Previous Covering Experiments

[Sam]

I have heard a rumor that there was some covering or tarping experiments that have been attempted in the region but I don't have a specific name or data related to them. I do know of some preliminary work in Clackamas county, but does anyone else have any information related to this? Anecdotal and Observational input welcome.

[Sam]

Well I have acquired some information via a phone interview related to the tarping treatments undertaken in Seattle on the Cedar River Municipal Watershed. If anyone is interested, you can check out some of the pics from their slide show at http://www.wsweedscience.org/Slides/2007/12%20Nickelson.pdf or contact me for more information. In brief they have been tarping for five years now and plants are still coming up. It remains unclear if it the treatment is resulting in suppression and dormancy or eradication. The layout appears to be extremely labor intensive as tarp maintenance and stomping is needed every 2-3 weeks during the growing season. This method is recommended only for small, easily accessible patches. This method appears to be impractical if not infeasible in remote locations or riparian zones, especially high power rivers and streams.