MARSHALL — This past winter Marshall took preemptive action to protect city property from the emerald ash borer by removing more than a hundred ash trees planted around five city parks. Now comes the replanting, said Marshall Parks Superintendent Preston Stensrud.

“We’ll probably do one park at a time,” he said.

On Tuesday, city council members approved the purchase of 226 trees, of a variety of species, to replace the ash trees. The total cost to purchase the trees is close to $50,000.

In 2021, the city had received a $93,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to remove the ash trees, and replace each one with two new trees. The grant also required a 25% cash and in-kind match from the city.

The total cost to purchase the replacement trees from Greenwood Nursery would come to $49,960, Stensrud said.

As part of the cost, “All these trees will have a two-year warranty,” Stensrud said.

The list of trees covers 16 different varieties, from birch, linden, oak and crabapple trees to disease-resistant elm tree varieties. Each kind of tree was also chosen to do well in Marshall’s climate and soil.

Stensrud estimated that the replacement trees would be around 8 to 10 feet tall, with trunks around an inch and a half in diameter.

Marshall parks staff will plant, mulch and fertilize the trees as part of the city’s in-kind contribution for the DNR grant, Stensrud said.

Council members approved the purchase, but also said they hoped members of the public would prevent people from damaging the young trees, or report any damage they saw.

“I hope they leave the branches alone,” said council member Russ Labat.