Houlton Farm Planning Committee Meeting 2016-02-02

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recorded in Minnesota near Monticello in 1961, and has since spread throughout the state. Minnesota relied heavily on American Elms (Ulmus americana) as shade trees on streets, with about 140 million in the state at the time of the outbreak. The disease is now present in all Minnesota counties, though elms remain an important component of many Minnesota forests. Emerald ash borer (EAB) is a non-native wood -boring beetle from Asia that was first identified in the United States in the summer of 2002. Likely transported from Asia to Michigan in ash wood used for pallets and other shipping materials, the b etle has now been confirmed in 15 states, including Minnesota. The beetle works by siting larvae under the bark of the tree; these larvae then feed on the wood, even Iy isrupting enough of the phloem to prevent the transport of nutrients throw he tree. While Minnesota's cold weather can stymie the spread of the beetle, ' and o spread, with new outbreaks confirmed in and around the metro area. Qu r es a r ady in place around both Hennepin and Anoka counties, where infest o the borer en confirmed. Both of these counties share a border with erburne county, mea that ash trees within the Conservation Area are at risk. Wit s such. human mov ent of firewood and climate change ever-present, the lik i h l 'might reach the property is high, though the search for effective biologi itrols and other deterrents is ongoing. Unless viable control or treatment option a ed, the qis and ash at the Conservation Area are at risk of dying in th ear n such large trees die, it will have a pronounced effect on the vegetation wat the river. These trees act to shade the water and provide and imp a water quality for fish and other species. When large trees die, they n e canopy create gaps, which in turn releases the understory that was for ly supp ssed by th ade from such trees. If desirable species like native (orbs, gras es, st in the understory, then this can be a good thing, since the resul 0 net increase in bank stability and diversity. In the case of this ora2arty. thes nv Lyans will likelv be filled by buckthorn and Tartarian .tion. In order to avoid this .ioval of undesirable shrub rbaceous plant species is a For green ash in , the situation is particularly important, as this species makes up over 50% of the ca in many areas of the floodplain forest. The principle of risk is highly applicable h e; risk is often defined as the probability of a negative event weighted by its consequences. In the case of EAB, the consequences will be large and quite negative, as a loss of half the canopy on the property could have cascading consequences for invasive species, water quality, and wildlife. The probability that EAB arrives is high, though it is unclear when this will occur. While we plan to remove invasive species prior to this occurring, which will reduce some of the negative consequences, another potential strategy is to proactively remove the ash from the property. This would be a large undertaking, as the ash would have to be removed and replaced by other floodplain species. Removal could be contracted to logging firms, which could potentially fund the work, though the market Friends of the Mississippi W. H. Houlton Conservation Area NRMP 77