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Up The Street Gondolas

Six Things You Should Know About Russian Olive

1) Russian olive is a small thorny tree or shrub that can grow to 30 feet in height. It is classified as a noxious weed by The Colorado Weed Management Association

2) Russian olive has proved itself a considerable threat to the native bird species inhabiting North America’s riparian zones.  As this once popular ornamental continues its slow, determined push north, it has adversely affected numerous avian species.  Those most notable thus far, include the Bald eagle, possibly Willow fly catcher (Still being researched), and several types of Warblers.

3) Replacement of native vegetation such as cottonwoods and aspen by Russian olive also has a negative effect on a variety of terrestrial wildlife species.

4) Simply cutting Russian olive is not enough to kill the roots and prevent re-growth. Currently, the most effective treatment for trees less than three inches in diameter is to paint the herbicide Rodeo onto the freshly cut stumps.

5) It is recommended that saplings be pulled when the soil is moist in order to insure that the entire root system be removed. Larger trees should not be mechanically removed in their entirety because creating a disturbance in the soil actually promotes seed germination in that area.

6) Eradication of Russian olive is a community level problem. Participation and cooperation of all landowners is required to meet this challenge.  As an incentive for landowners to eradicate Russian olive on their property, FOAR may be able to supply young cottonwood and aspen trees for transplantation into treated areas.