City Of Fairfax: Grass Bunch Finds Home For Hundreds Of Northfax Plants

Press release from the City of Fairfax :

10/28/2021 9:55 AM

Just beyond the parking lot at Providence Park, between the playground and the soccer field, a small grove of towering trees rises from thick underbrush. To members of the Grass Bunch, an offshoot of the Potowmack Chapter of Virginia Native Plant Society, this woody, weedy island presents an opportunity to plant the seeds of stewardship in park visitors.

Working with the city’s parks and recreation department, the Grass Bunch plans to develop invasive control activities here that would benefit city parks, and to demonstrate recovery planting using native plant species relocated from Northfax.

Alan Ford, president of the Potowmack Chapter, describes the Grass Bunch as a “group of enthusiastic amateur botanists motivated by the challenge of being able to identify graminoids (grasses, sedges, and rushes) in the field.” To correctly identify these species, one must examine the structure of the plant’s flowers. “We think grasses matter because they are an integral part of the structure of forests, meadows, and stream valleys in our region,” says Ford. “They are also under-appreciated and often overlooked, not least due to the difficulties in making a clear ID in the field.”

Ford recognized an opportunity make positive change in other parks by harnessing the energy he experienced at Northfax, where volunteers collected several hundred native plants for relocation ahead of planned redevelopment of the area. As a destination for picnickers, trail users, families, and athletes, Providence Park will provide plenty of exposure for the project. Ford hopes this grove will increase the appreciation for native plants and the understanding of non-native invasive species management.

In terms of habitat, Providence Park is very similar to Northfax and will provide a welcoming home to some of the relocated plants. The first step in preparing the plot was to conduct and inventory of plants growing there now. On a drizzly September morning, Ford, Margaret Chatham, Katy Johnson, and Philip Latasa waded into the thicket to see what they could find. The group identified many native and non-native invasive species with ease, and consulted a book for less obvious plants. The list will help determine which plants should be preserved, which should be removed, and which species should be planted.

“Providence Park seems to be a good starting point for development of a plan to tackle the ever-increasing threat of invasive plants on our native ecosystems,” says Parks and Rec arborist Christopher Fleming. “The moderate level of invasive species coupled with the divided layout of this park should allow us to focus our efforts on several sections at a time. In this manner, we could host different groups or events with a focus on efficient efforts without getting overwhelmed.” Fleming hopes a community group will adopt the demonstration area to help his team maintain it.

Looking to the future, Ford says, “In five years this copse should be more open, with one or two paths cutting through the area, with multi-season interest with grasses and sedges, flowering plants, shrubs, understory, and overstory tree species. I hope that in five years there is a community of volunteers who are managing invasives at this park on a regular basis, and interpretive signage written for younger readers.”

This press release was produced by the City of Fairfax. The views expressed here are the author’s own.