Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 11/02/2009

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Administration: The Forestry Supervisor (City Forester), though the Park and Recreation Department's Forestry Division, will be responsible for implementing and follow up on the provisions of this plan. Communication: The City Administrator, City Council, Park Board, Park and Recreation Director, Assistant Park and Recreation Director and Park Operations Supervisor will receive periodic updates through normal channels. All media relations will follow normal city protocol. Boulevard Trees: 1. The City will begin by publicly announcing the policy of excluding any new ash trees on public property and boulevards - with the recommendation that citizens and businesses discontinue the use of ash in new plantings. 2. The City will remove any boulevard ash tree at citizen request if they agree to replace it with an approved and permitted tree. 3. The forestry division shall begin to remove any poor quality trees or trees in fair condition with major defects. 4. Ash trees that are removed will be replaced. Species diversity will be a planting objective to better protect our community's trees in the future. This will include planting power line compatible tree species under energized wires. 5. Plantings will occur in the spring and fall per the Forestry Division's operating procedures. Park Trees: 1. There are many specimen ash trees in City parks, as well as thousands of ash in wooded areas. No inventory of park trees exists at this time, but it remains a goal to collect that information in the next two years (by 2011). 2. The forestry division shall beginto remove any poor quality trees or trees in fair condition with major defects. 3. The City will continue to cooperate with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to establish EAB detection trees. as needed in city parks and along the flood control project.