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Item No: 8A <br />Meeting Date: May 14, 2012 <br />Type of Business: Council Business <br />Administrator Review: ____ <br /> <br />City of Mounds View Staff Report <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />To: Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From: Nick DeBar, Public Works Director <br />Item Title/Subject: Resolution 7937, Accepting Community Forest Bonding Grant from <br />Minnesota Department of Natural Resources <br /> <br />Background/Discussion: <br />In 2011, an infestation of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was discovered in a neighborhood of <br />Shoreview just east of Mounds View in the vicinity of County Road I. The Minnesota <br />Department of Natural Resources has a Community Forest Bonding Grant program that <br />municipalities can apply if an EAB infestation is discovered within a one mile radius of the city <br />limits. The city forestry consultant and Public Works applied for this competitive grant on behalf <br />of the City and were notified in March 2012 that our application for $42,000 in assistance was <br />approved. <br /> <br />The grant monies can be used specifically for removal of ash trees from municipal property <br />(parks, grounds, and boulevards) and replacement with a variety of native trees to establish <br />diversity and tree presence. This process will allow the City to get a “jump start” on the eminent <br />infestation of EAB in Mounds View. Getting a jump start ahead of infestations will slow the <br />spread of EAB, whereby lessening and stretching the workload curve over more time in dealing <br />with EAB. <br /> <br />The grant only covers those activities within the one mile radius of the Shoreview infestation <br />(see attached map). Although this covered area is only a small part of the city, it contains <br />approximately 60 trees, or 40%, of the City’s ash tree population. Not all ash will be removed in <br />this area, but instead, only infested ash and ash of lower quality. The grant covers the 2012 to <br />2014 funding cycle. <br /> <br />Recommendation: <br />Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached resolution accepting the Community <br />Forest Bonding Grant from MnDNR. <br /> <br />Respectfully submitted, <br /> <br /> <br />Nick DeBar - Public Works Director