ELY–Ely City Council was warned that the emerald ash borer will likely reach Ely within the next five years according to Riley Smith, a member of Ely’s Tree Board, who updated the council during Tuesday’s meeting.
Smith said the arrival of the non-native pest in Ely threatens roughly 43 percent of the mature trees in the city. Ash trees make up about eight percent of all trees in Ely.
“In 2015, it reached Duluth. In 2025, it reached Virginia. So, in all likelihood, we will have it in Ely within the next five or 10 years,” Smith said. “It will most likely come from a cabin owner bringing firewood with them, so it’s faster than the species will move on its own.”
Ely has already been losing tree canopy over the last 30 to 40 years. Trees were planted in the area when the streets were laid out and matured around the 1970s and 1980s. Since then, Ely has seen a decline in canopy.
“As a tree board, our response to this has to be planting ahead of time, which is what we’re working on currently,” Smith said.
Smith explained that trees should be planted according to the 5-10-15 Rule, under which no more than five percent of the trees should be of a single species, no more than 10 percent should be of a single genus, and no more than 15 percent should be of a single family. This diversity would make Ely’s tree population more resilient against invasive species and disease, he said.
The Tree Board is now seeking the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ 2026 Protect Community Forests for Community Resiliency Grant, which helps cities manage emerald ash borer impacts.

Survey at issue
Also at the meeting, council members had a prickly exchange over Ely Community Response’s economic survey, an effort spearheaded by Councilor Emily Roose, who is running against Heidi Omerza in the upcoming election.
Ely Community Response partnered with the University of Minnesota Extension to put together a survey to assess the economic damage of July’s fires. The group hopes to pass the data on to lawmakers in hopes of securing legislative aid for struggling businesses.
At the meeting, Roose made a motion to put links to the survey on the city’s social media accounts. During the discussion period on the motion, John Lahtonen brought up a rumor that Roose was using Ely Community Response to pay people for votes, either through donations or targeted aid.
“There’s talk around town, and I’m going to be 100 percent honest, that you’re giving money for votes. That’s just what I’m hearing,” Lahtonen said.
Omerza jumped in to ask Kelly Klun, the city attorney, if Roose leading the survey effort was a conflict of interest. Klun said she did not think it constituted a conflict of interest.
The motion to include a link passed with one dissenting vote from Lahtonen.
In other business, the council:
• Approved a $40 daily fee for farmers market vendors and a $150 annual permit fee.
• Heard from Police Chief Chad Houde that Officer Courtney Olson will be moving departments.