Shade Tree Management Board

SHADE TREE MANAGEMENT BOARD Borough of Madison Madison, New Jersey 07940 Minutes of November 19, 2015 Meeting The Shade Tree Management Board held its regular monthly meeting on November 19, 2015 at 8:00 am in the Committee Room of Hartley Dodge Memorial, 50 Kings Road, Madison, New Jersey. Call to Order Alan Andreas called the meeting to order and read the Sunshine Law for compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act. Present: Alan Andreas, Steve Miller, Penny Garman, Christine Hammitt, Gene Cracovia, Nancy Bruce, Lauren Hagerstrom and Mike Kopas Also present: Paul Allocco. Absent: David Maines and Vince Licari. Pledge of Allegiance Minutes The Board approved the October 15, 2015 minutes. The Board addressed the following items of business: Budget Report A $26,597.33 balance remains ($25,594.50 of which is encumbered) of the $115,655 total annual budget and $7,800 was moved from Professional Services and $2,210 from Agricultural Supplies to Maintenance / Tree Removal. Council Liaison Report No report. Public Comments and Correspondence Carmela Vitale received calls about the tree removals on Ridgedale Avenue and at Veteran’s Park. Alan will pen a letter to Patrick Rowe (STMB liaison) and copy Carmen indicating that the trees on Ridgedale would have died as a result of the sidewalk replacement and the blue spruce at Veteran’s Park was half dead. Paul and David removed the vines from two Borough trees at the Luke Miller House. Mike composed a letter to the homeowner informing and explaining the STMB policy when vines climb trees: As a general rule, fast growing vines should be avoided or removed from trees if. The added weight and surface area from the vines increases the chances of limbs breaking and falling from wind, snow and ice. Equally as important and most relevant in your case, some vines that start as a groundcover (such as ivy), form a dense mat covering the tree’s buttress or root flare. The vine often causes leaves and debris to pile up against the root collar and traps moisture against the trunk and root flare. This can cause many fungal and bacterial type diseases, as well as potential structural decay at the base of the tree. When densely covering the trunk, the vines can also cover up structural issues and make them invisible to the naked eye. At a minimum, the Madison Shade Tree Board recommend that you have any trees with vines inspected yearly by a qualified tree care professional for any structural issues. For further protection, the vines should be removed from the trees. This can be accomplished by cutting and clearing the vines from ground level up to about the 3 foot level up the trunk. This will cause the vines to die but also expose the root flare for inspection and cleaning. Once the vines die, some tend to pull out of the trees with ease. Others can be removed by a tree care professional. If there are additional questions, please contact the Shade Management Board at 973-593-3088. A builder damaged a Borough tree on Noe Avenue. Alan will request that Russ Brown direct the builder to pay to remove and replace the tree. Penny will recommend one or two tree replacements. Alan will inquire to Ray Codey about the possibility of paying for enforcement with builders out of Professional Services. Borough Tree Maintenance Status Penny reported that year-to-date 119 trees (including 14 by FMST) have been planted and 170 trees have been removed (23 due to Ridgedale road construction and sidewalk replacement). TCC One case was reviewed. FMST Fourteen trees were planted (9 on Rosedale, 3 in Memorial Park and 2 on Waverly). Ten trees from the tree nursery will be planted and watered in Summerhill Park by Madison High School students. Three chestnuts from the American Chestnut Foundation will be planted in James Park. Chris Schorr created a new door hanger to be left with the homeowner when a new tree is planted. Parks Advisory Committee Next year Parks hopes to replace the parks signs. At Memorial Park the ice skating rink was leveled and Parks is working on funding to replace the shed. The Dog Park process is moving forward. Old Business The issue of private trees that are a public safety risk located at 26 Buckingham and 29 Oxford has been forwarded to Russ Brown. The Space Shuttle Tree will be tied up today, spaded and moved next week. New Business Nominations for next year’s slate of officers will be accepted at the December 17, 2015 meeting. The Board adjourned at 9:37 am. Minutes submitted by Christine Hammitt.