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…