New resources available for invasive plant management

The Fairfax County Park Authority has launched an apprenticeship program to train new Invasive Management Area site leaders, enabling the IMA program to expand to more local parks across the county, reports Whitney Redding, one of the leaders of Friends of Holmes Run.

Removing invasives leads to better stormwater management, more birds and other wildlife, an improved tree canopy, and better water filtration, Redding says.

Anyone interested in becoming an IMA site leader must first become certified by the Park Authority as a volunteer tree rescuer, which authorizes them to remove invasive vines from trees in county parks.  

“IMA site leaders have trained hundreds of new volunteers, who in turn have rescued thousands of trees in parks that otherwise would never have gotten the attention,” Redding says. “Now the FCPA is taking the apprenticeship model to the next level, by allowing its most experienced IMA site leaders to train new IMA site leaders.”  

Certified tree rescuers can apprentice with an existing IMA leader to become an IMA steward, which allows them to establish their own IMA site where they can work independently or side-by-side with other IMA stewards.

Eventually, stewards can become full-fledged IMA leaders with the authority to lead casual volunteers in planting and restoration projects.

For more information, contact IMA Program Volunteer Coordinator Anastasia Mejia at [email protected] or 571-363-7356.

Kyle Wilson, the owner of a native landscaping company called Mr. Wilson’s Garden, learned about invasive plant management from Redding and is pursuing the next level.

After taking part in many IMA cleanups in local parks, he learned enough about plant identification to determine which vines are actually beneficial and which native plants can be used to replace invasives.

Another resource for getting rid of invasive plants is Fairfax Tree Rescuers PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management), a coalition of 26 organizations, including Friends of Holmes Run, Clean Fairfax, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, and the Friends of Accotink Creek.

PRISM is offering mini-grants of up to $5,000 to help HOAs, community associations, recreation associations, and faith communities hire professional companies to remove invasive plants threatening trees on common land.

Click here for further details. Access the application form here. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Communities will be required to provide a partial match that can be met either with money or volunteer time. 

In 2025, mini-grants were awarded to 25 organizations, including Lafayette Village, Truro Homes, and Lake Barcroft in the Annandale/Mason District area.

Redding says it’s important to take care of the problem on both sides of the fence, as invasives spread between parkland and private property.