BOISE, Idaho — A major restoration project is underway at Kathryn Albertson Park as Boise Parks and Recreation works to remove invasive Russian olive trees from a five-acre section of the park.
“We’re removing Russian olives to try and increase biodiversity, as well as reduce hazardous fuels in the area," said Martha Brabec, the Foothills Restoration Specialist with Boise Parks and Recreation.
The project was funded with the help of a grant from the Idaho Department of Lands aimed at reducing wildfire risks within the wildland urban interface (WUI).
“Invasive species removal and fuels mitigation often go hand-in-hand in," said Brabec.
WATCH | Hear from Brabec and park-goers about the removal project
Brabec explained that Russian olive trees often outperform other native plants and trees and consume up to 10x more much water than native plants in a place like Katheryn Albertson Park.
“Russian olives form very dense monocultures, and monocultures means there is no biodiversity, and biodiversity is the foundation on which all of our ecosystems operate,” Brabec said.
So, they picked the densest section of Russian olives in the park for treatment.
“We’ve been doing Russian olive removal to some scale for a pretty long time,” said Mike Andrews, the Forestry Division Manager for Boise Parks and Recreation. “This one, though, is one of our biggest ones.”
For some park-goers, the project is a welcome change.
“I am in favor of them taking them down,” said Jane Wallace, who comes to the park nearly every day. “They’ll be new plants that grow, they’ll be new trees that grow, they’ll be native and they’ll be good for the environment as opposed to these that are just taking over.”
“I think by putting in different trees and not just allowing the Russian olives to take over, that we will have a better idea of what could actually grow down in this area,” said Karel Cattron, who frequents the park.
Still, some visitors expressed concern about the impact on wildlife and the noticeable change in scenic views.
“From an aesthetics standpoint, there will be an impact on this park,” Brabec said. “However, in spring 2026 and beyond there will be a lot of native plants that will come back and hopefully with that, an increase in the different diversity of birds we see in the area.”
Boise Parks and Rec expects the removal project to take a few weeks. Once complete, crews will replant native species in the treated area in the spring and fall to help restore the park’s ecosystem.
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