Tree Board

Tree Board Regular Meeting Minutes December 3, 2015 5:30-6:40 Thursday City Hall Memorial Room Attending: Tree Board Members: John Snell, Sarah Hoffmeier, Jeff Schumann, Lynn Wild, John Akielaszek Volunteers: Bob Troester and Ellen Doyle; Tree Warden Geoff Beyer, Zack Simpson (AmeriCorps) Invited Guest: Ken Benton, Teacher-Naturalist, Nature Center Public Comment Bob reported that Panama’s President has proposed a commission to guard the tropical forests of the world; also noted that Panama has imported 105,000 Christmas trees. Ellen reported that the beavers are still active along the Montpelier bike path. Old Business The meeting minutes from the November 5th meeting were approved. Follow-up on November Meeting with Gwen Kozlowski John S has arranged for Gwen, Danielle Fitzko and Elise Schadler to come to the January meeting (1/7/16) to show the Tree Board inventory software tools. Update on November 8th Workday John S, Sarah, Jeff and Lynn participated in the sidewalk/street clearing workday November 8th . Update on St Paul neighborhood planting There will be one final walk on St Paul Street on December 8th from 9 – 11 am. John S. and Geoff will lead the walk through the final section of St Paul Street that has not been surveyed yet for potential planting sites. About ¾ of St Paul Street has been surveyed with lot-specific data collected. Lynn reports that her neighbors are excited about having trees planted from our nursery. Plantings will occur in May with soil tests conducted in areas where fruit trees are being considered. David Spade of Elmore Roots will provide some planting advice. Also, Amy Butler and Ken Benton may engage 4th graders and their teachers to be tree stewards (stewardship: pick a tree and take care of it). New City Website and Tree Board Postings Jeff has posted all the latest meeting minutes on the Tree Board webpage as well as the agenda for December meeting. John A. asked Jeff to provide posting instructions and John will act as Jeff’s backup for posting Tree Board documents when Jeff is not available. Jeff also noted that Tree Board members and volunteers can sign up for e-mail notifications when documents are posted to the webpage. Tree tips will be posted as well as photos; John S. indicated that he is preparing some tree tips for posting. Courthouse Green Ash Trees Update John S., Bob and John A. removed the guards and grates to get a better look at why one of the ash trees is failing. John S learned that the ash trees may have been grafted and the problem with the ash may be due to a grafting failure. The current plan is to remove both trees and replace them with red oaks, ginkgos or elms next year. Update on Holiday Lights on Downtown Trees Again John S indicated he received a request to allow holiday lights on a downtown tree and he asked the person to refrain from doing so. New Business Jeff has been researching the Montpelier Town Forest and its management plan. The plan calls for harvesting of stands of trees on a regular basis. It was suggested that the Tree Board and volunteers visit the Town Forest on a scheduled workday. Funding: Geoff indicated that a grant request has been submitted which would help fund planting trees on the approaches to the City. He expects to hear if the City has been funded in January. It was also suggested that pooling of funds received for memorial trees would be another potential source of tree planting revenue. Zack Simpson introduced himself and his role as an AmeriCorps Eco-Core member assigned to Montpelier to help improved local water quality. Plans are in the works to improve drainage ditches to keep sediment out of the Winooski River and also to remove invasives such as Phragmites. Some of this work would be enhanced by a partnership with the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC). A team of 10 NCCC members would work on local projects for a period of 2-3 months. However, the hosting organization needs to provide lodging for the crew for the duration of their service. Zack asked the Tree Board to think about possible locations where the crew could be housed. Ken Benton: Educating Children Outdoors (ECO) Program Ken described this education program which is in its 6th year and involves 4th graders at Union Elementary School as well as six other schools in the Central Vermont area. The program utilizes Hubbard Park for some of its educational activities. Currently in the works is a cultural walking tour of Montpelier and Ken indicated that significant trees should be incorporated as stops on that walking tour. QR codes at each stop would inform walkers about the significance of the location. A map with the stops shown is also planned. John S indicated that he could help identify the location of significant trees and that the Pedestrian Committee is also planning walking tour maps. Jeff notes that the Vermont Historical Society also has published a walking map of Montpelier for historical buildings, etc. Ken mentioned the Adopt-A-Tree stewardship program that would be conducted by elementary school children and their teachers. He indicated that a list of maintenance tasks would be helpful for that program. Next Scheduled Workday We will work on protecting trees from beavers along the bike path on Saturday, December 5th starting at 10 am. Meet at the Labor & Industry Parking lot and wear long pants, rubber boots, gloves, etc., because poison ivy is prevalent in the area. Jeff stated that he would post the workday on the Front Porch Forum. Other Meeting Notes Jeff noted a recent Northern Woodlands article which deals insects that are predators on the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. Lynn was so inspired by root flaring at the Tree Stewards Conference that she has composed song lyrics about tree root flares and performed the song for the Tree Board meeting. Next meeting at City Hall: Thursday, January 7th , 5:30-6:30