Project Name: Russian Olive/Tamarisk Control & Removal project
Applicant: Piute Conservation District
Project Start Date: July 1, 2019
Funding:
| STATE-ISM | FEDERAL-NRCS | TOTAL |
| Grant #1: $40,000.00 | $50,000.00-Piute County | $90,000.00 |
| Grant #2: $40,000.00 | $50,000.00-Sevier County | $90,000.00 |
| $80,000.00 | $100,000.00 | $180,000.00 |
A Strategic Funding Proposal through the Natural Resource Conservation Service was applied for and received for both Piute and Sevier Conservation District areas in the amount of $50,000.00 a year for 3 years for each area.
Areas Treated (listed by initial due to federal requirement of section 1619 privacy act; which prohibits the use of names)
| NAME | COUNTY | ACRES | STATE | FEDERAL | TOTAL |
| A | Sevier | 5.1 | 0 | 15,210.00 | 15,210.00 |
| A | Piute | 3.5 | 0 | 8,600.00 | 8,600.00 |
| J | Sevier | 2.4 | 2,761.70 | 8,145.00 | 10,906.70 |
| F | Piute | 54.2 | 18,573.90 | 57,353.00 | 75,926.90 |
| J | Piute | 4.0 | 0 | 10,692.00 | 10,692.00 |
| S | Piute | 20 | 50,000.00 | 0 | 50,000.00 |
| Admin | Payment 1 | 2,240.24 | |||
| Admin | Payment 2 | 5,000.00 | |||
| 89.2 | 78,575.84 | 100,000.00 | 178,575.84 |
Both the Piute and Sevier Conservation Districts have the removal of Russian olive and Tamarisk as a high priority in their long-range plans and resource assessments; and both conservation districts have been instrumental in working with the local landowners in education about the programs available. USU Extension agents in both counties have been a valuable resource in helping to find landowners who wanted to work with this program and as a result, we have a long list. And the conservation districts have made this a priority to continue to apply for as many grants as they can to keep the funding and projects continuing. Both County Commissions have also declared it as a noxious weed for their counties.
Most of the treatments were done by the cut stump method where the trees were cut and then immediately treated with herbicide. One landowner that started their project with NRCS decided to have their Russian olive masticated and then sprayed. This is a new method for us, so we will be doing follow-up monitoring on this project extensively. All treatments will be monitored for re-growth. For the treatments that were cut, the trees were put into piles to dry out for 2 years and then they will be burnt.
Sevier Before 
Sevier After
For more information about this project please contact
Tracy Balch @ tbalch@utah.gov
