After years of traveling and educating on invasives on the Canadian Prairies, talking to garden industry professionals, and working in retail garden sales, I have seen first hand the rapid expansion of Russian Olive stands in areas of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. I have also seen a site along an industrial area in Winnipeg which is full of seedlings.
You can draw a line from Medicine Hat to the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies and extend that line eastwards to Belle Plaine, Saskatchewan, just east of Moose Jaw, to see expansion of Russian Olive stands reminiscent to me of the river flood plains and stream banks of Montana full of these trees to the detriment of man and beast and native habitat.
The main objections by both regulators and nursery professionals alike to regulating this species on the Canadian Prairies is that presently Russian Olive seems to be able to invade and expand only south of a certain latitude, and that there are so few good silver leaf alternatives available to consumers on the Prairies.
While I can validate the truth of both arguments, I find them to be excuses to first protecting our waterways, and second, for the industry taking up the challenge and finding eye catching silver leaf species other than Russian Olive that have the same consumer appeal.
Let's get on with it and quit turning a blind eye. Governments lets see some incentives. Industry lets see some new species.
You can draw a line from Medicine Hat to the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies and extend that line eastwards to Belle Plaine, Saskatchewan, just east of Moose Jaw, to see expansion of Russian Olive stands reminiscent to me of the river flood plains and stream banks of Montana full of these trees to the detriment of man and beast and native habitat.
The main objections by both regulators and nursery professionals alike to regulating this species on the Canadian Prairies is that presently Russian Olive seems to be able to invade and expand only south of a certain latitude, and that there are so few good silver leaf alternatives available to consumers on the Prairies.
While I can validate the truth of both arguments, I find them to be excuses to first protecting our waterways, and second, for the industry taking up the challenge and finding eye catching silver leaf species other than Russian Olive that have the same consumer appeal.
Let's get on with it and quit turning a blind eye. Governments lets see some incentives. Industry lets see some new species.
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