Photo: Porcelain Berry vines engulfing trees, Margaret Fisher
Are you upset at the sight of trees being swallowed up by invasive vines? Here is an opportunity to do something about it.
Recently, Jesse Buff, the Volunteer Program Coordinator for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, personally walked around Takoma Park and counted every tree that had a bad enough infestation from invasive vines to be at risk of dying within the next five to seven years. In that two square mile town, he counted nearly five thousand such trees. If you extrapolate that to Northern Virginia, we could have over three million trees at risk! A short drive anywhere in our region confirms that this would not be an unrealistic guess.
Porcelain Berry vines engulfing trees, Margaret Fisher
Local park authorities do what they can on their properties but have limited resources. For most of the rest of the trees, there is no plan to save them. Plant NOVA Natives/Plant NOVA Trees, of which ASNV is a founding member, took a look at that situation and came up with an initial step toward fixing it. Everyone in Northern Virginia is invited to become a Tree Rescuer, which involves walking around our communities and public spaces and doing a count, then dropping off a brochure or otherwise communicating with the owners about the problem and how to save the trees.
Very little plant knowledge is needed to participate in this educational program, because in most cases it is quite obvious when a tree is in trouble. Before actually cutting a vine, though, it is important to make sure it is in fact an invasive plant and not one of our several native vines, which evolved with our native trees and rarely threaten their health. Their berries are an important food source for birds. The Plant NOVA Trees website has information about how to make the distinction, and a series of short instructional webinars is underway to provide more details. Recordings of the first webinars, which include an introduction to the Tree Rescuers program, are available on the Plant NOVA Natives YouTube channel.
Of course, counting the trees at risk is one thing, freeing them up is quite another. All our park authorities need volunteers to help cut the vines. Community associations need residents to help them create a master plan for their trees, which may involve a combination of volunteer and professional invasives removal. Communities may also have the option of developing an agreement with utility companies or VDOT to take over vegetation management in those easements. Where action is needed by local governments and state agencies, elected officials will need input from their constituents to justify the expenditures.
Clearly, waiting around for someone else to rescue our community’s trees is not working. If you can help, even if only in your own neighborhood, read the details and sign up on the Plant NOVA Trees website. You may find that once you start surveying, you won’t want to stop!