Shakopee City Awarded Emerald Ash Borer Mitigation Grant

Shakopee MN

19 April, 2022

7:41 PM

Description

Press release from the City of Shakopee: April 18, 2022 EAB is a destructive wood-boring pest. The female EAB burrows into an ash tree and lays larvae that feed on the tree's inner bark, eventually destroying the tree's capability to take in water and nutrients. Originating in Asia, EAB was first detected in the United States in southeast Michigan in 2002. Today, EAB infestations have been found in 35 states. EAB was confirmed in the City of Shakopee in January 2021. However, the city prepared for a possible EAB invasion by adopting an EAB plan in 2015. To date, 542 ash trees have been treated over a three-year rotation, and 484 trees have been removed and replaced. Nearly 900 untreated ash trees inventoried in city parks and rights-of-way still need to be removed and replaced. The DNR made $1.6 million in grant money available to municipalities to help prevent EAB from spreading further within their communities. The $100,000 EAB grant will help fund removing and replacing infected ash trees, which pose significant public safety concerns. This press release was produced by the City of Shakopee. The views expressed here are the author's own.