Multi-year plant growth responses to operational glyphosate application in forestry cut blocks across Alberta

Abstract

Herbicides containing glyphosate are used worldwide to control unwanted vegetation in agriculture and forestry settings. There has been a vast amount of research describing the effects of herbicides in an agricultural setting, however, there have been far fewer studies looking at the operational use of glyphosate-based herbicides in a forestry context. Long-term effects of glyphosate use in forestry are not well documented, and there is rising concern about the environmental impacts of these herbicides including reduced biodiversity, changes to plant community composition, and effects on non-target species. This study uses data from operationally treated harvested cut blocks in Alberta to quantify glyphosate residues in order to assess potential exposure to browsing animals, as well as examine the effects of glyphosate on biomass production in relation to browse availability for moose. Thirty-eight recently harvested cut blocks were selected for sampling. Ten sample plots were established in each of these openings to record plant composition data. Some vegetation outside of these plots was destructively sampled in order to record fresh weight in the field. These weights were then used to generate regression equations for four indicator plant species - fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium), raspberry (Rubus idaeus), aspen (Populus tremuloides), and willow (Salix spp.) - in order to estimate the total biomass available for moose browsing in each of the openings. The regression models created for each of the four species' displayed good residual plots, indicating that the models created were a good fit for estimating biomass. Growth response in the two years following herbicide application varied between the species, willow (Salix spp.) displayed the greatest overall recovery. Higher availability of preferred browse plants in an opening can increase the amount of potential exposure to herbicides for moose and other wildlife.