Monday, February 24, 2025

Greetings, SOS Supporters.

If you've been with us for the long haul, you know SOS has been advocating since early 2022 for the City of Saint Paul to adopt a comprehensive tree preservation policy. The city council is poised to vote this Wednesday (2/26) on the tree preservation ordinance introduced by Council President Rebecca Noecker and Council Member Nelsie Yang. Why aren't we thrilled by this occasion? The tree ordinance lacks any meaningful protection for our city's canopy and it also lacks a trusted entity to oversee enforcement.

We have an immediate call for action. We urge you to take 30 minutes today to call and/or email all six city council members to ask for a delay in the passage of the ordinance until it can be revised into a meaningful plan to protect our city's tree canopy.

Here's the link with emails and phone numbers for Saint Paul City Council Members:

Additional messages:

• The tree ordinance lacks:
• Prioritization of tree preservation over projects;
• A set of strong, comprehensive rules that forces alternatives to be considered, and
• Any mechanism for effective enforcement by a trusted entity.

More details for those wanting to dig deep:

• The proposed ordinance irreconcilably conflicts with Minnesota's Environmental Rights Act (MERA). Our Saint Paul tree ordinance needs to make clear that City projects cannot destroy natural resources unless there is no feasible alternative to the project.

• And who is making that feasibility decision? Currently, the proposed ordinance states the Department of Public Works will decide if a City project has feasible alternatives or not. Where are the checks and balances? We advocate for a roster of independent arborists to be called upon to make the feasibility decision.

• Lastly, the current ordinance calls for a 1:1 ratio for tree replacement when trees must be destroyed for a City project. Tree replacement does not equal preservation. All the scientific data shows that a sapling does not replace the list of benefits gained from a mature tree.

For more inspiration, read Marilyn Bach's letter to the editor printed in Sunday's Pioneer Press.

Additional City Hall Contacts

Send your comments to your Saint Paul Council Members and City Hall Leadership:

Public Works Director Sean Kershaw Sean.Kershaw@ci.stpaul.mn.us

Parks and Recreation Director Andy Rodriquez andy.rodriquez@ci.stpaul.mn.us

and Forestry Manager, Rachel Jongeward. forestry@ci.stpaul.mn.us

The city council vote is expected to take place, Wednesday, February 26, 2025.

SOS Steering Committee www.savesummitavenue.org

SOS Steering Committee Chair: Gary Todd Grtodd@comcast.net 651-470-4720

SOS Public Relations Carolyn Will carolyn@cwcommunications.info 612-414-9661