Replenishing Duluth with new Innova trees

The city of Duluth and the University of Minnesota are working together to replace trees lost to the emerald ash borer.

City staff and members of the university’s Natural Resources Research Institute gathered near 59th Avenue West to plant about 25 Innova trees.

The tree was developed by the institute and is the first trademarked and patented hybrid poplar tree in the United States. It was chosen because its roots can expand quickly, so it can fully grow in a shorter amount of time.

“When they approached us about planting the Innova tree, we knew we needed a really large boulevard because it grows fast,” said Clark Christenson, a forester with the City of Duluth. “The boulevards here are probably 15 feet wide. In the city of Duluth, that’s as good as it gets. So we thought this is a great spot to try it out.”

Both groups plan to monitor the trees for the next few years before possibly adding longer living trees such as maples or oaks.

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