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• Tamarisk is a small tree or shrub growing up to 20-feet tall, with feathery leaves and <br />tiny purple to white flowers. This plant grows in riparian areas and wetlands. Salt is <br />released from the leaves when they drop in the fall, making the soil in the understory <br />highly alkaline. <br />• Russian olive is a small, usually thorny shrub or small tree that can grow up to 30- <br />feet in height. Its stems, buds, and leaves have a dense covering of silvery to rusty <br />scales. Leaves are egg to lance-shaped, smooth margined, and alternate along the <br />stem. Mature trees have highly aromatic, creamy yellow flowers that bloom in June <br />and July, and are later replaced by clusters of silvery fruits. <br />WEED CONTROL PRINCIPLES <br />An integrated approach to weed management is extremely important because no single tool <br />will do the entire job. Weed management results in highly effective weed control. Principles <br />of weed management are: <br />Prevention: Prevention. of noxious weeds includes good land stewardship, planting weed <br />free seed, avoiding planting invasive species, using weed seed free mulch and erosion <br />control and using clean equipment. <br />Cultural practices: Cultural practices encourage competition from desirable plants through <br />dense seeding, fertilization, mulching, and improved land management practices. <br />Mechanized Control. Mechanical removal is the use of heavy equipment to physically <br />remove tamarisk. This is accomplished in one of two ways - root crown removal or <br />mulching. Brush hogging, root crown removal, and burning lead to less successful control <br />due to the vigorous regrowth that occurs. However, cutting combined with herbicide <br />treatment can be very effective at controlling tamarisk. <br />Cutting down the shrub or tree and painting the stump surface immediately afterward with <br />an herbicide (cut stump treatment such as Garcon 4, or equal) is the most effective control <br />method. This herbicide must be applied per manufacturers recommendations, but most <br />require application within 10-15 minutes of cutting to prevent excessive resprouting from the <br />stump. All branches and trunk pieces must be removed from the site to prevent sprouting. <br />Mulching of the branches and trunks is an acceptable alternate to removal. The cut stump <br />method is best done in the fall or winter after the tamarisk leaves have fallen. Rough barked <br />plants should receive the cut stump treatment. Follow up treatment of sprouts will be <br />necessary for 2-4 years to be successful. <br />Biological Control: Biological control is the use of specific organisms to control an <br />undesirable organism. For tamarisk, two bio-control agents have been identified - goats and <br />a Chinese leaf beetle. Goats will feed on tamarisk shrubs if fencing is provided to limit other <br />food sources. The Chinese leaf beetle will be released by the USDA in the future, but is not <br />available to the general public at this time. <br />Tamarisk/Russian Olive Management Plan 2 <br />Revised June 1. 2005 <br />Vagneur Pit June 07 E-8