Hamilton County wants your invasive trees. In exchange, they'll give you something better
Invasive species are non-native plants that spread across a landscape, causing harm to economic, environmental or human health. There are 126 species on Indiana's invasive plants list, and they're disrupting ecosystems in almost every corner of the state.
Hamilton County residents who remove invasive plants from their property can qualify for free native trees and shrubs through the county's Invasive Species Trade in Program.
But you need to hurry. Applications, with photos of removed specimens, are due Sept. 1, 2025.
More than 80 percent of the invasive plants strangling native ecosystems in Indiana originate from landscaping and horticulture introductions, according to the Hamilton County Invasives Partnership, which runs the trade-in program with the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers shipped in from overseas are often used to decorate grounds around commercial businesses, highway medians and residential lots.
'We don't usually figure out until a little bit later that they are invasive species,' said Claire Lane, an urban conservationist at the Hamilton County SWCD.
Lane said she hears homeowners occasionally brush off the impact of invasive plants because they don't see them taking over their own yards.
'But it's not actually the spread in individual people's yards we're worried about,' she said.
Residential plants are still food for birds, who might munch on berries before flying to a nearby river or state park and poop out invasive plant seeds upon arrival. There, invasive species can take root and decimate natural areas.
Even though the spread 'isn't always super visible to people,' Lane said, 'a lot of it is coming from our own yards.'
There are a few ways to find out if you are the unlucky owner of an invasive specimen: Lane recommends plant identification apps, online guides or contacting the SWCD.
Hamilton County's Invasive Species Trade in Program considers applications with any invasive species on the state's list, but it prefers homeowners ditch Callery pears, burning bush, Japanese barberry and Norway maples — species that are nuisances to local ecosystems. Last year, the program oversaw the removal of 47 burning bushes, 102 invasive pears, 138 Amur honeysuckles, 12,300 square feet of Wintercreeper and several other species.
Depending on how many plants are removed, applicants can qualify for up to three free trees or shrubs from the Indiana Native Tree and Plant program.
Making the swap, Lane added, is a way Hoosiers can conserve ecosystems and support pollinators from their own home.
'We're trying to shift people away from the mindset that 'nature is somewhere else, and I'll go to it or I'll protect it there,'' she said 'There's things that we can do in our yards to make them better for us and better for our neighborhood, our community, our city, our state. We're all part of that local ecology. It's not something that's occurring off someplace else.'
After removing invasives — and documenting the process — Hamilton County residents should submit an online application by Sept. 1, 2025.
IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
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