North Iowa Reporter

The Emerald Ash Borer has infested the ash trees in Kossuth County, and the Algona City Council figures some of its trees are also stricken so the town is moving forward with plans to cut down dozens of the trees.

The exact number of trees that will be razed will be determined by total cost.

The city had estimated that bids would come in at about $1,000 per tree, so the council had 75 trees on the list initially because they approved $75,000 for the project this year. Because the accepted bid came in lower, the city will add more trees to the list.

“We had a certain amount (of money) set aside” for the project, Deputy City Administrator Barb Smith said at the March 20 council meeting. In soliciting bids, the town received 10 offers that ranged from $32,500 to $96,000.

The city went with the low bid, put in by A.J.’s Tree Service. Because it came in significantly under budget, the council will add more trees to the job, cutting down as many as possible while staying within budget.

“The high bid came in at $96,000,” Smith said. “If that was the low bid, we would have had to remove some trees from our list to get it down to $75,000. Since the bid came in at $32,500, we plan on adding some trees since we have available funds.”

Kossuth County is just 15 miles south of town, and with the boring insects being detected there, it is likely they already have attacked some Algona trees. When Emerald Ash Borers invade, the trees die within a year or so, and dead trees pose a risk to public safety as they can fall on passing cars or pedestrians

This current wave of tree removal is likely to be just the first step in the Emerald Ash Borer mitigation plan. The council expects to cut down more trees every year over the next five years.

The town with negotiate with A.J.’s to determine how much to expand the project for this year, as tree removal costs depend partly on how large the trees are. If A.J.’s can’t handle all of the added work, the council approved reaching out to the second-lowest bidder to have that company handle the overflow, but it will not go over the $75,000 budgeted.