08-10-2022 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 City of Little Canada Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan PURPOSE By implementing the provisions of this management plan, the City is attempting to mitigate the disruption to its urban forest caused by the infestation of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Taking an active approach to future infestation of Fraxinus spp. enables the City to address both public and private impacts efficiently and effectively. The City will attempt to distribute costs associated with EAB over a manageable period, and lessen the economic and social impact that an extensive loss of ash trees would have on the quality of life in our community. INTRODUCTION Agrilus planipennis, commonly known as an Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), has a natural range of eastern Russia, northern China, Japan, and Korea. It is a bright green, metallic beetle with an elongated, slender body measuring 1/2 inch long. The adult beetles feed on ash foliage but cause little damage neither physiologically nor aesthetically. Trees become infested when adult beetles lay eggs on the bark, which hatch into larvae that bore into the tree. The larvae tunnel into the phloem layer (between bark and wood) and disrupt the movement of water and nutrients, causing the eventual death of the tree. In July 2002, EAB was first discovered in the United States in Michigan. It is suspected that the insect arrived on solid wood packing material shipped from its native Asia. Without any natural predators or controls in North America, the insect has spread to 35 states and five Canadian provinces. Millions of ash trees have been killed with some cities reporting complete loss of all ash trees within 5 years of EAB becoming established. Though millions of dollars have been spent on prevention methods, there has been no stopping the devastation to the urban forest. The most current research shows that early sanitation efforts in Minnesota have helped slow the spread of EAB, but new infestation sites are being reported every growing season. Emerald ash borer adults can fly at least a half mile from the tree when they emerge. However, new infestations are most often created when people transport infested nursery ash trees, logs, or firewood into uninfested areas. Shipments of ash trees and the transportation of firewood have been regulated by the state to reduce the spread of EAB. It was first discovered in Minnesota in 2009 and has since spread to the entire southeast portion of the state, the Twin Cities metro area, and isolated areas such as southwest Minnesota and the Duluth metro area. Ramsey County is designated as a quarantine area and transportation of ash wood outside of the county is prohibited. The EAB was discovered within the City in the summer of 2020 in areas throughout the City.