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Remove Invasive Vines:
SAVE THE TREES!

Free your trees from being overtaken by invasive vines at no cost to you. 

Trained CCAN volunteers will come to your residence and remove invasive vines from your trees using simple hand tools.

CCAN Vine Removal-Riverside Park

Shifts throughout the month of February

Sign up to survey trees in February! Help us collect essential data about the presence of invasive vines in target neighborhoods.
 
All you need to survey is comfortable walking shoes and a smartphone to log trees. When you show up for your shift, you will be assigned a few streets to walk and log locations where you see invasive vines on trees. We will provide reflective vests, name tags, and door hangers to leave at houses.

All January locations will be either in Ward 7 DC (Fort Dupont/Benning Ridge neighborhood) or Ward 4 DC (Brightwood Park neighborhood). Exact location will be emailed the day before. If you did not attend the community tree survey training, email meredith@chesapeakeclimate.org and I will send you a recording

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CCAN Vine Removal-Riverside Park

POSTPONED: Now Wednesday, February 4th, 9:00am – 12:00pm

Join Meredith from CCAN and Community Native Planting Project to remove Invasive Vines at the 2-acres that CNPP is transforming into a welcoming natural area next to Publick Playhouse in Hyattsville, MD.
 
We will meet in the southwest corner of the parking lot at 9am and walk to the worksite from there. We will start with a brief training on invasive species and best practices for removal, and spend about 2 hours removing invasives. Half of the group will work on arborized vines and the other half will focus on bush honeysuckle and removing other invasives.
 
Please wear long pants, long sleeves, and close-toed shoes. Instructions and tools will be provided, so just bring yourself and a good attitude! A reminder email will be sent out the day before with detailed instructions on where to meet.

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Saturday, February 7th, 10:00am – 1:00pm

Join CCAN and the Hyattsville Tree Stewards to remove Invasive Vines around the Hyattsville neighborhood.

This event will be a fun mix of door-to-door canvassing and invasive vine removal. We will meet at Riverside Drive Park and spend 30 minutes doing training on vine removal and canvassing. From there we will break into pairs and head to a list of pre-surveyed residences in the area to offer vine removal for residents.

We will focus on non-native invasive vines including porcelainberry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata) and English ivy (Hedera helix). Please wear long pants, long sleeves, and close-toed shoes. Instructions and tools will be provided, so just bring yourself and a good attitude! A reminder email will be sent out the day before with detailed instructions on where to meet.

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POSTPONED: Now Saturday, February 14th, 10:00am – 1:00pm

Join CCAN volunteer leaders from the Riverdale Park Green Team to remove Invasive Vines around the East Riverdale neighborhood.

This event will be a fun mix of door-to-door canvassing and invasive vine removal. We will meet at Riverside Drive Park and spend 30 minutes doing training on vine removal and canvassing. From there we will break into pairs and head to a list of pre-surveyed residences in the area to offer vine removal for residents.

We will focus on non-native invasive vines including porcelainberry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata) and English ivy (Hedera helix). Please wear long pants, long sleeves, and close-toed shoes. Instructions and tools will be provided, so just bring yourself and a good attitude! A reminder email will be sent out the day before with detailed instructions on where to meet.

Learn More>>

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Saturday, February 21st, 10:00am – 1:00pm

Join CCAN and DOEE to remove Invasive Vines at the park by Hillcrest Rec Center in SE DC.

We will meet at 30th St & Erie St, SE and spend 30 minutes doing training on vine removal and canvassing. From there we will head into the woods to remove vines.

We will focus on non-native invasive vines including porcelainberry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata) and English ivy (Hedera helix). Please wear long pants, long sleeves, and close-toed shoes. Instructions and tools will be provided, so just bring yourself and a good attitude! A reminder email will be sent out the day before with detailed instructions on where to meet.

Learn More>>

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Wednesday, February 25th, 9:00am – 12:00pm

Join Meredith from CCAN and Community Native Planting Project to remove Invasive Vines in Bladensburg, MD.
 
We will meet in the southwest corner of the parking lot of Prince George’s Publick Playhouse at 9am and walk to the worksite from there. We will start with a brief training on invasive species and best practices for removal, and spend about 2 hours removing invasives.
 
Please wear long pants, long sleeves, and close-toed shoes. Instructions and tools will be provided, so just bring yourself and a good attitude! A reminder email will be sent out the day before with detailed instructions on where to meet.

Learn More>>

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Friday, February 27th, 10:00am – 12:00pm

Celebrate National Invasive Species Awareness Week! Join Kerry from PG Parks and Meredith from CCAN to remove Invasive Vines at Browning’s Grove Park in Riverdale, MD.

We will meet at the parking lot by the playground at 10am. We will start with a brief training on non-native invasive species and best practices for removal, and spend about 2 hours removing invasives. Half of the group will work on arborized vines and the other half will focus on bush honeysuckle and removing other invasive plants.

Please wear long pants, long sleeves, and close-toed shoes. Instructions and tools will be provided, so just bring yourself and a good attitude! A reminder email will be sent out the day before with detailed instructions on where to meet.

Learn More>>

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Saturday, February 28th, 10:00am-1:00pm

Calling all trail stewards! Join the DC Trail Rangers and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network for Bicyclists Against Invasive Vines event series. On the fourth Saturday of each month we meet up at the Fields at RFK lot 6 at 10am for an ecological ride on the trail. We will be clearing invasive vines from our trees and trail corridors while exploring topics such as plant identification, invasive plant management and local wetland ecology.

Each month, we will visit trails througout the city, tackling pesky invasive vines, this is also a great way to spend time learning how the trails connect and how to navigate them .

Free @capitalbikeshare bike rentals and helmets are available. Email us at ranger@waba.org and we’ll get you set up.

Learn More>>

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Saturday, February 28th, 10:00am – 1:00pm

Join CCAN and volunteer leaders from the Riverdale Park Green Team to remove Invasive Vines around the Riverdale Park neighborhood.

This event will be a fun mix of door-to-door canvassing and invasive vine removal. We will meet at Riverside Drive Park and spend 30 minutes doing training on vine removal and canvassing. From there we will break into pairs and head to a list of pre-surveyed residences in the area to offer vine removal for residents.

We will focus on non-native invasive vines including porcelainberry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata) and English ivy (Hedera helix). Please wear long pants, long sleeves, and close-toed shoes. Instructions and tools will be provided, so just bring yourself and a good attitude! A reminder email will be sent out the day before with detailed instructions on where to meet.

Learn More>>

CCAN is partnering with Casey Trees to tackle invasive vines on both private property and public lands in Prince George’s County and DC. 

Our Goal is to mobilize volunteers in disadvantaged communities to save thousands of trees, connect with community members, and empower residents to take ownership of their local trees.

Non-native invasive plant species, particularly vines, pose a significant threat to trees. Trees provide countless benefits to both people and wildlife, including sequestering carbon!

Trees also…
  • Help to filter air and water 
  • Control stormwater 
  • Conserve energy 
  • Provide habitat 
  • Reduce noise 
  • Add economic value to communities 

DIY: Learn How to Remove Invasive Vines with This Video!

Can’t wait to get started saving trees before one of our events?

Watch this video to learn how to remove invasive vines on your own (or with a friend or three!)

You’ll learn how to identify English Ivy and the proper steps to remove it. 

Our Events:

Park events: Join these if you’ve never removed invasive vines before and want to learn how! We will host park events on a monthly basis. This is an opportunity to get trained in invasive vine removal and help out ecosystems in our local green spaces

Door-to-door events: These will be the beating heart of our program. We will be heading out on foot every other week to knock on doors and remove invasive vines from private residences. This is an opportunity to engage in conversations, educate the public, and provide a much-needed service to community members. These are also a fantastic way to get your steps in! Please attend a park event first so we can train you to safely and effectively remove invasive vines.

Want to Get Involved With CCAN's Invasive Vines Program?

Meet Meredith Prescott: CCAN's Invasive Vines Manager

“In my time working in DC parks, I have built trails, planted trees, installed countless erosion control structures, and even constructed a boardwalk or two. However, there has been no project that is both rewarding and low-maintenance like invasive species removal. It’s a tangible, hands-on way to make a noticeable difference in a short time and a great way to build community around outdoor work. We may not be able to fix the systemic issues that have gotten us to this point in the climate crisis, but we can all go outside and tackle those invasive vines one by one. And in the face of massive biodiversity loss at a global level, it is more necessary than ever.

I am thrilled to kick off this new chapter with CCAN, reigniting this volunteer program and working towards making every green space accessible and thriving. Every vine pulled is a step towards a greener, more equitable world. Let’s get to work!”

 

Read the full blog post here:

Resources:

This project is sponsored through a partnership between CCAN and Casey Trees, and is funded in part by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.