Trees - Buckthorn, Disease & Boundary Issues

Buckthorn

Buckthorn is an invasive shrub found throughout Edina. 

Learn

University of Minnesota information on buckthorn and controlling it. 

Remove

The City encourages residents to remove buckthorn to prevent its spread and keep it from choking out native plants.

Dump

Twice a year, usually in May and October, the City opens up a site near the Braemar Golf Dome for Edina residents to dump buckthorn removed from their yards.

Check the Edina events calendar close to the events or follow the City of Edina on Facebook. 

Volunteer

To volunteer with removal efforts, contact Community Engagement Coordinator MJ Lamon at 952-826-0360. 

Questions

For questions regarding buckthorn in Edina Parks or public spaces, contact City Forester Luther Overholt at 952-826-0308. 

Tree Diseases

Trees in Edina can suffer from various infectious diseases or pests. The three most prominent ones that fall under the infectious tree code are:

Diagnosis & Treatment

Property owners are urged to hire a professional arborist or tree company to evaluate trees for any disease and recommend treatment or removal.

City’s Role

A designated tree inspector hired by the City of Edina and certified by the State of Minnesota has the lawful right to go onto private property to inspect for and control the spread of these three diseases. For oak wilt, the City has hired Rehder Forestry Consulting.

Notification

If the inspector needs to enter your property to examine a tree, a tag will be placed on your front door if no one is at the home or business.

Parks & Public Spaces

The City Forester and Park Maintenance staff keep an eye out for signs of tree disease. Prominent trees are treated when possible. Trees may be removed for disease or preemptively to prevent spread or hazard. The City strives to plant at least one new tree for every removed one, and frequently exceeds that.

Boundary Trees

Boundary trees are trees that cross property lines.

Ownership

The location of the trunk generally determines ownership. If two neighbors are co-owners of a boundary-line tree, they must share tree-care decision-making, expenses and responsibilities equally.

Problems

Before taking any action, be it trimming branches or seeking legal action, have a face-to-face discussion with your neighbor and try to either compromise or reconcile the issue. 

Encroaching Branches or Roots

Property owners in every state have the right to trim the branches or roots of a neighbor's tree that encroach onto their property, up to the property line, at their own expense. This right is called "self-help." However if you trim you cannot:

  • Harm the tree’s health, expose it to disease or destroy it
  • Trespass on another’s property to trim
  • Lean over the property line without permission 

Tree Disputes

If the tree is on private property, any dispute that can’t be resolved by neighbors would be a civil matter. Consult an attorney.