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Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan – City of Arden Hills Page 3 Adopted by the City Council on July 30, 2012 • The City website includes information for residents on what steps to take if EAB is suspected in one of their trees and general information. The City has handouts from the Minnesota Department of Resources available at City Hall. The City of Arden Hills will take the following actions: • The City will monitor ash trees throughout the City for EAB and in the event EAB is discovered, staff will utilize Chapter 7, section 710 – Protection of shade trees from the City Code to prevent the spread of the disease. As in the case of Oak Wilt and Dutch Elm, this ordinance allows the City to enter private property for inspection of ash trees, order the removal of diseased trees, and abate the nuisance upon non-compliance of property owners. • The City will begin some removal of declining ash trees on public property, even when EAB has not yet been identified. These ash trees could be located within City parks or in boulevard areas. No significant pruning or methods to save a declining ash tree will be attempted. The City will remove the tree at that time. The decision to replace a tree that is removed will be on a case to case scenario. The reasons for preemptive removal of ash trees include: o Removing declining trees before they are infested with EAB; o Allowing for reforestation with other species of trees; and o Spreading the cost of tree removal over a longer period of time. Staff will schedule removal of declining ash trees in the fall. The most critical period for movement of confirmed EAB ash trees is May-July. This is the period when adult beetles emerge from trees, begin feeding on foliage, and move to more trees to lay their eggs. During this time it is best to leave these trees standing and not chance the spread of EAB by transporting beetle-infested wood to other areas. The City will follow the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s regulations for handling ash wood removal • There are currently two methods of tree treatments being offered in the marketplace; drenching the soil with chemicals and injecting the chemical into the tree. The City strongly discourages the use of soil drench insecticides due to potential to pollute water and negatively impact wildlife. Due to the high cost of reoccurring treatments and the long-term effects of chemical treatments on ash trees, water resources, and the environment, the City has no plans to chemically treat public trees. The City strongly encourages residents to utilize a certified arborist to treat trees. o The City will permit residents to use chemical treatments on private ash trees, given the following: a. Private contractors are to use only the approved trunk injection method.