Clearing bamboo

August 2000. A member from Fiji asked how to clear bamboo on a hillside when the trees are large? It seems that the best way to do this, other than to use mechanical methods and chance soil erosion, is to use a herbicide.

Bamboo is sensitive to glyphosate, hexazinone and imazapyr, but foliar application is difficult on tall plants. The most effective treatment requires mechanical clearing followed by herbicide treatment of re-sprouts.