Before Restoration
Mini-grant Rescues Mature Trees in Annandale
Lafayette Village Community Association is a townhouse community that was built preserving large trees in and around the neighborhood. In recent years, invasive vines have begun to cover the forest edge and meadow areas and continue to expand. To protect mature trees in the forest and around the neighborhood, the association developed a 3-year management plan and asked Fairfax PRISM for help through a mini-grant application.
Main Species of Concern: Porcelain berry, English ivy, Japanese honeysuckle, oriental bittersweet, Japanese knotweed, bush honeysuckle and multiflora rose.
Previous Management: The association has used volunteers and a landscaping company in the past couple of years to remove invasive vines in some areas of the neighborhood. The work included cutting the vines at the base of trees and physically removing some vines. It acted as a temporary solution by removing immediate threats to trees, but did not help the association reach long-term management goals.
Management Strategy: Lafayette Village created a 3-year management plan to protect their native trees. They divided the property into 10 sections and created a plan for each depending on the species present and intensity of the invasion. They plan to utilize a multi-vendor strategy for the community and utilize different contractors for different areas. They chose a priority section to include in the grant work that was located near the entrance of the neighborhood. At this site, porcelain berry was the largest issue and acted as a blanket covering trees and other native plants.
For the area included in the grant, the association hired a contractor, The Grounds Guys, to manually remove invasive species on the ground and clip those encroaching on trees. Woody stumps were painted with Glyphosate at 25% or triciopyr and blue marker. All plant debris was hauled away for proper disposal. The association plans to monitor the remediated area in the spring for new growth and treat with mechanical removal or spot herbicide treatments as appropriate.
Project Outcomes
Trees Saved: The project saved 35 mature trees.
Scope of the grant: Approximately 1 acre of land was treated.
Financial Summary
After Restoration
Lafayette Village requested a reimbursement of $3,000.00 and were required to meet a 50% contribution match of $1,500.00. The community’s match was met in cash by payment to the contractor on top of the grant-funded work.
Community Education
- The association contains 315 homes and approximately 700 adult residents. They used a combination of newsletters, emails, Nextdoor posts, and their website to communicate to residents. They educated residents on their management plans, and they plan to update residents on their progress. They also partnered with Annandale Community Park to encourage volunteers to participate in their Invasive Vine volunteer events to further expand community education.
- The section worked on during the grant is located at the road entrance to the community and is adjacent to common recreation areas. The high visibility of the site provides an opportunity for the community to notice improvement in the area. A provided Tree Rescuers sign was also placed at the site, supplying educational material on invasive plants.
Next Steps
The association will continue to manage treated areas and move onto new sections over the next couple of years, following their 3-year management plan. They will continue communicating to residents about their progress and host volunteer work days to educate the community and continue saving trees.