Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 02/10/2011

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Purpose: Applicability: Administration: Introduction: Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan City of Ramsey, MN By implementing the provisions of the Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan, the City is attempting to minimize the disruption to its urban forest due to the inevitable infestation of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Based on the current evidence from states such as Michigan and Ohio, a proactive approach should help spread the costs associated with an EAB outbreak over a manageable time period and limit the detrimental effect on property value, quality of life and the environment. This management plan is applicable to all public properties within the City, including rights -of- way, boulevards, parks and open spaces, as well as private properties. The Environmental Coordinator shall be responsible for implementing this program and seeing that the provisions are carried out. Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an introduced pest that has now been confirmed in fourteen (14) states, including Minnesota, and two (2) Canadian provinces. EAB attacks all species of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) found in Minnesota, which include green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), white ash (Fraxinus americana) and black ash (Fraxinus nigra). This is of great concern because Minnesota is home to more than 900 million ash trees statewide and unlike some similar borers in the Agrilus genus (such as two lined chestnut borer and bronze birch borer), EAB is not solely an opportunistic pest, it is known to attack both healthy and stressed ash trees alike. As of the printing date of this management plan, EAB has been confirmed in three (3) Minnesota counties: Hennepin, Ramsey and Houston. While it is impossible to accurately determine when this pest will arrive in Ramsey, it is no longer a question of `if' but `when' it will be found here. It is possible that this pest has moved beyond the known infestation sites and has yet to be identified. It is not the adult beetles that are detrimental to ash trees but rather the larvae of EAB (immature stage), which feed on the inner bark of trees, disrupting a tree's ability to transport water and nutrients up to the canopy. As the number of larvae in a tree increases, less and less water and nutrients reach the canopy, resulting in dieback in the upper portions of a tree. By the time visible symptoms are obvious, the population of EAB has grown and likely spread to other trees in the area.