You may perform tree care operations (including tree pruning and removing) yourself, or you may choose a private tree care company that is licensed by the City of Robbinsdale.

Tips on Choosing an Arborist

Recommended Shade Trees for Robbinsdale Private Landscapes

City-Owned Public Trees

The City of Robbinsdale owns and maintains those trees growing around municipal offices and facilities, along street rights-of-way, in parks, city-owned woodlands and in a few other random areas. City Code specifies Forestry staff to actively manage public trees which include regular pruning, removals, treatments (where applicable), hazard inspections and new tree planting. The street right-of-way typically extends inward about 12-15 feet behind the curb regardless of whether a sidewalk is present. However, some exceptions exist depending on the platted width of the roadway. If you have questions about tree ownership along the right-of-way or if you would like some tree work to be performed in the questioned area, please contact the City Forester/Natural Resources Specialist.

If desired, residents are allowed to plant a tree in the public right-of-way. This action requires that a permit application for planting a tree on City-owned boulevards be completed and submitted to the Engineering Department for review. Download the City-Owned Right-of-Way Tree Planting Permit here.

Private Trees

Your trees, i.e. those growing or originating on your property, are your responsibility. A tree or shrub can be jointly-owned if it is growing on the property line, with equal portions of the trunk on both sides of the imaginary property boundary. In this case such a plant would be co-owned, meaning that responsibility for maintenance or removal of the plant is ideally shared. It is up to the homeowner (i.e. not the city) to know where their property lines are for such determinations.

Your neighbors’ trees may overhang or encroach onto your property. If such a situation arises and becomes a problem, the first step is to discuss the situation with your neighbor. Together, attempt to reach an agreement that solves the problem in a manner acceptable to both parties. From a legal standpoint, pruning cuts on neighboring trees can only be made as far as the edge of your property line, which would be a worst-case scenario. It is always best to ask permission of the owner of the tree prior to performing any such work or pruning near the property line. This will foster better relations and proper pruning cuts. Branch stub cuts are unsightly and generally detrimental to tree health. You may perform tree care operations yourself or choose a private tree care company that is licensed by the City of Robbinsdale (see City Licensed Tree Contractors).

*If you suspect that a tree is in contact with an energized wire, stay clear of it and contact Xcel Energy immediately at 1-800-895-4999*

The City attempts to manage its community forest on a six-year rotation. This means that City-owned trees (see flyer on Whose Tree Is It?) are divided into six zones and, budget allowing, all public trees in one zone are pruned each year. Pruning is performed during winter to allow for improved assessment of tree structure and to minimize the spread of harmful insects or diseases. Trees are pruned to reduce present or future hazards, provide clearance, improve structure, and to remove dead/diseased wood. This work is performed within the guidelines outlined in the ANSI A300 standards for pruning. In addition, citizen pruning/removal requests are considered and included in work plans as deemed necessary by the City Forester.

Diseased City-owned trees are removed within twenty days (excluding Sundays and holidays), as possible. Public dead and dying trees, hazardous trees, and other trees that must be removed are scheduled according to relative risk to people and property, as well as budgetary and scheduling constraints. The City selects tree removal and tree pruning contractors separately every 2 or 3 years based on bid prices for projected work, demonstrated performance, and ability to respond in a timely fashion.

Residents are encouraged to report broken branches, declining or diseased trees, structural pruning needs, damage and/or any other problems found on public trees to Forestry staff or the Engineering Department. If clearance pruning of a specific public tree over a yard or sidewalk is needed please contact the City Forester/Natural Resources Specialist.

More information on pruning oaks, elms, and ash trees

Following a storm, the first priority of city crews is opening roads and alleys. Debris from public tree (boulevard and park trees) will initially be pushed aside to ensure roads, alleys, and sidewalks are passable, before being picked up.

Storm damage to your trees (those growing or originating on your property) is your responsibility. During yard waste pick-up season, Waste Management will accept branches less than three inches in diameter and less than five feet in length, bundled. Bundles must be shorter than five feet in length. Larger debris cannot be picked up by the solid waste hauler because it will damage the truck's compactor.

If you have debris larger than three inches in diameter and five feet in length, the debris will need to be removed by a private contractor or taken to a yard waste disposal site.

Visit the Yard Waste page for more information on disposal.

Two lethal and contagious vascular diseases threaten our community’s elms (Dutch elm disease) and red/northern pin oaks (oak wilt). Both diseases are spread via root connections between trees and bark boring insects, but are host-specific (i.e. Dutch elm disease only occurs on elms). Oaks of the white oak group (bur, white and swamp white) are more resistant to oak wilt than the red oak group and are not actively managed as part of the City’s oak wilt control program. Oaks in the red oak group that contract oak wilt most often always wilt within 2-6 weeks. All elms are susceptible to Dutch elm disease but the exotic Siberian elm is relatively resistant.

Once an elm or red/northern pin oak has been diagnosed due to characteristic wilting in the canopy or stained sapwood, the tree needs to be removed and the wood properly disposed of. In cases of early diagnosis, therapeutic treatments (removal of symptomatic wood combined with an injection of a systemic fungicide) may be pursued on elm trees.

Movement of infected elm or oak wood is often how Dutch elm disease and oak wilt spreads to new areas. Even after a diseased tree is cut down any remaining wood with intact bark is still a disease risk. Elm wood with intact bark will attract and serve as a breeding site for elm bark beetles that spread Dutch elm disease. Diseased oak wood will often produce spore mats (mushrooms) under the bark which attract picnic beetles who then spread the disease to healthy oak trees. If wood from a diseased oak is desired to be kept as firewood the wood must be stacked and completely covered by a thick plastic tarp anchored at ground level for at least a year. This prevents contact between beetles and spore mats.

The Robbinsdale City Code directs Forestry staff to manage these diseases on both public and private property. Public diseased trees are promptly removed by the City. When a dying or diseased elm or red/northern pin oak is located on private property a notice will be sent to the property owner, identifying the tree(s) in question and explaining removal options and procedures. The notice also specifies the completion deadline, which for elms is twenty days during the growing season (excluding Sundays and holidays). For diseased oaks the deadline will normally be prior to the next year’s growing season since spore mats normally form in the spring following tree death.

Hennepin County was recently awarded a five-year, $10 million Inflation Reduction Act Urban and Community Forestry grant from the U.S. Forest Service to remove and replace diseased, infested, or dangerous trees. With the grant funding, Hennepin County forestry will help property owners with households earning 80% or less of the area median income with removal and replacement fees.

Hennepin County is now accepting applications for the tree removal and replacement program. The program prioritizes applications from property owners who live at their property and whose household income is under $94,650 (for households from 1 to 4 people). See this chart for households of 5 or more people.

Apply for tree removal and replacement at Hennepin.us/tree-help. The application process is 100% online and available in English, Hmong, Somali, and Spanish. Proof of income is required.

Learn more about the grant at the county's Urban and Community Forestry webpage, or explore specific FAQs about the grant and its eligibility requirements here.

Emerald ash borer (EAB) was found in Robbinsdale in the spring of 2018. Ash are no longer being planted (ash constitute 8% of the City’s public tree inventory) and all remaining healthy public ash trees are undergoing regular treatments by the City Forester to protect them from EAB. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture website has detailed information about EAB. Residents who suspect that an ash tree is infested with EAB can submit a report by following the State’s “Arrest the Pest” procedure described here.

This exotic pest from Asia has decimated ash populations across the eastern United States and Canada and continues to expand. Most communities in Minnesota are heavily planted with ash trees and our state has one of the largest populations of wild-growing ash in the nation. Thus, awareness and planning are essential if you have an ash tree since all ash species (excluding mountain ash) are at risk of infestation.

The best way to avoid spreading EAB (and oak wilt and Dutch elm disease) is to not transport any firewood. Many serious invasive tree pests migrate by way of infected or infested firewood being transported from one place to another. This is the primary way both EAB and oak wilt has expanded. When camping, buy locally grown firewood at or near the campsite and leave what remains unburned.

City of Robbinsdale EAB Management Plan

Treatment of Public Ash Trees

Best Management Practices for Known Emerald Ash Borer Infested Areas

Homeowner Guide to Insecticide Selection, Use, and Environmental Protection for EAB

Minnesota Department of Agriculture Emerald Ash Borer Program

Emerald Ash Borer Status in Minnesota (Map)

April is generally the beginning of the time period when you should stop pruning oak trees in order to prevent the spread of oak wilt disease. The best time to prune oaks and most other trees is the period from November through March due to the dormancy of insects and diseases. If you need to cut any living branches or roots of an oak tree from April through October it is very important to spray the pruning cut immediately with latex or acrylic spray paint. Paint creates a barrier so that picnic beetles who are attracted to the smell of fresh wounds on oaks will not transfer the oak wilt fungus to healthy oak trees.

Once a tree is infected, the disease can readily spread from tree to tree though shared root systems of oak trees. Red and northern pin oaks (pointy leaves) are the most susceptible to this disease and wilt within 2-6 weeks after infection. White, swamp white and bur oaks (rounded leaves) are more resistant to oak wilt but not immune. Arborists have created an oak wilt calendar which is broken up into three risk periods based on the chances of oaks contracting the disease overland. These risk periods are: April-June: high risk; July-October: low risk; November-March: no risk/safe. It is important to note that low risk DOES NOT mean no risk. Only prune if necessary during late summer/early fall. For more information on oak wilt click here.

City Licensed Tree Contractors

Tree Contractors Known or Presumed to Provide Ash Treatments

Tree Contractor License Application

Adopt-a-Park is a public service program for volunteers to pick up litter and help keep Robbinsdale’s parks clean. It enables citizens to provide a meaningful contribution to a healthier environment. Removing litter is expensive and citizens lending a hand to keep parks clean will help the City reduce its maintenance costs. Robbinsdale community groups and businesses may “Adopt a Park” by contacting the City.

Please use this form to report your adopt-a-park pick-up events.

Terms and Conditions

1. The group agrees to pick up litter in a Robbinsdale park or portion of a park. The group agrees to pick up the park three times each year (spring, summer, and fall).
2. The group shall pick up litter during daylight hours and good weather. Also, the supervisor of the group must inform the participants of the safety tips (see below).
3. The group shall provide adequate supervision to participants eighteen years of age or younger.
4. The group shall arrange litter pick up dates three days in advance of the event with Stephan Papiz, Natural Resources Specialist, at spapiz@robbinsdalemn.gov or 763-531-1273.
5. The group shall place filled trash bags on a single designated portion of the park. This way parks maintenance staff will arrange to pick up the bags on the next business day.

Safety Tips

1. Participants should be mentally alert and use good judgment and common sense.
2. Participants should be in good physical condition including sight and hearing.
3. Groups should stay away from construction sites and avoid all construction equipment.
4. Groups should avoid poison ivy and other noxious weeds, recently applied herbicides, and open water, unless otherwise specified.
5. Participants should never pick up heavy, large, or hazardous material. Please notify City staff of any such items.
6. Participants should wear work gloves, light colored clothing and heavy leather shoes or boots.
7. Participants should wear appropriate clothing for brushy areas; apply tick & insect repellent as needed.
8. Supervisors should assign work teams and distribute trash bags. Also, estimate the amount of time needed for pickup and agree on a meeting place when the job is finished.
9. Bring along a first aid kit. Have at least one charged cellphone per group in case 911 needs to be used for emergency assistance.

Pollinator & Monarch Friendly Planting

Planting and Maintaining a Bee Lawn

Pollinator Lawn Information from Blue Thumb

University of Minnesota Forestry Extension

University of Minnesota Extension--What's Wrong with my plant?

Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Forestry

Minnesota Department of Agriculture

International Society of Arboriculture

Minnesota Society of Arboriculture

National Arbor Day Foundation

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

Twin Cities Tree Trust