Margaret Fisher, a Master Naturalist, instructs on techniques to properly remove English Ivy without damaging tree bark
As you drive or walk around Fairfax County taking in the scenery, you may have noticed that not all the greenery on trees along your path actually belongs to the trees’ own leaves. Many people have seen the massive amount of vine overgrowth on our trees, and are alarmed by the negative effects on trees’ long term health. They are determined to save the trees under assault from these predominantly non-native vines. The product of this shared willingness to ‘do something’, is the newly organized non-profit volunteer group, Fairfax Tree Rescuers PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management).
In their kick-off Week of Action, lead PRISM volunteers held tree rescue events at several locations
throughout the county, including Alexandria, Annandale, Burke, Clifton, Falls Church, Lorton, Reston and Springfield, on days between Nov. 8th and 16th. Areas tackled included parks, HOA common areas, and school and library land boundary edges. Invitations posted to the public, and sent to elected officials, prompted many, from small handfuls to dozens, to come learn about plans underway to save trees in Fairfax County and to participate in community-wide efforts to stem the epidemic of invasive plants. Such work projects protect native trees and promote the growth of life-supporting plants that are native to, and essential for, a healthy ecosystem that supports native wildlife.
Those who attended the tree rescue events learned to identify non-native species, especially vines, which commonly adhere to trees here. Those vines can kill, even mature trees, by climbing their trunks and branches, robbing trees of ground nutrients and sunlight, and even may topple trees from their weight. Event participants learned how to cut vines, and use herbicides, to best advantage. Perhaps they had not anticipated the events could also be a pleasant opportunity to connect with others. The many smiles suggest participants enjoyed their time making a positive impact on the environment together.
Only You Can Save the Trees
Fairfax PRISM organizer Margaret Fisher shared “bad news” with participants at the Pohick Library event on Nov. 8. “There are predictions that in many of our natural areas, meaning our parks, our roadsides, places like that, by the end of the century, [trees] will have ‘failed’, meaning that the trees will have come down. Many of them will have been brought down [some naturally aged] and won’t have been replaced, because there’s so many invasives that the new trees can’t grow.” She indicated a count of affected trees within the county extrapolates to about a million trees which will likely suffer impact and loss. Fisher described the role of the new PRISM organization is partly to strategize how to educate the whole public about the dire situation and motivate every neighborhood and property owner to take action to improve the environment for trees.
One strategy being implemented is to have someone in each HOA, and in every neighborhood, volunteer to serve as a community representative and a conduit for tree saving information. That person will receive information from PRISM on invasive species to share with others in their neighborhood. PRISM invites those who would like to help with this role, or other volunteer opportunities, to sign-up at
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScL-AnEmjYvcHFODOvW5zJaPSSIP2sDqkSu214VXECARnkV4Q/viewform.
As repeated by leaders at each event, for the dozen or so volunteers who came to the Pohick Regional Library grounds event, Fisher gave a brief safety talk, then pointed out several non-native vines outlining the property, to contrast their characteristics with native plants. Both experienced and non-experienced tree rescuers were soon amidst the overgrowth, ferreting out those plants that would cause harm to the native oaks, maples, holly and other trees on the grounds. Working the tree-line near several athletic fields at the session’s end, Fisher summarized the group’s effort resulting in 42 trees and 20 balls rescued, saying, “I would call that a great success!”
PRISM efforts were supported by several public officials who visited to encourage volunteers, including Congressman James Walkinshaw, Del. Dan Helmer, Supervisors Alcorn, Palchik, and Storck, and school board member Karl Frisch.
For information on how to get involved, and on future volunteer work sessions being held beyond the Week of Action, see the Fairfax Tree Rescuers PRISM website at https://www.fairfaxprism.org/volunteer-prism; and the event calendar at https://www.fairfaxprism.org/calendar-of-events-
Fairfax County Park Authority also has a tree rescue program and training for those who would like to work in parks or on other government-owned lands, described at
Members of the Campbell family establish a safety ring around a tree, removing English Ivy