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1E <br />AGENDA ITEM <br />MEMORANDUM <br />DATE: <br />February 18, 2014 <br />TO: <br />Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers <br />Patrick Klaers, City Administrator <br />FROM: <br />Michelle Olson, Parks and Recreation Manager <br />SUBJECT: <br />Emerald Ash Borer Tree Evaluation Results <br />Action Requested <br />Staffislookingfordirectiononwhethertoproceedwithtreatmentofashtreesinthemaintained <br />areas of the City parks. <br />Background <br />EmeraldAshBorer(EAB),aninvasivebeetlethatkillsashtrees,wasdiscoveredinSt.Paulin <br />thespringof2009,Shoreviewinthesummerof2011andRosevilleandArdenHills <br />(NorthwesternCollege)in2013.TheCityapprovedtheEABManagementPlanin2012.Staff <br />presentedanEABstatusupdateattheNovember12,2013CityCouncilworksession.Atthat <br />time,onlyoneconfirmedcaseofEABhadbeendiscoveredinArdenHillsatNorthwestern <br />College.However,sincethattime,atreewithEABwasidentifiedinSampsonParkinArden <br />HillsbytheDepartmentofAgriculture.ThattreewasremovedinDecember.TheDepartment <br />ofAgricultureiscurrentlyconductingwinterEABinspectionsinthesurroundingareaofthis <br />findandalsore-inspectingareasthatweredonelastwinter.Resultsofthoseinspectionsshould <br />be known by the end of March. <br />TheapprovedEABManagementPlandoesnotincludetreatmentofpublictrees.TheCity <br />RightofWay(ROW)ordinancestatesthatmaintenanceoftreeswithintheROWisthe <br />responsibilityofthehomeowner.TheCitycompletedanashtreeinventoryin2012ofallash <br />treesintherightsofwayofCitystreetswiththesoftwareSimpleTrees.Atotalof2,397trees <br />wereplottedand374arelistedasashtrees.TheCouncilrevisitedtheapprovedEAB <br />ManagementPlan(2012)attheNovemberworksession.StaffpresentedtheCouncilwiththe <br />questionofiftheCityshouldconsidertreatmentofsignificantparktrees(maintainedareas). <br />TheinsecticideTreeAgeismostcommonlyusedandhasshowntohavea99percentsurvival <br />rateonhealthytrees.PrecisionLandscapingwasretainedfortreeservicesin2014andtheCity <br />wasabletonegotiateinsecticidetreatmentforpublictreesatamunicipalrateof$6.00perDBH <br />13 <br />Page of <br />