permaculture

[goebel <goebel@wsu.edu>]

I used to own 40 acres near Willits, in Mendicino County, CA.  We had 
large areas of poison oak too.  I brought in a herd of cattle and fed them 
a little bit of hay in January over vast patches of poison oak for several 
days, then returned the herd to a neighbor's ranch.  The next spring, the 
poison oak patches were replaced by grasses and legumes.

Hope this helps.

-----Original Message-----
From:   John Knapp [SMTP:jknapp@pacific.net]
Sent:   Tuesday, March 31, 1998 7:49 AM
To:     permaculture@listserv.oit.unc.edu
Subject:        Poison Oak

Hi,

My name is John Knapp and am relatively new to this list.  About a year 
ago we bought some property in Redwood Valley, California and are in the 
process of selectively clearing an area for a house and garden/orchard.

Problem is a large amount of very potent poison oak.  I removed a 
significant amount by hand while the ground was soft, but eventually ended 
up with a delightful rash on both arms and my stomach.  That which I 
remove is tossed on existing stands of poison oak that I do not plan to 
clear.  I also have been using cardboard mulch to stifle any small shoots 
that I missed in the first go around.

I still have a lot more to remove, some of it in the garden area.  Most of 
the garden area is depleted soil with star thistle being the predominant 
species.  The best soil is near a fallen oak, surrounded by - you guessed 
it - poison oak.

I have been getting tons of advice, most of it urging selective, topical 
use of Round-up.  Is there something in the permaculture repertoire that 
is any more effective and less lethal than what I have been doing - and a 
reasonable alternative to Round-up?  The only pattern I've managed to 
discern is that poison oak doesn't seem to grow under Madrone trees, but 
the leaves don't seem to be toxic to established plants.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank,

John

Carl Jeffry Goebel
WSU-Kellogg Holistic Management Project
125 Clark Hall
P.O. Box 646310
Pullman, WA  99164-6310
Phone: (509)335-7342
Fax: (509)335-1082

Excellence can be attained if you...
Care more than others think is wise,
Risk more than others think is safe,
Dream more than others think is practical,
Expect more than others think is possible.