Plan of Action
Updated 10/22/2025
How, you might reasonably ask, can our community possibly hope to rescue a million trees from vines plus control the worst of the other invasive plant infestations in Fairfax/Falls Church? It won’t be easy, but we think it can be done!
Survey and monitor
Seek out and map those serious infestations. Want to help? Click here for details. No experience required!
Engage the public
Maximize use of government channels to reach the entire population.
Have a Community Representative in every neighborhood (thousands!) to relay information to their neighbors. Learn more here.
Use our website, social media and other publicity methods to provide locally-relevant information and resources.
Provide expert advice
Offer site visits from expert volunteers to community associations, faith communities, commercial properties, and professional landscaping companies.
Encourage homeowners to take advantage of the NVBA Wildlife Sanctuary Program.
Create teams to strategize in every area
Bring Community Representatives together to collaborate.
Map out every bad infestation within an area (such as a town), figure out who the landowners are, and approach them to see what help they need.
Encourage community tree rescue events, where neighbors help neighbors.
Develop the workforce
Professionals - create a certificate course to train lawn-and-landscape companies.
Volunteers
Recruit those who enjoy public lands to rescue the trees where they recreate: walkers, bikers, athletes, birders, etc.
Connect people to the invasive removal volunteer events of the numerous partnering organizations.
Expand the FCPA Tree Rescuers Program so there is at least one person working in every park, people who then know how to help in their neighborhoods.
Develop funding sources
Encourage businesses to adopt parks and roadside rights of way.
Encourage communities to adopt nearby parks, rights of way, and commercial areas.
Seek grant money to distribute as incentive grants to communities.
Alert the public to the benefits of creating a service district to levy a fee for invasives control.
What We Do
The Fairfax Tree Rescuers PRISM alliance with non-profits, County agencies, communities, and individuals works to:
Educate the public on the impacts of invasive plants.
Assess and monitor infestations of invasive plants across the county.
Recommend yearly priorities based on the extent of invasive infestation, within and across all sectors within Fairfax County.
Support and help coordinate the efforts of stakeholder groups to target invasive plants on public land (including parks, schools, and government properties), private land (including residential and commercial properties), and transportation and utility rights of way.
Seek incentives and dedicated funding sources for professional and volunteer removal efforts.
Stimulate workforce development.
Create specific timelines and targets as well as a dashboard to monitor progress.
The job of the steering committee of this all-volunteer organization is to identify and address systemic barriers to invasive plant control.
The actual work has to be organized by the landowners, one property at a time. We can help by
Guiding plant identification and management
Facilitating hands-on training events
Offering free site visits to communities, commercial properties, and professional lawn and landscaping companies.
