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Resident urges St. Peter to remove invasive trees from approved planting lists
Summary
At the April 14 council meeting, resident Emily Brulad asked the council to remove Callery pear and cork tree from the city's approved boulevard and park planting lists, citing state designations and asking staff and council to adopt a native-focused list by resolution or ordinance.
Emily Brulad, a St. Peter resident, told the council on April 14 that the city’s boulevard and park tree lists include species she called invasive and asked the council to remove them from the official lists. “Please do not plant this tree in St. Peter and replace any that you have planted with urgency,” she said, referring to the Callery pear, which she said state agencies list as invasive and which she said will be restricted for sale beginning in 2026.
Brulad said she had reviewed the new lists the city posted in November 2024 and that staff had already removed the Callery pear from the posted lists after she raised the concern. She also flagged the cork tree as another species she believes should be removed, and urged the city to include more native options such as pagoda dogwood and river birch.
City staff and councilors thanked Brulad and described the existing process for updating the list: the tree board reviews and recommends species, staff compiles the list, and the council approves it. A city staff member explained that, rather than listing species directly in an ordinance, staff may recommend the council adopt the list by resolution so it can be updated more quickly between ordinance cycles.
The council did not take an immediate formal vote on the planting list. Staff said they had already removed the Callery pear from the posted lists and indicated they would follow the existing tree-board review schedule. The council and staff characterized the next step as a staff-led follow-up with the tree board and a potential council resolution to formalize the updated list before major projects such as the Gorman Park improvements.
Why it matters: street and park trees are long-lived and affect habitat, maintenance, and neighboring planting; choosing native species can reduce spread of invasive trees and future management costs.
What’s next: staff will review the tree-board recommendations and bring options to council for formal action, either by resolution (quicker updates) or ordinance (longer process).
