Community volunteers will pull together at natural areas throughout the Vancouver-Portland metro region to fight an aggressive invasive species from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday during the eighth annual No Ivy Day.
Vancouver Urban Forestry is joining with neighborhood associations and community stewards to provide work parties to remove English ivy at two sites in Vancouver, Behrens Woods and Clay Canyon.
Volunteers are needed to help make No Ivy Day a success, according to a city news release. Individuals or groups interested in participating in No Ivy Day should contact Jessica Antoine at 360-619-1108 for more information and directions. Ivy removal work parties are great opportunities for service clubs, workplace volunteer groups, youth organizations and anyone looking for a fun and active way to improve the local environment.
Originally planted as an ornamental ground cover, English ivy (Hedera helix) is an invasive plant that thrives in the Pacific Northwest’s mild climate. It has aggressively spread throughout the region and is choking forested areas. Mats formed by ivy vines on the forest floor can become so dense they kill native trees and shrubs and prevent the germination of new seedlings.
