Publication #PI-130
Licensing of Forest Pesticide Applicators in Florida1
Forest Pest Control
All persons who apply or supervise the application of restricted use pesticides to forest sites must have a pesticide applicator license issued by the Bureau of Compliance Monitoring/Pesticide Certification Section. The Forestry Pest Control category is regulated by the Florida Pesticide Law (Florida Statutes, Chapter 487).Category Certification Standards
Applicators seeking a license in this category must demonstrate practical knowledge of:- The types of forests, forest nurseries, and seed orchards in Florida and associated pests;
- Forest population dynamics;
- Relative biotic agents and vulnerability to pesticides;
- The chemical control measures that pertain to the prevention or control of such pests; and
- The equipment or methodologies required to safely and effectively implement such measures while avoiding adverse effects on wildlife, ground or surface water, and recreational areas visited by the general public.
License classification
Certified forestry pest control applicators may be licensed as either public applicators or commercial applicators. These are the major differences:- A public applicator is a licensed applicator employed by a public or governmental agency. The license is only valid when performing work for the public or governmental agency. The public applicator fee for a four-year license is $60.
- A commercial applicator is a licensed applicator who is licensed to apply restricted-use pesticides on any property provided they are certified in the category for which the applications are made. A commercial applicator is usually a contract applicator. The commercial applicator fee for a four-year license is $160.
Examinations
Persons must successfully complete two examinations before they can apply to the Department for a license. These examinations are a Core examination and a Forestry Pest Control category examination. The Core examination may be taken at any University of Florida IFAS County Extension Office. The Forestry Pest Control examination may be taken at a pUniversity of Florida IFAS County Extension Office that offers category examinations. No special qualifications must be met to take the examination. There is no fee to take the examinations.Study materials
Manuals and study materials for Core and Forestry Pest Control applicators who will be taking exams may be obtained from the UF/IFAS Extension Bookstore by calling 1-800-226-1764 or on-line at http://www.ifasbooks.ufl.edu/merchant2/. The content of the Core exam is based upon the manual, Applying Pesticides Correctly (Figure 1). The content of the Forestry Pest Control exam is based upon the manual, placePest and Pesticide Management on Southern Forests (Figure 2). Sample labels may be obtained from suppliers of pesticide products.Figure 1. SM 1: Applying Pesticides Correctly
Figure 2. SM 043: Pest and Pesticide Management on Southern Forests
Recertification
Applicators must recertify every four years. To recertify, applicators may take the examinations again or attend training and obtain 8 continuing education units (CEUs) approved for the Forestry Pest Control category and 4 CEUs approved for the Core category. Core CEUs cant be used to meet the required Forestry Pest Control CEUs. No substitutions of other types of CEUs are allowed. Opportunities to earn CEUs may be found at http://www.flaes.org/. Restricted use pesticides applied in the Forestry Pest Control category
Table 1 lists Florida's restricted use pesticides that are applied in the Forestry Pest Control category and the reason for the restricted classification. A complete listing of all restricted use pesticides in Florida may be viewed at: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PI073.Additional information
Fishel, F.M. 2005. Restricted use pesticides. UF/IFAS EDIS Fact Sheet PI-36, http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PI073.Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Bureau of Compliance Monitoring, Pesticide Licensing Section, 3125 Conner Drive, Bldg. 8, L-29, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1650, Phone: 850-488-3314, http://www.flaes.org//complimonitoring/index.html (accessed June 20, 2006).Florida Statutes, Chapter 487. Florida Pesticide Law. http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=Ch0487/ch0487.htmUniversity of Florida/IFAS Pesticide Information Office, P.O. Box 110710, Bldg. 164, Gainesville, FL 32611-0710, Phone: 352-392-4721, http://pested.ifas.ufl.edu/ (accessed June 20, 2006).Tables
Table 1. Restricted use pesticides (RUPs) for forest sites in Florida.
| Pesticide common name |
Criteria for RUP |
| Atrazine |
Ground water contamination potential; worker exposure concerns |
| Azinphos-methyl |
Human inhalation hazard, acute toxicity, hazard to avian, aquatic and mammalian species |
| Carbofuran |
Acute inhalation toxicity; avian toxicity (granular) |
| Chloropicrin |
Acute inhalation toxicity, hazard to non-target organisms |
| Chlorpyrifos |
Avian and aquatic toxicity |
| Diazinon |
Avian and aquatic toxicity |
| Dichloropropene |
Probable human carcinogen, oncogenic, acutely toxic by oral and inhalation routes |
| Diflubenzuron |
Hazard to wildlife |
| Esfenvalerate |
Toxicity to fish and aquatic organisms |
| Methyl bromide |
Acute toxicity and accident history |
| Paraquat |
Human toxicological data, other hazards – use and accident history |
| Zinc phosphide |
Hazard to non-target organisms, acute oral toxicity, acute inhalation toxicity |
Footnotes
1. This document is PI-130, one of a series of the Pesticide Information Office, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date July 2006. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
2. Frederick M. Fishel, associate professor, Agronomy Department, and Director, Pesticide Information Office; Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.The use of trade names in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. UF/IFAS does not guarantee or warranty the products named, and references to them in this publication does not signify our approval to the exclusion of other products of suitable composition. Use pesticides safely. Read and follow directions on the manufacturer's label.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal
Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational
information and other services only to individuals and institutions
that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed,
color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital
status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations.
For more information on obtaining other extension publications,
contact your county Cooperative Extension service.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service,
University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative
Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.
