Tree Board

Montpelier Tree Board Minutes May 7, 2015 5:35-6:35 pm Montpelier City Hall In attendance: John Snell, Sarah Hoffmeier, Jeff Schumann, Abby Colihan, Lynn Wild, John Akielaszek; volunteers Ellie Doyle and Bob Troester Old Business The April 2, 2015 meeting minutes were approved. Welcome Lynn Wild, new Tree Board member! Update on Green Up Day John Snell reported that trees were composted and mulched along Stonecutters Way. It is believed that the work accomplished will reduce damage from weed-whacking. Update on Nursery All 14 trees Jeff ordered from the Winooski Conservation District were planted and watered. He also reported that all trees have been tagged although some tags were blown off by the wind (but were put back by Jeff). Trees will need to be watered and mulching will need to be added because it was not available at the time of planting. The total number of trees in the nursery is about 45, including the new arrivals. There are about five (5) which would be difficult to transplant. Jeff has also looked into grow bags, some of which may be available from Margaret Sanger. They can be ordered from a firm in Texas. Jeff indicated that the nursery is now in ‘maintenance mode’. Spring Planting Locations John Snell has identified 2 sites on Stonecutters Way and 3 on private property for planting the twelve (12) trees recently obtained from Branch-Out Burlington. He has also received responses via the Front Porch Forum regarding potential planting sites. For downtown locations John mentioned the only potential replacement location is the Norway Maple at the Rite-Aid which has been declining. However, we will not pursue replacing that tree at this time. Arbor Day Activity Abby completed the Tree USA application in January and we received our designation as a Tree City USA from the Arbor Day Foundation. Abby reminded us that we need to take an official Arbor Day picture and read a proclamation. Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) - John A reported that the EAB Preparedness Plan is on the Montpelier Tree Board webpage. We have not received responses to our letter sent to 19 local arborists to discuss their assistance in the early detection of EAB infestations. John and John Snell will reach out to a few of the local arborists by phone. John Snell has also set up a meeting on May 14th with the Montpelier Conservation Commission to discuss EAB planning. Sarah mentioned that her neighbor at 49 Terrace is having an ash tree cut down soon and she will let us know when the arborist shows up to cut down the tree so we can examine it for any sign of EAB. End of Year Purchases There is roughly $2400 available which will need to be spent by June 30th. Potential purchases discussed were tree guards, educational materials and a laptop computer and MS Access software for the inventory work. No final purchasing decisions were made. Workday Tasks for May Sarah will take the lead on organizing compost and gypsum additions for the downtown trees. She will identify those which can receive applications without removing the tree guards and grates. Weekend workdays are planned, starting early (6:30 am or so). Abby will continue to be the lead for downtown tree watering activities, supported by other members of the Tree Board and volunteers. Forest Fragmentation Report Discussion Jeff discussed this topic with the group and asked if we should weigh in supporting the findings of the report. John Snell reported that with a new home being constructed on North Street some connectivity between wooded parcels will be disrupted. Jeff will continue to follow this topic. Tree Education/Stewardship Program Lynn suggested that we work on educating young children in order to “grow” some future tree stewards. She has several ideas along these lines which she will propose to the Tree Board at a future meeting. Abby suggested that engaging kids in an after- school program would be a way to start this without needing to add to the existing teaching curriculum. We also discussed having high school “members” of the tree board join us for meetings and activities. Washington County Courthouse Parking Lot John Snell will follow up with Geoff as to who will do pruning activities at this location. The meeting adjourned around 6:35 p.m. Next meeting at City Hall: Thursday, June 4th, 5:30-6:30