Tree Board

DRAFT Montpelier Tree Board Minutes April 2, 2015 5:30-6:05 pm Montpelier City Hall In attendance: Jeff Schumann, Abby Colihan, John Akielaszek; volunteer Ken Libertoff and Tree Warden Geoff Beyer Old Business The March 5, 2015 meeting minutes were approved. Ordering Nursery Stock Jeff ordered 14 trees from the Winooski Conservation District which he will pick up on 4/25 and take to the nursery between 11 am and 12 pm. He will need help planting and watering these trees. Geoff indicated that he could supply buckets for watering the newly planted trees. Also, between 4/18 and 4/20 Jeff will be at the nursery to tag trees and determine which ones that still can be transplanted. At that time he will also be determining where the Winooski Conservation District trees will be planted. The 12 trees that Jeff has ordered from Branch-Out Burlington will need to be picked up on 5/2 between 9-11 am. That is Green-Up day and these trees will be planted around town that day. [John S had previously indicated that he will continue to prepare a list of possible planting sites]. These are 4-5 foot trees and Geoff said that they could fit in a passenger vehicle. Geoff and Jeff to coordinate Green-Up day tree plantings. Jeff will send out an e-mail regarding specifics for all nursery and tree planting activities. Spring Pruning Workshops The pruning workshops will be held at the Hunger Mountain Co-op. John Snell conducted a pruning workshop on 3/14 and 18 people attended. Geoff will conduct one later this month and will inform the Co-op and the Tree Board of the new date and time. Arbor Day Activity It was decided that a workday at the nursery on 4/25 would constitute our Arbor Day activity this year. [John S had previously reported that the Union School will not be ready to plant a tree on Arbor Day]. Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) - John reported that he has sent letters out to 19 local arborists to discuss their assistance in the early detection of EAB infestations. He will be contacting Asplundh arborists who work in this area through Green Mountain Power Corp. John A has largely completed the EAB Preparedness Plan – Version 2 for Montpelier and plans to post the document on the Tree Board webpage. In response to a question from Jeff, John A indicated that John S was setting up a meeting with the Montpelier Conservation Commission to discuss EAB planning. Tree Inventory Geoff met with John A and Bob Troester to discuss the tree inventory. It was decided that even though tree inventory software is less expensive now than a few years ago, it is still too pricey for our limited budget. John A and Bob indicated that they could help manage an Access-based tree inventory assuming that the initial tree inventory data was uploaded into the database without requiring time-consuming data entry. Geoff indicated that this would be part of the tree inventory proposal. Geoff will contact either Elise Schadler of UVM extension or Danielle Fitzko of the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation or both to discuss where we are headed and get their feedback. Pruning Apple Tree at MHS Geoff indicated that he hopes to prune that tree next week. Wooden Tree Guards for Downtown Trees Geoff will ask the folks at MHS if they can build five more for the Tree Board. Washington County Court Cedars Geoff reported that staff at the Courthouse wanted the cedars removed because they interfere with the ability to monitor vehicles in the parking lot. Some vandalism has occurred in the past (slashed tires). John S and Geoff met with the staff and were able to get a two year reprieve for the cedars. City public works staff are expected to prune the cedars and replant the Langdon Street side of the parking lot. Return of the Beavers! We decided that early May would be a good time to protect more trees by the pedestrian bridge and downstream by the MHS athletic fields. Other Workday Tasks for May Given that April is already fairly well-booked for the Tree Board and volunteers, these tasks are targeted for May: • Mulching trees on Stone Cutters Way • Pruning trees in various locations around town • Compost and gypsum application for downtown trees The meeting adjourned around 6:05 p.m. Next meeting at City Hall: Thursday, May 7th, 5:30-6:30