As you have likely noticed, the boulevard Ash trees have been marked for removal due to the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). The trees will be removed this year, stumps removed in 2022, and new trees planted in 2023. You can learn more about the removal process and see a detailed map on the City’s website. 

Thanks to Leben McCormick and Margot Galt for banding our Ash trees several years ago to begin raising awareness. Due to their work and additional awareness efforts this year, 25% of Lex-Ham households are treating their trees which will prevent our neighborhood losing its canopy all at once. We were told our neighborhood is better positioned than any other in St. Paul because of our early response.

THERE IS STILL TIME if you would like to consider treating your tree and avoid having it removed. Contact a tree expert to see if your boulevard tree is eligible for treatment and start the permitting process with the City as soon as possible. The timeline for starting removal is very short, although we don’t know exactly when it will start in Lex-Ham.

Keep in mind that this is a long-term decision since treating EAB requires reapplication every couple of years for the life of the tree. Also, we have been cautioned against the concept of short-term treatment because the City will not replant boulevard trees 1:1 in the future. They have secured the funding to replace the Ash trees 1:1 only for this project. If you are thinking about short-term treatment, we recommend you allow the tree to be replaced instead.