Stump treatment herbicides can be applied to which types of plants?

• A. Only woody plants such as willows, poplars, and brush that interfere with safe operations.
• B. Only herbaceous plants.
• C. All evergreen trees.
• D. Any plant is eligible for stump treatment.

Answer: (A)

Stump treatment herbicides are used to stop regrowth from cut woody plants. They’re applied to the freshly cut surface of a stump so the chemical moves into the remaining wood and suppresses new shoots. This approach works with woody species that form persistent stumps—like willows, poplars, and brush—whose regrowth can interfere with safe operations, such as clearing rights-of-way or roads.

Herbaceous plants don’t form the same kind of persistent stump, and these products are not typically labeled or effective for them, which is why other plant types aren’t included. Not all evergreen trees are guaranteed to be covered by stump treatments, since labeling varies by product and species, but woody plants that create troublesome stumps are the intended targets.