Mini-grant Helps Save Over 270 Trees in Alexandria
The Crest of Alexandria initially aimed to remove invasive plants threatening approximately 188 trees on a 0.39 acre area of the property, but were able to expand the scope of the grant thanks to substantial volunteer work.
Main Species of Concern: Japanese honeysuckle, oriental bittersweet, English ivy, multiflora rose, and porcelain berry.
Management Strategy: Knowledgeable residents successfully educated the HOA board to support resident volunteers in this project and apply for the grant. The mini-grant covered $3000 to be spent on the hired contractor, Professional Grounds Inc. Resident volunteers also worked to match contributions in labor hours.
- In the fall, volunteers clipped off fruit from reachable areas and bagged it for disposal.
- Professional Grounds then cleared out dense areas using gas pruners, weedeaters, mowers and hand labor.
- Volunteers came back to manually clip exposed vines off of trees both at ground and at higher reachable locations.
- In the spring, once invasive plants began leaf formation, Professional Grounds applied herbicide to cut stumps and foliar spray any rebounding vine growth.
Project Outcomes
- Volunteer Hours: Thirteen community members completed a total of 73.5 volunteer hours, well exceeding the minimum 50% contribution match of 44 hours ($34.79/hr).
- Trees Saved: More than 270 trees were saved in the grant area by volunteer effort with more saved by the hired contractor, Professional Grounds. Additional trees were collectively saved in new areas outside the grant area. This exceeds the proposed rescue of 188 trees in the grant application.
- Scope of the grant: With the substantial work performed by volunteers, the $3000 grant was more than enough for the proposed 0.39 acres area. Professional Grounds Inc. was able to expand the area it could treat to be 10-15% greater than was proposed.
Financial Summary
The Crest of Alexandria requested a reimbursement of $3,000.00 and were required to meet a 50% contribution match of $1,500.00. They completed 73.5 volunteer labor hours to meet contributions, equaling a $2,557.07 match ($34.79/hr) and exceeding the minimum required match by $1,057.07.
Community Education
- Resident Awareness: Alyssa Hemler of Northern Virginia Conservation Trust presented a seminar about invasive plants to community members. This is where volunteer members were recruited. Additionally, a sign provided by Fairfax PRISM was posted at the entrance to our community trail, providing a QR code for more information about invasive plants.
- Resident Involvement: Ken Grabowski volunteered to be the community representative for Fairfax PRISM, and has circulated news items provided by them among residents at the Crest. He also leads the Tree Savers volunteer group, training the community on invasive plant identification and management.
- HOA Involvement: The bimonthly HOA Newsletter provided reports by the Grounds Committee on efforts and reasons to address invasive plants, including a photo of ongoing work by the Tree Savers group. The weekly HOA Communicator email delivered to residents has included information on the Tree Savers group and invasive plants. The monthly HOA board meeting includes a report from the Grounds Committee that typically describes the ongoing effort to manage invasive plants at the Crest, and the reason to do so.
- Beyond the Community: The Crest has also contributed to educating their landscaping company, Professional Grounds, who have since used that knowledge in two other communities for managing invasive plants: Newberry Station Lorton, VA and Daventry HOA Springfield, VA.
Next Steps
The Crest of Alexandria has already initiated a path forward to continue the battle against invasive plants. The Crest is self-funding Professional Grounds to expand the area already treated, apply herbicide on cut stumps of multiflora rose bushes, and apply foliar spray on rebounding vine growth. Areas previously treated are being maintained by volunteer effort and follow up herbicide treatments by Professional Grounds as needed.