City chops Minnesota Street trees

Recently, the row of ash trees lining Minnesota Street in St. Joseph was cut down. According to St. Joseph Mayor Rick Schultz, three of the trees were infected with emerald ash borer, an invasive species known to kill off groups of ash trees.

The current design of Minnesota Street is the result of a 1990s project conducted by the Minnesota Design Team, according to Schultz. The street’s design was an effort to beautify the St. Joe streetscape, including planting ash trees along the street and installing benches.

After a few decades of growth, the trees have become a problem. Plans to remove the trees were already in the works for three years. The ash trees were on the chopping block due to the risk of invasive emerald ash borers spreading to more trees, and due to the trees’ roots growing out into the sidewalk instead of down into the earth. This ruined the sidewalks and created a safety concern as the pavement buckled.

“It’s unfortunate that we learned the hard way” that ash trees are difficult to contain, Schultz said. A landscaping firm is choosing the replacement trees, and they are intentionally considering species with roots that will grow deeper into the ground to prevent the same problem from happening again.

“I do know we’re not going to put ash trees back in,” Schultz said. According to Schultz, the city will also install root containers that extend a few feet into the earth and encourage proper root development along with the new species.

The city intends to plant new trees in the spring, with hopes to finish the project by the end of June. Simultaneously, they will upgrade benches and pavers along Minnesota Street. Plans also include the entire downtown area in St. Joseph.

“We’re going to make it a universal look and feel,” Schultz said of the downtown area. The city previously discussed working with a bee farmer during the Solar Farm installation project, and installing pollinator-friendly flowers may be one option.

“As a student, I would prefer a pollinator or rain garden, or I would hope they diversify and choose plants native to this region,” SJU senior Rob McManus said. The final plans are not yet set in stone, and Schultz encourages students interested in environmentalism to reach out with ideas and feedback on which plant species the city should choose.