Next Survey volunteers email blast
Hi, Invasive Plant Survey Volunteers,
A whole lot of surveys have been done - see below for the stats - but there are a whole lot more to go. It would be great if everyone could get out there now to help with this.
Easy rating system for the parks
Please check out as many parks as you can, as soon as you can, to record as a site-level survey. All that is required is to walk around the park, making mental notes of how bad (or not bad) the invasive situation is, then fill out this questionnaire to rate the site. For huge parks, such as some of the stream valleys, survey as much as you can and let us know the approximate boundaries of your search. We are doing this for three reasons.
- It will give us an overall picture of where the greatest needs are.
- It will tell us which sites would be good places to hold tree rescue events.
- We will display the ratings on a color-coded map to show the public where the issues are and how the ratings change over time.
Wisteria surveys
Please seek out and map Asian Wisteria while it is in bloom, anywhere in Fairfax/Falls Church. We started this last year and want to complete it this spring.
Ready to do more? Mapping severe infestations on iMapInvasives takes longer than the site-level surveys and requires you to be familiar with the species, but this method not only helps pinpoint problems, it also can be used to document treatment over the years. We are committed to do these surveys in all 420+ FCPA parks. On this map, in red are the FCPA parks that no one has yet signed up to survey. Purple ones are where someone is volunteering. Solid purple ones have been completed.
Not up to using iMap? No problem!
Not everyone is into mapping or feels up to identifying invasive species. You can still help! In residential areas, what we need is not mapping but simply people to count how many trees are threatened by invasive vines and to drop off a door hanger for residents who have affected trees. Sign up on the Plant NOVA Trees website, and a volunteer will mail you the door hangers.
New priority species
These are species that we would like to map wherever they are in the county, not just on FCPA properties.
FCPA has asked us to add four more species to the priority list, even if they have not yet formed “severe” infestations:
- Tree-of-Heaven - host plant for the Spotted Lanternfly
- Incised Fumewort - spreading rapidly. FCPA is trying to control it before it gets totally out of hand. This species is not on the iMap list, but that’s okay - early detection species are tracked in iNaturalist.
- Fountain Grass - We don’t have it in many places, but where we do, it spreads rapidly. Please note this on iNaturalist (and on iMap, if you can).
- Poison Hemlock - unusual so far, but toxic. Please note this on iNaturalist (and on iMap, if you can).
The original priority species are
- Japanese or Chinese Wisteria
- Kudzu
- Five-leaved Akebia
Help with logistics?
We need a couple more people to help us keep track of all this and organize a monthly update. Let us know if you are able to put some time into this.
Kids need service hours? Tree counts are an easy and flexible way to get them. Once the person has done the work and reported back, we can sign off on their volunteer hours.
Survey Stats: As of April 1, 2026
Volunteer Engagement
- Expressed initial interest : 176
- Engaged in some way after contact :93
- Created an iMap survey account: 63
- Signed up to survey specific parks: 46
- Completed at least one survey (uploaded records in iMap): 19
Parks Survey Coverage
- FCPA Parks assigned to volunteers: 115
- Parks with observations: 54
- Site-level surveys done: 12
Number of Observations
-
Total: 830
-
Total Number of “Severe Infestation" Observations: 716