Council approves up to 500‑tree inventory by external arborist to quantify ash‑tree exposure

The Isanti City Council approved a contract for an arborist inventory to evaluate up to 500 ash trees on city‑owned property and rights‑of‑way and to report on tree condition and projected timelines for treatment or removal.

Staff said the city does not have an exact count of ash trees on city property; Public Works staff previously estimated roughly 400 ash trees on public land, but councilors and staff emphasized uncertainty. To compare vendor quotes on a consistent basis, staff solicited bids based on a 500‑tree inventory and recommended awarding to the low bidder (a tree‑inventory firm identified in the staff memo).

Staff explained the inventory will include condition assessments and useful life estimates (for example, whether a given tree is likely to fail within two, five or ten years). That information, staff said, would support budgeting for removals or treatments. Councilors asked whether the vendor could estimate how many additional trees beyond the 500 would remain on city property; staff said they expect the vendor’s mapping output and GIS layers to indicate hot spots and allow the city to extrapolate totals if the inventory is limited to 500 trees.

Council Member Lundin moved and a second was recorded; the motion carried 4‑0. Staff said the contract covers inventory by property parcel (the vendor’s pricing was per parcel) and that additional parcels or trees beyond 500 would be billed according to the vendor’s per‑parcel pricing if the city chose to expand the survey.

Council asked staff to request the vendor’s informal estimate of how many additional ash trees might exist beyond the initial 500 sample to provide a planning figure; staff said they would request that guidance after the inventory work is complete.