Cutting the Stump: How I Apply Tordon RTU

In this video I give a demonstration of my typical process in the bush-honeysuckle treatment. The video provides an overview of how I move through the forest with my gear and a demonstration on how I personally apply a stump-cut treatment using the customized setup I have. Enjoy the video and I hope it provides other wildlife and forestry professionals with ideas on how they can use less chemical in their operations and gravitate towards a more regenerative forestry model.

This process is much slower than a foliar spray application, but the overall benefits I believe outweigh the time cost. The reduction of chemical use means less damage to the ecosystem, using direct cut treatment means no collateral damage to pollinator insects, non-target plants, or herbivores eating the foliage after being sprayed. Also, no chemical contact with the soil means there is no leaching into the waterways.

Using the Pullerbear to pull out all of the smaller stems also means less chemical needed, soil is being scarified and disturbed enough to help hard-mass tree seeds (acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts, etc.) contact mineral soil for germination.

Equipment used in this process:
Stihl 162 light chainsaw

https://www.stihlusa.com/products/chain-saws/homeowner-saws/ms162/

Pullerbear Pro-XL (customized by shop for my work)
https://www.pullerbear.com/compare.html

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A little bit on where I come from:

I am a graduate from SUNY – College of Environmental Science with a B.S. in Wildlife Science

I graduated from SUNY – ESF Ranger School extension with an A.A.S in Environmental and Natural Resource Conservation


Spent 4 years working various public sector seasonal technician jobs around states like Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, South Carolina, and New York until I decided to turn to Private Sector work.

I mostly tackle Timber Stand Improvement projects, with a focus on wildlife habitat features and sustainable growth through thinning treatments and soil-building techniques. I strive to utilize regenerative forestry as my core focus when providing any services.


My hope is that with this channel I can introduce land owners to some basic management practices and techniques that can help them work on their own properties, or know what to look for when hiring a private forester to come work on their land if they want to follow the methods I use for my own work.

If you are a professional or homesteader interested in checking out the Woodmaxx woodchippers as shown is some of my videos, please use this Woodmaxx website affiliated link. Just using it to navigate to their website will help support my work and the time spent creating these videos:
https://tr.ee/xlSgBChDYX

This video contains music from Shutterstock, licensed by Splice video editing app.