The Arlington Park and Recreation Commission is seeking more funding to combat invasive species, arguing it will provide long-term cost savings.
“Invasives do not stop growing in lean budget years,” commission chair William Way said at a July 9 County Board work session on the proposed capital improvement plan (CIP).
Way reaffirmed the commission’s request, made last September, for the local government to commit $1 million per year for removal of invasive plants on county-owned property.
County Manager Mark Schwartz, by contrast, has proposed a cumulative $6.95 million over the 10 years of the proposed $4.3 billion capital plan for “natural resiliency and habitat restoration,” which would include invasive-species removal. Schwartz’s proposal calls for annual spending of between $635,000 and $740,000 for that category.
Way said that without consistent attention to invasives in the county’s parks, “it gets harder and more expensive to suppress them.”
“Removing a small patch of invasives today may cost hundreds [of dollars],” he said. “Waiting three years until they smother a forest acre costs tens of thousands.”
County dollars could come from the county’s operating funds, or out of a proposed $34.9 million parks bond expected to be on the ballot this November.
In response to Way’s comments, County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti agreed on the “long-term benefit of short-term investment” in funding removal efforts. But he did not commit to a $1 million annual appropriation.
“We can certainly debate vigorously” the amount of funding needed going forward, the chair said.
The meeting featured appearances by the chairs of several county advisory commissions, many pressing for specific priorities before the County Board adopts the updated capital plan on Tuesday, July 21.
De Ferranti said the package as it currently exists “is a solid CIP in many ways,” but said it could not accommodate every request.
“We have to be aware of the moment we are in fiscally,” he said.
In pressing the case for more spending on invasives, Way pointed to the challenges of not being aggressive enough.
Trees weakened by invasive growth fall on power lines during storms, and the sheer volume of invasive species could impact stormwater systems, he said. In addition, he said that mature trees strangled by invasives will not be quickly replaced, leading to a potential reduction in the canopy.
Regardless of the actual dollar amount, Way pressed for “predictable, multi-year funding” so the Department of Parks and Recreation could develop long-term plans.
When the Park and Recreation Department discussed the matter last fall, members noted that the annual budget typically totals only about $100,000 for removal of invasive species.
While that figure frequently is augmented by additional funding, the total amount was “kind of a joke” compared to the need, commission member Gary Shinners said then.
The status quo is “like a treadmill — you’re constantly behind,” said Jill Barker, then the commission’s chair.
