FIRA Statewide Campaign

Invasive Plants Service District Bill

HB### / SB###

Expand Powers of Service Districts to Include Invasive Plant Management

Expanding powers of public service districts to include invasive plant management provides local governments with the tools to combat infestations that harm Virginia’s environment, economy, and community health. If not addressed with a unified comprehensive approach on public and private land, invasive plant management will only become more difficult.

What this bill does: This legislation would add control of invasive plants to the listed powers of service districts (VA Code §15.2-2403), allowing localities to more effectively manage invasive plants.
Existing powers already allow localities to establish service districts to control insect pests, and to fund beautification, and landscaping.

PUBLIC SERVICE DISTRICTS

Public service districts provide Virginia localities with the authority to “provide additional, more complete or more timely services of government”  (15.2-2400 of the Code of Virginia). 

ADOPTION OF PUBLIC SERVICE DISTRICTS

  • Service districts may be adopted by any locality by ordinance.
  • Adjacent localities may pool resources to establish a joint public service district by adopting concurrent ordinances.

POWERS OF PUBLIC SERVICE DISTRICTS (VA CODE §15.2-2403)

Current law allows public service districts to be established to manage transportation, water, solid waste, and infrastructure. The list also mentions the  “control of infestations of insects that may carry a disease that is dangerous to humans, gypsy moths, cankerworms or other pests identified by the Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in accordance with the Virginia Pest Law (§ 3.2-700 et seq.)” and “beautification and landscaping.” Invasive plants, however, are never identified as one of the powers of service districts.

SERVICE DISTRICT EXAMPLE: DOGUE CREEK RESTORATION

A service district was enacted by Fairfax County to enable the purchase of the Dogue Creek watershed near Fort Belvoir to prevent future development, and restore the creek. This purchase was partially funded by the county’s Stormwater Service District Fund.  This service district helps Fairfax County manage stormwater to preserve the sensitive floodplain and resource protection area.

IMPORTANCE OF INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT

The VA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has developed a list of 103 invasive species of plants that “cause economic and ecological harm, and present ongoing management issues” with “demonstrable evidence that [a species] poses a threat to Virginia’s forests, native grasslands, wetlands or waterways.”

Invasive Plants Cause ECOLOGICAL Harm:

  • Deprive native species of necessary resources and habitats, outcompeting native species and spreading quickly due to a lack of native predators.
  • Fail to host native insects and birds as effectively as native plants, causing populations of insects and birds to decline due to habitat loss. Habitat loss is leading to global insect decline at a rate of 9% every decade (United Nations).
  • Destroy local tree canopy by shading trees, adding weight to branches, girdling trunks, and competing for sunlight, water, and nutrients. Aggressive groundcover can also prevent young trees from becoming established in the understory, leading to fewer trees overall.
  • Reduce biodiversity needed to support native birds, bees, and butterflies. Fifty-seven percent of plant species listed as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are directly threatened by invasive species. (DCR)

Invasive Plants Cause ECONOMIC Harm:

Invasive species cost Virginia more than $1 billion a year, according to the Virginia Invasive Species Working Group. A substantial portion of the total costs are attributed to invasive plants.

  • Costs to farms and businesses. Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), native to China, is the preferred host plant for the invasive Spotted Lanternfly–an insect responsible for damaging Virginia vineyards, orchards, and logging interests. Management of invasive trees and grasses such as bradford pear, autumn olive, and fountain grass can cost thousands of dollars per acre, and require several years to completely eradicate an infestation.
  • Costs to local communities and utility ratepayers. Trees pulled down by invasive vines pose safety concerns, and require cleanup of impacted roads and buildings. Fallen trees and tree branches are a major factor in power outages and damage to utility infrastructure.

Invasive Plants Pose Human Health Risks (Examples)

  • Giant Hogweed sap contains chemicals that cause severe skin reactions, including painful blisters, burns, and potential scarring
  • Poison Hemlock is highly toxic to humans and animals, and even small amounts can be fatal.
  • Nandina berries can be toxic to very young children as well as fatal to birds.

Fairfax County Vulnerability to Invasive Plants:
Fairfax County has 1,871 miles of edge habitat vulnerable to invasive plants. (Fairfax County Park Authority, July 2024 update to Fairfax Board of Supervisors)