Winter ID - Invasives

One area of our park was subject to a blow-down of mainly tulip and cherry trees during Hurricane Isabel in 2003. The cleared area is growing back with tree of heaven Ailanthus as the overstory tree, bush honeysuckle and multiflora rose as the understory and english ivy as the ground cover. These are all very nasty and I have been working at cutting the existing growth. Regrowth may be sprayed.

Note the large leaf scar on tree of heaven, and the smooth bark. The soft wood is extremely brittle and can be easily broken off or even pulled out of the ground. The best ID characteristic however is the smell. Scratch a bit of the bark with your fingernail, or rub a leaf between your fingers. Yech!