Information & Town News

Clifton Park’s Tree Committee is recruiting volunteers for a special training program with the Capital Region Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (CR-PRISM) on Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, Ballston Lake. CR-PRISM is a non-profit quasi-governmental agency hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County.

Like most communities, Clifton Park has a problem with invasive vines slowly killing some of its trees. One woody vine significantly damages trees: Oriental bittersweet, scientifically known as Celastrus orbiculatus, is a woody vine native to East Asia that has become an invasive species in North America. It can smother native plants and trees by wrapping around them, often leading to their death due to the added weight and competition for sunlight.

“Oriental bittersweet is an aggressive plant that is harming our trees and local ecosystem,” commented Councilman Zabed Manir, town board liaison to the Tree Committee. “We need to take whatever steps we can to control the spread of this invasive species.”

The Tree Committee has been monitoring Oriental bittersweet for several years and recently decided to take action. Last fall, Addison Kubik, PRISM’s outreach coordinator, was invited to Clifton Park to assess the impact of invasive vines in the town’s municipal forest. While Kubik identified several species of weedy vines, he was particularly concerned about the Oriental bittersweet. He encouraged the committee to submit an application to CR-PRISM for its Volunteer Education and Engagement Program or VEEP. The application was accepted, and training is scheduled for May. This month is optimum, because it is after the seeds have dispersed but before new growth is strongly established.

The training project, which will be coordinated by Danne Parker from the Tree Committee, will focus on four educational outcomes:

• Learning how to identify bittersweet
• Understanding its negative effects
• Learning proper removal and disposal techniques
• Gaining hands-on experience in removing bittersweet

Parker hopes to train up to 30 volunteers for this event. While the project will initially start at Veterans Memorial Park, the Tree Committee hopes to move on to other town locations in the future.