Minnesota cities get funds to fight ash borer

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture on Friday awarded $1.9 million in grants to cities and organizations to prepare for and fight the destructive emerald ash borer.

So far, the beetle has been found in three places: St. Paul, Falcon Heights and on the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus.

St. Paul will get the largest chunk of money, about $723,000 out of a pool of $1 million, to help manage infestation in the city. The University of Minnesota will get $200,000, and Falcon Heights will get $77,400 to fight the pest.

The Agriculture Department also awarded $875,000 in grants to 15 cities and agencies to prepare for infestation. Recipients include the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Minnetonka, Roseville and St. Louis Park. The grants are part of an appropriation from the Outdoor Heritage Fund, established when the Clean Water, Land and Legacy amendment to the state Constitution was approved.

Officials seem resigned to the notion that all ash trees will be affected, given experiences in other states.

The bug was discovered in the United States in southeastern Michigan in 2002 -- possibly a decade after its arrival from China -- and it has destroyed tens of millions of trees in the Midwest. The beetle's larvae kill ash trees by burrowing into wood and feeding on nutrients.

The ash tree was the preferred replacement for elms after they were ravaged by a beetle-borne fungus a generation ago. Minnesota has about 900 million ash trees.

The emerald ash borer was first found in May in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul. More than 100 infested ash trees have been destroyed in the city so far.

Since then, the city, with input from the state, has developed a response plan that includes strategies for removing trees to slow the spread of the pest, replanting different species and hiring inspectors.

The plan will add a couple of million dollars to the city's yearly budget.

Earlier this week, the St. Paul City Council adopted an ordinance declaring the ash borer a public nuisance and giving the city the authority to inspect trees on private property. The ordinance also gives the city the power to order the removal of infested trees. If property owners don't remove them, then the city can do the work and charge the owner.

St. Paul officials will hold public meetings throughout the city to promote awareness of the plan to deal with the ash borer. The first meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Jan. 26 at the Dayton's Bluff Recreation Center.