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Arlington natural-resources staff warn gains on invasive plants need sustained funding
Summary
Natural Resources Unit staff reported progress on invasive plant management across 543 acres but warned that progress relies on recurring funds; commissioners unanimously agreed to send a letter supporting steady Natural Resiliency/Habitat Restoration funding in the CIP.
Jennifer Souls, manager in Arlington's Natural Resources Unit, told the Forestry and Natural Resources Commission that the county manages 543 acres of natural land and currently prioritizes 510 acres for invasive-plant management. "At this point, we have 382 acres under maintenance; we have 109 acres in suppression and 19 acres that we've identified that we would like to manage," she said.
Souls described the unit's four-part strategy: assessment and inventory; prioritization ("save the best first"); an initial suppression phase that can take three to five years; and a maintenance phase that requires periodic work in perpetuity. The unit uses mechanical and chemical controls and follows up with native-plant reintroductions, much of which is supported by volunteers working in the county's native plant nursery.
Budget and capacity: Souls said the unit's base budget has been about $109,000 annually for contractor invasive work, supplemented with several years of one-time top-up funding (FY24 $100,000; FY25 $300,000; a proposed FY27 one-time infusion). She warned that if the county returned to the original base budget, staff would lose progress on 15 sites in suppression and seven sites in maintenance. Staff and commissioners noted rising contractor costs as existing Fairfax County contract terms expire.
Volunteers and contractor questions: Commissioners asked whether volunteers could be trained to apply herbicide. Souls said the county is exploring Fairfax's experience but that volunteer herbicide application would not replace contractor capacity. She noted volunteers contribute over 3,000 hours annually to invasive-plant work and supplemental hours to nursery and habitat restoration work.
Funding action: After the presentation and follow-up discussion, the commission moved and unanimously approved drafting and sending a letter strongly supporting the county's Natural Resiliency and Habitat Restoration funding and the proposal to capitalize those activities in the CIP to create more stable, long-term funding for invasive-plant management.
What to watch for: commissioners and staff emphasized that steady funding is needed to sustain multi-year suppression projects and avoid backsliding on sites recently brought under management. Staff pointed to CIP proposals that would provide additional funds for invasive plant management and related habitat-restoration work.
