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Residents urge pause on boulevard tree removals as council approves developer-focused tree-replacement plan
Summary
Residents pressed the Inver Grove Heights City Council for address-level arborist reports and a pause on planned boulevard removals after staff said the city’s tree-replacement plan focuses on replacing trees lost to development, not a new citywide canopy policy. Council approved the development-focused plan but promised follow-up with HOAs.
The Inver Grove Heights City Council approved a tree-replacement plan tied to development agreements on March 23, even as scores of residents urged the council to pause planned boulevard removals and provide clearer arborist documentation.
At the meeting several homeowners and Birchwood Ponds HOA representatives said the city has marked roughly 60–75 boulevard trees for removal in upcoming street work, a count they said is far higher than the association’s own last-year inventory (which identified roughly 20–30 trees needing replacement). “We still have not received any documentation from the city’s arborist contractor about the disease,” said Damon Roth, a Birchwood Ponds resident, adding that some trees marked for removal appear healthy. “It would be helpful for homeowners to have an address-by-address breakdown.”
Why it matters: Residents said mature boulevard trees deliver shade, stormwater benefits and neighborhood character that cannot be replaced quickly. Staff described the proposal before council as a tree replacement…
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