Tree Advisory Committee

Regular Meeting

Norwalk, CT · February 25, 2025

Minutes

TREE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AGENDA FEBRUARY 25, 2025, AT 6:00 PM. BY ZOOM VIRTUAL MEETING To allow public access, anyone may access a meeting by telephone, Zoom, and/or the City of Norwalk YouTube channel. Specific instructions and links can be found at : norwalkct.org/meetings Members of the public can call in and listen to a meeting. They will not be able to speak or see any of the meeting participants. Each meeting will use a unique Meeting/Webinar ID. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to provide "live comments" will need to register in advance and use the Zoom meeting platform. All participants will be muted upon entering the meeting. To speak, click the “raise your hand indicator” and you will called on by the host of the meeting during the public comment section. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to view the meeting, but are not participating, can view a live stream on the City of Norwalk YouTube channel. This stream is delayed by approximately 20 seconds. Please find the information using the link above. The meeting recording and minutes will be posted on the City of Norwalk website within seven (7) days after the meeting. Members of the public who wish to provide public comment are encouraged to submit those via email in advance of the meeting. For these comments to be read into the record, they should be submitted at least three hours in advance of the meeting start time. Please email Dilene Byrd at dbyrd@norwalkct.gov to provide written public comment prior to the meeting. Attendance: Erica Kipp, Chair Richard Whitehead, Vice Chair Peter Viteretto Gay MacLeod Staff: Paul Sotnik, Deputy Tree Warden Sarah Cruz, Arborist/ Horticulturalist Others: Jeff Scheer, Matthew Hellman, Transmission Arborist, Vegetation Management, Eversource Sam Berg, Eversource 1. CALL TO ORDER Mr. Whitehead called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. II. ROLL CALL Ms. Cruz called the roll, and all listed on the attendance were present. III. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION A. Guests at committee meetings may speak to any item on the agenda. (Comments shall be limited to no more than three (3) minutes per speaker.) There were no public comments this evening. IV. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES A. Approve the minutes of the January 28th, Tree Advisory Committee meeting. **MS. MACLEOD MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS AMENDED. ** MR. VITERETTO SECONDED THE MOTION. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. V. REPORTS A. 2025 Eversource Distribution Tree Trimming Permit Mr. Berg reported on the scheduled maintenance trimming for 2025 and said it is very light this year. There will be approximately 16 miles, compared to almost 80 miles last year, so it will not be extensive. Mr. Sotnik said that staff met with Eversource on January 22, 2025, to review and issue the permit. Mr. Berg presented the mapping for the permit that was issued. The backbone mileage for the three-phased lines will be 7 ½ miles, and the lateral mileage will be 4.3 miles, so there is just over 11 miles total of tree trimming for the area. He shared the circuit areas they will work in and that they have started in the substation at Route 123 and New Canaan Avenue. Lewis Tree Company will be doing the trimming, and the process has not changed. They will get consent from the neighboring abutting properties for the work. Mr. Whitehead asked why there was such a decrease in the trimming this year. Mr. Berg said the trimming is done on a four-year rotation and cycles through, so some of the towns that are heavy this year will be lighter next year, and the other towns that are lighter this year will be heavier next year. He said they also select circuits within that cycle that are performing poorly based on historical outage data that is tree related. Mr. Viteretto said that, in his opinion, the three-phased lines in the Silvermine area are done regularly and that the committee is cognizant about maintaining tree canopy. He asked how Eversource has input into the tree management plan so we will know how to create streetscapes that can work with the high-tension power lines because we have not seen that happen. We have spoken with Eversource over several years on managing and planning tree canopy cover, so they are not in conflict with any of the power lines, particularly the high-power lines, which are more critical to larger groups of people. Mr. Berg said planning and species selection will help progress in the future, but trees are on their timeline and will take a long time to grow and get to a canopy cover. As a joint effort, managing those trees on the city and Eversource’s sides is another answer, and noted that ground to sky pruning no longer exists for roadside distribution. Mr. Viteretto said he thinks it may be more about looking at planting trees on the opposite sides of the streets as well, and we work with Eversource on some level. He said that selective removal at the ground level of the trees that will eventually affect the power lines is not discussed much. He asked if there is a way to strategize where we go down to the ground and think about what our long-term should be. Mr. Berg said that location means a lot and suggested looking at and walking to those locations and seeing what can be done together. Mr. Scheer said that the Norwalk Tree Alliance is happy to partner with the city and Eversource to help with the education and outreach piece. Mr. Sotnik said the mapping and permit will be posted on the website. B. 2025 Eversource Transmission Tree Trimming Permit Mr. Hellman said he manages the vegetation underneath the transmission lines for southwest Connecticut. This year, a maintenance project on the transmission lines goes over the Metro- North railroad through the City of Norwalk. He shared the map, provided an overview, and said it is approximately 4 ½ miles, and the transmission lines are on the north and south side of the Metro North train tracks for most of the lines in Norwalk. The scope of work for the maintenance entails removing trees and removing the incompatibles within 25’ from the outside conductor. Their cycles run on a 4-year cycle, and even though the last cycle just ended in 2023, we are starting the 4-year cycle because of this project. This year, we will just be pruning new growth and cutting the saplings, which will not significantly impact the town. The work will go much faster, and we will begin working in Norwalk within the next month. Mr. Hellman discussed the outreach efforts and said a letter will be sent to all the butters describing work occurring and attempts to meet with property owners to review the scope of work on or near their property. He said if anyone has any questions, they can call 888-673-9943 or email ctvegmaintenance@eversource.com Mr. Viteretto said there is an opportunity to team with the public sector to underplant the margin to improve its appearance and ecological stability. Mr. Hellman noted this project is unique because it is on the CTDOT property. Mr. Sotnik said that staff also met with Mr. Hellman on January 22nd, and the permit was issued and will now be posted on the website. VI. OLD BUSINESS There was no old business discussed. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. ANNOUNCEMENT: TREE MASTER PLAN DRAFT TRE MASTER PLAN NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE: HTTPS://WWW.NORWALKCT.GOV/3649/TREE-MASTER-PLAN - PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND WORKSHOP COMING IN MARCH Mr. Whitehead said that Arbor Day is April 25th and will be doing Arbor Day cleanup with the local tree companies and working on the NRVT as we have in the last couple of years. Last year, the northern section was done along Riverside Avenue, and two years ago, the southern section was done. This year, the center section will be targeted, meeting at 40 Cross Street, and doing the trees along the river. He noted that this is not a public event and will be closing the section of the trail where they will be working. We are at the preliminary planning stages but are targeting Wednesday, April 23, 2025, so as not to conflict with Arbor Day or Earth Day celebrations. He said he will provide the committee with an update at the next meeting. Ms. Kipp said Earth Day event on the green will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Mr. Sotnik said that Ms. Cruz has been working with the planning committee and attending the bi-weekly meetings. Ms. Kipp noted that the registration form is due by April 3, 2025. Ms. Cruz said the workshop for the Tree Master Plan is scheduled for March 20, 2025, in the Community Room at City Hall and will be held from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM and will focus on how to implement the strategies recommendations in the Master Plan, and will be looking at the tree planting strategies and will also be doing an educational activity and discussing maintenance as there are over an estimated 25,000 public trees in Norwalk. She said the link is now posted on the city’s website, and any updates would be provided there. She said the day prior, there would be an internal workshop between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM at city hall and invited the committee members to attend. She noted that Eversource is an essential stakeholder in the plan, as are any other agencies interacting with trees in the city. She plans to reach out to get as much engagement as possible. She noted that the plan is available in draft form on the website. Mr. Whitehead hopes Eversource will participate in the Arbor Day cleanup event. Mr. Berg said they will donate two crews for the cleanup. Ms. Cruz said that Ms. MacLeod was officially sworn in as a member of the Tree Advisory Committee to fill the recent vacancy. VII. ADJOURNMENT **MS. MACLEOD MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS AMENDED. ** MR. VITERETTO SECONDED THE MOTION. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. The meeting was adjourned 6:50 PM. UPCOMING MEETINGS MARCH 25, 2025 Respectfully submitted, Dilene Byrd

Agenda

Packet

REGULAR MEETING – TREE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AGENDA FEBRUARY 25, 2025, 6:00 PM BY ZOOM VIRTUAL MEETING To allow public access, anyone may access a meeting by telephone and/or Zoom, or a recording in the City of Norwalk YouTube channel. Specific instructions and links can be found at norwalkct.gov/meetings. Members of the public may call in to participate. Callers will not be able to see the meeting participants. All participants will be muted upon entering the meeting. To speak, dial *9 on the phone and you will be called on by the host of the meeting during the public comment section. All speakers must state their name and address. Comments must be on a topic on the agenda, and are limited to three minutes. Anyone disrupting the orderly conduct of the meeting, including by using threatening, hateful, or sexually-explicit language, will be removed. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to provide "live comments" may also use the Zoom meeting platform. All participants will be muted upon entering the meeting. To speak, click the “raise your hand indicator” and you will be called by the host of the meeting during the public comment section. All speakers must state their name and address. Comments must be on a topic on the agenda, and are limited to three minutes. Anyone disrupting the orderly conduct of the meeting, including by using threatening, hateful, or sexually-explicit language, will be removed. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to provide public comment are encouraged to submit those via email in advance of the meeting. For these comments to be included into the record, they must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. the day of the meeting. Please email Dilene Byrd at dbyrd@norwalkct.gov with the subject line “Public Comment” to provide written public comment prior to the meeting. I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL III. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IV. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES A. Approve the minutes of the January 28th, 2025 Tree Advisory Committee meeting. V. REPORTS A. 2025 Eversource Distribution Tree Trimming Permit (Samuel Berg). B. 2025 Eversource Transmission Tree Trimming Permit (Matthew Helman). VI. OLD BUSINESS Page 1 of 6 VII. NEW BUSINESS A. Announcement: Tree Master Plan - Draft Tree Master Plan now available online: https://www.norwalkct.gov/3649/Tree- Master-Plan - Public Presentation and Workshop coming in March VIII. ADJOURNMENT UPCOMING MEETINGS Regular Meeting of the Tree Advisory Committee: March 25th, 2025 Page 2 of 6 REGULAR MEETING- BIKE/WALK COMMISSION AGENDA JANUARY 28, 2025, AT 6:00PM. BY ZOOM VIRTUAL MEETING To allow public access, anyone may access a meeting by telephone, Zoom, and/or the City of Norwalk YouTube channel. Specific instructions and links can be found at : norwalkct.org/meetings Members of the public can call in and listen to a meeting. They will not be able to speak or see any of the meeting participants. Each meeting will use a unique Meeting/Webinar ID. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to provide "live comments" will need to register in advance and use the Zoom meeting platform. All participants will be muted upon entering the meeting. To speak, click the “raise your hand indicator” and you will called on by the host of the meeting during the public comment section. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to view the meeting, but are not participating, can view a live stream on the City of Norwalk YouTube channel. This stream is delayed by approximately 20 seconds. Please find the information using the link above. The meeting recording and minutes will be posted on the City of Norwalk website within seven (7) days after the meeting. Members of the public who wish to provide public comment are encouraged to submit those via email in advance of the meeting. For these comments to be read into the record, they should be submitted at least three hours in advance of the meeting start time. Please email Dilene Byrd at dbyrd@norwalkct.gov to provide written public comment prior to the meeting. Attendance: Peter Viteretto Sonja Oliver Staff: Paul Sotnik, Deputy Tree Warden Sarah Cruz, Arborist/ Horticulturalist Chris Torre, Tree Warden Others: Gay MacLeod, Tree Laison 1. CALL TO ORDER 1 Page 3 of 6 The meeting was called to order at 6:08PM. II. ROLL CALL Ms. Cruz called the roll, and all listed on the attendance were present. III. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION A. Guests at committee meetings may speak to any item on the agenda. (Comments shall be limited to no more than three (3) minutes per speaker.) There were no public comments this evening. IV. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES A. Approve the minutes of the November 26, 2024, Tree Advisory Committee meeting. The minutes were tabled due to a lack of a quorum. V. REPORTS A. Capital and grant-funded tree planting program: 1. Summary of the fall 2024 planting season. Ms. Cruz said that 221 trees were planted in the spring, and 233 trees were planted in the fall, so a total of 454 trees were planted in the calendar year 2024. 2. Overview of funding spent in 2024. Ms. Cruz provided a summary of the funding and said the cost to plant the 221 trees in the spring was $180,000, and the cost to plant the 233 trees in the fall was $193,000, so for calendar 2024 a total of $374,000 was spent on tree plantings, and all of the remaining APRA funding was expended. 3. Overview of funding available for spring 2024 planting season. Mr. Sotnik said the overall total funding for 2024 was approximately $750,000 including the ARPA funding. Ms. Cruz said for 2024 the average cost per tree increased slightly because they had entered an option period in one of the planting contracts. Mr. Sotnik said the estimated average price to plant a tree through the contracts is $900. Ms. Oliver joined the meeting at 6:10PM. Ms. Cruz said for the fall season, only 43% of what has been planted were shade trees which she thinks is low and is something to try and improve on. Mr. Viteretto said he has observed 2 Page 4 of 6 that on the streets. Ms. Cruz said there are several factors such as the availability of space that limit how large a tree can be planted. Ms. Cruz said that 70% of the trees that were planted in the fall were native species to Connecticut, and 42 of the trees planted were through Ms. MacLeod’s effort as a tree liaison. She said they also reached out to 22 adopt-a tree farms for the fall planting season as well. VI. OLD BUSINESS Ms. Cruz noted that she worked with the TMP Department on the NRVT to coordinate a planting in the area and in December planted 26 trees in the amenity zone to provide a visual barrier from the road to the path, and in the background planted a number of shade trees which will look very nice in the spring. Mr. Viteretto said they may need to work on the pruning as they grow. Ms. Cruz agreed. Mr Viteretto also said that the location is great for a Hornbeam Tree on the land side. Ms. Cruz said she has been working on a new tree planting RFP that is based on the $1 million dollar grant that was received from the US Forest Service through the Inflation Reduction Act and is $500,00 for different types of tree plantings, and the funding will be available once the RFP is out to bid, and she thanked Mr. Viteretto for his help with the language. She said she is now going through the species list to see if it can be improved as is listed in the contracts. Ms. Cruz said for the fall planting there is approximately $12,000 left from the capital budget for tree planting, but there is still a lot of funding through the MLK corridor which she would like to focus on and get the committee’s input for and she and Mr. Sotnik have discussed new tree pits within certain areas of SONO where there is no planting space that currently exists. Ms. Oliver said she would like to work with Ms. Cruz on that. Ms. Cruz said they are limited to certain areas for the spring plantings so she will need to correlate the public tree requests to be sure they fall within these areas where there is funding available but, in the fall of 2025, there will be plenty of funding available to do tree plantings citywide. VII. NEW BUSINESS A. Update- Tree City USA and Growth Award Recertification Applications. Mr. Sotnik said they have gone through the normal Tree City USA recertification process, and it was signed by the mayor and submitted on January 9, 2025. He said the total expenditure throughout all the categories was $1,151,694.08 for 2024, which equates to $12.46 per capita, and in 2022 strictly using capital budget funding and Tree Alliance funding was $9.74 per capita. He said the state Forester has already approved the application for the recertification and has now gone to the Arbor Day Foundation for their approval for the 21st year in a row. Mr Sotnik said they had just applied for the Growth Award for the 19th year because they had to be a Tree City USA for two years before being able to apply for the Growth Award. He said they applied for several different categories as has been done in the past and should receive a response soon on the recertification. 3 Page 5 of 6 B. Planning for 2025 Arbor Day Events • Annual Arbor Day Celebration-Schools Mr. Sotnik said they have been in contact with the Principal of Cranbury Elementary School and the Arbor Day celebration will be held there on April 25, 2025, and Ms. Cruz will be working with the school on the planning. • Arbor Day Clean Up Mr. Sotnik said he spoke with Mr. Whitehead regarding the Arbor Day clean-up, and it will be held on April 23, 2025, and Mr. Whitehead suggested doing another section of the NRVT that they had not gotten to in the previous cleanup. He said that Mr. Whitehead will begin to contact the various tree companies, and will be working with Mr. Cruz on the planning of the clean-up. C. Update-Tree Master Plan draft phase Ms. Cruz said the Tree Master Plan is in the draft phase and will become publicly available in the next few weeks and are in the process of scheduling two to three public presentations and one of them will be held in person at the library. She said once the dates are confirmed they will be posted on the website, and she hopes the members of the committee to join. She said the plan had a lot of substances and Plant Geo did a really good job of giving hard data and communicating it in a way that is digestible for all different stakeholders within the community and the city. D. Report-Norwalk Tree Alliance updates and activities Mr. Viteretto said he attended the holiday party for the Norwalk Tree Alliance. He said there is a plan moving forward for the tree farm and Mr. Scherr will provide further details. VIII. ADJOURNMENT ** MR. VITERETTO MOVED TO ADJOURN. ** MS. OLIVER SECONDED THE MOTION. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. The meeting was adjourned at 6:30PM. Respectfully submitted, Dilene Byrd 4 Page 6 of 6