Teams to start inventory of ash trees this week

By Tim Douglass

tdouglass@pctribune.com

Because emerald ash borer (EAB) has been confirmed in Pope County, the City of Glenwood will be performing an inventory of all ash trees located within city road Right of Ways (boulevards) and city parks. 

A group of individuals, led by volunteers of the Barsness Buckthorn Brigade, will be conducting the inventory, according to City Administrator Dave Iverson.

The inventory will start this week, Tuesday, Oct. 1, with groups using a phone app developed by city staff and Widseth Engineering.   Only ash trees located on public property will be included in the survey. The survey will provide information that will assist the city in determining an ash tree removal plan, a possible ash tree treatment plan, and an ash tree replacement plan,  all of which are necessary for the city to create a budget to deal with the EAB infestation within the city and to apply for grant assistance,  Iverson stated last week.

The inventory will document ash tree location, size and its degree of canopy degradation.  Those factors help determine if a tree is to be slated for treatment or removal.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) this summer confirmed the presence of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Pope County. Based on the presence of Emerald Ash Borer the MDA has issued an emergency quarantine for Pope County.

According to information from MDA, EAB insect larvae kills ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves nutrients up and down the tree trunk. Often the trees show several signs of infestation because of this including degradation of the tree’s canopy. Woodpeckers feed on EAB larvae, woodpecker holes may indicate the presence of EAB. EAB tunneling can cause the bark to split open, revealing S-shaped galleries under the tree bark.  EAB infestation eventually kills the ash tree.

Inventory process 

Glenwood will be split into four quadrants NW, NE, SW, SE, according to Iverson.  The Ash Tree Inventory will be conducted by inventorying trees based on quadrants.

Inventory will start in the SW and SE quadrants of town. Once the SW and SE quadrants have been completed, teams will move to the NW and NE quadrants.

The inventory working group will be working in teams, consisting of: two individuals per team and two teams per street section.

The teams work together, inventorying both sides of streets and avenues.

Teams will start at Minnesota Avenue and Minnesota Highway 104. All teams will work from north to south inventorying streets first, teams will then return to Minnesota Avenue and Minnesota Highway 104 proceeding west/east to start inventorying trees along Avenues.

After all streets and avenues in the SW and SE quadrants are inventoried, teams will move to the NW and NE quadrants of town starting at Minnesota Avenue and Minnesota Highway 29. Al teams will work from south to the north inventorying streets first then avenues.

Teams will again start from Minnesota Avenue and Highway 29 proceeding west/east inventorying trees along avenues.

City staff, if available, will conduct a tree inventory in City Park, Barsness Park by the swimming beach, and the lower area of Barsness Park, Iverson said.  If city staff is unavailable, will enlist the same volunteer teams to inventory those areas.

Upon completion of the walking and biking trail map, the map will be added as a layer to the City’s mapping system, we will then attempt to inventory ash trees along the tails.

The majority of the wooded area of Barsness Park will not be included in the inventory, Iverson stated.  He also said that trees on private property will not be included in the inventory.

The city also has information about treating private ash trees and more on its website at ci.glenwood.mn.us.  Click on Announcements on the top of the home page.