Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 11/06/2006

Home

removal of fire over the past several decades, aspen remains a minor component accounting for less than 4% of the trees in our survey. Red maple was also one of those minor components. It accounted for about 1% of the trees found in our survey, once again, despite its present popularity as an ornamental. The native basswood and the linden ornamentals were rarely found, even less common than Lombardy poplar. One of the "success stories" may be the abundance of red pine, our State Tree. Red pine of all ages appeared in good condition. Green ash is often over -planted in Minnesota communities but despite its #6 ranking overall in our survey, it accounts for less than 4% of the trees found and is much less common than Siberian elm. More than half of the green ash found were present as regeneration. Only in areas 1 and 4 were oaks found in significant numbers as regeneration. Siberian elm and buckthorn are common as regeneration. Conclusion With the caution noted earlier in mind, we are hesitant to draw any conclusions. That being said, there are several items worthy of note. 1. Invasive exotic trees are common in much of Ramsey. This is a problem throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The large numbers of Siberian elms were a bit of a surprise. 2. Over -planted in much of Minnesota's communities, green ash is arguably underutilized to date. 3. Oaks that grow well on the sandy soils of Ramsey are not found too frequently either as regeneration or young plantings. 4. Red pine, despite its prominence as our State Tree and success as a component in the Ramsey urban forest, may be over utilized here. Jack pine, common on northern portions of the Anoka Sand Plain, might make an appropriate substitute. 5. American elms can still be found as a dominant tree in some locations, but the abundance of Siberian elms that can harbor Dutch elm disease may pose a threat to our native elms. 6. Red maple was once a common understory tree in the fire -dependent ecosystems native to Anoka County but is not very common at this time. 7. Similarly, paper birch is likely not as common as it was prior to development. 8. As with many Minnesota communities, Colorado blue spruce is over planted. 9. Basswood and linden species could be used more often though judiciously. 10. Hackberry is probably underutilized at this point in time. In order to draw valid conclusions and recommendations about the City's urban forest, further study is warranted. Because the City has the most control over its own properties, studies performed there can produce recommendations that can more easily be put into action and effect change. Inventories could be made within City road right-of-ways, within City parks and on other City -owned land. Such and inventory might likely include, as this survey did, a combination of plot sampling in larger forested areas and complete tree inventories along City streets and mowed areas of parks and other public spaces. Studies of private properties may not produce "scientific" or unbiased results. With the need to gain permission to access properties to perform the necessary work, the total pool of positive responses may be contain some form of bias and result in a sample that is not representative of the whole of Ramsey's privately -owned urban forest. Surveys of properties that do not require permission (i. e. drive by inspections) may not produce the level of detail necessary to draw solid conclusions and would be difficult to compare to more detailed surveys of City -owned lands. We encourage the City to entertain the idea of future surveys of its urban forest. Whether the end is to guide development away from high quality natural resources, restore degraded natural resources, protect the diversity of