DNR Briefing Area Officials on Grants Meant to Aid Recovery from Emerald Ash Borer

(KNSI) – The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is touring the state, stopping in St. Cloud on Friday at 10:00 a.m. inside the Bremer Room of the Great River Regional Library.

Staff will discuss two grant programs to help with forest management, particularly emerald ash borer. ReLeaf grants can be up to $500,000 both this year and next. Applications will be taken through September 18th. The awards go towards tree stump removal, replacement and planting, chemical treatments and other activities. A total of $6.9 million is available this round.

The Shade Tree Program runs until October 2nd. It helps local governments replace trees lost due to pests and storms. Shade trees provide environmental benefits. Another aspect of the program is to help diversify trees being planted so the overall ecosystem can better handle new threats.

The emerald ash borer was confirmed in St. Cloud in February. Larvae tunnel under the bark and kill the tree. Some tips to look for possible infection include checking for woodpecker damage. The birds love to feed on the larvae that cause the trees to die off. Ash trees tend to have smooth bark, so any cracks could indicate the presence of larvae.

The DNR session should last for one hour.

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