Russian thistle poses a hazard due to its role as a weed and host for pests in restored and agricultural areas, decreasing production of native vegetation and desired crops such as tomato and beet. For livestock, the weed also creates a risk of bioaccumulation of oxalate toxins for animals such as sheep that feed on it. Traffic hazards and removal costs arise from the accumulation of dried plant matter once the plant dies, especially in fallow fields or irrigation systems, as well as the sides of roadways.  Further decreases in crop yield and increases in fire risk also result from this accumulation. In natural systems, it establishes in disturbed sites, particularly in sandy soils and where mechanical treatments for other weeds facilitate its infestation, and subsequently competes with recruitment of native plants, provides little habiat for wildlife, while the dense growths create a continuous fuelbed that can carry wildfire.