To help address the loss of trees caused by Emerald Ash Borer, the city of Marshall offers a tree replacement rebate program to single-family homeowners in Marshall.

This program provides financial support to residents who purchase and place new shade trees, helping to restore and strengthen our community’s tree canopy. The city also provides rebates to remove ash trees.

The program is funded by a portion of the ReLeaf Grant the city was awarded through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to assist in the removals of ash trees and encourage the planting of a wide range of diverse species. The city has been preparing for emerald ash borer for over a decade now, making sure to plant various species and conducting tree inventories.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) confirmed the presence of emerald ash borer (EAB) in Lyon County for the first time in 2023. There are now 59 counties in the state, including Lyon, with EAB.

Emerald ash borer is an invasive insect that has killed millions of ash trees throughout the eastern half of the U.S. and southeastern Canada. Native to eastern Asia, emerald ash borer infests and kills both weak and healthy ash trees. All ash species native to North America are vulnerable to attack.

With more than 1 billion ash trees in Minnesota, the spread of emerald ash borer has already had a serious impact on our forests and communities, and it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Below are the two rebate programs in greater detail:

Tree replacement

A reimbursement up to or equal to $100 of the total purchase price per new tree will be paid upon meeting the guidelines set out below. Limit of four trees per property. The homeowner is responsible for the remaining cost.

The tree(s) planted must be from an approved tree species list found on the city’s website, and the purchaser must present a paid sales receipt stating the type(species) and cost of the tree(s) to the Community Services Department at 344 West Main Street.

If the business does not have the ability to print the tree species information on the receipt, the city will accept a written statement from the business identifying the tree species that was purchased. Please include this statement with your paid receipt. Upon presenting the paid sales receipt, the purchaser will be required to sign a certification stating that the tree has been planted in accordance with the Tree Planting Guidelines.

Prior to disbursing the reimbursement, staff will complete an inspection and confirm that the tree was planted at the stated address. The Parks and Recreation Superintendent, or designee, reserves the right to review alternate tree species and tree sizes for consideration if deemed necessary.

Tree removals

A reimbursement up to or equal to $200 of the total purchase price per tree removal will be paid upon meeting the guidelines set out below. Limit of two tree removals per property. The homeowner is responsible for the remaining cost.

The program can only be used to remove Ash trees–any non-Ash removals done in conjunction with a larger project on private property must be invoiced separately or itemized on the invoice to be deemed eligible.

Tree removals and stump grinding must be done by a licensed contractor. Any tree removals must be completed between November 1st to May 1st for each season to qualify. Prior to disbursing the rebate, staff will complete an inspection and confirm that the tree was removed at the stated address.

Questions or comments?

Please contact Preston Stensrud, Parks and Recreation Superintendent at preston.stensrud@ci.marshall.mn.us or 507-537-6786.

For more information on Emerald Ash Borer, please visit: https://extension.umn.edu/tree-and-shrub-insects/emerald-ash-borer

— Sharon Hanson is the city administrator for the city of Marshall