Kudzu has established a foothold in Fairfax County, and the southern vine is threatening to expand with a near absence of funds and staff to combat it.
Notorious for blanketing large swaths of the American southeast and squelching out native species, kudzu is one of many invasive plants troubling the county and its 23,000 acres of parkland.
And there’s not much that can be done about it, at this point.
Fairfax County has only a small volunteer team dedicated to fighting invasive species, said Heather Schinkel, a Park Authority official in charge of natural resource management.
She estimates at least a dozen dedicated staff will be necessary for the foreseeable future to effectively deal with it.
Residents in Vienna recently complained that kudzu has taken over Freedom Hill Park and made its way onto private property, according to a memo from Hunter Mill District Supervisor Catherine M. Hudgins. It has spread to other areas, as well, and is considered especially hard to stop in the south.
