` TREE OF HEAVEN

The bright yellow flowers against the dark lush green foliage is easy to spot in late July, early August.  Found commonly along edges and opening, they get their foothold in a woodlot after a disturbance that lets in sunlight		 Imported from Asia over 100 years ago, the Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) has escaped the urban landscape to become a serious pest in the woodlots of Eastern Ohio.   Now in full bloom, it is very easy to spot as few other trees, are in showy floral display now.  Not only does it crowd out native trees and shrubs, it's growth habits make it very hard to control.  Almost any wound to the root system or the stem triggers root sprout to pop up all along it's root system.  So cutting it down or grubbing it out with a dozer just causes dozens, even hundreds, of new trees to appear.  And, although connected by a common root system, it has the ability to resist chemicals spread through the roots.  To keep from losing the woodlot to this invader, they need to be aggressively controlled.

 

A licensed applicator can use a host of chemicals to help control.   Tordon is good, but if you have yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) in the woods, they will also be killed or set back as they are sensitive to that chemical.   As a landowner, you can use Roundup without a license and now is the best time to see them and control them.  Roundup, used undiluted or in a 50/50 mix with water, must be put in contact as should as possible after wounding the tree.  Trees 1/2 inch to 4 inches in diameter can be cut down and the stump sprayed with the Roundup mix.  Trees larger than that should be frilled with a chainsaw or axe and that wound sprayed with the mix.  Near these large trees you will often find root sprouts.  These can be foliar sprayed with Roundup with an 1/8/ to 1/4 cup chemical to water mix.  Be sure to completely cover not only all the leaves, but the green stems as well.

It will often take more than one trip to the woods for complete control, as this is one of the hardest invaders to eliminate.  But keep after them, as they can take over the woods, especially when sunlight is introduced by a harvest or even storm damage..

Use a chainsaw to cut two rings about 1/4 inch deep through the smooth bark.  This will release a very pungent smell, getting rise to a common name for this tree, "Stink tree".

A tree of heaven double ring girdled

 

 

The cut must be sprayed immediately, as this type of wound will trigger aggressive root sprouting..