages and some other possibilities that we might consider in future.

The results are in and have been compiled. The plan is to use the results to steer the agenda for the PCC - Strategic Workshop to be held during the AGM, which will be organized in conjunction with the Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF) in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan towards the end of August 2005.

The questions had to be scored from 1 to 5:

• Score of 1 - PCC should definitely be doing this
• Score of 2 - PCC should be doing this
• Score of 3 - Mild endorsement of PCC doing this
• Score of 4 - PCC should not be doing this
• Score of 5 - PCC should not be doing this at all

Any ‘blank or nil’ scores, where the respondent did not provide an answer, were removed from the statistics.

The results were as follows:

The lower the score, the higher the endorsement. The ‘annual meeting with field tours’ and the ‘website’ had the highest endorsements. There is ample food for thought and these results will be used to our advantage at the upcoming PCC - Strategic Workshop in August. Please make an effort to attend this meeting and help shape the future of your PCC. We welcome your comments and ideas. Please direct these to the Secretariat at the following email address: poplar@poplar.ca.

Update on the Herbicide Working Group (HWG)

Cees van Oosten, Vice-Chair West

The Herbicide Working Group (HWG) has been very active this last year. The objective of the HWG is two-fold: to look at the range of herbicides currently available that are appropriate for use on poplars, but not currently registered, and to get the appropriate herbicides registered for use on poplar. For most of 2004 the HWG consisted of five members: Lee Charleson (Western Boreal Aspen Corp.), Florance Niemi (Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd.), Lyle Alspach (Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration), Al Bertschi (Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries) and Cees (“Case”) van Oosten (SilviConsult Inc.); unfortunately Lee decided to step down late last year to concentrate on new responsibilities. We thank her for her contributions and wish her well. The four remaining members are continuing with business as usual.

In the July 2004 newsletter we reported that we had narrowed down a list of 8 potential herbicides of interest to two products we needed the most: Goal 2XL (Oxyfluorfen - PCP#24913) and Lontrel 360 (Clopyralid - PCP#23545). We also planned to set up a meeting with the Pest Management Regulatory Agency - PMRA (Agence de régelmentation de la lutte antiparasitaire - ARLA) in Ottawa; the PMRA had requested more information on short-rotation-intensive-culture (SRIC) poplar crops.

Of the two herbicides we selected for immediate action, we concentrated on Lontrel 360 (Clopyralid). The next step was to assemble all the trial data for this product in preparation for the User Requested Minor Use Label Expansion (URMULE). To get this work done the HWG submitted a budget to the PCC to enable us to contract this work out. The budget request was discussed at the PCC business meeting in Vancouver last August and subsequently approved. After reviewing various options, Lyle suggested that we consider becoming a member of the Prairie Pesticide Minor Use Consortium (PPMUC), based in Brooks (Alberta). After review we decided this would be the most cost-effective option for the HWG, as membership would entitle the HWG to the services of the Minor Use Procurement Officer of the Consortium for the preparation and submission of URMULES. In November 2004 we took out a membership and immediately started working on the URMULE for Lontrel 360. Only pesticides that are already registered for crop uses in Canada qualify for minor use applications. Dow AgroSciences Inc. of Calgary had agreed to support this URMULE, wrote a letter of support and accepted a draft label we had proposed. Both the letter of support and the draft label will be submitted as part of the URMULE application package. The PPMUC’s Minor Use Procurement Officer (Rudy Esau) is currently completing the URMULE for Lontrel 360 (Clopyralid), which we expect to submit to the PMRA by the end of January 2005. For additional information on the URMULE process or to get access to listed herbicide labels, see: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/pmra-arla/english/appregis/urmule-e.html.

Al Bertschi and Cees (“Case”) van Oosten travelled to Ottawa in September to make the presentation ‘Short-Rotation-Intensive-Culture (SRIC) Poplar; An Agronomic Crop’ to the PMRA. We presented it to about 25 PMRA staff in Ottawa on the 15th of September 2004. The presentation was very well received and comments were favourable. From the feedback we concluded that we presented a convincing argument in favour of short-rotation-intensive-culture (SRIC) poplar as an agronomic crop. This became clear when the Minor Use Coordinator of the PMRA (he is part of the regulator’s responsibilities at Health Canada) recommended we submit our URMULES through one of the Provincial Minor Use Coordinators of the Provincial Agriculture Ministries. This would accentuate the fact that we deal with an agronomic crop. To clarify, the Provincial Minor Use Coordinators do not report to PMRA; they merely coordinate and submit URMULES on behalf of the user groups, of which we are one. They are Provincial employees. To facilitate this process and obtain the support of the Provincial Minor Use Coordinators, we undertook to present the same slideshow to them as well. Cees made the presentation to the Minor Use Coordinators in British Columbia, Al and Lyle took on Saskatchewan and Al made the final presentation in Alberta. Due to budget restrictions, Cees presented the same show electronically to the Minor Use Coordinators in Manitoba and Ontario. The Province of Quebec was not included due to the policies of the Quebec Government not to allow herbicide use in tree farming. As with the PMRA, we received very favourable reviews from the Provincial Minor Use Coordinators and to date they have been very encouraging and helpful.

In January the HWG submitted its priority list of additionally required herbicides to theProvincial Minor Use Coordinators to be included in the national priority list. This submission includes the product Goal 2XL (Oxyfluorfen - PCP#24913), which was one of our two initial selections. We received word from Michael Irvine (the national Forestry Minor Use Coordinator in Ontario), that Ontario is planning to carry out trials on poplar with Goal 2XL (Oxyfluorfen). We will be coordinating our efforts with Ontario to obtain a national registration for this product.

And last, but not least, here is a list of the herbicides that are currently registered for use in poplar. Note that more herbicides are registered for poplar in Shelterbelt applications.

Herbicides registered for poplar:

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Last edit: 2005-12-21