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Invasive Russian Olive Trees To Be Removed In Sheridan

Photo Courtesy Sheridan Community Land Trust

The city of Sheridan and a local conservation group are working together to remove an invasive species of tree.

Sheridan Community Land Trust, or SCLT, and the city received grant funding to work on removing ten acres of Russian olive, a tree that competes with native trees and keeps them from growing and thriving.

The plan is to plant a new generation of grasses, shrubs, and trees. Some of the native tree species that will be planted are cottonwood, alder, Ponderosa pine, birch, chokecherry, and hawthorn.

Brad Bauer, the executive director of the SCLT, said the project isn't just for public spaces.

"An interesting thing about this project is not only is the funding available to the city of Sheridan in this case, but private landowners can take advantage of these funds to do this type of work on their own places, whether it's in town or in the outlying areas around the city of Sheridan," Bauer said.

The removed trees won't be put to waste, said Chris Vrba, director of marketing and development at SCLT.

"With this program, they will actually be removed and replaced in place. So right there on the spot, these Russian olives will be chipped and shredded," he said. "The beauty part about that is that they'll ultimately be turned into mulch that will help establish the native cottonwood and alder that they're going to be replaced by."

Vrba said the removal process will begin in early April.

For more information about the removal on private land, contact Brad Bauer at the SCLT.

Catherine Wheeler comes to Wyoming from Kansas City, Missouri. She has worked at public media stations in Missouri and on the Vox podcast "Today, Explained." Catherine graduated from Fort Lewis College with a BA in English. She recently received her master in journalism from the University of Missouri. Catherine enjoys cooking, looming, reading and the outdoors.
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