Eden Shale Update - January

We recently hosted our first-ever trial of spraying a woodland invasive species using a drone. This project is a partnership with the University of Kentucky Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Kentucky Division of Forestry, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Kentucky Beef Network.

The goal of this field trial is to determine if bush honeysuckle can be successfully eliminated using a foliar herbicide application applied with a drone flown above the entire forest canopy. The basic theory is that, when applied at the correct time, the bush honeysuckle can be eliminated with little/no effects on the desired hardwood species.
To accomplish this goal, precise timing of the application must be managed. The target window is very tight. Application cannot occur until the hardwood trees have dropped all their leaves. This opens up the canopy to allow the herbicide to fall to the leaves of the target species, which remain on bush honeysuckle for an additional 10-14 days. The herbicide application must be completed during this short window while the bush honeysuckle leaves are still present.

At Eden Shale Farm, Nov. 17 presented the ideal conditions to conduct the application. The hardwood leaves had fallen; the weather was clear, and the wind was less than 5 mph. For this trial, we sprayed a total of 10 acres of forest that contained bush honeysuckle− 8 acres were of continuous woods that were highly infected and 2 acres were next to the field day barn and will be used as a visible example and teaching location.

SkyFarm Drones professionally completed the flight as they have experience in all kinds of arial applications. They used a large drone that measured 12 feet across that carried 5 gallons of herbicide. The two-man crew of SkyFarm Drones completed the application of the 8 acres of woods in one hour. This was a massive reduction in time versus treating the site by hand from the ground.
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We are excited to watch the results of this trial next spring to see how well the application controls the bush honeysuckle. This is another great example of our public-private partnership working to create real-world solutions for farmers and landowners across Kentucky. I want to say thank you to both the agencies and people involved in this state-of-the-art field trial. Stay tuned for future educational opportunities at Eden Shale Farm featuring this demonstration.