Community Tree Council

1 7/20/2020 COMMUNITY TREE COUNCIL COMMITTEE MEETINGS - MINUTES: Meetings were held on You Tube online at: https://youtu.be/ewwjOf0fEgQ 12:00 - 12:15 PM - CTC Executive Committee meeting 12:15 - 12:45 PM - CTC Steering Committee meeting 12:45 - 1:00 PM – CTC Ad Hoc Interview Committee meeting 1:00 - 2:00 PM - CTC Promotions Committee meeting 2:00 - 3:00 PM – CTC Policy Committee meeting No meeting the month – CTC Trees for Tomorrow Ad Hoc Committee meeting 3:00 - 4:00 PM – CTC Education Committee meeting u Executive Committee Meeting Agenda (7/20/2020, 12:00 – 12:15 PM): Attendance: Mary Attaway, Shawn Doonan, Pam Knox, Phil Hale, Rodney Walters What Operational/Organizational Issues or Needs are there?: - Current approach of staying on topic and on time during CTC meeting seems to be working. - Work group approach may be a better way to streamline things (as activities are reported directly to the CTC) and it eliminates the need for a couple of Ad-hoc committees. Downside is that this may, at times, require more discussion time during CTC meetings. Adjourn: 12:10 PM u CTC Steering Committee Meeting Agenda (7/20/2020, 12:10 – 12:40 PM): Attendance: Mary Attaway, Shawn Doonan, Pam Knox, Marc Beechuk, Phil Hale, Rodney Walters Next CTC Meeting Agenda (Topic Outline):  GA Releaf program. Veteran associated tree planting program ($5K grants total for the State). Designed specifically for Veterans or disaster recovery to establish or replace trees) We already missed the deadline but could consider application in Spring 2021.  Canopy coverage around playgrounds: Would it be possible to develop a TfT like program for planting on playgrounds [CCSD & Neighborhood Triangle Parks] - TfT program is already in place, why not just employ that? - if TfT is continued, it would be good to pare down the cumbersome and outdated aspects of the program (tree legacy book in library, plaques). And perhaps just keep a TfT page on the webpage as a modern way to keep the records. - Many opportunities exists with the schools for fundraising (Booster-a-thon etc.), which could contribute to the planting of trees and groves at the schools.  Extensive TfT records exist, but the info is not organized and has to be organized or “mined” so the CTC may know what the precedents are and to reduce confusion.  A CTC Historian position may be a good way to accomplish this, maybe a member emeritus would be willing to help organize and hold the “institutional” of the CTC  “Picking a team”. Just a follow up on that to make sure each member is on a committee Adjourn: 12:40  2 u CTC Ad Hoc Interview Committee Meeting Agenda (7/20/2020, 12:40 – 1:00 PM): Attendance: Shawn Doonan, Pam Knox, Phil Hale, Rodney Walters, Mary Attaway Discussion:  Does the Ad Hoc Interview Committee need to be dissolved and replaced with a CTC Interview work group (of 4 voting members or less) who conducts the business of finding and interviewing perspective members and reports all their activities directly to the CTC? If so, craft a motion to dissolve Interview Committee and replace it with a work group for next CTC meeting. - Seems reasonable and would help to streamline the process and reduce confusion  Who will serve on the work group?  Any member may lead or serve on the Interview work group.  Invite other CTC members to sit in or to participate and/or lead the work group  Advertise for openings. WUGA, Our website, Flagpole, ? Adjourn: 1:00 u CTC Promotions Committee Meeting Minutes (7/20/2020, 1:00 – 2:00 PM) Attendance: Mary Attaway, Tori Goff, Phil Hale Discussion / To Do: ● Change profile pictures on Facebook and Instagram to the new “Athens Tree Council” logo. ● Add page for donations on website that will include the new donation levels (approved by CTC at last meeting) ○ $25 Acorn ○ $50 Seedling ○ $100 Sapling ○ $250 Dogwood ○ $500 Sourwood ○ $1000 Tupelo ○ $2500 Loblolly ○ $5000 White Oak ● Add a “Clearing House” page to the website for previous projects completed (include date, number of trees and species planted, and funding sources/ amounts), and future, potential sites. ● Mary and Tori will work with Rodney on getting the TFT folder of past projects to organize. Start this process before the next CTC meeting. ● Complete the draft of the letter to solicit donations, and submit to the committee and then CTC for approval. Does this require a vote from the committee? I think it may in case other members outside promotions would like to use the letter to approach potential donors that they know or are interested in. ● Connect with Joe on the Carbon Offset Calculator page for the website. ● For future discussion: ways to involve the public on social media, annual event for fundraising, quarterly newsletter to thank donors and corporate sponsors.  3 Adjourn: 2:00 PM u CTC Policy Committee Meeting Agenda (7/20/2020, 2:00 – 3:00 PM): Over all Policy Committee Goals:  Begin discussion about larger code changes that may be needed  Explore the merits of the creation of a Tree Bank (positive and negative aspects of a tree bank)  Tree Management Plan (needed? wanted? Is Policy Committee the right place for this?) Attendance: Shawn Doonan, Lea Clark, Joe Bates, Marc Beechuk, Jim Weck, Rodney Walters Information: Larger Ordinance Change: Homework -Read the Tree Ordinance Carefully Consider and discuss large edits for long term changes. Very carefully consider the potential domino effect each change could have throughout the entire document and how ordinance rules may effect ACC communities. Questions that need to be answered in order for the ordinance change(s) to be successful (Ordinance change flowchart - keep ordinance change flowchart process in mind) What do we want and why (vision/goals)? What do we have (data/information)? How do we get what we want (resources/partnerships)? Are we getting what we want (adaptive management)? Is it Needed? (Data- canopy cover assessment, iTree Eco, etc.) 1. Is it Wanted? (Community Feedback-Stakeholder meetings - Such a process at this level of ordinance change should engage a broad representation of community members and organizations for feedback ) 2. Is it Supported? (ACC Staff- refer to flowchart) 3. How it gets done? (who writes changes, gets changes vetted with ACC staff, talks to Mayor and Commission, etc.- create a plan ) What Ordinance Changes are Needed and Why? (how do we know?, prove it). - Burden of proof lies on the group making then ask. Data is required to effectively answer this question. - This will likely require some type of deliberative process (legitimacy, justice, effectiveness) the fits somewhere on the public participation spectrum [inform -> consult -> involve -> collaborate -> empower] and involve processes such as: Stakeholder assessments, Mutual Gains consensus building sessions, Deliberative polling, citizens juries, blue ribbon advisory committees, Town Hall meetings, charrettes, committees, community organizing, facilitation and mediation, digital tools, information sharing, or joint fact finding sessions *In all cases, the progression will likely involve some type of negotiation process (natural resource management is always about resources = who gets a seat at the table (are we involving everyone in an equitable process (justice). Possible changes that may be needed and why: - Consider removing Single Family under an acre loophole - Remove exemption for single residential parcels under 1 acre (“Timber Harvest permits are required for all single family residential properties for removal of more than 5 trees, greater than (12?) inches DBH(current standard in ordinance is 18”) within a one year time frame. Invasive species removals will be exempt from permitting requirements”). - Consider if all trees over a certain size (12” DBH) should apply (18” is the current standard in the ordinance - Downtown Tree requirements? - Consider removing structural soils requirement, replace with silva  4 cells or other vault planting options (discuss with Bartlett, a Dr. in BC who pioneered structural soils) - Tree Bank - Stormwater runoff incentives (sustainability) Discussion: Exercise - Take 5 minutes to write down what you want and why? (Results posted at the end of this document) - Take a few minutes to have everyone voice what they want and why  What did you learn? (Generally that everyone wants the same thing but goes at it from a different angle/perspective)  What are your concerns? (What about when people want something ridiculous?)  Opportunities: (Valid concern, yet, after removing outliers, the process provides opportunity to give everyone a voice and to identify areas of consensus among participants and to then focus on working toward progress in those areas)  Is this a useful process? Who should be given a seat at the table? Should a deliberative process be employed for every Athens district? - Next steps: 1. research/study the extensive activities of the Policy Committee in the past to appreciate feedback from previous surveys and to better understand what these process have involved in the past-Archived files. 2. Begin dialogues with other ACC entities to see where things should go from here (how, where, with who to set up some of these deliberative processes with, decide on which deliberative process would be most appropriate). Adjourn: 3:00 PM u CTC Trees for Tomorrow Ad-Hoc Committee (Committee Did not Meet): u Education committee (7/20/2020, 3:00 – 3:40 PM): Attendance: Stacee Farrell, Lea Clark, Edith Jackson, Marc Beechuk 1. Welcome/Chair comments mb- thanked the group for joining and summarized previous emails about direction and tasks for this committee, the results of the emails formed the agenda 2. Thoughts on breaking tasks down by “for Schools” or “for Community/Professionals” Group- agreed the 2 tracks of tasks is appropriate 3. Materials (Stacee, marc) a. Pamphlets – Group discussed current materials, putting tree info online and making one- page documents to explain the programs the CTC offers, mb agreed to look through current brochures, scan and send around b. Presentation Materials  5 c. Green School Curriculum – Stacee will dig through past activities along with Stacy Smith @ KACCB 4. Professional Education (Lea) – Lea had some ideas and was considering opportunities for lunch n’ learns, potentially starting with ACC landscape crews, mb email Lea landscapers and county extension info 5. Community Education (Edith) – Can we be a part of hybrid education? Arbor Day foundation, Carly’s Corner has good examples of school plans; Trees Atl has online programming (small videos); Stacee mentioned EE in GA, Edith too look into 6. Making the Shade Grant informational component – In the past this was done as a writing or art contest via Maureen and Dan from Past CTC, find out if this is still happening 7. Wrap-up/Other thoughts\ Adjourn: 3:40 PM END COMMUNITY TREE COUNCIL COMMITTEE MEETINGS YOU TUBE SESSION