We have received a request from Martin, a long-standing resident of Hvar, to publicize the harm being done by the invasive tree known as the 'Tree of Heaven', and what we should do about it.

"The invasive plant "Ailanthus altissima" is spreading extremely rapidly on the island of Hvar, and the native plants and animals are suffering greatly as a result. The island's beautiful character is being massively and inevitably destroyed, which will have immense consequences. It is enshrined in European law, and also in Croatia, that this plant must be controlled wherever possible. There are several Croatian websites that address this problem. "Invasive Plants in Hvar"https://invazivnevrste.haop.hr/   is an important one. Every citizen of our beautiful island is encouraged to report locations and situations online on this site. The Croatian state is obligated to follow up on these reports and organize the eradication of this plant. On public land and roadsides, this is then initiated and carried out by the municipality. On private property, the municipality will contact the owners directly and request that the plant be removed. It would be good if you could dedicate a circular to this topic to raise awareness of the problem and inform the islanders so that as many as possible submit these reports on the aforementioned website. There's also an app that allows users to report sightings directly from their smartphones, including photos and location. Unfortunately, it's not currently available for download in the Google Play Store, but it is available in the Huawei Play Store under the title "Invasive Vrste u Hrvatskoj" and it works. The islanders should be made aware of this issue, both for their own benefit and for the sake of nature."