A new city-funded grant will help Wasilla residents remove dead spruce trees

What you need to know:

• The Wasilla City Council this week approved a $125,000 grant to help residents remove beetle-killed spruce trees from private property, covering 75% of removal costs, with homeowners paying the rest. An additional $125,000 was allocated to remove dead trees from city-owned land.
• A spruce bark beetle outbreak that began in 2015 has devastated millions of acres. The beetles have killed about 90% of Wasilla’s black spruce trees, increasing wildfire risk due to the buildup of dry, dead wood, officials said.
• The funding is part of the city’s 2026 budget, which was also approved this week.

Wasilla – Wasilla residents will have access to low-cost tree removal under a new city grant program designed to reduce fire danger.

The $125,000 grant will help pay to remove trees killed by spruce bark beetles from private properties within city limits, according to the measure. It will cover 75% of removal costs, while property owners will pay the remaining 25%, officials said.

The grant was proposed by Council Member Stuart Graham and approved unanimously by the Wasilla City Council during a regular meeting Monday. The measure also includes $125,000 to remove dead spruce trees from city-owned property. The funding was considered as part of a larger approval process for the city’s 2026 budget.

“If we look at our hazard mitigation plan for the city and we listen to the hazard mitigation folks that spoke to the city earlier this year, the city’s largest exposure, biggest hazard that we have, is wildfire caused by the spruce bark beetle dissemination of our trees,” Graham said. “Obviously, the city is not in the business of maintaining private property, but we do have an obligation here to protect that private property and to assist homeowners with that.”

The measure is designed to mirror a grant process used for similar tree removal programs elsewhere in the borough, Graham said.

Officials with the city’s Public Works Department said they will set up a process for distributing the tree removal grant money to residents and will announce applications when the system is ready.

A native species in Alaska, spruce beetle outbreak cycles have been long documented across Southcentral. While the tiny black bugs typically attack weak or fallen trees, healthy spruce trees are also susceptible under the right circumstances, such as prolonged hot and dry weather.

Mat-Su’s current outbreak started around 2015 and has impacted at least 1.6 million acres, leaving behind stands of dry, dead spruce that can quickly become fuel for wildfires, according to state forestry officials. It destroyed about 90% of Wasilla’s black spruce trees, Graham said during the meeting Monday.

Wasilla officials said they do not have an estimate of how many dead spruce trees need to be removed from city-owned properties, including Lake Lucille Park, Bumpus Recreation Area and the city’s airport. Graham said they may need to conduct an aerial survey before tackling the removal project.

State and local fire officials this spring warned Mat-Su could experience a historic wildfire season due to low snowpack over the winter, leaving brush abnormally dry ahead of the summer months.

The council also voted Monday to unanimously approve the city’s $65.1 million budget for fiscal 2026, which starts on July 1. Budget presentations, hearings and related debates took place over 12 regular and special city meetings.

As in recent years, the city has no debt, and the budget does not include a property tax. The bulk of the city’s revenue comes from sales tax.

-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com