My take on Russian-Olive (Oleaster)

[NDtreehugger]

The Oleaster is not a true Olive tree and the fruit is not an Olive and is nothing like an olive. While out cutting the Oleaster (Russian-Olive) I tasted the fruit and it tasted nothing like an olive.

The wood burns nothing like Olive Wood I had a small 6 acre orchard of Olive Trees, we burned olive wood for heat in the small house we owned and it burns fast, big and very hot with a lot of popping.

The Russian-Olive (Oleaster) on the other hand burns very slow with a good amount of heat with very little popping and with little force not propelling coal.

I have a small wood dryer that I built as a model for a much bigger to be made,

I took a ¼ cord of split wood, heated it to 165 for 5 days no dehydrator not needed as in this I use heat venting and convection to expel the moisture.

My first use was barbecuing if dried properly the wood has no more smell then any other wood and imparts a nice smoky flavor on the meat.

My next use was the wood stove in my shop in a nice mid size all-nighter the wood burnt well with few pops that did not expel hot ambers. If burnt properly the smoke is no grater then any other well dried firewood and without any foul odor.

My next use was in the house as we had a cool night 30deg the Oleaster wood burned slow with good heat and turned to good coals with a fair amount of heat.

The Oleaster burns better then Ash and Elm with better heat.

My next use of Oleaster will be smoking meat.

My veiw on this wood is get it burn it and enjoy and if splitting by hand it splits easy very easy.

One of the trees I cut I had a hard time splitting, but the rest split like Ash.

 

[griffonks]

I am sure you are right about the Russian Olive wood's heating capabilities, but it's a PITA to work with. I lease 60 acres of wetlands for the fishing and have had to deal with hundreds of these trees for 30 years. Full of daggers, twisted and worse of all when you cut one down it sends out a zillion sprouts. I can't get roundup to kill the stumps.

One of my fishing lease members was trimming Russian Olive branches on a dike lane next to a lake a few years ago and carelessly left the branches in the tire track area. We wound up with a dozen flat tires before I got there to clear the spikes out of the road.

Hardwood is scarce in Colorado, but give me Elm or Cottonwood anytime over Russian Olive for burning.

A few years ago my pointer found some rooster pheasants in the Russian Olives during season. I did notice that the rooster I shot had been eating the Russian Olive berries, so maybe that is one redeeming factor.

 

[Chris-PA]

I don't have much of that, but I do have a ton of autumn olive, which I believe to be similar. The wood burns very well, but the shrubs don't seem to get very big - rarely big enough to need splitting. I'm trying to collect some of it for use in the small stove.

 

[NDtreehugger]

We have a lot of Russian-Olive around here, from what I have seen the smaller ones have the majority of thorns, not sure what happens to the thorns as the tree gets older. The trees I’ve been cutting by counting rings seem to be 35 to 50 years old not many thorns.


One of the farmers wanted me to cut some Russian-Olive (Oleaster), he said the things have thorns all over them, and didn’t want to mess with them, when I went to cut them I found what he had was Buffalo Berry, all small Tree/bush.

I told him, theirs no way I can use it for firewood and that I cut down trees and pile the brush in burn piles, the logs and branches that are a fair size become firewood, If I can’t get firewood I need to be paid.

That’s another topic, anyway the Buffalo Berry and the Russian-Olive look alike but the Buffalo Berry is covered with thorns and little red tasty berries.

This is the first year I have cut the Russian-Olive, most farmers around here just tractor them into a pile and burn thinking nobody wants them because of the thorns.

I need to get them to rethink their thoughts its good firewood and could be the saving grace for firewood stoves in North Dakota.

American elm is all but gone, the Ash will be gone and everyone is planting conifers for replacement, no one is planting hardwoods thinking it takes too long for it to grow not thinking too much for the future.

 

[Chris-PA]

I need to get them to rethink their thoughts its good firewood and could be the saving grace for firewood stoves in North Dakota.

American elm is all but gone, the Ash will be gone and everyone is planting conifers for replacement, no one is planting hardwoods thinking it takes too long for it to grow not thinking too much for the future.

Agree - it's an invasive weed, but it's here to stay. We may as well learn to use it, and in the process it would help to mitigate the effects of it being here.

 

[merlynr]

I've seen Russian Olive around here and it seems they come in groups. What I have that is invasive is Asian Honeysuckle bushes and they are everywhere in my small patch of woods. They grow from seeds and root system. I've sprayed the leaves with a combination of herbicides with glyphosphates (sp) and surficants and waiting to see if it kills it or just annoys as the leaves have turned brown. Another test area has been cut down and the stump treated with Tardon. Waiting on results

 

[stihly dan]

Get rid of all the russian olive burn it bury the stump. Best without them. Oak and maple grow like weeds the will be here fore a long time.

 

[NDtreehugger]

I've seen Russian Olive around here and it seems they come in groups. What I have that is invasive is Asian Honeysuckle bushes and they are everywhere in my small patch of woods. They grow from seeds and root system. I've sprayed the leaves with a combination of herbicides with glyphosphates (sp) and surficants and waiting to see if it kills it or just annoys as the leaves have turned brown. Another test area has been cut down and the stump treated with Tardon. Waiting on results

We have 5 acres behind a farm house that is covered with Russian Olive, we called the department of forestry and asked what we could use to get rid of the trees and the guy said nothing short of digging them up will get rid of them, the farmer asked NOTHING?
Nothing, dig them up till the dirt and keep it turned up, pull what you find and keep doi the above.

I say let them grow Ill be back every 20 years and clean them up for you.

They only grow on land that is not maintained.

 

[Chris-PA]

Use it as a firewood crop.

 

[NDtreehugger]

Use it as a firewood crop.

Their all small about 3 - 4 foot tall the guy would hate to see them get any bigger.

 

[Darrell L Speights]

We have a lot of Russian-Olive around here, from what I have seen the smaller ones have the majority of thorns, not sure what happens to the thorns as the tree gets older. The trees I’ve been cutting by counting rings seem to be 35 to 50 years old not many thorns.


One of the farmers wanted me to cut some Russian-Olive (Oleaster), he said the things have thorns all over them, and didn’t want to mess with them, when I went to cut them I found what he had was Buffalo Berry, all small Tree/bush.

I told him, theirs no way I can use it for firewood and that I cut down trees and pile the brush in burn piles, the logs and branches that are a fair size become firewood, If I can’t get firewood I need to be paid.

That’s another topic, anyway the Buffalo Berry and the Russian-Olive look alike but the Buffalo Berry is covered with thorns and little red tasty berries.

This is the first year I have cut the Russian-Olive, most farmers around here just tractor them into a pile and burn thinking nobody wants them because of the thorns.

I need to get them to rethink their thoughts its good firewood and could be the saving grace for firewood stoves in North Dakota.

American elm is all but gone, the Ash will be gone and everyone is planting conifers for replacement, no one is planting hardwoods thinking it takes too long for it to grow not thinking too much for the future.

The trees seem to grow over the thorns ,as the trees age. This tree seems to be great for forage, for livestock, and deer.

 

[SteveSS]

Asian Honeysuckle bushes and they are everywhere in my small patch of woods. They grow from seeds and root system. I've sprayed the leaves with a combination of herbicides with glyphosphates (sp) and surficants and waiting to see if it kills it or just annoys as the leaves have turned brown. Another test area has been cut down and the stump treated with Tardon. Waiting on results

I've been working on this this fall as well. I got a late start, but some thoughts, some web reading, and some help from MDC, I've formulated a pretty solid plan for eradicating Bush Honeysuckle on my little slice of Missouri. The trick to getting ahead of the crap, is to kill it before the berries ripen and the birds spread them even further. If that means cutting the tops and burning them this fall....so be it. At least you'll be a half-step ahead of next years multiplication of this devil plant.

Next, ditch the Glyphosate (Roundup). I haven't tried Tordon, but I've been using Crossbow (2, 4-D & Triclopyr), mixed 4% with diesel fuel, and spraying the stalk of the plant from the ground, up to about 18". For my 2-gallon sprayer, this is roughly two cups of Crossbow, and filled to the 2 gallon mark with diesel. This will kill the plant in three to four weeks. If you're behind the power curve for this fall......cut the tops, burn the berries, and treat the plants in the spring.

I've also been pulling the entire plant with a chain and a truck and burning the satanic remains. It's a shallow rooted plant, so this is pretty successful too. You may need to spot treat any regrowth in the spring with your 4% solution. For the plants that are too big to pull by hand, but too small for my chain, I have a small Folger's coffee can with straight Crossbow in it. I just cut the plant as close as I can to the ground with a pair of limb nippers, and then paint the stump with a foam paint brush.

I'm seeing some success with this plan, and am gradually regaining my land. Hopefully it helps you as well. If you want to chat about it further, send me a PM and I'll pass you my phone number.

Cheers,

 

[SteveSS]

Ahhh, Jeez. Glad I just wasted a half hour responding to a three year old thread that got pulled from the ashes. Oy!!

 

[unclemoustache]

Ahhh, Jeez. Glad I just wasted a half hour responding to a three year old thread that got pulled from the ashes. Oy!!

Me too! Blame the new guy! Thanks a lot, Darrell!

 

[Darrell L Speights]

I am jacking with Ro's at the moment. Found this thread. Truth being, my livestock love the russian olive fruit,leaves, & bark, thus exhausting the supply very quickly.

 

[Darrell L Speights]

Sherwood Aikens- deceased-arborist,grafter,&nurseryman from Arkansas propogated,&sold bush honeysuckle .

 

[SteveSS]

Sherwood Aikens- deceased-arborist,grafter,&nurseryman from Arkansas propogated,&sold bush honeysuckle .

Not sure how long ago that was, but I consider him a bozo for such stunts. It'll probably take me another year to get ahead of this durn bush honeysuckle. The plan is working though.

 

[msmith]

The trees seem to grow over the thorns ,as the trees age. This tree seems to be great for forage, for livestock, and deer.

We have Autumn Olive here which is similar and it is a crappy invasive shrub/tree that is worthless as teets on a tomcat. They have new growth that are sharp like thorns on a Hawthorn, and the things spread like crazy. If you can brush hog them, you can keep it at bay. On steep ground, I like to spray with 2-4D or triclopyr. either works well especially if used in the fall. You can spray the foliage or do a basil bark treatment. It is worthless as a fuel wood. The only good thing about it is, the birds love it and when it gets out of control, the deer love it for cover.