A trio of invasive tree species are being targeted for removal and treatment in order to protect the natural vegetation and ecosystems in Penticton.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) recently launched a pilot program to focus on removing invasive tree species from several locations in the greater west bench area.
“We’ve known that invasive tree species in our parks and along our trails and other assets have been an issue. What we haven’t had is kind of dedicated time and resources to try and manage the invasive species,” said RDOS parks and facilities manager Justin Shuttleworth.
“This year in the West Bench after meeting with our director, there was a desire to try and have a little focused effort on removing these invasive trees.”
The pilot project is a collaboration between the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society (OASISS)
Three species are being targeted for removal: the Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila), the Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), and the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima).
All three tree species are reportedly the highest-priority invasive trees in the region.
“As invasive species, they’ve been brought here from another country. All three of them originate in China and Russian Olive is also from Europe. They were brought here for various qualities,” said OASISS Executive Director Lisa Scott.
“Coming from another country, they’re lacking their natural enemies to keep them in check and so they proliferate. They have a high seed production, they spread really quickly, they compete with our native plants and this reduces biodiversity. It impacts ecosystem processes, and another really big problem is they also can attract and support invasive insect paths. So, you’ve got one invasive species, literally feeding off of another invasive species.”
Crews have focused on RDOS-managed sites first which include Selby Park, Mariposa Park, and the pedestrian corridor throughout the West Bench.
“We picked a couple of sites that were high vis high impact where we could do that work,” said Shuttleworth. “And because it’s new work for our staff and it’s a new venture, we wanted to pick sites that were manageable as well for our staff.”
Work is already well underway, and crews have already cut down a number of invasive tree species.
After work is completed on the invasive species pilot project, the RDOS plans to review for possible opportunities to expand the program in future years.
“We go through at first and we do some prescriptions and some assessments, figure out the trees where our best value of work is. If there’s any impacted neighbours or any partners nearby that we have to inform and want to work with them in advance,” said Shuttleworth.
“Once our crews arrive, it’s pretty much what everybody would imagine, involves chainsaws and chippers and we put the trees on the ground and chip the material up and haul it away. And then afterward, we treat the stumps so because we’re doing this work in the winter, that work will now happen in the spring.”
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