#permatecture — Public Fediverse posts

Dear CFE 7 Homeowner

As you may know, for some time, our community has been inundated with a non-native invasive species commonly called Africa Sumac (Searsia Lancea formally Rhus Lancea). Our annual meeting master gardener guest speaker reminded us of the danger of this species. Many of the residents present spoke up and echoed the feeling that something must be done. We have consulted with our resident botanists and they agree; The trees must go. The African Sumacs out-compete and crowd out our native trees. There are communities in the foothills that have lost most of their mesquites, palo verdes and acacia trees as an African Sumac mono-culture has taken hold. We cannot allow that to happen..

The Tucson Audubon Society (yes, the bird people) has created a locally renown Invasive Plant Control group. The Pima Regional Flood Control District has tapped them to help with invasive species in the flood plains. Your HOA is contracting with them to address our African Sumac infestation in our HOA managed medians. They bring their conservation credentials to the work of eradicating the Sumacs.

This control program will take place over a five day period in mid-May. The process will not involve any spraying of herbicides. There will be areas that will appear denuded in the immediate aftermath of the trees’ removal. We will begin a revegetation program of native plants, though it will take time for these newly planted natives to become established and grow.

The Audubon Society has proposed a creative way to keep our cut down Sumac trees out of landfill. Instead of trucking the tree debris out of the community, they will chip the tree remains in place. Most of the major infestations have occurred in natural ditch like formations. These locations are able to accept the newly created mulch without street visibility. This new mulch will deliver nutrients to the soil, provide erosion control and form a barrier to prevent new African Sumac seedlings from sprouting. Homeowners that may want this organic mulch for their own yards are welcome to bag some up and carry it away. Your landscape committee will be happy to direct you to locations where the mulch may be accessed.

While the HOA is not asking you to remove trees growing on your property, if you are interested in evaluating ridding your home of African Sumacs, please contact [email protected] . After the HOA sponsored median program is completed, we will gage homeowner interest. For those who participate we will provide a discounted fee to remove your Sumacs. You will be contributing to an enduring solution to the problem.

Attached is primer on why The African Sumacs are so destructive to our community

We invite your questions and comments in the coming 30 days. Please direct them to our Landscape Committee chairman: Robert Levaro, [email protected]

#tucson #arizona #landscape #permatecture #InvasiveSpeciesControl #landscapem #SonoranDesert