Battling emerald ash borer on the countywide front

The McLeod County Board Tuesday (Nov. 3) gave Hutchinson city forester Mark Schnobrich the go-ahead to help the county’s nine municipalities fight back against emerald ash borer.

Schnobrich and others are moving quickly to apply for a Minnesota Department of Agriculture grant for emerald ash borer management. The grant deadline is Nov. 20, Schnobrich said.

“Basically, we’re proposing to write a proposal for the entire county,” he added.

The state grants are for a maximum of $100,000, including a 15-percent local match in either cash or donated labor, services, equipment, supplies or materials.

The grants can help communities inventory their ash tree populations on public and private property, preemptively remove ash trees that are in poor health, replace lost trees with new plantings, and dispose of felled trees.

Schnobrich said a 2006 Department of Natural Resources statistical sampling estimated the nine municipalities boast more than 21,300 ash trees. Anyone seeking more information can call Schnobrich at (320) 234-4459.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)