ST. PAUL, Minn. – A $44,000 state grant in response the ash borer infestation that is decimating urban forests has been awarded to Winona. In all, the Natural Resources Department issued $2.4 million to 35 communities to diversify local foliage, to remove wood and diseased trees, and to create local inventory plans for trees. The largest grant, $123,000, went to South St. Paul. The southeast Minnesota grants:
> Rochester, $149,000.
> Winona, $124,000.
> Hayfield, $40,000.
> Oronoco, $35,000.
DNR spokesperson Emma Schultz said 40% to 60% of trees in some communities have been ash. Dealing with the infestation has been a huge local budgetary constraint, she said.