Community Information

FIRA April 2025 Update
Fairfax Invasive Removal Alliance now has 45 neighborhood association members, with over 50,000 households represented. Check out the updated list on our website’s Coalition Growth Tracker at firaadvocacy.com.

We had some great interactions during Earth Month:

 

FIRA was part of a panel discussion with an audience of about 125 people following Climate Action Now’s showing of documentaries on regenerative farming and gardening for the planet. Participants were very interested in discussing the invasive plants crisis and restorative gardening practices—and what the County is and isn’t doing about it.

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FIRA presented to the Virginia Invasive Plant Coalition the need to change the VA code on service districts to include invasive plants as one of the powers of service districts. VIPC has officially made this one of their lobbyists’ legislative issues. We will be partnering with VIPC to make sure we have a bill in the next legislative session.

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FIRA was out in the community providing information on invasive vs native plants at Earth Month celebrations from Reston to Annandale to Falls Church to Tysons Corner. We also presented to a group of residents from coalition member Franklin Farm HOA.

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FIRA gave live testimony at the Board of Supervisors’ budget meeting on April 23, combining a bit of “street theater” with some important asks. We requested that the Board not cut the parks’ budget at a greater rate than the “across the county” cuts. We also asked that they support our efforts to change the VA code on service districts in the next legislative session, and then be ready to create a Fairfax County invasive plants service district once the code is changed. Text of the testimony is attached, and the video version can be viewed in the Fairfax County Channel 16 archives at .https://video.fairfaxcounty.gov/player/clip/3774?view_id=7&redirect=true.
Go to 3:42:35.

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Please help us raise awareness about invasive vegetation as an important community concern! Include our update in your neighborhood correspondence and, as always, continue to help our coalition grow: Share our website with other neighborhood associations, your faith organization, and/or other civic
organizations

 

Invite us to present at a meeting you attend with potential stakeholders
Follow us on our Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/mrxwf68y.
With planting season upon us, this is an excellent time to ponder the expression “Be the change you
want to see in the world.”

Ines Nedelcovic, Rekha Dolas, Wendy Cohen

FIRA Organizers

 

Public safety. The Arts. Schools. Housing. Roads. Zoning. All are important service and infrastructure issues that you deal with daily and that you have been hearing about from your constituents in this public hearing marathon. But we are here from Fairfax Invasive Removal Alliance, or FIRA, representing 43 neighborhood associations and over 50,000 households, to make sure you don’t forget about the natural infrastructure: saving our native trees and promoting biodiversity.

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Every day individuals and groups of dedicated Fairfax County residents are out rescuing trees from invasive vines and removing invasive vegetation that is crowding out native plants which our native birds, bees, and butterflies rely on. These volunteers save the trees before the invasive vines pull them down onto the roads or onto power lines or onto homes. The volunteers’ removal of invasive vegetation enables natural habitats to flourish.

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But the invasive plant situation is massive, and despite the best efforts of volunteers, we need more help. We understand that there is consideration for managing invasive species under the Consolidated Natural Resources Management Plan, but this plan has a long timeline. Like dirty laundry, if we don’t take care of the problem now, it will just keep piling up— and getting worse as it grows, costing way more in safety, wildlife loss, and ultimately, financially.

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Your help is needed on two levels:
In the short term, the County’s Invasive Management program is hardworking, but understaffed to manage the 17,000 acres of “natural” Fairfax County parkland that are heavily infested with invasive plants. We urge you to not cut the parks budget more than the average “across the County” percentage. This parkland is more than just an aesthetic and recreational component to our County. Among other things, it is a vital habitat for our native wildlife, and provides a climate cooling component in a warming world. And it is in big trouble from invasive plants. This is literally a growing problem that needs to be addressed now, not shortchanged.

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We also need Fairfax County to support in Richmond, in the upcoming legislative session, the FIRA initiated effort with the Virginia Invasive Plant Coalition to change the VA code on service districts. Right now, service district powers include pests and “beautification and landscaping.” But invasive plants are not included. We will be introducing legislation to amend VA Code 15.2-2403 to include invasive plants as one of the powers of service districts. As stated in VA code, service districts have been developed in VA to provide “additional, more complete, or more timely services of government.” We believe the invasive plants problem here in Fairfax County needs additional, more complete AND more timely services.

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Once the VA code is changed, Fairfax County will be able to create an invasive plants service district, and use the money raised, to more effectively help tackle the invasive plants crisis our county is facing on both public and private land. The service district designation provides funds without pulling from the beleaguered budget, These additional funds could help speed the process to create a unified comprehensive invasive plants effort, led by the County with the support of volunteers. Please advocate for this statewide legislation to enable the creation of invasive plants service districts.

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We speak for the trees—
and the birds, and the butterflies, and the bees....
Thank you for your time.