Shade Tree Management Board

Shade Tree Management Board Madison, NJ 07940 Minutes of December 15, 2022 The Shade Tree Management Board held its regular meeting at 8:00AM on Thursday, December 15, 2022 in the Trustee’s Room and via Zoom. Call to Order by Vice chairwoman Judy Honohan Statement in compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act In compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act, adequate notice of this meeting of the Shade Tree Management Board was provided by transmitting a copy of the meeting notice to the Madison Eagle, Morris County Daily Record, posting a copy on the bulletin board at the main entrance of the Borough Hall, and filing a copy in the Office of the Clerk, all on January 11, 2022. Copies of said notice were made available to the general public. Attendance Name Present Role Name Present Role Bartley x Member Miller Finance Bruce x Member Maccari MEC Cracovia Member O’Brien x DPW Honohan x Member Wolowicz x Arborist Licari Member Schorr x FMST Limbach x Alternate Erlich x Council Monaghan x Alternate Daley x MEC Salaki x Member S. Miller Parks Minutes Approval: November 17 minutes approved as corrected by including the November Arborist’s report. AGENDA ITEMS Public Contacts/Correspondence: • Rich Wolowicz reports that calls and requests on tree permits have dipped, most likely due to the approaching winter. o 3 permits o 5 trees o 5 recommended plantings  • Lloyd Tree Plantings have been planted – Fernwood, Kensington and Greenwood. 14 (only 12 required) trees total. They were accommodating to our list. One problem with a homeowner regarding location of one tree was resolved by Ken and DPW. Spring/Fall Tree planting • The plan for 2023 is to install 70 trees in the spring and 50 in the fall. Judy has one request from a resident for a sugar maple. This was accommodated by a Red maple instead because the sugar maples don’t do well in our region anymore. • Kathleen Caccavale has provided the board with a tree canopy assessment showing gaps in planting. STMB to assess and use as a resource when planning new plantings. Council Liaison Report submitted by councilwoman Ehrlich. Engineering: • The Engineering Dept is preparing plans for several spring construction bids including the Cook Parking Lot Reconstruction and the MRC Basketball/Pickleball court. Bob Vogel indicated he would share draft plans for those projects with the green team committees ("by the end of the year") prior to finalizing the bid documents. • As a matter of general interest, the Council voted to adopt an NJ Dept of Transportation agreement to replace the pedestrian signals and timers at Waverly Place and Central Ave. The new equipment and traffic timing will create an "all- pedestrian" walk phase, where all vehicles will have a red signal for pedestrians to cross safely. Under the agreement, Madison will contribute 25% of the costs associated with the new equipment installation and the state will fund the balance. • Gene provided the stats for this year-end STMB summary that I reported to the public at the extremely-well attended 12/12 council meeting: o STMB reports that Madison's arborist has responded to over 225 resident requests to assess trees this year. o For public and private tree removals, there have been 466 trees removed. The number of trees planted or required to be planted is 230 trees, resulting in a net tree canopy loss of 236 trees this year. o The major reasons for the loss of trees are invasive insects, which especially afflicts our ash trees, and diseases affecting our native oaks, which are a keystone species for NJ habitat. o As Madison loses its tree canopy, residents are urged to help restore the canopy by planting native hardwood trees. A list of recommended trees can be found on the Shade Tree Board's web page on Rosenet.org. o Planning has begun for the 2023 planting of public trees - if you see a space for a new street tree, please contact the Department of Public Works at 973- 593-3088. TCC • Samson Ave application was amenable to recommendation for additional shade trees in addition to submitting a formal permit request for tree removals. o Tom Salaki to submit to Dennis Harrington recommendations for tree placement. • Park Ave Update. o Meeting was held with Rich Wolowicz, Tom Salaki and Russell Stern. It was recommended by arborist and Tom Salaki (Board representative) that the owner/applicant mark on the property which trees are to remain. This will provide the town arborist with a formal method to supply a tree replacement number. At that point Tom Salaki will provide a plan showing recommended new tree locations. Tree City Update • We get 5 points for new/updated ordinance • We also get points for continuing ed credits • Nancy is going to request a list of events and items that count towards so that we can be more efficient Parks Planting • MEC is spearheading the 500 trees planting recommended by borough administration in response to pickleball court being built on forested land. Planning should include sports organizations among others. • It was recommended that a majority of that planting take place on the MRC/Highschool land as there are multiple areas of non-essential lawn and space where shade from trees would be beneficial to users and spectators of sports fields. • Parks masterplan would be helpful to better understand which areas are ideal for reforesting. Tree planting Strategies • Mixing varieties of planting on streets. Open Space: No Report Budget Report: • Year to Date – 2022 Budget (Total budget of $190,200) o Expended: $188,347.15 o Encumbered: $628.76 o Remaining Balance: $4,224.09 o Unexpended: $4,852.85 • This Month Paid: o $812.5 - Friends of Madison Shade Tree (reimbursement for rose garden park) o $17,524.5 - Honor Tree Service (pruning/removals) Friends of Madison Shade Trees (FMST): • Chris Schorr reports that in 2023, 7 trees will be installed in the Memorial Park grove. • Beth Riley will provide a plan for Rose Garden Park with a directive for less lawn and more insect habitat. MEC: • Bridget recommends a partnership with sports organizations for placement of 500 trees program. Sustainable Madison: • Madison has earned silver certification again. We are only behind Woodbridge in “medium” category in the state. 2023 Board Adjustments • Reorganization meeting in January 2023 for positions and members should consider their options. Submitted by, Tom Salaki