Wood Chips from Storm Debris Now Available to Residents

Editor's Note: The following is a Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board press release.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is pleased to announce that Koda Energy, who is processing all tree storm debris for the MPRB, is providing wood chips at four locations to Minneapolis residents to help with their home landscape needs. The following sites will be stocked with wood chips by the end of the week and will continue to be stocked through August 2:

• Armatage Park parking lot:  The lot is on the east side of the 5700 block of Russell Ave. S; wood chips are at the south end of the parking lot near the dumpster.

• Lake Nokomis parking lot:  The lot is off of Lake Nokomis Parkway between 50th St. E and 22nd Ave. S on the north side of Lake Nokomis; wood chips are in a lakeside parking lot.

• Marshall Terrace neighborhood site: Wood chips are located on the north side of 30th Ave NE just west of Randolph St NE along the road in a community garden just east of Marshall St NE.

• Folwell Park parking lot: From the intersection of Dowling Ave. N and Knox Ave. N, the park entrance is east of Knox Ave. N; wood chips are in the northwest corner of the parking lot.

“We are grateful to Koda Energy for this generous gesture,” said Jayne Miller, superintendent of Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. “With recent equipment changes in our Forestry Department and concerns about Emerald Ash Borer, the Park Board is unable to provide wood chips from storm debris.”

The Park Board’s Forestry Department recently purchased equipment that has both increased the efficiency and safety of its arborists. The equipment also greatly decreased the volume of wood chips created by the MPRB.

Since the June 21 storm, the MPRB has hauled away more than 1,000 semi truckloads of boulevard and residential tree debris that has ash trees intermingled with other tree debris. The MPRB is pleased that Koda Energy is able to grind the tree storm debris and provide Minneapolis residents with wood chips that are being double chipped to meet the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's compliance standards for preventing the spread of Emerald Ash Borer.

The four sites will be monitored and replenished regularly through August 2. Wood chips from the storm debris will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis to Minneapolis residents only. Residents should note that the MPRB Forestry and Customer Service departments will not have information about when wood chip deliveries are made or how long the supply of each delivery will last.