Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emerald Ash Borer topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Isanti officials weigh options as emerald ash borer threatens hundreds of city trees
Summary
City staff presented an inventory showing 477 ash trees citywide, with 22% already symptomatic; council voted to apply for a state relief grant and tasked staff with drafting a parks-focused removal and replacement plan while debating whether to include right-of-way trees in the application.
City staff told the Isanti City Council that an inventory by Davey Resource Group found 477 ash trees within city limits — 396 in street right-of-ways and 81 in parks and around city facilities — and that 22% of those trees are currently showing symptoms consistent with emerald ash borer infestation.
Jared (city staff) said the pest was first detected in Minnesota in 2009 and that infested ash trees typically die within three to five years; staff estimated a longer local timeline of roughly six to 10 years for the majority of trees to die. He recommended removing and replacing most park trees over the next five years or, in select high-value locations, treating lightly infested trees with injected pesticides that must be re-applied every two years.
The council pressed staff for numbers and options. Staff provided treatment cost estimates of $11–$15 per inch of diameter at breast height (DBH); using Matson Park as an example, treating 16 trees would cost about $2,321–$3,165 at current rates, and treating is effective only for uninfested or very lightly infested trees.
For replacement, staff estimated an average planting cost of roughly $325 per boulevard tree (tree cost plus labor), which would put replanting 396 right-of-way trees in the neighborhood of $128,000. Staff also supplied a broader cost range to remove and replant all 477 trees of about $263,000–$550,000, plus roughly $50,000 for stump removal and an estimated $155,000 for replanting depending on size and species choices.
Jared noted a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources relief grant that could cover some costs, with up to $500,000 available per application and an application deadline in mid-October. He warned that DNR grant rules require replacement trees to be planted “in place” when grant funds are used, GPS-tagged and enrolled in a three-year establishment plan — conditions that can increase the city’s ongoing maintenance responsibilities.
Council members debated scope. Some members urged focusing the grant application on park trees first to reduce long-term maintenance burdens and public-contacts; others advocated including right-of-way trees or at least applying for both and seeing what the DNR will fund. Council asked staff to apply for the grant for park trees and prepare a plan and budget that could be amended if members later decide to include right-of-way trees.
At the end of the discussion, council moved and approved a motion directing staff to prepare and submit a DNR relief grant application focused on park trees and to return with more detailed cost estimates and a multi-year plan for removal, treatment and replanting.
The city will revisit detailed timelines, potential resident cost-share approaches and operational capacity (including public works staffing and whether to contract stump-grinding) at a future Council or Committee-of-the-Whole meeting.
