Friday, June 26, 2009

Woody Plant Clearing Machinery Demonstration

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge recently hosted a demonstration of machinery used to clear woody invasive plants.  Representatives from Fecon, Inc. brought an FTX148 with a Bullhog brush clearing head and demonstrated how the machine clears large, dense infestations of woody invasive species.  The machine allows the driver to move the brush clearing head up to grind the tops out of shrubs or down to the ground to mulch woody debris. Other topics discussed during the demonstration were follow-up treatments, selectivity of treatments, and the need for equipment sanitation between work sites.  Representative from the NRCS and the River to River CWMA attended the demonstration along with Crab Orchard NWR employees.