Free-a-Tree Vine Cutting
All Vine-cuttings will be held from 10am-1pm at the Farragut Avenue Restoration Site. Meet on trail North of parking lot. Please wear long pants and close-toed shoes. We will provide refreshments, training, and all of the necessary tools and supplies (but if you have your own, bring them along)! Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Upcoming Dates:
- Sunday 11/20/11
- Saturday 12/10/11
- Saturday (Martin Luther King Day) 1/14/12
- Saturday 2/11/12
- Saturday 3/17/12
- Sunday, 4/22/12
- Saturday, 5/12/12: 3rd Annual Great Saw Mill River Clean-Up!
From Saw Mill River Parkway going NORTH, exit 13, Farragut Avenue. Make immediate right into parking lot.
From Saw Mill River Parkway going SOUTH, exit 11, Tompkins Avenue-go left to Saw Mill River Road, turn left. Go to Farragut Avenue and turn left, then turn left into the parking lot. Access also from Saw Mill River Road (Ardsley side).
Background
Fast-growing, invasive vines threaten to overwhelm local habitats. Oriental bittersweet and porcelainberry, the two most common invaders, crowd out native plants, steal their water, and slowly strangle trees, eventually creating canopies that block the sun from trees and under-story plants. This significantly diminishes the value of wildlife habitat, in terms of food sources and nesting areas, and has a negative impact on the number of species that can use the river corridor.
The Saw Mill River Coalition and the New York State Department of Transportation, in conjunction with the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation have been working together since 2005 on the Free-A-Tree project, which organizes and supports volunteers in their efforts to remove the invasive vines, rescue native vegetation, restore the stream buffer, and preserve the area’s biodiversity.
Vine-cuttings are generally scheduled from October through April. To volunteer or for more information please email emily@groundworkhv.org or call 914-375-2151.
Among the community organizations who have participated are the Ardsley High School students, Hastings High School Environmental Club, College of Mount Saint Vincent students, Pleasantville Garden Club, Saw Mill River RATz, Bronx River Vine Cutters, Federated Conservationists of Westchester, Westchester Environmental Student Council, Hudson River Audubon Society, and many others.
