Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977 07-09 City surrenders to Dutch beetles PIONEER PRESS J/yp, /97 • iiii rT 4. '_J Newspaper Single Copy Price--15c . Citysurrenders toDutch beetles By GEORGE BERAN vate residential property under as $400,000 from the state for Staff Writer the mayor's plan. planting new trees. "We can't remove 25,000 trees Mayor George Latimer issued a unless we get every guy with an "I don't want us to be penalized surrender declaration to the ax and a saw in the city to do it at by the state because we've been Dutch elm beetle Friday, urging any cost. . .If I had known the aggressive and accurate in identi- that the city turn away from the extent of the elm catastrophe last fying diseased elms," Latimer St.. Paul woman fights fo save her year, I would have spent more said. He said the city had only elms,Page 13. money planting trees and less re- three errors among 640 removed ��. 4.. moving them,"he said. trees checked for the disease. hopeless task of removing all dis- ,Last spring, the city planted Latimer is skeptical about the eased elms and step up its plant- more than 3,000 trees, but the Minneapolis estimate of fewer ing of new trees. than 15,000 infected elms for the "We ought to declare the battle mayor would like the total to rise year. He said the disease inci- lost," said Latimer as the elm tr 14,0he00 by year haveend.To redo the ence should be runningat similar casualties reached 25,000 for the trick,the city will 6-o reallo-on levels in both cities. year or 3,000 more than the worst cafe funds from its $4.6-million • prediction. removal and reforestation budget. He suspects that the state's 20- ' The mayor said the elm toll Latimer said the city would day removal rule may be encour- aging er- believes reach 5 that byiiitedear e funds need more than$6.6e s,soioh just ate the number ofdis asome communities seddo rees should be spent plantingnew to remove 25,000 trees, hen or- in order to qualify for planting � vors delaying the removal in or- trees instead of removing all dy- der to plant trees instead. aid. ing elms. Latimer said the city should re- His plan would run afoul of Latimer said the city will re- move only the diseased elms state guidelines, which require port on the remaining tree funds which are judged hazardous or se- that diseased trees be removed next .week in order to make verely infected.Limited removal within 20 days after detection.St. changes in the spending for plant- will continue on public and pri- Paul is hoping to receive as much ing.