Belek Tree Service, owned by John Sanford, is one of the companies that has invested in ash tree removal. He said EAB has been good for his business in the short term but will eventually take its toll.

“In the short term, there is a lot of immediate work for us,” he said. “People have to cut down these ash trees now. We’re afraid it’s going to hurt us in the long run. Thirty percent of the trees in New Ulm are ash. If they’re all dead, they’re gone. We’re going to lose 30 percent of our potential tree trimming business.”

Sanford said his tree service works on ash trees almost daily. He said the more advanced the EAB infestation becomes, the more difficult it is to cut down the ash trees.

“When ash trees are killed by EAB, they become very brittle,” said Sanford. “Branches break off very easily. The longer they’re dead, the more branches fall out. If we can’t get equipment to these trees, we have to climb. That drastically affects how we cut them down and how much longer it takes.”

Photo submitted by John Sanford: Belek Tree Services prepares a treatment solution for this ash tree. Treatments must be done every two years.

If the trees are less than 20% infected with EAB, Sanford typically foregoes treating the ash. He said treatments are done every two years. If the ash is 20-50% dead, he discusses the best course of action with the homeowners. If the ash is more than 50% infected, it must be removed.

“It is not a disease,” said Sanford. “The insect is eating the tree alive. All we have to do is kill the insects and everything that is there will stay there.”

Replanting is also not a popular decision. According to Sanford, about 25% of people who cut down ash trees plant something new in their place.

“They are simply fed up with the tree,” he said. “They say, ‘I bought this ash tree, it cost me something to plant it, I spent so much money growing it, and now it’s dead.'”

EAB was discussed at Tuesday’s City Council work session. City Manager Chris Dalton said they’ve heard complaints from several people about the appearance of the trees and the dangers they pose. He said Broadway is MnDOT property and they plan to remove trees on the median this year. If they can, they’ll then work on the boulevards.

Joe Gertner points to a tree in Pollinator Park that is heavily infested with the Asian ash borer.

Councilman Les Schultz asked if MnDOT would use local crews. City Engineer Joseph Stadheim said they would likely contract internally with metropolitan area crews.

Dalton said they would not replant any trees either. To assist locals with the removal of ash trees, he recommended allocating $100,000 in the budget for a program that would reimburse some of the removal costs.

“A citizen (says): ‘I want to remove my tree, here is my offer.'” said Dalton. “We would refund up to 50% or $600, whichever comes first. It would be their responsibility to cut down those trees.”

There is currently a reimbursement program, but the money ran out in July. Technician Jeff Anderson said $12,800 went into the program this year.

The city will continue to apply for grants, but Dalton said that after receiving two initial grants, it is unlikely they will receive a third.

Joey Schugel, parks and recreation director, said there was a lot of competition across the state for EAB support.

“This year, the state provided $6.5 million in funding,” he said. “There were $36 million applicants. They obviously couldn’t fund them all.”

Schugel said Park and Rec has removed 60 trees in the past three years. Normally, the amount to replace trees is $5,000, but this year they are starting with a $30,000 request. Stadheim said there are about 2,000 ash trees left on private property and 638 on boulevards.

Councilman Dave Christian asked if the city would require people to replant trees. Stadheim said that would be encouraged, but not required.

“Reforestation will be another issue (in the future),” said Stadheim.

Even though the situation is not ideal at the moment, it is unlikely to get worse, said Stadheim.

“We are most likely at our peak or close to it,” he said. “We are completely infested. As trees continue to be cut down, hopefully we are on the descending side of that bell curve. It will probably take three to six years to get the necessary removals under control.”