Arbor Committee

Chair Address: Mary Parenteau 12800 Arbor Lakes Pkwy Committee Members Maple Grove, MN 55369 Michael Aasen Marilyn Arnlund Phone: Steven Courtney Arbor Committee Agenda 763-494-6040 Julie Gamber December 9, 2021, 7 p.m. Bob Henke Emergency Operations Center Website: Frank Kampel maplegrovemn.gov Cody Lensing Sarah Piket Ed Reichow Donald Varney 1. OPENING BUSINESS A. Call to Order 2. A. Approval of Agenda B. Approval of Minutes – September 9, 2021 Regular Meeting 3. OLD BUSINESS A. Arbor Subcommittee Update B. Forest Management Plan Review C. Conservation Partners Legacy Grant D. Fall Tree Festival Update 4. NEW BUSINESS A. Tri-Care Tree Removal B. Arbor Committee Website Videos C. Low Cost Trees for EAB Affected Residents D. 2022 Committee Goals and Workplan 5. AREA REPORTS Arbor Committee T-shirts U of M Student – Tree Inventory 6. ADJOURNMENT  REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: December 9, 2021 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner AGENDA ITEM: Approval of Agenda and Minutes – Agenda Item 2A and B PREVIOUS ACTIONS: None RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: Call by Chair ________________ for any additions or revisions to the agenda. Motion by Committee member ________________, seconded by Committee member __________________ to approve as proposed or approve as amended the agenda for the December 9, 2021 regular meeting. Motion by Committee member __________________, seconded by Committee member ______________ to approve the minutes of the September 9, 2021 regular meeting as presented or as amended. COMMENTS: Click or tap here to enter text. ATTACHMENTS: None  MAPLE GROVE ARBOR COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 VIRTUAL ONLINE MEETING 7:00 PM Call to Order The regular meeting of the Arbor Committee was called to order by Chair Parenteau at 7:00 p.m. Members Present Chair Mary Parenteau, Vice-Chair Frank Kampel, Sarah Piket, Steve Courtney, Julie Gamber, Don Varney, Marilyn Arnlund, Bob Henke, Cody Lensing and Mike Aasen. Members Absent Ed Reichow Also Present Jesse Corrow, Staff Liaison Approval of Agenda Henke requested the addition of 3D T-shirt Discussion. Motion Kampel, second Arnlund to approve the amended agenda. Vote all ayes. Motion passed. Approval of Minutes Kampel requested a grammatical error. Motion Varney, second Henke to approve the minutes from August 12, 2021. Vote all ayes. Motion passed. Old Business 3A - Forest Management Corrow summarized the discussion from the previous Plan Review meeting. The city has the GPS equipment to locate and map the trail system, this should be done during leaf off. Kampel and Henke volunteered to help locate the trails in the forest preserve when the time comes. Corrow is working with a sign company in order to install signage where the Forest Preservation Area borders residential neighborhoods. Sign locations were discussed and staff will try to begin installing the signs this fall. The Committee would like to have a single person or department to oversee and manage The Forest Management Plan in the future. Kampel offered to revise the shortened version of the Forest Management Plan document ahead of the next committee meeting. 3B - Conservation Partners Corrow contacted the DNR grant coordinator and she thought Legacy Grant the Forest Preservation Area would be a great candidate and encouraged us to apply. Applications would be received through May of 2022. The grant coordinator also recommended applying for the $50,000 maximum amount and the city would be reimbursed on the actual amount it  spends. The grant also requires a 10 percent match by the city and Corrow mentioned that there is money available for this type of activity. Arnlund, Aasen and Kampel will work on writing the application. Corrow will forward example applications that were provided by the DNR. A number of possible grant activities were discussed that could be applied to Forest Preservation Area. 3C – Fall Tree Festival Corrow reviewed the event planning that was covered during the previous meeting and mentioned that a lot of the ground work was already in place from last year’s event. Arnlund and Council Member Hanson recently toured the Arboretum and provided a list of 16 new trees for the tree tour and Corrow will work on updating the map. Since some of the selected trees did not have a plaque beneath it, a corresponding number will be placed near each tree. Scavenger hunt photos were provided by Piket and the committee discussed tree identification. Piket and Lensing will add information for each tree slide so they will be ready for the website. Corrow will prepare the website and Facebook page. Parenteau, Kampel and Henke will hang the laminated signs on the scavenger hunt trees. Gift cards to local nurseries will be awarded to the top three scavenger hunt participants and the tree seedlings that were planted in the gravel bed last spring will be available to all participants on a first come, first served basis. Henke and Lensing volunteered to hand out the tree seedlings on Saturday October 9th between 9:00 – 11:00 A.M. Arnlund expressed disappointment that approximately 75 tree seedlings had died because of the poorly maintained irrigation system at the gravel bed. Chair Parenteau will contact Joe Bennett about the concern. 3D – T-shirt Discussion Henke has been in contact with a couple of t-shirt vendors and was requesting additional input from the committee on material, colors and design. The committee decided that one shirt with a high visibility color could be used for the buckthorn event and street cleanup, while a second shirt with a more neutral color could be used other public events. Committee members will send their shirt size and color preference to Henke. Area Reports Henke expressed disappointment that an article in the City Focus magazine did not mention that T-zone can be easily identified on the new city website resources. Parenteau asked if there was any additional information from staff pertaining to what Hennepin County Parks can do for the  city in the Forest Preservation Area. This information was requested by the Mayor at the conservation easement worksession. Staff will be responding to Parenteau. Adjournment Motion Kampel, second Henke to adjourn the meeting at 8:11 p.m. Vote all ayes. Motion carried. Respectfully submitted, Jesse Corrow, Staff Representative City of Maple Grove Arbor Committee f REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: December 9, 2021 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner AGENDA ITEM: Parking Lot Subcommittee – Agenda Item 3A PREVIOUS ACTIONS: The Parking Lot Subcommittee continues to meet and discuss ways to increase the survival rates of trees in parking lots. Members of the subcommittee (Arnlund, Piket, Varney) will provide an update on meetings that have taken place since the last Arbor Committee meeting. RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: Click or tap here to enter text. COMMENTS: Click or tap here to enter text. ATTACHMENTS: Click or tap here to enter text.  REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: December 9, 2021 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planer AGENDA ITEM: Forest Management Plan Review – Agenda Item 3B PREVIOUS ACTIONS: At the meeting on Thursday, September 9, 2021, a draft management plan was distributed to committee members for review. The Arbor Committee also discussed mapping trails within the forest preservation area and sign locations in areas that border residential lots. RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: Discuss revisions made to the Forest Management Plan. COMMENTS: Click or tap here to enter text. ATTACHMENTS: Revised Forest Management Plan - Draft  FOREST PRESERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN Mission Statement To engage Maple Grove residents, academic institutions, volunteer groups, and government agencies in appreciating, understanding, protecting, and restoring the natural values and integrity of the forest and open space system, and To pursue additional linkages to increase the connectivity of open spaces. Goal and Objectives Goal To preserve and maintain the forest and open space lands for future generations. Objectives Citizen Enjoyment and Quality of Life To encourage the general public to experience the natural environments of the open space system. Land Protection and Management To continue to protect, restore, connect, and manage the network of forests, wetlands, and open spaces. Nature Education To provide opportunities for visitors to learn from their experiences with nature. To provide nature and wildlife study opportunities while respecting the fragile character of these environments. The mission statement, goals and objectives are the same today as they were in 2002 when they were established. It seems appropriate at this point to further refine the Westwood plan by establishing nine (9) strategies in order to achieve the stated goals and objectives. Attached are the general strategies along with specific management elements relating to those strategies. FOREST MANAGEMENT PROGRAM Strategies A. 1. Manage invasive species 2. Establishment of a reforestation program 1  3. Establishment of a prairie restoration program 4. Confirmation of regeneration progress 5. Management of woodchip trail system 6. Establishment of a signage system 7. Establishment of wetland/hydrology controls to avoid possible detriment to vegetative areas 8. Prohibit any use of the area that is inconsistent with the established goal of the forest and open space property 9. Provide for a means of wildlife management as governed by local and state regulations A.1 Manage Invasive Species a. Priority 1 Continue to allocate sufficient resources to achieve elimination of both buckthorn and prickly ash in Control #1 on Exhibit 3 of the Interim Management Plan, which is currently underway and other areas labeled Control #1 on Exhibit 1 of the Interim Management Plan within a 5 year period. Since these areas are highly ranked Maple/Basswood forests with extensive existing overstory trees, reforestation is not required at this time. b. Priority 2 Following completion of eradication in Control area #1 areas, proceed to eliminate reed canary grass infestation in the Reed Canary Grass Control area shown on Exhibit 1 within 1 year. The ditch block shown on Exhibit 1 should be reviewed for viability. If viable, apply for grants to aid in ditch block establishment. c. Priority 3 Proceed to eradicate buckthorn and prickly ash in Control area #2 followed by Control area #3 on Exhibits 1 and 3 within a 4 year period. d. Continue management on an ongoing basis to stop buckthorn, prickly ash and reed canary grass invasion in all areas. e. Review, on an annual basis, possible management plan adjustments by a qualified forest management specialist. A.2 Establishment of a reforestation program a. Pursue a reforestation program in area S19 (2 locations) on Exhibit 3 using only native plant materials. b. To minimize destruction of tree seedlings/saplings from wildlife, provide a means to protect individual trees from wildlife. 2 A.3 Establishment of a prairie restoration program a. Pursue a prairie restoration program in area N26 on Exhibit 1 and S8 and S26 on Exhibit 3. b. Conduct prescribed burns in all 3 areas every 3 to 5 years A.4 Confirmation of regeneration progress Observation and analysis of native species seedlings and saplings in the forest understory which indicates the potential of a healthy forest community which will replicate itself. Said observation, analysis and confirmation shall be provided by a forest resource specialist. In areas where regeneration is not progressing, determine cause and obtain recommendations to advance the regeneration process, which may include, but not be limited to, control burning or deer exclusion. A.5 Management of woodchip trail system a. Maintain existing woodchip trails using GPS to establish and re-establish locations. b. Following the invasive species eradication program, evaluate expansion of the trail system, such as adding a loop around the Otterness property (if feasible as a result of Elm Creek water elevations) followed by the trails to the property previously owned by Ethel Acres. c. All trails shall be wood chipped pedestrian trails with no motor vehicles or horses allowed (except City maintenance vehicles used exclusively to maintain the forest and open space area). d. Eliminate foot paths in all non-designated trail locations. A.6 Construction of Structures a. No public or private buildings of any kind shall be allowed. b. Benches may be allowed in selected areas where they will not lead to the degradation of the immediate area. c. Maintain the existing non-hard surface parking area at the entrance to the existing north trail off of Vicksburg Lane by regrading and adding Class 5 gravel as needed. A.7 Establishment of a signage system a. Erection of signage unique to the forest area: 1. At trail entrances off of Vicksburg Lane and at trail entrances adjacent to residential developments Stay on wood chip trails Description of the history, uniqueness and sensitive nature of the area 3  2. Along trails, at various locations to delineate trail route 3. Reminding forest area visitors to collect and remove dog waste A.8 Establishment of wetland/hydrology controls to manage invasive species common to wetland areas and to maintain the natural ecosystems of the entire forest preservation area. A.9 Continued prohibition of any use of the area that is inconsistent with the goal of preservation and maintenance of the land for future generations. Review, on a case by case basis, all activities that take place within the forest preservation area not specifically identified within this management plan. Said activities to be reviewed by a consulting forester and the Arbor Committee. A.10 Provide for a means of wildlife management as governed by local and state regulations. In the effort to promote regeneration of native plant materials, allow non-firearm hunting of deer and control of other wildlife as needed. A.11 Trail in area of property previously owned by Ethel Acres. Any trail constructed, to and from the property previously owned by Ethel Acres (following an evaluation of the feasibility) shall be a looped trail as opposed to a dead end trail and should be located within the zone identified as N14 on Exhibit 1. 4  REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: December 9, 2021 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner AGENDA ITEM: Conservation Partners Legacy Grant - Agenda Item 3C PREVIOUS ACTIONS: At their meeting of Thursday, September 9, 2021, the Arbor Committee discussed a number of possible grant activities that could be applied to Forest Preservation Area. Three committee members planned to begin drafting the application form. RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: Discuss the grant application progress and review what the CPL grant funds could be used for. COMMENTS: Click or tap here to enter text. ATTACHMENTS: None  REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: December 9, 2021 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner AGENDA ITEM: Fall Tree Festival Recap – Agenda Item 3D PREVIOUS ACTIONS: With the cancellation of the Arbor Day Event earlier this year, the Arbor Committee planned and executed a safe and successful Fall Tree Festival in its place. RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: Click or tap here to enter text. COMMENTS: The 2021 Fall Tree Festival included the following: Maple Grove Arboretum Parade of Trees: A selection of 16 trees throughout the arboretum were mapped out for participants. Tree Scavenger Hunt: Participants were encouraged to take photos of trees located at eight different city parks or public locations. A sign was placed on each tree containing fun facts about that particular tree species. There were some encouraging comments posted on the Facebook page by participants. Two $30 gift cards to local nurseries were provided to participants. Forest Preservation Area: The FPA was offered as a chance to explore the beautiful fall colors the forest provides and to promote this great amenity to those who may not be aware of it. Tree giveaway All Maple Grove participants were eligible to pick up a free bare root tree from the city’s gravel bed.  REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: December 9, 2021 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner AGENDA ITEM: Tri-Care Tree Removal – Agenda Item 4A PREVIOUS ACTIONS: RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: COMMENTS: A large area of T-Zone trees were removed without permission on the Tri-Care property on or before September 29, 2021. The 63-acre parcel is located north of County Road 30 and is west of Menards, the impacted T-Zone area is directly north of the BioLife property. A grading permit was issued for the property after a recent final plat approval which platted the roadways and outlots, tree removal was not approved by City Council or planning staff. The original concept plan in this area was approved in 2014. Staff is working with the applicant to protect the remaining trees on the property. Once an updated tree preservation & removal plan has been provided, the required replacement trees can be calculated. ATTACHMENTS: Location Map 2015 Tree Inventory Recent Aerial Image of the Property with T-Zones Shown  Tricare 3rd Addition Attachment B PUD Concept Plan HOLLY LN N 101ST AVE N IN T ER E9 AT ST 4 LAWNDALE LN N IN T ER E9 AT ST 4 LAWNDALE LN N N LN ND SL A EE N QU N LN PE ON CO Y UN TY 96TH AVE N RO BLA DUNKIRK LN N AD CK 3 0 OA KS 96 TH LN COUNTY ROAD 30 AV N EN 93 GARLAND LN N JE RD AV W EL 93 CT N EN RD N C OU PL JEW NTY ROA EL D KIMBERLY LN N 94TH AVE N 30 SL NN LN N N AR C I S S U EO P N 93RD PL N Y IN LAN D LN GARLAND LN N N DUNKIRK LN N LN N BLACKOAKS CT N MERRIMAC LN N QUEENSLAND LN N N OLIVE L N BLAC KO AK S 92N DA LN N VE N N 92ND AVE N D A VE LLY LN N 92 N HO NEIGHBORHOOD LOCATION MAP / 0 250 500 Feet 050 100200 1,000 Feet  REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: December 9, 2021 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner AGENDA ITEM: Arbor Committee Website Videos – Agenda Item 4B PREVIOUS ACTIONS: RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: Click or tap here to enter text. COMMENTS: As part of the transition to the new City of Maple Grove Website, it appears some of the newer “how to” videos are not visible on the Arbor Committee page. Please discuss which videos are missing so staff can locate and add these to the webpage. The committee is also encouraged to discuss any video topics that should be added to the website. Below is a link to the current Arbor Committee webpage and the videos that are viewable. https://www.maplegrovemn.gov/593/Arbor-Committee-tree-related-resources o Tree planting o Mulching options o Mulching tips o Winter tree wrapping o Fall tree watering o Repairing winter lawn damage o Winter tree protection ATTACHMENTS: None  REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: December 9, 2021 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner AGENDA ITEM: Low Cost Trees for EAB Affected Residents – Agenda Item 4C PREVIOUS ACTIONS: Beginning in the summer of 2020, city staff began removing numerous public ash trees from the boulevards in residential neighborhoods north of Rice Lake and around Boundary Creek. Many of these trees were being treated but tree firms informed the city that they would no longer be able to warranty the trees due to poor conditions. Homeowners were also provided a reduced rate to have their private Ash trees removed Attached is an article that was published int the Maple Grove City Focus explaining the action and includes a map of public trees slated for removal. RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: Click or tap here to enter text. COMMENTS: Chairperson Parenteau requested that the committee explore possible ways to provide low cost replacement trees to residents impacted by the EAB tree loss. ATTACHMENTS: Maple Grove Focus Article  REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: December 9, 2021 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner AGENDA ITEM: 2022 Committee Goals and Workplan – Agenda Item 4D PREVIOUS ACTIONS: At their meeting on December 10, 2021, the Arbor Committee provided a list of goals and objectives for 2021 calendar year. Examples from last year include: • Finalize T-Zone Ordinance • Conservation Easement on Tree Preservation Areas • Arbor Day Celebration Alternative RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: Provide a worklist of Arbor Committee related goals and events for the 2022 calendar year. COMMENTS: Click or tap here to enter text. ATTACHMENTS: Click or tap here to enter text.  REQUEST FOR ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION MEETING DATE: December 9, 2021 PREPARED BY: Jesse Corrow, Associate Planner AGENDA ITEM: Area Reports – Agenda Item 5 PREVIOUS ACTIONS: None RECOMMENDED ARBOR COMMITTEE ACTION: The area reports section of the agenda provides an opportunity for any Committee member to report any item in the city that needs staff attention. Arbor related items will be forwarded to the appropriate staff member with a response provided at the next meeting. COMMENTS: • Arbor Committee T-Shirts Update • Chairperson Parenteau responded to an email received from a U of M student working with the City of West St Paul to help them plan a volunteer tree inventory. Mary discussed Maple Grove’s recent tree inventory with the student and wanted to share her some more information from that discussion. ATTACHMENTS: None