Tree Care

Tree Care

Tree Trimming & Pruning

The City of Victoria trims trees in the right-of-way and boulevard areas for safety and tree health reasons. Typically, trees are trimmed or pruned when they obstruct vision at traffic control sign or intersection, or branches extend over the street past curb line. Tree trimming improves tree health; removing damaged limbs encourages wound closure. Trimming may also correct a defective form to reduce branch failure during windstorms.

Pruning is best done in the winter because the trees are mostly inactive or dormant, and pruning at this time maximizes wound closure in the growing season and reduces the chance of transmitting disease. If you wish to do your own tree trimming, we recommend this shrub and tree trimming guide from the University of Minnesota.



Emerald Ash Borer

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture confirmed that emerald ash borer has been detected along the eastern border in Victoria, Minnesota. Ash trees are at risk of infestation as emerald ash borer larvae tunnel and cut off key nutrients needed to run through the tree.

Emergency Quarantine

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture enacted an emergency quarantine to limit the movement of firewood and ash material out of Minnesotan counties. This will reduce the risk of further spreading the tree-killing insect. Learn more about this tree pest.

Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan

The City of Victoria has an approved emerald ash borer management plan for ash trees located on street boulevards and public areas. The plan recommends the selective treatment and removal of ash trees over a ten-year period, and the City selected Rainbow Treecare to implement this program.

Rainbow Treecare offers city residents with ash trees on their property the opportunity to participate in this program with a City discount. Visit Rainbow Treecare for complete details.

Emerald Ash Borer Information for Homeowners

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has several resources for homeowners.




Buckthorn

Buckthorn is an invasive plant, which spreads rapidly in Minnesota woodlands. It is a nuisance to the natural environment, crowding out native plants that provide food and habitat for birds and wildlife, and taking over the woodland understory by shading out groundcover plants, causing soil erosion that damages lakeshores. Buckthorn has no local natural controls—insects or disease—that restricts its spread.

Removing Buckthorn
The City of Victoria recommends that homeowners remove buckthorn on their property, which is typically a multi-year process. Because buckthorn berries are appealing to birds and small mammals, they spread the plant across woodlands. Once in the ground, seeds can be dormant for up to six years. The city has two buckthorn pullers or "weed wrenches," a manual tool used to lift and pull buckthorn by its roots, available for loan to homeowners.

Reserve a weed wrench online and pick up at City Hall.

Identifying Buckthorn
Buckthorn is a tall shrub or small tree up to 20 feet high. The easiest way to identify buckthorn is by its leaves. They remain stubbornly green in the autumn, long after other trees and plants have lost their leaves. Native cherry and plum trees share similar characteristics with buckthorn, and the mature black cherry tree is its most common look-alike.

COMPONENT COMMON BUCKTHORN GLOSSY BUCKTHORN
BARK/TRUNK

Smooth gray to dark, scaly gray Gray to brown with white lenticels
FLOWERS

Small, yellow-green, four-petaled Small greenish-white, five-petaled
FRUIT


Shiny black berries (female plants in August/September Red berries turn black in late summer

LEAVES

Dark, glossy with small-toothed edges Dark glossy leaves

Buckthorn on City Property
The City of Victoria is working on a process and policy for buckthorn removal on City-owned property. If you are aware of buckthorn on any city-owned lands, please contact Public Works Director Dave Shoger at dshoger@ci.victoria.mn.us.

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