Stop Herbicide Drift

On June 2, 2023, I attended a staff training with Prairie Rivers Network at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana, IL.   We learned about how to detect and report damaged vegetation resulting from herbicide drift. Illinois is one of the most agricultural states in the country, and like elsewhere, large amounts of herbicides are sprayed in the spring as crops are coming up to prevent any competition from other plants.   That timing coincides with the leafing out of trees – which are impacted by the herbicides.  Leaves fail to fully form, or the leaves are stunted, folded, curled or cupped.  Additional spraying through the summer worsens the damage, and multiple drift events in a single year, or repeated events year after year, can have cumulative detrimental effects to trees and plants making them more susceptible to diseases and pests. And what is harmful to trees is also harmful to insects, birds, wildlife, and people.