Less Than 1 Yr. After Rollout & EPA Ban, DuPont Offering Compensation For Trees Killed By Imprelis

[hatrack]

The chemical manufacturer DuPont has set up a process through which people can make monetary claims for trees that have been damaged or killed by its product Imprelis, a new-generation herbicide that was used by commercial applicators on lawns across the country this spring for the first time. At first Imprelis was thought to be more environmentally friendly than Roundup and other weedkillers, particularly because of its low toxicity to mammals. It was only sold to lawn care professionals, and they welcomed it as a way to green the image of lawn care.

While it may not harm mammals, Imprelis has been deadly to trees. After it was first applied on golf courses and home lawns, largely around the Midwest and in the East, trees, mostly Norway spruce and white pine, began to turn brown, and many died. Some experts believe that hundreds of thousands of trees may have died or been seriously damaged because of the herbicide applications. Only the states of New York and California never approved the chemical for use.

The company pulled the product off the market in early August, and a few days later the Environmental Protection Agency banned sales of it.

DuPont has set up a program for paying homeowners and lawn care professionals for the removal of dead and dying evergreen trees and for replacements. The claims can be made through landscapers who applied the chemical, although homeowners can call DuPont directly at [phone]. (Details on the claims process are available at a company Web site.)

EDIT

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/dupont-offers-compensation-for-dead-trees/#more-113157

[supernova]

1. Along the highway here in NC

I guess the DOT sprayed it in hopes of keeping the greenery away from power lines because there's a brown outline directly underneath the lines. Last spring I began to notice that EVERGREENS were turning brown, It was odd. I wondered if we had some sort of infestation of blight. This stuff hit the cedars and pine trees hard.