Tree & Landscape Board

Minutes of the Tree and Landscape Board City of College Park Tree Canopy Assessment - Virtual Meeting November 2, 2023, 6:00PM Term Exp. Members Present Absent Staff Brenda Alexander, Public Works Assistant Director Staff David Wigglesworth, City Arborist 06/30/2025 John Lea-Cox, City Forester 06/30/2026 Christine O’Brien, Chair 06/30/2024 Todd Reitzel, member 06/30/2025 Emily Friend, member 06/30/2026 Tina Batten, member 06/30/2026 Jennifer Konish, member Alexa Bely, CBE representative Also Present: Carleveva Thompson, Contract Secretary Ms. O’Brien called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 1. Review of draft Tree Canopy Assessment: The Board reviewed the draft tree canopy assessment that was performed by the University of Vermont. The report is scheduled to be presented at the November 14, 2023, City Council Meeting. Dr. Lea-Cox asked Mr. Wigglesworth for clarification on the data as the report shows the 2009 numbers as going downwards. The 2009 report shows a 44% range and now the report is showing 38.4%. Mr. Wigglesworth stated the University of Vermont did more analysis and updated the numbers from the previous report. Based on the harmonization page in the report, the tree canopy assessment has improved on accuracy. The Board discussed how the assessment shows an increase in tree canopy when the City has lost a significant amount of trees due to storm damage. There is also concern with the tree loss being reported in percentage instead of square footage. The Board noted that the relative increase reported is in the natural areas West of Route 1 in District 1(the preserve areas). The loss of trees was primarily in residential areas to the East of Route 1. It was noted that page 2 of the report incorrectly states that the previous report looked at 2009 to 2014 and the previous report was from 2009 to 2018. Page 22 provides a breakdown of tree canopy acreage by District and shows tree loss in Districts 2 and 3. The Board recommends this tree loss be reported on Page 2 of the report to more accurately show the amount of tree loss that has occurred within the City. The Board noted the University of Maryland is an arboretum and has an active tree planting program, which skews the tree canopy assessment data. The Board recommends for the data on Page 22 of the report to be re-analyzed for accuracy.  The Board noted the illustration on Page 10 of the report is inaccurate as the figure shows areas outside of the City. The area illustrated is located at the Southwestern area of the City covering Guilford Woods. The Board recommended that the summary page (Page 4 of the report) be moved to the end of the report. The Board discussed having revisions made to the report before it is presented to the City Council. The Board recommended to have University of Vermont revise the report and send back to the Board by the end of November. The Board will review the revised report at the December meeting and then have the report presented to the City Council in January. 2. Next Meeting Date The next meeting is scheduled on November 15, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. 3. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:04 p.m.