WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TORDON HERBICIDES

1 WHAT YOU SHOULD know ABOUT TORDON HERBICIDESV egetation managers and foresters useTordon* HERBICIDES to control unwanted weeds,brush and trees beneath electrical powerlines,along railroad beds, roadsides, pipelines, incommercial forestry, and wildlife openingsincluding grazed areas on these sites. TORDON isa trademark of Dow AgroSciences for herbi-cides containing picloram as the active following information providesspecifics on TORDON , and explores questionscommonly asked by people concerning its do you need to control vegetation in theseareas?For most rights-of-way uses, safety re-mains a major reason for managing , brush and weeds along these rights-of-way can create driver and passenger safety, vegeta-tion must not be allowed to block traffic signs orroadside markers.

2 It must also not concealguardrails or overtake road shoulders. Vegeta-tion must not obstruct driver vision at intersec-tions or block the line of sight around vegetation also prevents properdrainage, which can damage roadbeds by cre-ating potholes and other hazards. Trees growing into powerlines can causeelectrical power outages and make mainte-nance difficult and dangerous. In addition,areas around utility substations and landbeneath transmission towers require a vegeta-tion-free zone to prevent fire hazards andensure the transfer of companies need to controlweeds along their rights-of-way to maintainroadbeds. Weeds hold water around railroadties. This causes them to rot, increasingchances for derailment accidents. Sparks fromthe rails can also ignite weeds and brush grow-ing too close to the roadbed, which can create afire hazard for neighboring residents.

3 Brush thatobstructs motorists views at railroad crossingsis especially dangerous. Controlling it can helpavert car/train control vegetation to maximizethe amount of timber they can harvest resultingin more timber harvested on less land. Control-ling brush also decreases the potential for forestfires, and allows young stands to get plants, that affect all of the areaswe have talked ABOUT , threaten to create amonoculture where one plant type dominates anarea. Invasive plants choke out native plantspecies and wildlife habitats. Soon nativegrasses, flowers and other plant species, alongwith native animals and birds, are driven out ofthe HERBICIDES control these invasiveplant species which promotes native plants thatin turn attract a wide range of wildlife. Nearly 50years of research by Dr.

4 William Bramble, a for-est ecologist, and Dr. William Brynes, an ecolo-gist specializing in forest soils, support the useof selective HERBICIDES to increase biodiversity.(The Bramble and Brynes study was done inconjunction with Penn State University, PurdueUniversity and the Pennsylvania GameCommission.)Why do you need to use TORDON ? Can t youjust cut the vegetation ?Mowing and trimming remain importantparts of any vegetation maintenance mechanical means alone cannot protectthese areas adequately. Besides being verylabor intensive, mechanical methods cause soilcompaction that can lead to soil erosion. Andflailing blades and moving parts pose a dangerto employees, livestock and wildlife. Flyingdebris from mowers can potentially damageyour property. Mowing creates multiple resprouts theplant s natural defense to the cutting.

5 This onlyworsens the vegetation problem. In some cases, mechanical methods quitesimply cannot be used. Steep terrain may limitaccess by mowers, and in the case of railroadsand substations, their crushed-stone construc-tion makes mechanical weed control impossible. TORDON controls unwanted brush and elim-inates resprouting. Because of this improvedcontrol, crews and heavy machinery visit thearea less frequently, meaning less impact onproperty near yours. Who will be applying TORDON ?A vegetation manager plans TORDON herbicide treatments and oversees crew activities. Trained, professional applicatorsapply TORDON in designated areas usingapproved application techniques. Organizationsmay use on-staff crews or hire custom applica-tors. In either case, these applicators followdirections on the product label, which isreviewed by the Environmental ProtectionAgency.

6 Aerial applicators are highly trained anduse specialized equipment to make applicationsHow do I know these applicators are trainedproperly?It s in the best interest of any organizationto hire qualified people to handle applications for the good of the organization itself and itsstanding in the state-certified applicators or thoseunder their direct supervision may apply HERBICIDES are classified as restricted-use pesticides because of their ability to injuresusceptible plants at extremely low rates. Therigorous training required for state certificationhelps ensure that applicators apply Tordonproperly, limiting the potential for damage tonontarget addition, an experienced crew foremanoversees the application process toensure all workers follow the specified vegeta-tion-control plan outlined by the vegetation will they apply TORDON ?

7 Crews apply TORDON to unwanted vegeta-tion through a variety of application applications spray solution on the plant sleaves, while cut-stubble applications are usedto keep mowed brush from vegetation manager assesses plantvariety and size, and environmental conditionsat each site before determining the correctapplication rate and technique for that manager considers many factors, such asseason, temperature, weather and do these applicators know they are applying the correct amount of TORDON ?The label indicates the rates to be an application begins, crews test theapplication equipment and calibrate all spraynozzles to ensure they meet these label TORDON harm my ornamentals or garden? TORDON has the potential to harm anywoody or broadleaf plant that comes in directcontact with the spray solution.

8 Therefore, appli-cators take care to apply TORDON only on tar-geted vegetation specified by the vegetationmanager. Crews use extra caution to protect yourornamentals or garden, leaving untreated buffer zones that add an extra measure of pro-tection. When making foliar applications, crewscarefully monitor wind speed and direction toassure accuracy. Drift-control agents can alsobe mixed with the spray solution to producelarger, heavier droplets that aid applicationaccuracy and reduce chances for off-target TORDON considered toxic?Picloram, the active ingredient in TORDON ,has been classified as Category E evidenceof non-carcinogenicity to humans by the EPA(the most favorable classification possible), andhas been found to be practically nontoxic tomammals, birds, and honeybees.

9 Toxicologicalstudies show no evidence that the active ingre-dient in TORDON causes cancer, birth defects,genetic damage, genetic mutations, adverseeffects on the immune system or nervous sys-tem in pesticides sold in the must beregistered by the EPA based on scientific stud-ies showing that the pesticide will perform itsintended function without unreasonable adverseeffects on the environment. The EPA definesunreasonable adverse effects as any unreason-able risk to man or the environment, taking intoaccount the economic, social and environmen-tal costs and benefits of the use of the pesticide. How do you know the amount of Tordonapplied won t hurt animals? TORDON affects plants only. The herbicide sactive ingredient disrupts the growth processwithin the plant by affecting enzymes unique toplants.

10 TORDON does not have a similar effect onanimals or insects. To ensure there are no unintended effectsto pets, livestock or wildlife, the EPA requiresextensive animal testing. Researchers deter-mine the highest concentration of a product thatstill shows no negative effect on animals, andcall this the No-Observable-Adverse-EffectLevel (NOAEL). Scientists also determine a maximumexposure level exposure to the highest esti-mated concentration level that could beexpected with normal use. Using these twomeasurements, they calculate a safety factor for effects on animals. This factor shows a multi-ple of the highest label application rate that ananimal would have to be exposed to in order toreach the NOAEL. For instance, a safety factor of 10X meansthat an animal would have to be exposed to tentimes the maximum labeled application rate ofTordon to reach the you can see in the Safety Assessmentchart, a large margin of safety exists.