Agenda - Council - 08/25/2026 - Laserfiche WebLink

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DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES 2026 Protect Community Forests Additional Requirements INVENTORY, MANAGEMENT PLANS, EDUCATION • Tree inventory projects must submit obtained data to the DNR in a shapefile format. • By the end of the grant period local units of government must have an Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Management Plan or a Plan that includes an EAB component in place. Existing plans must be adopted or re -adopted after June 1, 2019 and submitted to DNR as part of the application packet. Local units of government that do not have a management plan in place must budget for the cost of obtaining one through this grant program. • Any education provided through this program must be conducted by an ISA Certified Arborist, TCIA accreditation or equivalent qualification, or must qualify for ISA continuing education units. Education through Tree Trust and/or the University of Minnesota Tree Steward's Program is also acceptable. • Management plans are encouraged to incorporate wood utilization when removals are occurring. • Management plans are encouraged to incorporate consideration for underserved populations as they are defined in the grant evaluation section of this document. This may include prioritizing planting in areas of low canopy cover, focusing education and outreach in these areas, etc. TREE REMOVALS AND PLANTING • Planting trees can take place without removal. • Tree removals from boulevards and parks, must be replaced at least one -for -one (i.e., at least one tree planted for every tree removed), and trees must be replanted at the same location of the removal whenever possible and feasible, or received approval from a DNR grant administrator in advance of planting.. • Tree removals conducted in park woodlands: o For the purposes of this grant, park woodlands are defined as publicly owned spaces that, beyond trail creation or access, are not regularly mowed. o Removals in woodlands need to be mitigating a public safety concern or to address degraded ecosystems. o Removals must meet a minimum of one tree planted for five trees removed. • Tree planting projects must follow the best practices set in A Pocket Guide to Planting Trees. • Tree planting projects must identify the tree species to be planted; site location(s); and number, and type/size of planting stock: o Trees planted must be a climate -adapted species to Minnesota. o The species identified for planting must increase the diversity of the community's tree canopy and advance the goal of working toward the 20-10-5 guidelines, meaning a community has no more than 20% of their trees within a single family, no more than 10% of their trees within a single genus, and no more than 5% of their trees within a single species. Communities should use the Rapid Assessment Community Tree Viewer to access community tree survey data, and may provide their own data if collected post 2020. • Tribal governments may receive exemption from the 20-10-5 diversity requirement for species of cultural significance. Schools and nonprofits serving Indigenous communities may also receive exemption for species of cultural significance with proper justification. Please note in your application species included for cultural relevance. o Tree species listed on the Minnesota Noxious Weed list or the DNR's Invasive Terrestrial Plants List are not eligible for grant expenses, including Amur cork tree, Amur maple, autumn olive, black locust, buckthorn, Norway maple, Russian olive, Siberian elm, and tree of heaven. o Species list for trees to be planted must be submitted to and approved by DNR prior to planting. o Species list and numbers can be amended following the submission of tree 2026