Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) Forestry staff will remove dead trees near Lake Nokomis this fall and winter. Trees identified for removal were specifically identified by Forestry staff as unsafe.
Some of the felled logs will be placed along the shoreline to improve wildlife habitat and reduce erosion. MPRB Naturalist staff is working with Forestry to avoid impacting bird habitat and none of the trees identified for removal contain known nesting locations.
This work will be done in two phases. The first phase will occur later this fall, and will be more selective, focused on trees not requiring large equipment. The second phase will occur over winter, when naturalized areas are dormant and the ground is frozen.
A recent project that repaired sections of eroded shoreline along Lake Nokomis included a temporary fence that protected newly planted naturalized areas during its early establishment period. Now that these areas have had time to develop, the fence will be removed in phases in conjunction with the tree removal project.
Public access to Lake Nokomis is important. The shoreline repair project reduced overall access to the lake, but formalized several specific lake access points to strike a better balance between recreation and natural habitat. It’s crucial to protect the development of the new naturalized areas and wildlife beginning to settle into these areas, so please stay out when the temporary fences start to be removed. Only use the formal access points and help protect wildlife and habitat at Lake Nokomis.