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Oakdale awarded $174,543 tree-planting grant to replace 114 ash trees; board outlines prairie restoration plan
Summary
City of Oakdale forester announced a $174,543 community tree-planting grant to provide one-for-one replacements for 114 ash trees and described a spring prairie restoration plan using native plugs and seeds; staff said the project must be completed by June 30, 2027.
At its Jan. 20, 2026 meeting the City of Oakdale Tree Board heard a staff update that the city was awarded a $174,543 community tree-planting grant to replace 114 ash trees.
"The city of Oakdale, we were awarded the community tree planting grant. This was we were approved for $174,543," said Tim Melhorn, the board's forester, who reported contractors recently removed 15 ash trees on boulevards west of Eagle Point Elementary School and said the city has "a little over 200 remaining" boulevard and park ash trees.
Melhorn told the board the grant provides for one-for-one replacements for removals; 109 of the replacement plantings are targeted using socioeconomic indicators and five are targeted based on elevated land-surface temperature. The grant project must be completed by June 30, 2027, Melhorn said. Staff and Melhorn said they will work with board members to begin implementation and outreach in the coming months.
Melhorn also summarized recent operations: forestry crews have been doing removal work and seasonal pruning and completed a front-entrance landscape overhaul at the Discovery Center, reusing native grasses where possible. He described winter work that benefits access to wetlands and ice-covered sites, and said the forestry team is coordinating with parks and streets for equipment access.
The forester outlined a spring prairie-restoration effort adjacent to the Discovery Center, presenting a two-page map and a plan to plant native plugs and supplement with seeded material the team has been stratifying this winter. Proposed plantings include cardinal flower, Indian grass, blue wild indigo, black-eyed Susans, little bluestem, prairie blazing star and several coneflower species. Melhorn said the approach will rely on plugs and natural propagation over the next three to five years, with volunteers and site maintenance to support establishment.
Next steps: staff said they will coordinate grant administration with the board and board members should expect follow-up materials and volunteer opportunities ahead of spring planting and as grant tasks are scheduled.
