Has anybody had a problem with this invasive tree? If so, did you remove them? My buddy has a property loaded with them . He was thinking about removing them all by cutting then applying Gly to the outter part of the stump . He has so much of it and would be a huge project. I’m thinking if he does remove ( and I’d be the one helping) it would open up areas for native species to grow. What are people’s thoughts?
Russian Olive
- Thread starter BobinCt
- Start date
ghilliehunter
5 year old buck +
Bob, my son and I spent many weeks the last few years cutting and stump spraying Autumn Olive. It is an invasive and will take over a property. We cut with a Silky Zubat then sprayed glyphosate with blue dye to keep track of where we had worked. We still have several acres to go of Honeysuckle and Autumn Olive. Lot of work up front, but easier to control during spring with spraying only.
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rocksnstumps
5 year old buck +
Battling any invasive is seldom a one and done effort. Will take multiple years of going back. I would bit skeptical of expecting to just pull or nuke stuff and see something else like natives become dominate right away. Some sure but the evil stuff tries to get back in the game. If you plant something after you clear, protect those areas and mow around those spots seems to work.
You mention property has a lot of this stuff. What is on the neighbors? A source of more of the same to spread back to where you can manage.
Not to discourage but this is not a sprint. It is worth it to get back some more diversity though
You mention property has a lot of this stuff. What is on the neighbors? A source of more of the same to spread back to where you can manage.
Not to discourage but this is not a sprint. It is worth it to get back some more diversity though
Bill
Administrator
That’s why I asked. Sometimes making something better in our mind isn’t always better in a deers mind. If it were mine and I wanted to get more natives I would do it a little at a time and observe how the change affects deer use. I’d hate to go from loaded with deer to void of deer.
Mortenson
5 year old buck +
Our property has millions of bush honeysuckle, probably billions. So do all the neighbors, and most the state. It got established decades ago before we knew what it was or even had the time or money to work on. I suppose we could try to kill an acre of it per year, just to feel proud of ourselves and say we were doing something right. Honestly I think picking rocks out of truck tires would be a better use of time. We dedicate about the all the time we can justify each year to keeping it trimmed back from lanes and stands. The deer browse it and like bedding in it. People here find ways to work (hunt) around it. Autumn olive here doesn't seem to penetrate it, but will grow on the edges next to it. It seems better at getting established in open areas and the BH in the wooded areas. I feel as soon as I dedicate my life's work to removing it on 150+ rugged acres, a new bug will show up that eats and kills it.
Booner21
5 year old buck +
I have a property full of invasives and have spent some time trying to control it. It is a lost cause unless you dedicate a lot of time to it and do it every year. If you are serious bring in some help. I am having cost share help through IRAP to spray with a helicopter and potentially burn after that. With the seed trees on the neighbors you will never really be able to take time off without a plan going forward. Around here you can also enrol in a forestry management plan and get cost share for supply’s it actually pays decent. We are also looking at renting a forestry head and spraying afterward. My suggestion you need to go all out and get it under control and then have a plan for maintenance or you will be back in the same boat in less than 3 years speaking from experience
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I also have one foot in the permaculture community and over there autumn olive is considered a valuable pioneer species because it fixes nitrogen, grows without any human care, and "it's kryptonite is shade" so it begins to die off when our plantings begin to produce good growth.
I'm curious if your extermination projects are principlesd/ethical in nature (i.e., it's an invasive plant) or practical in nature (i.e., they're crowding out your habitat plantings, they deter deer, etc.)?
I have them growing in my home forest anywhere sunlight penetrates the canopy. That means it's often exactly where I want to plant something for homestead or habitat purposes, so I chop-and dropp them quite freely, but haven't tried to eradicate them.
I'm curious if your extermination projects are principlesd/ethical in nature (i.e., it's an invasive plant) or practical in nature (i.e., they're crowding out your habitat plantings, they deter deer, etc.)?
I have them growing in my home forest anywhere sunlight penetrates the canopy. That means it's often exactly where I want to plant something for homestead or habitat purposes, so I chop-and dropp them quite freely, but haven't tried to eradicate them.
I'm with Booner on this one; I have a property that is loaded with AO and it will eventually get soooooo thick that even deer avoid large parts of it. It is absolutely a removal/maintenance problem. You can remove it with both mechanical devices and chemical agents; however, the removal effort on any piece of ground will probably require followup efforts. Unfortunately, birds cannot resist the bright red berries AO produces and they will bring you fresh seeds every year. Any way you attack it, it is a somewhat slow and arduous process of removal .... and, if it's in the neighborhood, it will be back, and it's growth and spread is explosive. It gets easier if you have a lot of time, a lot of money, or a lot of manpower; unfortunately, many of us don't have these elements in large quantities. Root grapple devices on skid steer machines work pretty well; however root sprouting the following year will undoubtly occur since it is almost impossible to get all the roots unless you reconfigure the terrain with a dozer. Hack-or-cut and squirt will work if you use a brush killing product with Triclopyr & 2,4D; Crossbow ffrom Southern Ag is reasonable in cost and seems to be better than gly in it's kill rate. In a follow-up year, we (the owner and S'sIL) have tried chemical removal of root sprouts and removal by hand (when it is under 3- foot in length) since it is shallow rooted. Unless you can afford professional assistance for removal, I'd suggest you start by deciding on a small parcel where removal will make a difference in your habitat plan and begin by clearing a 3-5 acre parcel. Try one or more methods that will accommodate your time constraints and budget. In the next year, do your followup work on the first parcel and do the initial clearing on a second piece of ground. Good luck.
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Just like we use leaf structure to identify oak trees, leaf structure (silvery scales) on RO and AO will tell you which is which. Berry size and color also varies as does the parts of the U.S. where each is likely to be found. Hope this helps!
https://www.techlinenews.com/articles/2017/autumn-olive-and-russian-olivewhats-the-difference
Great explanation on how to control AO ......
https://www.techlinenews.com/articl...ielaexagnus-umbellata-thunbi-in-natural-areas
https://www.techlinenews.com/articles/2017/autumn-olive-and-russian-olivewhats-the-difference
Great explanation on how to control AO ......
https://www.techlinenews.com/articl...ielaexagnus-umbellata-thunbi-in-natural-areas
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Happy to help; more knowledge is helpful to each of us. By the way, the owner of the property I mentioned in post #12 above had a fairly large extended family (sons in law for 4 girls) who all liked to hunt. AO eradication assistance - as a condition to hunt - led to a several acre cleanup during the past 2 years. I helped him with a habitat plan years ago; now he calls me when he thinks he has a problem and - in trade - I take my grandson to fish in his lake full of nice bluegill.
Apple Junkie
5 year old buck +
I know its a bit late in the conversation, but I'd just like to add my two cents... Before the "invasives" arrived, the natives dominated the landscape. When these “invasives” did arrive, they shoulder the natives aside in certain areas. Say I manage to shoulder the “invasives” aside for a bit, how long will it be before the invasives manage to take over again for the same reason they did in the first place.
I have honeysuckle, multiflora rose, autumn olive, and Japanese barberry in abundance on parts of my property. Like it or not, the rabbits love the cover honeysuckle provides, the turkey take advantage of the barberry all winter, and the bears devour the autumn olive. The deer eat all of it! I clear certain areas of these invasives if I am trying to establish young oaks or apples by cutting and spaying with gly. Over time, these trees will likely shade out the invasives, and until then, they are able to co-exist with them. I think it would be an exercise in futility to try to rid my property of all invasives. I think you're on the right track Bob - sometimes doing nothing is the best plan, at least to start.
I have honeysuckle, multiflora rose, autumn olive, and Japanese barberry in abundance on parts of my property. Like it or not, the rabbits love the cover honeysuckle provides, the turkey take advantage of the barberry all winter, and the bears devour the autumn olive. The deer eat all of it! I clear certain areas of these invasives if I am trying to establish young oaks or apples by cutting and spaying with gly. Over time, these trees will likely shade out the invasives, and until then, they are able to co-exist with them. I think it would be an exercise in futility to try to rid my property of all invasives. I think you're on the right track Bob - sometimes doing nothing is the best plan, at least to start.
It’s hard to go against people who have experience and knowledge with invasives. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on here and to go against their advice probable would not be a wise decision. Nobody on here is trying to give you the wrong advice. We come on here to learn and help one another improve habitat. Thx again for replies.
