Poison Shoulders

[patvetzal]

If you travel highway 28 between Peterborough and Bancroft you might notice that the vegetation behind any guard rail has been poisoned for some reason. Doesn't matter if there was a pond, lake or stream ( Eels Creek) below the dead stuff.
Anybody know why they would be doing this? It is all a good distance from the pavement and impossible to drive on. The vegetation between the guard rail sections has been mowed in places but is still alive...

[rf2]

I noticed the same thing between Renfrew and Bancroft (don't remember exactly which stretch of road) and was wondering the same.

[werner.reiche]

On 60 between Renfrew and douglas there is a short stretch where hydro poisoned trees beneath the powerlines. A bit strange - usually they cut them nowdays.

[justinmch]

It's not only on 28. Hwy 62 north has it done as well. This isn't the first year for this. They did it last year as well.

It must be done by Carillion (spelling?) who has the contract for the Hwy maintenance but MTO must have approved it. Can't be good for wildlife in general and especially around water.

[last5oh_302]

They've been doing that in the Almaguin Highlands area for the last several years as well. I've ATV'd through/by a lot of these spots (hydro lines) and the stink from whatever chemical they use lasts for weeks/months

[northernontario]

Multiple reasons... giant hogweed and the yellow wild parsnip... they're spraying to try and kill that stuff off because it's faster and cheaper than manually removing it. They spray under hydro lines to keep down trees/foliage... because it's cheaper than taking a brush hog over it.

Keeping the brush down also helps to keep the wildlife from wandering onto the roads.

Don't worry... all the herbicides (poisons) they use are labelled as being safe. Just don't drink the water, or eat the berries, or touch it...

[trimmer21]

I can't imagine,in Liberal Ontario,any contractor using anything that could be a bio-environmental hazard. Why not call the contractor and ask what they're using? I'm sure they're required to tell us. What government would want to be caught allowing the use of a toxic substance?

[yellow dog]

Signs have to be posted with name of product being used.

[last5oh_302]

Signs have to be posted with name of product being used.

Never saw one sign, ever. You could smell it before you got to a treated area though.

[yellow dog]

Yes it could be Giant Hogweed, Invasive Phragmites or Wild Parsnip. Eastern Ontario has been hit hard with Wild Parsnip for the last 10 years. I have seen the County in this neck of the woods spraying the ditches for Phragmites with a single boom sprayer since spring. Funny thing is they don't put any signage out but they are supposed to by law. Even organic products require signage just to make the public aware of whats being applied.