The Department of Natural Resources will be conducting an invasive
plant and understory spray treatment on approximately 23 acres of
forest land near Heinrich Road in the Eldorado Wildlife Area in Fond
du Lac County. The treatment is the first part of a project to
regenerate two forested areas to a mixture of oak and hickory.
Currently these forested areas have a heavy understory of an invasive
plant called buckthorn along with other shrubs which is limiting the
ability of the forest to regenerate.

Once the understory has been successfully treated the forest will be
thinned to provide an adequate amount of sunlight for tree seedlings
to grow. The spray treatment of the understory is being done to limit
the amount of competition for sunlight to the tree seedlings which
will be planted at a later date. Without the treatment of the
understory, the buckthorn and other shrubs would take over the site
after the forest is thinned.

The spraying will be done from the ground by applying the herbicide to
either the leaves of the plants or to the cut stems of the plants. The
spraying will be done between late July and mid September depending on
weather conditions. If you have questions about the project please
contact Tom Vanden Elzen, Department of Natural Resources Forester for
Fond du Lac County at 920-424-3056.