The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will begin herbicide treatment on select state lands in the Hibbing Forestry Administrative Area to ready the sites for reforestation efforts. Applications totaling 335 acres across six sites will begin around August 10th and continue through approximately August 30th.

“Herbicides will be sprayed to reduce woody vegetation that would otherwise compete with the newly planted tree seedlings,” said Dave Larson, NE Silviculture Program Lead. “This gives the tree seedlings a better chance to grow and survive.”

Signs will be posted on all herbicide treatment sites. Adjacent landowners within a quarter mile of the treatment sites will be notified by mail. 

In following DNR herbicide application guidelines, herbicides will not be applied within 100 feet of any waterbody.

The DNR plants trees on state lands to reforest harvested areas, provide wildlife habitat, protect watersheds, sequester carbon and maintain healthy state forests. Part of the reforestation process involves applying herbicides to an area prior to or following tree planting. DNR foresters determine the right tree species for the site and private contractors do the actual planting.

This past spring in the Hibbing Area, the Division of Forestry planted 126,000 seedlings on 170 acres.

More information about how the DNR manages Minnesota’s forests can be found at www.mndnr.gov/forestry.