Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) often forms dense thickets, and the female tree of the species carries a huge crop of seeds in winged seed pods called samaras starting mid-summer.
Get to know the infamous ailanthus weed-tree — aka, Tree of Heaven — at a free online webinar hosted by Underwood Conservation District Thursday, Dec. 15.
Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) often forms dense thickets, and the female tree of the species carries a huge crop of seeds in winged seed pods called samaras starting mid-summer.
Photo by UCD staff
You’ve certainly seen this uninvited guest, as it grows all around the Columbia Gorge. Tree of Heaven is very hardy, sprouting up from roadsides, taking over empty lots, and if you cut it, it vigorously resprouts. Worse yet, the tree of heaven is the preferred host for another non-native species making its way across the country: The Spotted Lanternfly, which infests fruit trees, maples, and other species, gathering en masse and squirting sticky liquid, as well as munching beneficial plants’ leaves.
At the Dec. 15 webinar on Zoom, Underwood Conservation District and partners from Klickitat and Skamania counties will provide important information and updates about the effort to control Tree of Heaven in the Columbia River Gorge. In addition, information will be presented by Washington State Department of Agriculture about efforts to control the introduction of pests such as Spotted Lanternfly and Emerald Ash Borer.
Underwood Conservation District, along with the help of partners, began treatment on the Tree of Heaven in the cities of White Salmon and Bingen during fall 2022. A total of 26 private landowner’s residences have been involved in treating trees in White Salmon and Bingen, totaling approximately 1,180 trees. Trees in business parking lots, along the railroad and on public rights-of-way in White Salmon and Bingen have also been treated, adding to the total number by an additional 400 treated trees.
In Skamania County, Forest Youth Success crews surveyed neighborhoods in the summer, visiting over 300 properties in Stevenson, Carson, and Underwood. This valuable information was then utilized by the Skamania County Noxious Weed Program to verify the presence of Tree of Heaven and work with landowners to develop management plans for control efforts. In 2022, SCNWCP assisted 24 landowners at 28 sites in the control of Tree of Heaven.
UCD and Skamania County are seeking funding to continue these efforts in 2023. Funding for this work so far has been provided by the Washington Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry Program and the Columbia River Gorge Coordinated Weed Management Area. While grant funds last, treatments will continue in 2023 with support to replace with desirable native plants.
There will also be an optional in-person field trip on Friday, Dec. 16 to see the Tree of Heaven at the White Salmon Bakery and visit the Harvest Market parking lot, learn to identify it, discuss and see treatment results.
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