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Pesticides Modern day forestry practices, concerned primarily with maximizing the production of commercially valuable species in the shortest time possible, use chemically intensive methods to reduce competition from naturally occurring species. The widespread use of herbicides such as Roundup (glyphosate) and Oust (sulformeturon methyl), is a lynch pin in the even-aged management regime used in the Allegheny, despite mounting evidence concerning the toxicity and persistence in soils that pose threats to wildlife and humans. Since 1986, over 13,000 acres of the Allegheny has been sprayed with these two herbicides, sometimes in combination, to promote the growth of commercially valuable species, primarily black cherry. There have never been any studies done on the synergistic effects of combining these two herbicides for application. This careless approach to forest management treats soil chemistry as an expendable commodity rather than the vital component to long-term forest sustainability that it really is. The following are known effects from using Roundup and Oust independent of each other: Roundup: - Salivary gland lesions at medium-term toxicity - Inflamed stomach linings, increased frequency of pancreas and liver tumors in male rats and thyroid cancer in female rats at long-term toxicity. - Reduced sperm counts in rats and abnormal sperm in rabbits - Decreased production in sex hormones and a 90% reduction of testicle cell production in mice that were fed Roundup - Genetic damage to human blood cells (some farmers who use Roundup experience an increased risk of miscarriages, premature birth, and the cancer non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - Following application of Roundup on a Maine clearcut, 89% of the plant-eating insects, crucial food for birds and small mammals, died. - Erratic swimming and labored breathing in trout Gill damage in carp at less than 1% the lethal concentration Changes in liver structure at less than 2% the lethal concentration Oust - Unusually small testes or testicular lesions in rats fed over a ten-day period; similar problems in dogs that were fed at a longer time interval - Rabbits fed Oust became anorexic, depressed and thin; suffered miscarriages - Inhibited nearly 50% of soil microorganisms that play a vital role in creating humus, aerating the soil, and maintaining the ecological balance of the soil. - Persistence in soil of up to a year depending on soil type and conditions |