WASHINGTON - Almost 1
million acres of National Forest
System land in the United States
are considered unsafe for
recreational uses and by Forest
Service employees because they
have been commandeered by
persons illicitly growing
marijuana for profit, according to
the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
In 1980, approximately 5 percent
of the domestically grown
marijuana crop was found on
national forests. Today, ap
proximately 20 percent of the crop
is grown for profit on these lands.
The street value is estimated at $1
billion.
National forests are a popular
place for growing marijuana
because they are considered safe
by growers. Millions of acres of the
National Forest System are
remote and infrequently visited,
making them ideal for illegal
activity. Also, using public lands
reduces the risk of asset-seizure
by the government if a grower is
caught.
The high value of marijuana and
the demand for the domestic crop
make growers protective of their
plots, making it extremely
hazardous for people who inad
vertently encounter marijuana
plots and growers. A major con
cern of the Forest Service is the
safety and well-being of forest
visitors and its own employees.
During raids on approximately
5,000 marijuana plantings an
nually, law enforcement officials
have found booby traps at more
than 20 percent of the site. Of the
average 350 people arrested each
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Marijuana Crop Is Blight On National Forests
year on national forest lands,
approximately 60 percent of them
were found to be carrying
weapons, and about 13 percent of
these were illegal weapons, such
as sawed-off shotguns and
machineguns.
Booby traps and firearms pose
life-threatening hazards to forest
visitors and Forest Service em
ployees. Booby traps have in
cluded trip wires tied to firearms,
pipe bombs, hand grenades, punji
sticks in pits, fish hooks strung at
eye level, and alarm systems.
Employees as well as visitors have
been shot at.
One aspect of growing
marijuana usually, unpublicized is
the environmental threat to the
forests because of the growers’
heavy use of herbicides, pesticides
and fertilizers. These chemicals
are used to keep the marijuana
plants healthy and to protect them
from animals and other plants.
These substances are left behind
after the growers harvest their
crops and leach into the soil af
fecting water sources and con
tinuing to harm or kill animals and
plants. In addition, growers
frequently slaughter deer and
other wild animals that browse on
the plants.
Unfortunately, the combined
efforts of the Forest Service and
state and local law enforcement
agencies have not been successful
in significantly reducing the
problem.
Enactment of the “National
Forest Drug Control Act of 1986”
provides the Forest Service with a
tool to deal with the marijuana
problem on national forest lands. It
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authorizes Forest Service special
agents and law enforcement of
ficers to enforce felony laws
regarding the cultivation of
marijuana on the national forests.
These employees will concentrate
on detecting marijuana sites and
apprehending growers. The law
also makes the use of booby traps a
felony.
The Act adds to the Controlled
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Taking a cue from Cicero, an
ancient Roman orator, Mid-
Atlantic area farmers don’t have
to believe everything they hear-or
read. In this case, the admonition
refers to application of nitrogen
fertilizers during fall and winter
months in mid-winter states like
Maryland.
Even using nitrification
inhibitors, developed by some
commercial companies in recent
years, will not prevent big losses of
available nitrogen over the winter
from anhydrous ammonia, urea or
other nitrogen fertilizers applied
earlier than February for small
grains or prior to spring-planting
time for row crops like com and
soybeans.
That’s the word from V. Allan
Bandel, an Extension fertilizer
specialist and professor of
agronomy at the University of
Maryland in College Park.
Dr. Bandel admits that some
Maryland farmers may have had
good results from fall application
of anhydrous ammonia and a
nitrification inhibitor to small
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Substances Act a section which rather than mere eradication of
makes the use of booby traps in plants. This Act authorizes the
connection with marijuana Forest Service, in addition to
growing a felony punishable by conducting normal enforcement
imprisonment of up to 10 years and investigation of arson, timber
a fine of up to $lO,OOO (up to 20 theft, vandalism and other crimes
years and $20,000 for repeat of- on National Forest lands, to
fenses.) conduct surveillance activities,
Forest Service investigations of make arrests, execute warrants
marijuana growing will emphasize and seize evidence related to drug
the apprehension of growers law enforcement.
Avoid Fall Application Of Nitrogen
gram crops last year. But that was
due to below-normal rainfall
throughout the fall and winter. The
nitrification inhibitor had little or
nothing to do with it.
Similar results could have been
obtained during the previous year
even without the nitrification
inhibitor. But these were rare
exceptions, and they should not be
counted on to continue as a normal
pattern.
Bandel notes that the effects of
nitrification inhibitors last only
two to three weeks during mild
weather. But the inhibitors can be
successful in the upper Midwest
and other northern regions where
winter months generally feature
very cold, constant temperatures.
Bandel agrees with most com
mercial suppliers that fall is a good
time to fertilize-as long as
nitrogen fertilizer, other than
small amounts at seeding time for
small grains, is not applied and the
fields involved are not subject to
erosion losses.
For instance, fall is a good time
to apply phosphorus and potassium
lllinois customers call 800/426-6686
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fertilizers to alfalfa, the hay crop
which feeds heavily on phosphorus
and needs potassium for winter
hardiness.
A small amount of nitrogen
applied at seeding time helps small
grains get off to a good start in the
fall. But top-dressing with nitrogen
definitely should wait until early
spring.
Fall also is a good time to apply
phosphorus and potassium fer
tilizers to fallow land which is to be
fall-plowed under a conventional
tillage system-as long as the soil is
not subject to erosion.
To illustrate his point against fall
application of nitrogen fertilizer,
Bandel cited a study at the
University of Maryland’s Wye
research farm on the Eastern
Shore over an eight-year period.
The study showed that nearly
twice as much nitrogen was
available to corn plants from
spring application as from fall
application. This ratio held con
stant regardless of application rate
or type of nitrogen fertilizer used.
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