City Subscriptions

City to remove trees in preparation for pending projects

[DULUTH, MN] The City of Duluth is removing some trees between now and the end of the month at a number of locations across Duluth in preparation for a variety of 2023 road, building, utility, and park construction projects. This is in addition to the ash trees being removed from boulevards as a part of the City's Emerald Ash Borer management plan.

Tree removal at Kitchi Gammi Park/Brighton Beach will make way for relocation of the storm-damaged shoreline road, shoreline stabilization, and new park amenities. In preparation for the project, tree removals will begin this week. Approximately 100 trees, including 75 Scotch Pine, 20 trees of various species, and five dead trees will be removed from the area. Scotch Pines are demonstrating invasive characteristics and their removal will reduce their potential to overwhelm areas of the forest and surrounding woodland. The Kitchi Gammi Park improvement project has been designed to retain the majority of trees while making room for the new and restored park amenities. As a part of the project, the City will be planting many new native and climate-adapted trees and shrubs throughout the park. Relocation of the road further inland will permit the City to restore a more natural Lake Superior shoreline including native plantings and daylighted streams that will provide better habitat for native species and be more resilient in the face of increasingly frequent and intense storms.

Additionally, several trees will be removed at Enger Park Golf Course in preparation for upcoming construction of a new, larger capacity, irrigation water storage pond.

As we move into spring, the removal of dead and dying boulevard ash trees has also resumed. Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an invasive beetle that attacks and kills ash trees. As the trees ail, they become brittle and require removal for safety reasons. A one-to-one planting-to-removal ratio continues to be a part of our EAB management plan. For more information on EAB management, please visit https://duluthmn.gov/parks/natural-resources/invasive-species/eab/.

###