Overview 

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been confirmed in the City of Chanhassen. Trees infested with EAB have been confirmed by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) near the Eden Prairie border. The confirmation was made in January 2021.

Carver County is under an emergency EAB quarantine to limit the movement of firewood and ash material out of the county. This will reduce the risk of further spread of the tree-killing insect.

EAB will infest and kill all ash trees in Chanhassen that are not chemically protected. The city recommends that property owners decide whether to protect or remove their ash trees. City ordinance requires property owners to remove ash trees infested with EAB.

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What is EAB?

EAB larva are dormant during the winter. Insect activity will resume in the spring. Homeowners can treat ash trees during the summer and early fall months. Removals of infested ash trees are allowed October 1 - April 30. The city recommends that trees be chemically treated through trunk injections by a professional tree care company. Rainbow Tree Care has been hired by the city to treat public trees and offers a discounted rate to homeowners to treat their private trees in Chanhassen.

EAB is a small, introduced insect that kills all types of ash trees. It has devastated communities in the eastern United States. Without treatment, all ash will die once infested with EAB, but not all ash merit treatment. How do you know what to do as a homeowner? You can start by learning how to identify ash trees in your yard, what your options are to protect your trees from EAB or how to make the decision whether or not to remove them. The link above accesses a power point presentation from April 2016 given by the City of Chanhassen, University of Minnesota, and Carver Scott Master Gardeners. You can also learn about the latest non-biased EAB information, provided by University researchers as well as state and national forestry staff, at emeraldashborer.info.

EAB History in the Metro Area

• May 2009, EAB is first discovered in Minnesota in a St. Paul neighborhood.
• January 2013, EAB was confirmed in Lakewood Cemetery near Lake Harriet, approximately 13 miles from Chanhassen city limits.
• 2015, EAB was confirmed in Plymouth and Prior Lake.
• May 2017, MDA confirmed EAB infested trees in Eden Prairie near Bryant Lake.
• January 2021, EAB confirmed in Chanhassen

Treatment is recommended for valuable ash. The city has contracted with Rainbow Tree Care to provide treatment of public ash trees. As a part of the contract, Rainbow is offering wholesale discounts on treatments of private ash trees for Chanhassen residents. Click on the Resources Section for Emerald Ash Borer Information to see treatment options for homeowners and for the link to Rainbow Tree Care.

At this time, EAB has been confirmed in at least 35 Minnesota counties including Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Scott, Anoka, Olmstead, Houston, Filmore, Winona, Carver, and Sibley. These counties are under quarantine and have restrictions and regulations pertaining to the transportation of ash wood or trees over county lines. No ash, such as live trees, logs, firewood, brush, or chips may be moved outside of the quarantine counties without a MDA inspection certificate. Within these counties, chemical treatments to protect valuable ash trees have been recommended.

What can homeowners do?

• Don't move ash wood in Minnesota, including firewood and cut trees. Firewood certified by the MDA is ok to use anywhere.
• Become familiar with the symptoms of EAB. For more resources, check out the Resources Section on the left-hand side of this page. 
• If you suspect your trees may have Emerald Ash Borer, contact City of Chanhassen Natural Resources a (952) 227-1133.
• Decide on treatment options for the ash trees in your yard. Options include preventative chemical treatment or removal.

Japanese Beetles

By now you’ve seen your fair share of these voracious bugs on your trees, shrubs, flowers, and vegetable plants. The adult beetles doing the feeding are out only for a couple of months, anytime between June and mid-August. The insect spends 10 months of the year underground in turf and for most of that time they’re inactive.

The grubs feed on grass roots in early spring and late fall. You may see lawn damage if populations become high. Unfortunately, there are no quick fixes to get rid of them. Monitoring your plants and manually removing the beetles and dropping them in soapy water is effective. Chemicals can also be effective if used at the right time and according to directions. The University of MN Extension Service has compiled a thorough bulletin on the topic.