TreeFolks Young Professionals Girdle Glossy Privet

Come work with TreeFolks Young Professionals rescue live oaks, cedar elms, and other native trees from certain death by glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum). To give the natives an advantage, we will girdle as many mature privets as we can reach.

We will be working along Walnut Creek Park’s Windy Loop, where the impact of this invasive tree is obvious throughout several wooded acres:

• The canopy of glossy privet tops out at 40–45 feet.
• Below that level, its dense shade stifles not only groundcover and understory but also those portions of the taller trees. For example, a 58-foot-tall live oak has no leaves below 41 feet. In other words, it has the canopy of a tree one-third its height.

In a decade of eradicating glossy privet, I have not seen another area where so many large trees are at risk. Still, if we can girdle the privets quickly enough, we might be able to save these native trees and restore a native understory. Because every tree we work on, and every tree saved, is visible from the trail, you will be able to come back and see the results of your work at any time.