Restoring our Native Ecosystems

Coming up: Our next scheduled outing to cut invasive vines is 

Thursday, May 2 from 10 am to noon

We will meet at 10 am in Brookmont at Maryland Avenue at MacArthur

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

Tree Friends United is a group of citizens concerned with the accelerating spread of invasive species overwhelming our parklands, roads, and neighborhoods. As volunteers, we assist the National Park Service (NPS) and Montgomery Parks of Montgomery County, MD to remove vines smothering trees and other invasive species in the greater Glen Echo, MD area. As advocates, we are allied with other groups to we seek broader 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 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 help restore our trees, ecosystems, and make our voices heard!