Review Draft Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an exotic, invasive insect from Asia that was discovered in St. Paul (Ramsey County) in 2009. Since the initial detection of EAB in St. Paul, it has also been confirmed in Minneapolis (Hennepin County), Houston and Winona Counties, Shoreview (Ramsey County) and most recently in Roseville (Ramsey County). EAB poses a serious threat to Minnesota's forests and urban forests as there are over 900 million ash trees within the state. As this pest spreads, it will undoubtedly have significant economic and environmental impacts.

While EAB has not yet been found in Anoka County, it is a matter of 'when' rather than 'if' and once it is discovered, it will likely change the landscape of the community as well as have an impact on the budget. Thus, City Staff worked with the Environmental Policy Board to develop a draft management plan outlining steps that the City would take to manage the inevitable discovery of this pest. It is important to note that the draft EAB Management Plan is not intended to prevent or eliminate EAB, which has proven impractical based on results in other states, but rather to spread the potential cost of management over multiple budget cycles.

The EAB Management Plan is broken into multiple sections: Purpose, Applicability, Administration, Introduction and Ash Management Plan. While the plan would apply to both public and private lands, based on recommendations from the EPB, it was modified such that required actions (such as removals due to infestation of EAB) would only be applicable to public trees. The required actions would not apply to privately held lands, but would focus on simple educational efforts. However, it should be noted that the state (MN Department of Agriculture) may become involved and could mandate removal and disposal to slow further spread.

The most meaningful part of the draft plan is the Ash Management Plan. In essence, this section discusses how the City will address ash trees in general on public lands. Some of the actions have already been implemented, such as prohibiting the planting of ash trees on public property (boulevards and parks) and education/public awareness through the website, newsletter and QCTV.

A key aspect of the Ash Management Plan is completing a tree inventory. Presently, we do not have any data regarding the number of ash trees (on public lands) in the City or what percentage of the community forest is comprised of ash trees. Thus, it is unknown just how much of an impact this pest will have both on the budget and landscape. An inventory would also be beneficial for scheduling and tracking maintenance, ensuring a diverse mix of species is planted and identifying planting opportunities. The plan does not specify a start date, nor end date for this inventory, but does recommend that the City start to consider this inventory to be staged over a series of managable timeframes as time and resources allow. The specific implementation of this portion would be considered as part of normal budget review cycles. In addition, the City could seek additional grant funding for such activity if necessary.

The draft management plan also contemplates whether chemical treatments are warranted. Ramsey's street tree population is still fairly young and thus, the trees are not at a mature size. Therefore, the draft plan states that the City will not utilize chemical treatments except for 'Legacy' trees, which includes trees that have historical meaning or those rated as being in excellent condition (through an inventory). Essentially, with the young age of the street trees, it likely would be more cost effective in the long term to remove and replace ash trees rather than chemically treating them.

Finally, regarding trees on private property, the draft plan states that the City will continue to educate the citizenry about EAB and encourage people to monitor their ash trees for any potential signs/symptoms of EAB. The sooner EAB activity is identified, the better the chance property owners have to implement control/management strategies if they so choose.

The EPB has reviewed the draft EAB Management Plan and has recommended its adoption.  Prior to scheduling this item for formal action, Staff is seeking City Council feedback on the draft EAB Management Plan.  Having a finalized EAB Management Plan will help the City prepare for EAB once it is found here.  Additionally, adopting an EAB Management Plan satisfies a requirement of the Community Forest Bonding Grant that was awarded to the City in 2012 to complete the landscaping in North Commons.

Processing of the EAB Management Plan is being handled as part of Staff's regular duties.

Provide feedback on the draft EAB Management Plan and direct Staff to place on a future City Council agenda for formal action.