Shade Tree Management Board

Shade Tree Management Board Madison, NJ 07940 Minutes of May 18, 2017 Meeting The Shade Tree Management Board held its regular monthly meeting on May 18, 2017 beginning at 8:00 AM in the Committee Room of the Hartley Dodge Memorial, 50 Kings Road, Madison, NJ. Call to Order: Gene Cracovia called the meeting to order. Present: Gene Cracovia, Alice Wade, Stephen Miller, Brian Monaghan, Carmela Vitale, Ken O’Brien, Nancy Bruce, Penny Garman, Paul Alloco, Vince Licari and Lisa Jordan. Not Present: Alan Andreas and Tom Salaki. Minutes: The April minutes were approved. The Board addressed the following items of business: Public Contacts  Gene reported that NJ Transit is in the process of removing trees along the railroad tracks in Madison. Madison residents are concerned that removing trees will destroy the sound buffer. NJ Transit said that only problem trees are being removed. Ray Cody will look monitor the situation.  A street tree was accidentally removed at 11 Maple St. There is a question as to who will pay for the removal.  The owner of 23 Maple wants a street tree removed. Needs investigation.  The owner of 41 Greenwood wants a Sycamore removed due to it’s messy nature and raising the sidewalk. Vince didn’t think the tree needed removing. Ken reported that due to new sidewalk construction, some of the tree roots had to be cut. The Board decided that the tree should not be removed but monitored for future problems. Council Liaison Report  Carmela reported that she brought the question as to whether STMB should be a board or a committee with the town attorney. The attorney reiterated that the members are completely protected from any liability and that to change would take a substantial effort. Gene agreed to gather any additional questions or concerns and forward them to Carmela. Borough Tree Status  Penny asked that windshield surveys and be completed in July. She also reported that all 105 trees have been planted. This spring there were 26 changes to the original planting plan. Of the changes, 20 people said “no”, and 6 had problems with placement. This is the largest number of changes ever. Regarding maintenance, there have been 24 removals, and 107 trees have been pruned YTD. Ken O’Brien asked that the planting schedule be broken up into groups of 12 trees at a time. Gene will meet with Ken to discuss the idea. ● Ken said that Madison spends approximately $100,000 per year on sidewalk repair due to tree roots. He suggested we rethink the idea of planting trees between the sidewalks and street. Perhaps try to get permission to plant further away from the street. TCC ● Alan is looking into proposed construction at 258 Main St. Budget Report ● 2017 budget is $117,650 ● Previous Month Expended was $1686.25 - Honor Tree Service ● Total Expended $5,676.25 ● Encumbered $75,903.75 ● Unexpended $111,973.75 FMST Nancy noted that the Sumerhill arboretum planning is moving forward. Tom Salaki will meet with FMST to help with planning and education. OLD BUSINESS ● Tree Canopy – Lisa Jordan from Drew University presented her report on Madison’s tree canopy. Her findings cover a 12-year period starting in 2001. Coverage is declining with a high of 47% in 2001 to a low of 41.2% in 2013. She said the report would eventually be able to be updated online. ● Arbor Day – Nancy reported that 2017 Arbor Day was a success as turnout and participation by Madison’s students and residents was impressive. In addition to the ceremony, tree seedlings were given out – more then 600 have been given to residents since May 1. NEW BUSINESS ● Tree Inventory- Steve recommended and it was approved by the Board that we purchase the Enterprise addition from ArborPro.  ● Green Forum – MEC will be conducting a seminar at the Community House on June 14th. ● Tree Assessment Seminar – It was suggested that we sponsor a seminar to help residents assess the health of their trees. Bartlett Tree Company said that they could present the seminar. Parks Advisory Committee ● Paul reported that the parks were cleaned on the Madison High School Day of Service. He also said that the planning for the proposed dog park is moving forward. Board Adjourned 9:30 am Submitted by Brian Monaghan