Free-A-Tree

All Vine-cuttings will be held from 10am-1pm at the Farragut Avenue Restoration Site. Meet on trail North of parking lot. Please wear long pants and close-toed shoes. We will provide refreshments, training, and all of the necessary tools and supplies (but if you have your own, bring them along)! Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. We are planning ahead this year in hopes of getting on your calendars!  With your help we can make a huge impact in our communities and the environment. Please take a look at what we have planned for the days, weeks, and months ahead.

  • Saturday, 10/22/11: Vine-Cutting Kick-Off
  • Sunday 11/20/11
  • Saturday 12/10/11
  • Saturday 1/14/12
  • Saturday 2/11/12
  • Saturday 3/17/12
  • Sunday, 4/22/12
  • Saturday, 5/12/12: 3rd Annual Great Saw Mill River Clean-Up!

Directions to Farragut Ave. Restoration Site:

From Saw Mill River Parkway going NORTH, take exit 13, Farragut Avenue. Make immediate right into parking lot.

From Saw Mill River Parkway going SOUTH, take exit 11, Tompkins Avenue-go left to Saw Mill River Road, turn left. Turn left at Farragut Ave., then turn left into the parking lot.

We will meet on the South County Trailway, a two minute walk north of the parking lot.

* All Vine-Cuttings will take place at the same place and same time unless otherwise noted. We would love to expand our reach. Let us know if you are interested in organizing your own vine-cutting or clean-up in your community! *

Contact Emily at 914-375-2151 with any questions.

Hope to see you out on our local rivers and trails!

The invasive vines are a watershed-wide threat and we are going to try to expand our reach when possible. For the December vine-cutting, we will return to Farragut Ave.

Fast-growing, invasive vines threaten to overwhelm local habitats. Oriental bittersweet and porcelainberry, the two most common invaders, crowd out native plants, steal their water, and slowly strangle trees, eventually creating canopies that block the sun from trees and under-story plants. This significantly diminishes the value of wildlife habitat, in terms of food sources and nesting areas, and has a negative impact on the number of species that can use the river corridor.

The Saw Mill River Coalition and the New York State Department of Transportation, in conjunction with the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation have been working together since 2005 on the Free-A-Tree project, which organizes and supports volunteers in their efforts to remove the invasive vines, rescue native vegetation, restore the stream buffer, and preserve the area’s biodiversity.

Vine-cuttings are generally scheduled from October through April. To volunteer or for more information please email emily@groundworkhv.org or call 914-375-2151.

Among the community organizations who have participated are the Ardsley High School students, Hastings High School Environmental Club, College of Mount Saint Vincent students, Pleasantville Garden Club, Saw Mill River RATz, Bronx River Vine Cutters, Federated Conservationists of Westchester, Westchester Environmental Student Council, Hudson River Audubon Society, and many others.