Regulation of the composition of plantations by the method of injection of herbicides into unwanted tree species: history and perspectives

This literature review is devoted to the evaluation of the method of injection of herbicides into tree trunks of unwanted tree species and the problem of its improvement. The applied traditional methods of silvicultural care, based on the mechanical removal of unwanted woody plants, are very laborious and ineffective. A good alternative to mechanical care is the chemical method, which, along with spraying unwanted vegetation, also injects chemicals (in particular herbicides) into the trunks of deciduous trees. The injection method can be used at different stages of forest cultivation and allows solving a whole range of silvicultural problems – from promoting the natural regeneration of conifers and caring for natural and artificial spruce stands to preventing the vegetative regeneration of aspen and other unwanted tree species after final felling. In addition, this method is most consistent with modern environmental safety requirements for the chemical method of regulating the composition of vegetation. This method, in addition to Russia, is widely used in many foreign countries – the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia. Based on the analysis of literature data and the results of the authors’ research, a conclusion is made about the prospects for further application of the herbicide injection method and the need to improve it, taking into account changes in the range of drugs approved for use on the territory of the Russian Federation. Tornado (water solution (WS), 360 g/l glyphosate) and аrbonal (water soluble concentrate (WC), 250 g/l im azapyr), as well as their mixtures, should be considered the most promising drugs for use in forestry.