This is a first! Japanese maples invasive/problematic/pest, who will be the next?

This is the first I have heard of Japanese maples being labeled as a pest. Makes me wonder what organization will be next to jump on the band wagon?

"this tree can escape from cultivation and spread into forests where it becomes highly variable with green leaves and a non-compact shape."

("Non compact shape", sounds like a real thug!)

"It is listed as a problem plant by the
Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council and is reported as invasive in nearby Rock Creek National Park."

Problem Plant: Japanese Maple

Maybe we need to rescue Japanese maples in Northern Virginia from the Master Gardeners' and others that feel threatened by them.

 

I like under problems: "no predation by deer".

 

Their next topic: Deer resident plants and how to prevent deer from damaging your landscape.

It's all so ironic!

I could introduce them to several neighborhoods that have deer that eat Japanese maple leaves off trees and kill young 1-3 year old trees. Did they ever consider rabbits eat seedlings and young foliage too? (Not to mention squirrels and chipmunks eat Japanese maple seeds, flowers are food source for early season pollinators) I guess they needed three strikes against a tree to label it a "Problem Plant" so had to really stretch and come up with strikes two and three under "Problems".

Then much of the natives they recommend are considered somewhat deer resistant? It's all so backwards? Bad when they want it to be but good if it applies to something they prefer?

If they could only focus their efforts into something productive...

 

They're not making it up - multiple different garden favorites of E Asian origin have found the Eastern North American wild environment too much to their liking over the years. I've had hundreds of Japanese maple seedlings come up in my watered garden, the only thing keeping this tree out of the woods here is our annual summer drought.

 

Lordy, deer sure love to eat maples here in Normandie. We also like to eat deer. When we serve the local population I always tell guests the venison is "maple fed" (true) and they sometimes expect it to be sweet with maple sugar!