Emerald Ash Borer. City Council Workshop Packet. Eagan February 7, 2018

Transcription

1 City Council Workshop Packet February 7, 2018 Emerald Ash Borer Eagan 2018 The graph above indicates the typical time-proven trend of how EAB infested trees will succumb to infestation and death. The Years After First EAB Infestation axis actually correlates to the current year date (i.e. 8 = 2018 ). Thus, by the year 2023 (13 on the graph x axis) Eagan can expect to have almost complete infestation of our ash trees. Only those ash trees that have been chemically protected will survive. 1 P age

2 Table of Contents Things to be aware of as you read this report 3 Emerald Ash Borer General Information and History 4 Map Emerald Ash Borer Confirmed Sites In Eagan 6 Ash Tree Population In Eagan 7 City Ordinance Shade Tree Disease Program 9 What are other neighboring cities doing with EAB? 10 Are there any grants available for EAB management? 11 Policy Recommendations 12 2 P age

3 Things to be aware of as you read this report... Emerald ash borer population is now rapidly increasing in Eagan. If left untreated most, if not all of our ash trees, public and private, will die and need to be removed. The city tree inspector (TI) position, as it is currently funded (6-month) will not be able to keep up with the demand for EAB related diagnosis and consultation. Can we increase TI position availability? Our current Shade Tree Disease ordinance needs revision to include EAB management. Should the City of Eagan require removal of EAB infested trees on private property? (to reduce inevitable biological and physical hazards)? Will the city provide financial assistance to private property owners, residential or commercial, to manage ash trees on their land? (Removal and/or treatment)? 3 P age

4 Emerald Ash Borer General Information and History EAB source EAB is native to eastern Asia but was discovered in Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, in Indications are it may have been introduced via pallets and wood packing material arriving on cargo ships to this area as early As of January 2018 EAB has spread all the way to the east coast and as far west as Colorado (see map of US below). In addition to its natural spread of 1 to 2 miles per year, EAB has been spread in ash firewood, nursery stock and possibly other ash materials to a number of new areas. Confirmed EAB Detections in North America In just 15 years EAB has spread half way across the country. Why should we care about EAB? All ash trees species are susceptible to EAB and millions of ash trees have been killed in infested areas in the US already. Minnesota has the highest volume of ash trees of all states in the US. The City of Eagan fortunately has a relatively low percentage of ash trees in publicly maintained areas, however timely management is still critical. More critical here is the management of ash trees on private land as the percentage of ash trees in private land is much higher. EAB History in Minnesota On May 14, 2009, emerald ash borer (EAB) was first confirmed in Minnesota in the South Saint Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul. Because EAB has been proven to be a serious invasive tree pest, a quarantine has been placed to help slow the spread of EAB to other areas. EAB History in Eagan 4 P age

5 Eagan's first case of EAB was found by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), within the Lebanon Hills Regional Park campground on December 24, Approximately 12 trees were affected due to infested firewood brought in by camper. County crews removed all infested trees. Investigation of these infested trees by the MDA suggests that the EAB insect had been inside these trees for several years, growing in population until outward symptoms became visible. No new infestations were documented in Eagan during 2015 and 2016 (however, past EAB research indicates that the EAB population was growing during these years in nearby trees). During 2017 city forestry staff has documented the presence of EAB at seven different locations in Eagan. Now in 2018 EAB symptomatic trees are showing up at a rapid pace. Staff expectes to see hundreds of trees infested throughout the year. The following is a list of these sites. 1. March 24, 2017 Forestry staff examined the ash trees on a private property on Karis Way and found evidence of EAB. The infestation of five EAB trees was confirmed by the MDA. 2. March 30, 2017 Forestry and MDA staff surveyed the Karis Way neighborhood and the area just north of 2014 Lebanon Hills campground infestation and discovered EAB symptoms on approximately 75 ash trees (all on private property). 3. June 6, 2017 EAB found at Gemini Road & Lexington Avenue. 4. June 29, 2017 EAB found north of Bur Oaks (near Hwy 55), and at Pilot Knob Rd (south of Lone Oak Rd). 5. July 21, 2017 EAB found on Hickory Lane (north of Cliff Rd, east of Johnny Cake Ridge Rd.) 6. October 17, 2017 EAB found near Blackhawk Rd & Riverton and Blackhawk Rd & Davenport Ave. 7. December 15, 2017 EAB found near Pilot Knob and Yankee Doodle Rd on ash trees at The Intergenerational Learning Center. 8. January 10, 2018 Seven new EAB sites identified today, plus one existing site (near 3M on Lexington Ave) now has many more newly infested trees. New sites are along Shields drive, residence at 3180 Pilot Knob Rd, residence at 3305 Lexington Ave., Weedman business at 1771 Yankee Doodle Rd., Transport America business at 3331 Terminal Drive, BCBS site at 1800 Yankee Doodle Drive, and BCBS site at 1750 Yankee Doodle Drive. In all there are dozens of ash infested (if not hundreds) at these new sites. 9. January 29, 2018 Twelve new or expanded EAB sites were identified. New sites were in the Forssa Way neighborhood, and in the MVTA parking lot at Blackhawk Road and Cliff Road. Please refer to the map on the next page showing dated EAB infestations within the City of Eagan. 5 P age

6 Emerald Ash Borer Confirmed Sites Eagan Map was hand updated January P age

7 Ash Tree Population in Eagan Public trees Trees in Parks The good news here is that of the 6,285 trees growing in maintained areas of our parks only 564 (9.0%) of them are ash trees. This is a relatively low percentage and one that is somewhat manageable. Staff is currently removing and replacing about low quality park ash trees per year, and chemically protecting 120 high value park ash trees. This represents over 25% of our park ash trees being managed for EAB. This percentage will need to increase as EAB becomes more abundant. Also staff has concerns about boundary ash trees (ash trees growing near enough to private property where if the tree or tree branches fell they would land on private property) and ash trees growing along park trails in more natural areas in city (i.e. Patrick Eagan Park). As these trees become infested they will die and need to be removed to prevent them from falling on private property or on publically used trails and recreational areas. Trees in Public Facilities As with the park trees there is also good news here. Of the 1,206 trees growing in public facilities (Community Center, City Hall, Fire Stations, etc.) only 42 (3.5%) of them are ash trees. These ash trees can be easily managed through removal and replacement and\or chemical protection. Trees in Boulevards Of the 14,493 trees growing in boulevards only 3,052 (21.1%) of them are ash trees. This is a relatively low percentage as many municipalities have over 50% ash trees in boulevard areas. Street Department staff are currently removing about 150 low quality boulevard ash trees per year. In addition park staff is also chemically protecting 18 high value park ash trees (treatment began in 2011 during a federal grant program to remove, replant, and protect specified boulevard ash trees). However, only removing 150 ash trees per year will require a time frame of 20 years for complete management. This is too long of a time period, therefore the number of boulevard ash trees removed per year will need to increase as EAB becomes more abundant. The most likely scenario for boulevard ash tree management concerning how many trees would need to be removed per year to effectively manage EAB infestations would be to remove 50% of boulevard ash within the next 5 years (3,052 trees x 50%) = 1,526 ash trees over 5 years = 305 trees/year. This is obviously more than Street Dept staff can handle with present staffing. An option here is to contract out the balance of ash trees needed to be removed per year (305 trees/year 150 trees removed by Street staff = 152 trees by contractor). A removal cost per average Eagan blvd ash tree (20 diameter) is $525 per tree (obtained from discussions with local tree abrorists). This resulting cost would be 152 ash trees per year x $525/tree = $79,800. This amount would need to be 7 P age

8 added to the existing Public Works budget. Staff is proposing that for the 2019 year funds for this contractual removal come out of the current development related Tree Mitigation Fund ( ). For the years 2020 to 2023 funds should be placed into Public Works budget. Management for the remaining 50% of boulevard ash trees that are not removed would involve; a) insect protection through chemical injection (if this is contracted out the cost is about $5.00 per diameter inch, or about $ per average Eagan boulevard ash tree), b) tree removal by Eagan resident (some residents in recent past have elected to remove the boulevard tree in front of their house), and simply monitoring the balance of the boulevard ash trees. Private Trees Ash trees growing in private properties represent an entirely different management situation. There presently is no current city performed tree inventory of ash trees located on private property, however, a 2010 MnDNR inventory indicates that in Eagan there are roughly 52,600 live ash trees on private lands. This represents 14.2% of all tree types; third behind spruce (22%) and maple (16%). While this percentage is relatively low, the quantity of ash trees on private land represents a situation that needs addressing. Hundreds of thousands of EAB insects will visit these private ash trees, using them for breeding sites, then after hatching spreading out, resulting in a staggering number of new EAB infestation sites. Once EAB has infested these trees, the trees will die, eventually creating hazardous situations both biologically and physically. Ash trees dying on the interior of private land will create dangerous situations specifically for the Eagan resident who lives at that property, while private ash trees dying on perimeters of private lots will create a physically dangerous situation for users of boulevard trails and adjacent streets as dead ash branches fall to the ground. Because of current available staff, the city does minimal pro-active searching out infested ash trees on private property. As a matter of fact, because of city ordinance restrictions, city staff cannot enter private property without permission of the property owner. However, in 2017 alone, the tree inspector reactively responded to resident requests and visited about 100 private residential properties to conduct an investigation specifically to diagnose for the presence of EAB in their ash trees as well as offer recommendations to homeowners about the prospective costs associated with preventive injections and removal of their ash trees. These types of customer requests will increase dramatically as EAB population and documented infestations increase. To date, the City of Eagan is not requiring the removal of EAB infested trees on private property. Per the recent neighboring city survey on page 9, four of the cities surveyed (Inver Grove Heights, Burnsville, Apple Valley, and Lakeville) either do or will require the removal of EAB infested trees on private property, two cites do not (Mendota Heights and Rosemount). The cities that do require removal have all stated that either their EAB dedicated staff, or their budget had to be increase to handle this increased workload. 8 P age

9 Ordinance Shade Tree Disease Program Currently Eagan s ordinance under Section (Shade Tree Disease Control and Prevention) does not address EAB. The issue here is that EAB management options are different than what is required for oak wilt (OW) or Dutch-elm Disease (DED). The current ordiance should be updated to include appropriate EAB management options and to update OW and DED management. Staff recommends editing an available League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) model ordinance to specific Eagan management options. Recommended EAB management could be divided into two classifications: a. Biological threat Typically year 1-3 of EAB infestation. During these early years of EAB infestation the tree inspector will respond to telephone calls from Eagan residents providing EAB education as well as available management options. The goal here is to reduce biological spread of EAB by initiating management options resulting in either the protection of healthy private ash trees via chemical trunk injection, or the removal (and replacement) of infested private ash trees. Infested ash trees should be removed by May 1 of the year following infestation. The following is an example of EAB management by month: a. October 1 April 30 = Field identification of Eagan ash tree population. Infested trees identified within this time period shall be removed by May 1. b. May September 30 = Trees diagnosed as being infested with EAB during this time period should be either chemically treated asap to protect them and kill EAB already within the tree or the tree(s) removed after October 1 (to prevent dispersement of adult EAB leaving these trees). c. May 1 July 30 = Chemically protect healthy ash trees via chemical injection (this application needs to be conducted when trees are in full leaf). b. Physical threat Typically years 4-7 after EAB infestation. During these later years (assuming the infested tree was not identified in years 1-3 and therefore the tree was not removed), EAB has already emerged from the infested tree(s) and the goal now is to reduce the physical threat of these completely dead ash trees by prompt tree removal. Because of the ash trees physical characteristic, dead ash wood quickly becomes very brittle resulting in large branches dropping off the tree. This condition will result in dangerous situations for residents, boulevard trail users, and nearby traffic. 9 P age

10 What are other neighboring cities doing? Forestry staff recently (January 2018) surveyed the six municipalities near Eagan (Inver Grove Heights, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Mendota Heights, Rosemount, and Lakeville) concerning their EAB status, and present and future EAB management activities. As was expected, there is a wide variety in management of EAB. To date, there is no federal or state required protocol for EAB management. There are however recommended EAB management guidelines, but no required actions. Basically, each municipality set its own policies on how to best handle the EAB crisis. On the next seven pages is a table outlining how each neighboring city manages EAB. In most cases, a multiple-tool management approach is taken involving infested tree removal, replacement where appropriate, chemical tree protection, and lastly a tree monitoring approach of inaccessible ash trees. This is the reasonable approach that Eagan staff has taken since Additionally, here is some brief information on EAB management in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minneapolis Because of political pressure, by policy decision Minneapolis is not doing any chemical treatment of ash trees. They are also NOT requiring the removal of infested ash trees on private property. St. Paul They are chemically treating some high quality ash trees on public land; removing and replacing ash trees on public land, and at times doing mass removals of boulevard trees. They are replacing some removed ash trees as budget allows. Because of limited staffing and increases infestations they have stopped diagnosing and requiring the removal of infested ash on private land. 10 P age

11 Are there any grants available for EAB management? The following is a response received from the Mn Department of Natural resources concerning EAB related grants. At this point there are no grants for EAB management. The MDA (Mn Dept of Ag) may be seeking either bonding grant funds or LCCMR grant funds for EAB management activities. MNSTAC (Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee) has been lobbying the legislature to provide communities with funds to help manage EAB, but so far has been unsuccessful. Jennifer Teagarden, MnDNR. The following is a response that I received from the MDA on this same question. Currently I am not aware of any grant dollars available to Minnesota Communities. MNSTAC has championed this issue for several years but have not yet been successful in making state dollars available. Karen Zumach or Jim Vaughan could give you an update on the work they have done on this issue if you are interested. I believe the DNR will try a proposal for community EAB funds this year to LCCMR. MDA tried last year but were unsuccessful. Mark Abrahamson, Mn Dept of Ag. So, at this time, the answer is NO, there is no funding available to assist with emerald ash borer management. 11 P age

12 Policy Recommendations Ordinance Revision Staff is recommending the revision of the current ordinance, Sec Shade Tree Disease Control and Prevention to the proposed League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) Shade Tree Pest Control version. Future Forestry Staffing To be able to manage the anticipated work load increase resulting from anticipated EAB population increase staff is recommending to revise current forestry related personnel to include a 30 hour per week, year round tree inspector versus the current 6-month 40 hour per week seasonal employee. Current TI cost = 1,024 hours per year x $17.71/hr = $18,135 per year Proposed 30 hr/week year-round TI cost = 1,560 hours per year x $18.20/hr = $28,392 per year. This results in a budget increase of $10,257 (not including benefits). Staff is recommending operating this year in 2018 with a 6-month tree inspector (as is in the budget). However, a budget adjustment will be required for 2019 and beyond to shift to the proposed 30 hour year-round tree inspector. The following are TI duties that cannot be completed now by a 6 month seasonal TI; - Fall field oak wilt Potential Spore Producer (PSP) checks - Fall office PSP notifications - Process fall/winter cost share applications - Follow-up on required disease tree management - Assist with removal of public PSP trees when other staff is not available - Respond to fall/winter customer requests - Update GIS data in a timely manner - Perform timely (dormant season) EAB field reviews - Seasonal EAB management including Feb/march field diagnosis - Communicate with landowners on EAB infestations - Assist with dormant season buckthorn management/regen control - Monitor and update forestry web site Ash Tree Management in Parks Staff is recommending continuing to manage park ash trees per the following: a. To remove lower quality condition ash trees and replace where appropriate, b. To chemically protect, through trunk injection, high quality ash trees, c. To increase the removal of natural ash trees in parks where the tree is close to trails and active use areas, and d. To monitor other ash trees in natural areas (no public presence). 12 P age

13 Ash Tree Management in Public facilities Staff is recommending continuing to manage public facility ash trees per the following: a. To remove lower quality condition ash trees and replace where appropriate, and b. To chemically protect, through trunk injection, high quality ash trees. Ash Tree Management in Boulevards Staff is recommending to manage boulevard ash trees per the following: a. Increase the removal of poor condition ash trees in boulevards through the use of both city Street Department staff and a tree contractor. Additional Public Works budget will be required for this ($79, per year, for five years funds from Tree Mitigation Fund, funds from Public Works budget). b. Continue the chemical treatment of select high quality boulevard ash trees. Ash Tree Management on Private Property Staff is recommending to manage private ash trees per the following: a. Increase EAB management forestry staff by converting the existing tree inspector position to a 30 hours per week year round position ($10,257 per year), b. Increase communication about EAB diagnosis and management with Eagan property owners and provide EAB options concerning EAB management of their private ash tree(s). c. Do not require the timely removal of EAB infested ash trees on private property. d. Explore funding through grants available for ash tree management on private land; eligible activities including the removal of infested ash trees, chemical treatment healthy ash trees, and follow-up reforestation efforts. 13 P age