After the emerald ash borer was discovered in Winona last April, its arrival led the city to make quick work of more than 100 ash trees on boulevards around the city, cut down in late 2014 to slow the spread of the pest.

Assistant city manager for public works Keith Nelson said the department is preparing to plant 100 new trees to take their place.

The tree plantings will be primarily oaks and disease-resistant elms, and the planting will likely begin and end in June.

Until then, Nelson said the department is taking site requests from property owners. Trees can be planted anywhere in Winona on public streets or boulevards.

Funding for the replanting comes from the city budget, in addition to a $25,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Transportation that the city received in late 2014.

No large treating or removal projects are on the public works departments to-do list for this year, but Nelson said primary retreating will happen next year, according to a management plan adopted in 2012. Trees that are treated with pesticide must be retreated every three years.

For ash trees on private property, property owners are required by city ordinance to remove infested trees promptly, and they are encouraged to treat or replace healthy ash trees.

The emerald ash borer was discovered in Minnesota in 2009 and has infested areas including Winona, Houston and Trempealeau counties and the Twin Cities metro region. Ash borer larvae live under the bark of an infested tree and kill the tree by boring through wood under the bark, cutting off circulation and depleting nutrients.

Several area counties are under quarantines, including Buffalo and Trempealeau counties in Wisconsin, and Winona, Houston and Olmsted counties in Minnesota.

There is no known way to kill the invasive pest. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is experimenting with several methods for limiting its spread.

Go here to read the rest:
City of Winona replanting in wake of ash tree removal

Related Posts
April 8, 2015 at 6:31 am by Mr HomeBuilder
Category: Tree Removal