Western Washington University
03/30/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 03/30/2026 11:29
From Facilities Development & Operations: Work with Western's gardeners on invasive species removal
WWU News
From Facilities Development & Operations: Work with Western's gardeners on invasive species removal
March 30, 2026
Outdoor maintenance crews have been seeing an increase in removal of invasives species and modifications to plants and trees on campus, and while they certainly understand the desire to remove invasives, they are also finding damage to desirable plants and are struggling to manage all the debris left behind. There have been piles of ivy along pathways, strewn over trees, and scattered all around.
Western's professional gardeners chose their path because they love growing things and caring for the environment. The team includes certified horticulturalists, arborists, landscape planners, and a wonderfully enthusiastic group of planters committed to natural beauty and habitat restoration all around campus. The gardeners are happy to collaborate with student groups on creating plans to remove invasives carefully in ways that don't leave tripping hazards and eyesores along paths and damage other plants.
These are some of the guidelines Western's gardeners use when removing ivy or any other established vegetation. They first ensure that the removal won't compromise the stability of the soil or disrupt any structural elements such as large rocks or retaining walls. The team also follows strict stormwater runoff guidelines since disruption of soil, especially on a slope, will often create unwanted sediment. Before removing vegetation, they make a replacement plan, often using native plants. Following these guidelines and taking care to remove roots carefully minimizes disruption to the soil and damage to other plants. Please get in touch with Kylianne Roche, Western's lead gardener, at [email protected]if you would like to discuss ideas for improving our campus environment.
Western Washington University published this content on March 30, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 30, 2026 at 17:29 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]