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MARSHALL -- Area residents showed some interest this week in a state grant program to address emerald ash borer in their communities.
On Monday, representatives of area communities and organizations met with representatives of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to learn how to apply for the 2026 Protect Community Forests Grants.
"We were impressed by the turnout for the presentation in Marshall and hope that engagement with folks through this event will encourage smaller communities and organizations to apply," said Community Forestry Project Specialist Rachael Dvoracek.
"DNR has been holding these information meetings to connect with potential applicants," Dvoracek said.
In addition to the meeting in Marshall, sessions were also held in the Twin Cities, Faribault, Virginia and Bemidji.
"We host in-person information sessions ahead of the application deadline for the majority of our grants, though the locations of these presentations may chance," Dvoracek said.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has confirmed areas of emerald ash borer infestation around the state. The beetles and their larvae, which feed on ash trees, were confirmed in Marshall in 2023. In addition to Lyon County, emerald ash borers have also been found in southwest Minnesota counties including Redwood, Murray, Rock and Nobles Counties.
On Monday, Dvoracek walked audience members through the grant application process and answered questions. She said grant funds will be awarded to help local governments, schools and nonprofits replace trees infested by emerald ash borer. The grants can also be used for projects like providing educational outreach, treating existing ash trees, and maintaining existing tree canopy in area communities.
"The DNR has just over $1.7 million available in funding for grant activities. There's no minimum dollar amount to what you request," Dvoracek told area residents. "But we will not fund any projects that are over $150,000."
Projects could take place on public land, or low-income residential land, she explained.
"The other exciting thing that we have as part of this grant, that has not been a part of previous grants, is technical assistance," Dvoracek said. She explained that grant applicants can opt in to have technical assistance for volunteer planting from Tree Trust, or educational assistance from the University of Minnesota.
The application window for the 2026 Protect Community Forests Grants closes Sept. 14.
One goal for the grant program is to help Minnesota communities built resilience to pests or diseases that affect trees. Madisson Masucci, DNR urban and community forestry coordinator, told the Independent that planting a wider variety of trees can lessen the damage from pests like emerald ash borer.
"Planting a more diverse community forest can help manage and prevent losses from insects and disease in the future, by reducing the likelihood of losing a large percentage of trees during new outbreaks," Masucci said. "For example, if you have 30% of your urban canopy as maple, which is often a common occurrence in our state, and a new disease or insect comes through that targets maple trees, your community will need to replace 30% of the total canopy at once, which we know is a large burden on communities and residents."
"The goal is to create a community forest that can withstand outbreaks, through minimizing the potential impact of new insect and disease issues on our communities' canopies as a whole," she said.