Golden Valley Plans for Emerald Ash Borer

The invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) beetle has been spotted as close as St Paul, Shoreview, and Minneapolis, and it’s only a matter of time before it makes it to Golden Valley.

“It could be three to five years or more, or it might be here now and we just don’t know it yet,” says Al Lundstrom, park maintenance supervisor.

Regardless, the City has a plan in action to slow the beetles’ spread. Starting last winter, crews began the 15-year process of removing all public ash trees, which make up about 33 percent of trees in City parks, and replanting with a variety of tree species. This will ensure that no one species will be dominant, meaning in the future a bug like the ash borer won’t pose as big a threat.

Planning Ahead

City employees used GPS technology to digitally map the portions of Golden Valley’s forest they manage and then created an inventory of trees on public property (except for nature areas). Knowing the specific location of species clusters or individual trees allows staff to resolve maintenance situations in a timely fashion and target resources where they’re most needed.

Removing the ash trees now is a preemptive strike against the EAB beetle later taking out a fifth of the city’s forest all at once, in which case removal would be costly and reactive.

“We’re going to reevaluate the plan to see how many trees we should remove each year and consider asking residents to volunteer to have their boulevard trees removed to help spread out the liability,” Lundstrom says.

The Threat

The EAB beetle has killed tens of millions of ash trees where it has been discovered. Research has not found any resistance to this Asian beetle in our native ash.

Minnesota has about 900 million ash trees, an important component of our urban landscapes.

If you suspect an infestation near your home, visit the Minnesota Department of Agriculture website.

Editor's Note: This content was written by city staff in Golden Valley.