Urban Forestry Commission

Urban Forestry Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, January 15, 2020  8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Falls Church City Hall, Council Chambers Attendees: UFC: Dennis Szymanski, Kathy Philpott Costa, David DeCoste, David Braun, Amy Crumpton UFC City Staff Liaisons: Kate Reich, Charles Prince City Council Liaison: Ross Litkenhous Members of the Public: Olivia Games, Melissa Teates Prior to the UFC meeting, the committee members along with the Environmental Sustainability Council received a presentation from the developers of the West Falls Church Economic Development project. Urban Forestry Commission Meeting 1. Approval of the December 18 Urban Forestry Commission Meeting Minutes: The minutes of the December 18 meeting were approved. 2. Public Comments: Girl Scout, Olivia Games, and her troop leader, Melissa Teates, attended the meeting to discuss Olivia’s ideas for a Girl Scout Gold Award Project. Olivia is concerned about unnecessary tree removal during residential construction projects. She is interested in taking action to protect these mature trees and in the process earn her Gold Award. Olivia was informed that the UFC is currently in discussion with the City Council on this very topic. It was suggested that Olivia meet with the Kate Reich and Charles Prince to discuss ancillary efforts that could help address her concerns and satisfy her Gold Award requirements. Education seemed to be a related initiative that could accelerate her and the UFC goals to prevent the unnecessary removal of mature trees. 3. Staff Updates/ Informational Items ● Review Urban Forestry Commission calendar and bylaws: a draft of the 2020 Urban Forestry Commission Calendar was passed out for review/comments. 4. Current Business ● Response to November Council/UFC work session on preserving more mature trees during residential development: The commission received a draft document to review and provide comments to Kate Reich. Comments will be compiled and then reviewed at The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability call 703-248-5030. (TTY 711)  the next UFC meeting. The finalized document will be presented to the Falls Church City Council for discussion at an upcoming Council Works Session. The agreed upon recommendations will then become part of the UFC strategic plan. ● It was suggested that the UFC choose a document repository so data that UFC and city arborist develops could be readily accessible. Amy will investigate the creation of a dashboard so it could be updated easily and consistently. ● 2020 Tree of the Year: The UFC voted on the Wafer Ash as tree of the year. If it becomes difficult to obtain, then the second choice was Sweetgum. Other considerations included: American Basswood, Black Cherry, and Common Hackberry. ● Charles Prince indicated that he will be posting to social media posts regarding “free” residential tree plantings. ● The UFC briefly discussed the earlier presentation from the developers of the West Falls Church Economic Development project. The UFC expressed its disappointment during the presentation that only a few of its previously submitted questions were addressed. During the UFC meeting, the UFC decided on a new approach of providing one to three requirements for the developers. The UFC will select the highest priorities and provide it to the developers thru Carly Aubrey, Staff Planner on the project. Urban Forestry Commission Staff liaison: Kate Reich: 703-248-5183, kreich@fallschurchva.gov The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability call 703-248-5030. (TTY 711)