Agricultural producers must be mindful of previous herbicide applications when converting cropland or pastures to a new windbreak. Newly planted tree seedlings are sensitive to many environmental stressors. One stressor that is often forgotten is herbicide residue from the previous cropping systems. The failure to consider this stress has resulted in the failure of newly planted windbreaks.
Herbicides used for managing weeds in agricultural land may persist for months or years following application. If the ground is converted to a windbreak, the newly planted bare-root tree seedlings may be adversely affected. This stress can result in discolored foliage, slow establishment, decline or mortality. This is referred to as herbicide carryover injury.
