Tree Board

Tree Board minutes 08/28/17 1 Morgantown Tree Board (MTB) Minutes, meeting of August 28, 2017 Present: MTB members Dan Brown, Phil Crim, Greg Dahle, Secretary Jon Weems, and Chair Dave Barnett, City employee Marchetta Maupin, and Morgantown Mayor Bill Kawecki. D. Barnett opened the meeting at 4:35 PM in the Public Safety Building and noted that a quorum was present. D. Brown moved and P. Crim seconded that the minutes of the July 24 meeting be approved as amended. The motion carried unanimously. Report from M. Maupin. M. Maupin said she had been keeping an eye on High St. trees while thinking ahead to the next phase of tree replacement. Utility construction (moving a hydrant) had damaged roots of the ginkgo near Subway. An elm in front of the Sprint store was looking unhealthy. She also noted poor pruning on a littleleaf linden near the Public Safety Building. Several MTB members had noticed this while coming to the meeting. G. Dahle suggested performing no corrective pruning if the tree is likely to be replaced within about five years. M. Maupin reported shifting the locations of 3 tree pits near the County Justice Center. She anticipated planting ‘Regal Prince’ oaks there. She said the greenspace at the corner of Stewart St. and University Ave. was almost complete, and she would finish the planting. There had been complications, including previously unknown gas lines. She noted Woodland Drive lots donated to the City had large cherry and hemlock trees, along with a very heavy growth of poison ivy. She said Donna Marie Foster had expressed interest in joining MTB. MTB members welcomed this possibility. Unfinished business 1. Tree database – Plan-It GEO. D. Barnett reported that Plan-it GEO personnel were already working on importing MTB data. G. Dahle said notes about trees should be up front, not hidden as they sometimes are. D. Barnett said this should help facilitate public involvement. M. Maupin said the check to acquire Plan-it GEO should go out the week after Labor Day. 2. Arbor Day, October 21, 2017. M. Maupin said she had been asked to attend a Neighborhood Coordinating Council meeting (7:00, second Tuesday of the month) to discuss 2017 Arbor Day plans (2 trees to be planted in each of 10 neighborhoods). She suggested MTB members meet with her to consider sites and available trees ahead of time, so she would have something specific for that meeting. D. Barnett, D. Brown, and J. Weems agreed to meet with M. Maupin at BOPARC’s White Park facility at 10:00 on Thursday, Sept. 7. G. Dahle said his WVU class could plant Evansdale trees, but probably not on a Saturday. J. Weems said trees could be planted on other dates close to Oct. 21 and still be part of Arbor Day, as long as at least one tree is planted on the actual date. Further discussion revolved around publicizing the 20-year history of Arbor Day in Morgantown, remarkable trees, and the benefits of urban trees. B. Kawecki said less successful trees might also be used to illustrate what can go wrong with tree planting.  Tree Board minutes 08/28/17 2 New business 1. Memorial Tree Policy. It was reported that the City had received an inquiry about the possibility of a memorial tree. This triggered a wide-ranging discussion. J. Weems noted problems with single-tree memorials. Others suggested memorials might be general, rather than specifically tied to one tree. Much discussion concerned means of recognizing honorees, including physical plaques, virtual (on-line) plaques, and published lists. It was informally decided that a policy should be co-developed by MTB and the Urban Landscape Commission. Open Discussion – B. Kawecki suggested MTB members attend a future City Council meeting (7:00, last Tuesday of the month) to explain what MTB does for the City. Next meeting 4:30 Monday, September 25 in City Council chambers. Motion to adjourn made at 6:22 PM by G. Dahle, seconded by D. Brown. All in favor. Respectfully submitted, ______________________ Jon Weems, Secretary