Minnesota DNR to conduct herbicide applications in the Bemidji area to help reforestation efforts
Jul. 1—BEMIDJI — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will begin herbicide applications on select state lands next week in the Bemidji Forestry administrative area to prepare sites for reforestation.
Applications on 16 sites will begin around July 5 and continue through approximately Sept 15.
"Herbicides are used in select locations to reduce vegetation that would compete with newly planted tree seedlings. This gives the tree seedlings a better chance to grow and survive," a release said.
Signs will be posted on all herbicide treatment sites. Adjacent landowners within an eighth of a mile of the treatment sites have been notified.
The DNR plants trees on state lands to reforest harvested areas, provide wildlife habitat, protect watersheds, provide wood and fiber for forest products, sequester carbon and maintain healthy state forests.
Part of the reforestation process involves applying herbicides where needed prior to or following tree planting. DNR foresters determine the right tree species for the site and private contractors plant the trees, the release said.
More information about how the DNR manages Minnesota's forests can be found at
