Urban Forestry Commission

Urban Forestry Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, January 18, 2022 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Meeting Location: 300 Park Ave, Oak Room and Virtual Attendees UFC members: Amy Crumpton (Chair), Stephanie Lamore (Vice Chair) Jennifer Anderson, Tim Roche, Alison Miller (Secretary) City Council Liaison: Letti Hardy UFC Student Representative: Katherine Hall City Staff Liaison: Charles Prince (Arborist) Members of the Public: none Other guests: none 1) Call to Order - the meeting was called to order at 7:32 p.m. by Amy Crumpton. 2) Roll Call 3) Approval of the November Minutes. November UFC Meeting Minutes were approved by voice vote. 4) Public Comments. No public comments received. 5) Staff updates and Informational Items: a) City Council Calendar b) Council Work Plan for 2023 Relevant priorities include: Tree lights expansion and making them less intrusive to tree growth and flower baskets (funded by hotel tax). Develop additional new “parklets” Park Avenue Great Streets Project City Green Building Design Guidelines We are also going to finish our letter on tree canopy coverage guidelines.  c) Request for Tree Inventory Funds Charles is advocating for the funds and we will support as needed. d) Tree City USA Certification Charles expects to get “Tree City USA” designation for the 45th year. Will share when it becomes official. e) Arbor Day Planning Charles has started to plan events and materials. Charles is nailing down the exact date as well. Please send any ideas his way. f) Staff Updates Still a vacancy on the crew. Amy wanted to commend Eli and Paul for their work on Cavalier Park. 6) Current Business a) Rules of Procedure Charles is leading the refresh with the Clerk's office. The Commissioners to review and provide comments by February Commission meeting. b) Election of New Officers Tim made a motion to vote on the officers of the UFC for 2023 to extend for an additional year. This motion was seconded by Jennifer and approved unanimously by the Commission. Amy Crumpton will continue to serve as Chair, Stephanie Lamore as Vice Chair, and Alison Miller as Secretary. c) 2023 Tree of the Year We need to pick a tree for 2023. If we pick the tree early enough we can add the tree silhouette to Arbor Day celebration materials. Amy requests that the Commission members propose 2-3 tree species to nominate and email them to Amy by Feb 8th. Charles suggested considering a climate adaptable species. Option to promote tree of the year with neighborhood tree program. d) Urban Forestry Management Plan Charles will provide additional details and updates in upcoming meetings. e) Greenspace and Tree Canopy Requirements Amy to meet with Paul Stoddard (Director of Planning) to discuss further. f) 2022 Annual Report We need to start working on the Annual Report. Stephanie offered to take a first pass on our 2022 achievements. Jennifer will edit the report to the minimum. We need a draft by Feb 8th.  g) 2023 Speaker Series Amy to work with Charles on scheduling 3 speakers this year. (VA Forestry expert, Stormwater, Green Architecture, City Planning, Arlington) 7) Future Business a) Green Infrastructure Standards b) Urban Forestry Management Plan c) Urban Forestry Code Changes d) Specimen Trees e) Website Refresh 8) Adjourn - the meeting was called to order at 9:13 p.m. by Amy Crumpton. Urban Forestry Commission Staff liaison for this meeting: Charles Prince, cprince@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 571- 296-6306 TTY711