Bamboo can overwhelm areas quickly.

The V&E Greenline has an invasive plant problem. In 2025, we started a concentrated effort to remove invasive species along the trail from October to March. This is the time of year when removal is most effective and there is a lower chance of harming wildlife or native species. We would love for you to be involved in our work!

What Is An Invasive Species?

Simply, it is a plant or tree species that is non-native and that has qualities that make it undesirable in our region. These qualities include:

  • Rapid growth, spread and reproduction which can quickly overwhelm native species

  • Provide little to no benefit to wildlife including pollinators and birds

  • Being hosts for pests and diseases that can harm other plants and people

Why Does It Matter?

The impacts of invasive species on the trail (and our community) include:

  • Loss of biodiversity

  • Degrades tree health

  • Harms our native pollinator and wildlife species

  • Damages the trail due to erosion

  • Taking valuable resources (volunteer time and donations) to control and remove

What can you do to help?

  • Learn about invasive plant species from one of the resources at the end of this page

  • Garden with native plants and remove invasive plants from your garden

  • Volunteer to help on one of Weed Wrangle/Invasive Removal days in the fall

  • Volunteer at one of our Second Saturday work days - we are always working on removing invasive plants among other things those days

Second Saturday Work Days and Weed Wrangle events are posted regularly to our calendar here and on our Volunteer Odyssey page here.

If you like to learn about how to become a Invasive Plant Crew Leader please contact us here. Crew Leaders give us more capacity to handle groups and more areas. After a 2-3 hour training session on invasive identification, removal techniques, treatments, and volunteer coordinating you will be able to lead a crew on one of work days and tackle a specific area or problem.

Resources About Invasive Plants

There a number of meaningful resources available that cover our region including the links below:

Primary Invasive Species on the Trail:

These are the species we go after on a regular basis:

Top Row (left to right): Tree of Heaven, Wintercreeper, Johnson Grass
Bottom Row (left to right): Japanese Honeysuckle, Bamboo, Privet