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<br /> <br /> <br />Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan <br />City of St. Anthony Village, MN <br />WSB Project No. 020736-000 Page 1 <br />1.0 Purpose <br />The purpose of the St. Anthony Village Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan is to <br />minimize and spread out the significant fiscal and environmental impacts of emerald <br />ash borer (EAB) and to describe the approach the City is taking. The loss of public <br />and private ash trees in St. Anthony Village will influence home values, quality of life <br />and the environment over decades. The most effective way to handle the EAB in St. <br />Anthony Village will require a mixed approach including tree preservation by <br />injection, ash tree and stump removals, replanting, and adding additional resources <br />to assist with handling the pest in a systematic way. The City has already been very <br />successful in applying for and leveraging both Hennepin County and Minnesota <br />Department of Natural Resources grants to manage EAB and reduce budget pressure <br />on St. Anthony Village . <br />Trees serve as part of the City’s green infrastructure: they clean the air, slow down <br />and absorb stormwater, reduce erosion, save electricity by reducing air conditioning <br />costs, enhance property values and provide habitat for wildlife. One figure provided <br />by the Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Council (MnSTAC) states the loss of all urban <br />ash trees in the state will lead to 1.7 billion gallons of water entering our stormwater <br />systems annually. A structured approach to managing the City’s ash population will <br />distribute the impacts over 10 years and help ensure an orderly response while <br />maintaining as many tree benefits as possible. The City’s plan is guided by the best <br />management practices issued by the top three agencies researching and managing <br />EAB in the state: the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the Minnesota <br />Department of Natural Resources, and the University of Minnesota. Since research <br />is ongoing, management practices will be modified if new strategies are <br />recommended. <br />Photo 1: Ash Trees at Central Park, City of St. Anthony Village <br />Photo Credit: Emily Ball <br />