Forestry Department News

Boulevard planting reminder
If you plan to plant on the boulevard and are not using our planting program, please be advised that per Minot City Ordinance, a permit is required for planting as well as removal and pruning of boulevard trees. The Forester is committed to insuring that the proper size and disease resistant varieties of trees are planted throughout the city. Also, very IMPORTANT TO US is the TREE INVENTORY PROGRAM. It's proper maintenance depends upon the cooperation of home and business owners, contractors, and tree care personnal throughout the city. It's purpose is to place a condition/value on each boulevard tree so in the event of a natural disaster such as the ice storm of '06, we have quantitative numbers with which to share with government entities in anticipation of their aid in replacement of such trees. THANK YOU FOR HELPING with this very important venture.

Minot named Tree City USA
Minot has been named a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor its committment to community forestry. It is the 16th year Minot has received this national recognition!! Brian Johnson and Dorian Waller traveled to Absaraka to accept the honor and to tour the NDSU experimental forest. They always come away with invaluable information and great ideas for new plantings within the parks and on the city boulevards.

New planting program offer
We are also offering a new planting program; Commemorative Plantings! These special plantings can be arranged for all occasions from memorials, anniversaries of couples and businesses, weddings, births, etc. We welcome your participation in these plantings. Please call our office at 857-4178 for a list of available trees and their prices. We encourage you to help us choose appropriate spots for these plantings. We will order and procure your special tree, plant it, mulch it, and water it for its first season to ensure establishment.

Free consultations available
Just a reminder that our department offers free boulevard and yard tree consultations with Brian Johnson. Give us a call!

Gift Certificates Available
We will continue to offer gift certificates for sale for the purchase of boulevard trees. Gift certificates are great for any occasion and especially for the hard-to-buy-for-person. A decision as to the variety of tree to be planted need not be made at the time of gift certificate purchase. We will be happy to discuss tree options with you at your convenience.

Trapping program underway
Our trapping program got underway on Monday, May 5th, 2008. Guy Hanley, Entomologist at Minot State University is leading our collection program. Brian Johnson and Dorian Waller will be helping to collect bug data and create a base-line for pests in the Minot Area. This collection and study will help us identify potential threats to your trees more quickly, therefore saving more trees from the pest's destruction. Guy reports "lots of interesting stuff" including the gathering of close to 1,000 specimens. Among them are 4 species of Buprestidae (beetles including wood boring), 8 species of Cerambycid (longhorned beetles), and 8 to 10 species of Scolytidae (bark beetles). Guy says that these are the 3 types of bugs that he was most interested in finding. Although we do have traps set for Emerald Ash Borer, no specimens have been found at this time. That, of course, is GREAT NEWS. EAB has, however, now been found in Missouri. Of that finding, Guy comments that the only bright spot of that finding is knowing that the EAB traps and attractant used in them does work and has now been proven so. The most interesting thing Guy has found, he says, is the species Agrilus bilineatus, one of the Chestnut Borers. The biggest problem encountered in dealing with EAB traps is that have been blown around and damaged from the weather, though they are all up and 'running'. Thank-you Guy for all your efforts!