Trees Invade NJ

MOORESTOWN, N.J.--They're known as the tree of heaven and were the inspiration for a novel and a movie.

Now, the famous leafy tree known as ailanthus is making its presence known in an 11-acre parcel near this Burlington County town, rapidly spreading and overshadowing other plants.

But an environmental group is warning that if something isn't done quickly, the invading tree will decimate trees indigenous to the area.

The tree crowds out other species and grows quickly and in almost any soil, overcoming highway rights of way and invading farmland.

For the parcel known as Little Woods along Rancocas Creek, that means the beech, maple and oak are in trouble.

"I'm an alien-species addict," township resident Phil Iapalucci, 62, told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "And I know that this is one that we need to get rid of. Quickly."

Iapalucci and a dozen or so residents from the group Save the Environment of Moorestown are taking matters into their own hands.

Every Saturday, the group is braving the humidity and poison ivy to cut, chop, and clear the trees from the area. Their victims are saplings to the height of two-story buildings.

They estimate hundreds of ailanthus will have to be removed.

"We realize it could take a very long time _ years, even _ but if we don't do something, it could prove disastrous for the other trees that are here and then just keep spreading," Renee Boulis said. "Moorestown has made a commitment to collecting and preserving open space, and we need to be committed stewards in monitoring and maintaining these sites."

Originating in China, ailanthus was brought to Europe in the 1700s. The species is believed to have arrived in the United States in 1784, when Philadelphia gardener William Hamilton brought it from England. In the 1800s, the hardy ailanthus, able to grow in the poorest soils and withstand terribly polluted air, was planted in cities across the country.

But it's the plant's ability to reproduce that quickly makes it a problem for highway managers. A single tree can generate more than 300,000 seeds a year, which spread easily on the wind.

Its brittle wood breaks easily; storms can easily send branches _ even entire trees _ falling onto roads, where they pose a hazard to drivers.

At least one state, Maryland, is spreading money to control the tree's population.

Ailanthus was made famous by Betty Smith's 1943 best seller, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." Movie director Elia Kazan made the book into a film two years later.

The New Jersey Forest Service announced last month that the state was taking action against exotic trees threatening the shrubs, trees and plants native to the state.

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Author: 6 ABC-AP