March was a busy month for Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards, as we pursued projects across the community. On March 11, our volunteers gathered on the grounds of the Virginia Department of Forestry at the Fontaine Research Park to perform pruning and other maintenance on trees in the CATS Arboretum. That same day, CATS also potted young trees and added them to our nursery, also on the VDOF grounds. We look forward to offering these trees for sale to the public when conditions allow.
A clear, crisp March 20 found CATS in The Grove, a section of McIntire Park where we have planted new trees and worked to clean up existing stands. In addition to pruning and weeding, this ongoing effort includes liberating trees overtaken by vines and removing unwanted invaders, such as Callery Pear trees. On March 25, we brought our their loppers and handsaws to Berkmar Drive, where we pruned a variety of young trees along the roadway. The following day, CATS took another swing at the English ivy and other invasive vines that have overwhelmed trees in Northeast Park, a greenspace north of the U.S. 250 Bypass between Park Street and Locust Avenue. This is an uphill battle that requires much more work, but we are making progress.
At the CATS Arboretum and Nursery at VDOF
In The Grove at McIntire Park
Pruning on Berkmar Drive
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Ivy removal at Northeast Park