Typically forestry goals are included in a city's comprehensive plan, and the city adopts an urban forest management plan that includes a budget for upkeep of a city tree inventory and preservation of soils. A "5-10-15" tree-diversity goal for reducing the risk of catastrophic tree loss due to pests is to have in the city tree canopy no more than 5% of any one species, 10% of any one genus, and 15% of any one family.
See BPA 16.7 for information on evaluating the financial and social benefits that trees provide your community.
NOTE: tree inventories and benefits assessments were previously included under this BPA. You will continue to find action reports related to BPA 16.7 here.
A minimum number of trees planted by the city each year, OR at least 2-3 trees planted for each city tree lost. Report tree inventories, canopy studies, and analysis of financial/social benefits under BPA 16.7.
An overall city tree canopy of at least 30% and/or a canopy above 60% for residential areas located in Environmental Justice areas of concern; include tree replacement money in Pavement Management Program budget.
Have in the city tree canopy no more than 5% of any one species, 10% of any one genus, and 15% of any one family, and report a planting list that take this guideline into account; have an overall city tree canopy of at least 40%, with canopy over parking lots (~50%), canopy over residential (~60% - 75%), canopy over commercial/industrial (~60% - 75%) - ensuring Environmental Justice areas of concern are incorporated if within municipal bounds.
Who's doing it
Golden Valley - 3 star
Date action report first entered:
Date of last report update:
Year action initially completed: 2015
Implementation details:
Golden Valley has an annual budget for tree planting in parks and public spaces ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 in addition to a budget for tree replacement as part of the Pavement Management Program. The City continues to monitor and inspect trees for disease and pests on public land and makes an effort to replace them with native, resilient species. Annually the City plants between 50-75 trees for both parks and as part of the Emerald Ash Borer replacement program. 5-10 trees are planted as part of other construction projects each year as well.
As of 2016, according to EarthDefine Geospatial Data and Services, which uses Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data to determine percent tree canopy, Golden Valley has an overall city tree canopy of 40.5%.p
According to a DNR tree inventory conducted in 2010, Golden Valley has about 21.8 trees per acre in areas maintained by the City.
Outcome measures/metrics/money saved:
In 2015, 128 trees were planted in Golden Valley (74 public, 50 residential). 210 trees were removed from public property and 145 diseased trees were condemned on private property. $18,460 was spent on tree planting and initial care, $41,412 was spent on tree maintenance, and $16,500 was spent on removals. The total community forestry expenditures were $273,266.80 (Golden Valley population: 20,371).
In 2016, 60 (2”-2.5” balled and burlapped) shade and evergreen trees were planted throughout the parks and other public properties.
The city has achieved an overall tree canopy of at least 30% as well as they are continuing to purchase and utilize native trees. Continual effort to plant more trees is being taken.
Outcome measures/metrics/money saved:
Native plants are useful to preserve the terrestrial ecosystem of Northern Minnesota. Due to extensive clear cutting in the early 1900's all of Northern Minnesota's old growth forests have disappeared. An active effort to plant and protect native plants will rejuvinate Minnesota's coniferous and deciduous forest.
Hastings plants nearly 30 trees each year as part of Arbor Day activities. Currently utilizing i-tree to conduct tree inventory for trees on City property.
The City has a minimum annual budget for replacement trees, which pays for approximately 250 1.5” BB (balled and burlapped).
The Parks and Trails chapter of the Comprehensive Plan does not include a tree canopy goal. The City's overall canopy is about 25%. The residential canopy is about 70%.
The City of Royalton Tree Management Plan 2019 text is written and budget information will be used for the 2020 budget year. Emerald Ash Borer has been found in a neighboring county and the Tree Management Plan is used to help the city budget for treatment of infected trees or removal based on recommendations from the MN Department of Agriculture.
Outcome measures/metrics/money saved:
Using guidance from the Tree Management Plan we will budget $5/ash tree for treatment of infestation of EAB and $2,000/ash tree for removal. The goal is to establish which trees are healthiest to save and to remove trees that are showing signs of EAB.
The City of St. Anthony has a tree budget and regularly adds or replaces boulevard and park trees. The City has at least 75% tree coverage for residential zoning.
In 2010, the University of Minnesota Spatial Analysis Laboratory performed a land cover classification for the City of Saint Paul defining tree canopy, impervious surface, buildings, water, grass and bare soil.
Highlights
• Tree canopy cover in 2010: 32.5% of the total land area of Saint Paul
• 66.2% of Saint Paul is suitable for tree canopy cover
The Tree Canopy Study revealed that residential, single-family parcels offer the greatest area for increased canopy cover. As a result, The City has worked with partnering agencies and community volunteers when possible to increase planting on private property, especially is areas with the lowest canopy percentage, e.g., Frogtown. Overall, it is projected that Saint Paul will spend over $700,000 on tree planting in 2014 using various funding sources.
In preparation for EAB Bloomington has funding budgeted for the removal and replacement of 8000 public ash trees in parks. The activity started in 2013 and will ramp up over the next 11 years. Other activities funded in this budget include the City’s Arbor Day tree sale where residents are allowed to pre-order bare root trees to be planted in their yard. To increase diversity the species of trees made available are adjusted each year.
In July 2012, Cottage Grove created a Public Landscape Initiative Program to motivate volunteers and employees within the City to contribute to beautification efforts. Projects are focused on active management of the urban forest, reforestation of highly visable community parks, public lands, and transportation corridors as well as provision of tree planting/landscaping , employee team building, and community volunteer opportunities. These tree planting and landscape goals are recorded and budgeted in our CIP through 2018. The city also recorded all of our boulevard trees in the community via GPS to help inventory, identify condition, size, species and other concerns with tree growth projections, disease monitoring, and tree trimming. This allows to provide a detailed management plan that aids in our budget preparation.
In the Forestry annual budget is a line item allocation for replacing boulevard trees. Boulevard trees are also replaced as part of the street reconstruction projects.
Development projects that remove trees must replace 10-50% DBH depending on the context. All trees removed as part of the Emerald Ash Borer Management plan must be replaced and after the EAB project has finished the informal goal is to continue planting 400-600 trees per year.
Duluth just completed a street tree inventory using iTree and has begun analyzing the results to find patterns in tree dispersal and guide planting efforts.
Outcome measures/metrics/money saved:
Descriptive File:
Descriptive links:
For more information contact:
Alex Jackson, Energy Coordinator (City staff) | ajackson@DuluthMN.gov | 218-730-4433
Hutchinson has been a Tree City USA for over 40 years. Hutchinson recently accepted a grant through the DNR to mitigate the affects of the Emerald Ash Borer, thus accelerating the removal of these trees, as well as plans to plant 275 replacements in the next two years. Hutchinson also has an iTree profile to expand on the benefits of our existing urban canopy.
The City of La Crescent received a grant in 2023 from the MnDNR to plant 345 trees over three years. These trees include hackberry, honey locust, ironwood, white oak, swamp white oak, linden, and hybrid elm. Planting diverse trees creates greater resilience to disease and invasive pests like emerald ash borer, so the La Crescent community is at a lesser risk of losing a key tree species all at once. In 2024 the city removed 12 trees that were damaged by storms or died. The city planted 130 trees on Arbor Day in 2024. The grant memo is linked below.
The city has a tree replacement budget of $120,000 for replacing trees in parks and in the boulevards. The City Code also addresses oak wilt, emerald ash borer, and Dutch elm disease.
Through its EAB response plan and partnership with BIA, Prairie Island has a budget for monitoring the health of the canopy and planting trees. There is also a budget for the gravel tree nursery bed to help provide a more diverse and natural tree canopy.
The city does a spring and fall planting every year and looks for spaces in newly developed areas to plant new trees. We also keep record of places that we have had to remove trees so that we make sure to replant in those areas. We received an Emerald Ash Borer grant and are working to reduce the number of Ash trees by replacing them with other varieties throughout the city.
Rochester has continually assessed their tree canopy. Currently Rochesters tree canopy is at 27% with a total potential of 47%. The percent of water in the city is currently 2.7% while impervious land accounts for 22%
According to the City's records and GIS data, there have been 812 trees planted over the last three years to replace the 244 trees that were removed for a ratio of 3.3 trees planted for every tree removed.
Outcome measures/metrics/money saved:
Every time a tree is removed, the City replaces those trees with an additional 3.3 trees on average.
The city spends $2 per capita on tree planting and care every year. The majority of that is spent on planting. The city is also working with residents to start a volunteer planting and care program in 2015.
The City has partnered with Lake County Soil and Water to conduct a tree inventory summer 2020. They received a grant for 2 interns for the summer and the City is cost-sharing to complete a tree inventory in City limits.
The city has a standing line item in the budget each year for tree planting and maintenance. In 2013, the city planned for and budgeted funds to plant 500 trees.
In 2009, the City of Woodbury received a Community Conservation Assistance Grant through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Metro Greenways Program. The purpose of the grant was to conduct an Urban Tree Canopy assessment, in order to determine the current tree cover across the city. The Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) is the layer of leaves, branches, and stems of trees that cover the ground when viewed from above.
The most important finding of the UTC assessment was the percent tree canopy cover for the City of Woodbury. The city currently has a canopy cover of approximately 22%. The 70% of the city that is developed to its ultimate condition has a canopy of 23%. There is a significant range in the canopy among neighborhoods. Neighborhoods, depending on age and development practices at the time of development, have a canopy cover anywhere between 10% and 50%.
Based on the results of the UTC, the city set goals for increasing UTC, developed an implementation plan for achieving the goals, and has established a monitoring program to track progress. Based on research identifying the benefits of trees in the urban landscape, Woodbury has adopted the goal of increasing the UTC in the city’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan. These benefits include improved water and air quality, reduced heating and cooling costs, and increased property values.