Before Restoration
Mini-grant Restores Mature Parkland in Annandale
The Truro Homeowners Association noticed an area in their common parkland blanked by English Ivy, threatening the understory of their forested stream valley and approximately 20 mature trees. The Truro Parkland Committee, a volunteer group working to manage common area parkland, initiated an application for a Fairfax PRISM grant to save their native trees.
Main Species of Concern: English ivy and porcelain berry
Previous Management: The Parkland Committee organizes four volunteer workdays each year to remove invasive plants, plant native plants, pick-up trash, and complete other upkeep projects. They typically get about 6-8 homeowner volunteers in addition to the 8-10 parkland committee members.
Management Strategy: For professional removal, the association hired MowCow Lawn & Landscape to hand pull and dig out English ivy ground cover then return in 2-3 months to apply herbicide to kill off any returning growth. The Truro HOA organized two volunteer work days in the winter and spring, one before and one after the work done by their contractor. During these work days, community members cut English ivy from the base of trees. The association also plans on future work days to remove porcelain berry, bamboo, and other invasive plants in the parkland.
The Truro HOA created a 3-year management plan for long-term management of the area. The grant work was completed in the winter - spring of 2026, but the association plans to continue protecting their trees in the future. They will continue hosting volunteer work days to remove any English Ivy returning to the area, plus ongoing control and removal of porcelain berry, running bamboo, and other invasive plants wherever they’re identified in the parkland. There will be one work day in the summer and another in the fall. Year 2 and 3 will also contain 4 annual work days for long-term management.
Project Outcomes
Volunteer hours: The Truro community completed a total of 60.25 volunteer hours, equaling $2,096.10 ($34.79/ hr).
Scope of the grant: The project covered 10,000 square feet of parkland, saving 20 mature trees.
Financial Summary
The Truro Homeowners Association requested a reimbursement of $2,785.00 and were required to meet a 50% contribution match of $1,392.50.
They completed 60.25 volunteer labor hours to meet contributions, equaling a $2,096.10 match and exceeding the minimum required match by $703.60.
Community Education
After Restoration
The Truro HOA used its monthly community newsletter, The Truro Trails, to reach the 360 homes in the association. The parkland committee published at least three educational articles in the newsletter regarding invasive plants and the PRISM grant. The first article announced the grant award and educated homeowners about the threat of English ivy and other invasive plants to native trees. Another article highlighted the work completed by the contractor and featured before and after photographs of the site. Subsequent articles promoted community workdays and solicited volunteers for ongoing efforts in the parkland to remove and control invasive plants. They plan on publishing additional educational articles in The Truro Trails newsletter over the duration of their 3-year management plan.
The association also posted educational material to the Truro Community Facebook page regarding invasive plants and the PRISM grant.
A provided Tree Rescuers sign was placed in front of the work site with educational material on invasive plants.
Next Steps
The association will continue publishing educational articles in The Truro Trails newsletter about the threat of invasive plants to their native plant species.
While the grant saved the parkland’s trees from direct threats, there are other invasive species present that will pose a long-term threat if not managed. The association plans to follow its 3-year management plan to address the issue, holding four annual work days for invasive species removal.