Restoring our Native Ecosystems

Volunteers on a recent Tree Friends outing

Next outing: Friday, October 31 from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm in Cabin John.  We’ll meet in front of the Clara Barton Community Center at 7425 MacArthur and spread out to spots needing our attention.  Sign up here to register and receive logistics and weather updates:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0549A4A92EA0F94-59718154-cabin

For more information, or to join our mailing list, send email to: avanti7700@verizon.net

Tree Friends United is a group of over 200 citizens centered in the Glen Echo, MD area who are concerned with the accelerating spread of invasive species overwhelming Montgomery County's parklands, roads, and neighborhoods. As volunteers, we assist the National Park Service (NPS), the county, and residents to remove invasive vines that are smothering trees and the plants that are destroying native ecosystems. As advocates, we are allied with other groups to seek broader public awareness of the growing problem, achieve better funding, and establish coordinated action to counter the invasives. Further, we seek changes in park service policies to actively engage our communities to maintain the ecological vibrancy of our public lands. 

Without decisive action, the future of our parklands is well represented by the photo above of the immense spread of kudzu on NPS land near historic Glen Echo Park. Like a growing cancer, the kudzu's relentless expansion has flattened many acres of tall trees. It is now extending its devastation across the C&O Canal towards the Potomac River. On the Virginia side, large kudzu patches have now appeared on NPS's formerly scenic George Washington Memorial Parkway and are moving to destroy the currently vibrant ecosystem along the river. 

Allowing invasive vines to kill our communities' trees and the expanding deterioration of our parklands is not acceptable. It can be solved. Ignoring the problems allows them to exponentially increase. But it takes community action and support to reverse the course.   We count on you to help restore our trees, ecosystems, and make our voices heard!