Motivated by a common goal

Neighbors along 29th Ave. S come together to save 40 ash trees in the boulevard

They wanted to save the boulevard trees along six blocks of 29th Ave. and they came together to do just that. Then they celebrated together at Arbeiter Brewing. (Photo by submitted)

Barbara Scotford (left) and Alana Horton work together to label the ash trees in the boulevard on 29th between the Greenway and East 33rd to let others know the trees are being protected from emerald ash borer. The group of neighbors is working to raise money to keep paying for the treatments needed every two years. (Photo by submitted)

Motivated by a common goal_Tesha M Christensen.mp3

Posted Thursday, January 2, 2025 1:36 pm

ASH CANOPY REPLACEMENT PLAN

Emerald ash borer was first discovered in Minnesota in a St. Paul tree in 2009. In Minneapolis, the first infested tree was found in Prospect Park in 2010. It spread into Seward and Cooper the next year, and was in 13 Minneapolis neighborhoods, including Longfellow and Howe, by 2014.

Minneapolis forestry crews replaced 5,000 ash trees each year for eight years between 2014-2021. This included about 30,000 boulevard trees and 10,000 trees in city parks. Resident could opt to treat non-symptomatic boulevard ash trees with insecticide at their own expense. The effort cost about $10.8 million. In comparison, St. Paul removed 26,947 trees over 15 years and is projected to have spent $36 million on emerald ash borer impacts by 2025.

Replacement trees were planted for every tree removed between 2015-2022.

In all, the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board manages 200,000 street trees and 400,000 trees in parks. The new trees come from 200 species.

The initial MPRB plan to remove ash trees and plant young, diverse trees in their place did not extend to the ash trees on private property. Since, the city directed MPRB to condemn diseased or infested trees on private property and charge homeowners. There have been approximately 38,000 condemnations of private trees since 2001. MPRB removed 15,000 and levied special assessments against 8,000 property owners, many in south and north Minneapolis. An $8 million federal grant helps pay for ash tree removal on private properties in disadvantaged neighborhoods. The average ash tree removal costs thousands of dollars. It costs about $200 to treat an ash tree every two years.

VALUE OF TREES

From www.arborday.org/value

Fighting climate change - trees are the proven, affordable, natural way that can be implemented quickly to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere today.

Strengthening communities - Trees clean our air, filter our water, and even slow storm surge and flooding in our cities. Trees also provide shade and cool our cities by up to 10 degrees, which can help prevent heat-related deaths in urban areas.Even as social and economic issues fracture our society, trees continue to connect communities, cultures, and generations. Neighborhood trees have shown the ability to reduce stress, improve overall health and development in children, and encourage physical activity. And a healthy community-wide tree canopy fosters economic advantages as well as an increase in civic pride among residents.

Nurturing biodiversity - Trees support wildlife and aquatic life by providing habitat and helping to keep waterways healthy. This ensures that ecosystem balance can be maintained and biodiversity can thrive.

Taming stormwater - In areas where homes, businesses, schools, roads, and parking lots expand, natural tree cover is often lost, along with the vital absorbing capacity of vegetation and soil. Without the benefits provided by trees and green infrastructure, beneficial rainfall turns into expensive stormwater runoff, surging through gutters and pipes after a storm. This runoff carries oils, heavy metals, and other harmful pollutants into our rivers and lakes. Consequently, fish and wildlife suffer, drinking water becomes costly or challenging to purify, property values decline, and our living environment deteriorates.

WHAT IS EAB?

Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, is an exotic beetle that was discovered in southeastern Michigan near Detroit in the summer of 2002. The adult beetles nibble on ash foliage but cause little damage. The larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients.

• Woodpeckers like EAB larvae; heavy woodpecker damage on ash trees may be a sign of infestation.

• Moving firewood can spread EAB and other wood pests and diseases.

Audio

Motivated by a common goal_Tesha M Christensen.mp3

By Tesha M. Christensen

Residents along six blocks of 29th Ave. S have banded together to save 40 ash trees.
“These are public trees that the whole community benefits from,” observed Loey Colebeck. “Many Greenway users choose 29th Avenue because of its wonderful shade canopy. This area of the neighborhood is just three blocks away from the shell of the old third precinct, and we were particularly affected by the burning in 2020. We are three blocks north and three blocks south of Lake Street, and we are not an affluent area of the neighborhood. Saving the tree canopy is a vital part of stabilizing our neighborhood and quality of life where there has already been much destruction and tree loss.”
The trees on 29th between the Greenway and East 33rd were initially part of a University of Minnesota study designed to determine the most effective treatment for emerald ash borer, and so they weren’t removed during the Ash Canopy Replacement Plan from 2014-2022. However, in the spring of 2024, Colebeck noticed that they had all been tagged for removal and they started getting cut down.
She reached out to a local arborist to see if the boulevard tree in front of her residence could still be saved since it had missed a year of treatment. Treatment is needed every two years, and it was year three. “The arborist said yes, so I made a little flyer to give to all the neighbors on the block to let them know about the U of M study and that the trees were going to come down, but that there was still time to act this year,” recalled Colebeck.
A neighbor remarked that she didn’t have any of her own boulevard trees but benefit from the ones nearby, and suggested that they act together instead of separately.
Colebeck’s husband, Phillip Cryan, helped organize an initial meeting with an arborist from the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board (MPRB) and a representative from Rainbow Tree Care on June 11 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. About a dozen neighbors attended. The group met about three times over the summer.
“My husband, Phillip, and I organized the working group meetings, and decisions about how to proceed were made during each meeting by whomever was present. It has been very democratic, with each person taking on whatever task seems fun and related to their skill set,” said Colebeck. “We’ve shared detailed meeting notes with our email list so anyone who isn’t present can jump in, know what’s been going on, and share their ideas, take action. We truly could not have done this without everyone’s amazing ideas.
“We have also built community and met so many wonderful neighbors. And by doing collective action, we were able to save all the trees, including those in front of people’s houses who were not able to contribute. It’s so joyful!”
“We managed to raise all the funds necessary to treat the ash trees for emerald ash borer as well as two elm trees for Dutch elm disease,” said Daylanne English, who has lived along 29th Ave. for 22 years. “It was thrilling to have our collective effort pay off (literally!) to preserve the tree canopy in our part of Longfellow.”
“Working with my neighbors on this project meant so much more to me than I could have predicted,” stated Maisy Byerly. “Through each individual effort, we arrived at an amazing outcome. When I first got involved, I did not realize how trusting and optimistic I would feel after this project.”

MODEL PROJECT
Over the course of the last 15 years, MPRB removed 40,000 ash trees in parks and on boulevards and replaced them with 40,000 trees representing 200 varieties. Many of the ash trees that were removed were planted following the removal of the city’s Dutch Elms because of Dutch Elm Disease.
The U of M tree preservation study included this section of 29th Ave. S because of the mature ash trees of about the same size and age. As the Sustainable Forestry Coordinator for MPRB, Phillip Potyondy has been a liaison between MPRB Forestry Development and community members, in addition to the tree care company and previously to the U of MN for the research that MPRB hosted. His role as Sustainable Forestry Coordinator involves urban forestry analytics and vision, arborist engagement, and community engagement, he explained. “Systematically replacing public ash trees in the face of Emerald Ash Borer, with a diverse mix of species, was a generational opportunity to dramatically increase urban forestry resiliency in a relatively short amount of time,” said Potyondy. “Urban forest tree canopy provides a myriad of benefits to community. Benefits are economic, social, health, and environmental.”
Potyondy praised the collaborative effort by 29th Ave. S neighbors. “This has been a model project of community growth engagement and investment in our urban forest,” he said.
“Minneapolis has been a model for other cities in how to deal with emerald ash borer and, more generally, the threats to urban forests and tree canopy in the context of climate change and the various diseases and insect infestations that climate change brings,” said English. “The city’s work with ‘our’ trees (and Minneapolis trees in general) really makes me proud and appreciative of their efforts.” She is grateful that the boulevard tree in front of her house was preserved by the efforts of her neighbors.
“I am well aware that an urban forest benefits everyone living here and helps protect against the effects of climate change, mitigates the urban ‘heat island’ effect, and helps filter pollutants,” added English. She pointed out that not all folks living in Minneapolis have the same privilege of living on tree-lined streets, and believes that the best way of appreciating privilege is by doing what one can to protect the trees where they live.
“I also saw the clear benefits of preventing the trees from being taken down in quick succession,” said English. “Our neighborhood would not have to feel the awful loss of all those trees being chopped down in a relatively short time period; plus, we would help maintain habitat for all the critters and (good) bugs that rely on the ash trees.”
“I love trees!” remarked Byerly. “Minneapolis does a great job getting communities involved in our city’s tree canopy, whether it is through the tree lottery or the establishment of green zones. In addition to city-level efforts to maintain a healthy canopy, we each can take small steps to sustain our natural surroundings. Just by collecting acorns and seed pods, I’ve grown pin oak, bur oak, Freeman maple, and Kentucky espresso saplings. The squirrels have destroyed most of them, but not all. It is so meaningful to care for trees and, in turn, benefit from their ecological impact.
“Losing all of our boulevard ash trees over a short period of time would have impacted the quality of life of so many who live in or travel through our neighborhood. When I saw that others cared just as much as I do about the trees, I felt we could accomplish a lot with a little effort.”
The group of neighbors are looking for a fiscal umbrella organization so that they can take ongoing contributions for the continuing treatments needed. “Currently, we just have a account with Rainbow Tree Care which is holding our funds for the next treatment. Anyone who wants to contribute can contact Rainbow Tree care with the memo ‘29th Avenue Tree Project,’” said Colebeck. “We encourage everyone to support and contribute as part of neighborhood stabilization and revitalization.”