Wallowa County landowners battle an invasion: junipers, April 1, 2020
ENTERPRISE â At first glance, they look like ordinary evergreen trees: a little short, a little rotund, but harmless enough. But junipers are opportunists of the highest order, gobbling up some of Wallowa Countyâs grassland and water resources at a fierce rate.
Now, thanks to the teamwork of range conservationist J. Johansen and 6 Ranch owner Liza Jane McAlister, the Natural Resources Conservation Service is dedicating more than $1.8 million to help landowners remove these native, but invasive, trees from 4,500 acres of Wallowa Countyâs private lands. The work got started this week.
The 6 Ranch, just west of Enterprise, will be among the first landowners to take advantage of the new NRCS Ecological Function Restoration juniper treatment program.