Shade Tree Management Board

Shade Tree Management Board Madison, NJ 07940 Minutes of October 21, 2021 The Shade Tree Management Board held its regular meeting at 8:00AM on Thursday, October 21, 2021 in the Borough Zoom meeting room. Call to Order by Chairman Gene Cracovia. Reading of the Sunshine Law. Members present: Gene Cracovia, Judy Honohan, Brian Monaghan, Kate Bartley, Stephen Miller, Nancy Bruce, Alan Andreas Members absent, Tom Salaki, Vince Licari Liaisons present: Joan Maccari (MEC), Ken O’Brien (DPW), Rebecca Bertrand (Parks), Lisa Ellis (Borough) Minutes: September 2021 minutes approved as submitted. Public Contacts/Correspondence: A new RFP for tree removal will be issued. Historically Honor Tree has had the contract for street tree removal. There are real concerns about dead and stressed public and private trees. Many are ash but some red oaks and sugar maples are also in crisis. Since implementation of the Tree Ordinance there has been an average of one required replacement tree for every 5-6 removed. Suggestion from Rich is to recommend a planting from an approved canopy tree list for each tree removed. For every two dead trees removed a recommendation for one replacement tree could be made. To encourage planting on private property the following should be considered: • FMST could offer a rebate on the cost of the replacement with additional money from STMB. Public donations for trees could be made to FMST. • A receipt from a tree nursery (approved native species source) could be submitted to the borough for partial reimbursement. • Saplings, not seedlings, could be donated to small groups for private property planting by children ages around 8-12. Council Liaison: No report Public Planting: Fall planting of 14 trees is complete. Trees were in containers making planting simpler than burlap wrapped trees. Thirty street trees will be planted in fall of 2022 instead of in spring. TCC (Technical Coordinating Committee): Sites in review are 132 Ridgedale and 3 Central Ave. Zoning Board would like a presentation in January regarding trees and the tree ordinance. Drew Forest Preservation: The petition now has nearly 10,000 in favor of preservation. Drew has two sites on Madison Ave. in addition to the forest acreage. Borough Council has commissioned a wetland study of the forest acreage. Arboretum Tree Day- Frelinghuysen: CEUs are available and classes can be Zoomed at night. John Hoover is our first Council liaison to be Core Trained. Financial Report: October 20, 2021 2021 Budget $154,500.00 Expenditures- Honor Tree $21,299.50 $23,313.42 Richview $2,013.92 Total expended YTD $74,968.76 Encumbered $49,168.19 Unexpended $79,531.24 Remaining Balance $30,363.05 Anticipating reduced revenues in 2022 the STMB budget may be decreased by Council. Parks Advisory Committee: Working on a modified Master Plan. Basketball court locations being considered are at MRC or adjacent to the Memorial Park Dog Park. Friends of Madison Shade Trees (FMST): Design and construction of the Mullins Memorial Grove at Memorial Park has been approved. MEC: More than 200 jars of Community Garden Apiary honey were sold and more than 200 free native flower seed packets given away on Bottle Hill Day. Open Space: No meeting in September. Sustainable Madison: Resubmission is still under review. Action Items: Gene: follow up on use of fertilizer for trees at Drew Gene: Contact Mike Pelessier regarding use of an online tree request form Gene, Nancy, Judy: Review tree ordinance for possible updates and tweaks Rich: Follow up on required tree plantings for 2021 Alan: Bullet point issues to bring to Zoning Board presentations Steve: Using iTree compare benefits of ten maples (lot #3) to proposed solar panels Judy, Gene: Move 30 trees from spring to fall planting in 2022. Draft letter as a standard response to residents clarifying how street trees are selected for sites. Submitted by Judy Honohan