Tree-of-heaven …not so fast.

I was not aware of the tree ailanthus altissima (Tree-of-heaven) until one crashed through a fence and into a neighbor’s backyard on my block. The tree didn’t fall during a storm and nearly missed the house. The neighbor who took the hit from the downed tree knew exactly what had happened. An uncontrolled Tree-of-heaven had grown rapidly for years until its height could not be supported by the shallow root system, leaving it ready to topple, even in a light wind.

Once I saw this Tree-of-heaven, I saw them everywhere. Driving around Dallas, I would spot the Tree-of-heaven out-competing other seedling trees along roadsides, residential yards, and in parks. I couldn’t help but be alarmed by the number I have counted sprouting up along the Elmwood Parkway. Traveling for work, I would spot them across Texas, in Mississippi, and as far north as Syracuse, NY. Three Trees-of-heaven are shooting up behind my fence in the alley right of way.

Why be alarmed? The Tree-of-heaven is an invasive species that negatively impacts our local ecosystem. It could be considered the Kudzu of trees. It propagates easily from seed, grows rapidly, and harms other trees around it by crowding out native species and even killing surrounding trees with a toxic chemical secreted from it’s roots. The Tree-of-heaven is not a particularly beautiful tree, and resembles an arborial weed. A single tree can release as many as 300,000 seeds per year. Learn more about the Tree-of-heaven on the U.S. Forest Service’s Field Guide for Managing Tree-of-heaven in the Southwest.

Humans have always been the caretaker of our shared landscape and local ecosystems. It can be hard to see or understand the city as a landscape or even being an ecosystem, but it is. Elmwood is blessed with a green parkway following a creek that plays host to a riparian habitat. If we want to preserve the beauty of our elm, oak, mulberry, and pecan trees, it will require the caretaking of our own hands.

In lieu of an on-farm workday this month, our team will be hosting a community forestry workday along the Elmwood Parkway. Find event details on our website here: Elmwood Parkway Community Forestry