If This Tree is In Your Maine Yard, It’s Killing Your Other Trees

There's always an invasive something trying to take over your yard.

Every other week, there's a new bug, or a new plant that's trying to take over. Right now, Japanese beetles have been absolutely pummeling my yard. I've got traps everywhere, but for every one I trap, there seem to be 50 more out on my raspberry bushes.

Read More: Can You Spot the Differences Between all of Maine's Poison Plants

But all the time, we hear that somehow this new invasive something or other, has come to Maine through people traveling here, or worse, sometimes planting something, having no idea it could even be bead for Maine. This seems to happen all the time. So of course, let's talk about an invasive species of tree, actively trying to kill your other trees.

The 'Tree of Heaven' came here from China in the 1700's.

It was brought here among other reasons, as a shade tree. What no one could've predicted back then, is that these trees, Ailanthus altissima, can survive in Maine like nobody's business. They're extremely robust and seem to thrive in Maine's climate, despite being from nowhere near here. Although, 300+ years is a fairly long time to adapt, haha.

The thing is, once they're in your yard, it's almost impossible to get rid of them. Not to mention, they're everywhere. There is quite likely at least one in your yard right now. They seem impervious to insects and various diseases, which seems like they're greatest attribute. But it's actually part of why they're so insidious.

Tree of Heaven is basically only interested in sending other trees to Heaven.

As it gains its foothold in your yard, the tree begins releasing a toxin directly into the soil, that seeks to kill all the other plants around it. So if you have other trees and plants mysteriously dying in your yard, and you happen to notice a Tree of Heaven, you may have your answer. Even worse, they actually even attract Spotted Lanternflies, which are a wildly invasive insect we hope to keep out of Maine.

The Tree of Heaven is fairly easily identified, although it's leaves bear quite a resemblance to other trees like sumac, ash, or boxelder. The one thing you'll always notice right away though, is they have a bit of a smell, especially the flowers. Which is why it's sometimes called Stinking Sumac, or Varnish Sumac.

The leaves are the true ID tag of the tree.

While its leaves to look strikingly like other trees, they have a distinctive ridged notch at the base of the leaf, near the stem. The others don't have those little notches. If you do ID it correctly, it's hard to manage in their mature state. But when you see them as seedlings, if you pull them up right away, it'll keep them from growing.

Read More: In Maine, Why Does it Look Like Something is Spitting on Plants?

Honestly though, it's becoming a full-time job trying to keep up with all the things in my yard that are either trying to hurt me, or take over my entire yard. But the battle's worth it. Otherwise, a few centuries from now, and Maine will have a bizarre landscape of trees that were never meant to be here.

Here's something much more fun...