Emerald Ash Borer

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There are 4,000 inventoried Ash trees in Rochester.

EAB was discovered in the Rochester area in August of 2014; and in Rochester city limits in 2015. As a result, Olmsted County has been added to the Minnesota EAB quarantine. The Parks Department's Forestry Division is responsible for the management of a comprehensive urban tree program including the control of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB).

The City of Rochester currently has a canopy cover of 27%; the Society of American Foresters (SAF) recommends keeping city canopy cover between 40-60% at minimum. If every Ash tree in Rochester was removed, this would bring the percentage down to 19.5% canopy cover. Thus, the issue of evaluating and controlling this invasive pest has become a priority for our Forestry division.