Tree Advisory Commission Meeting

City of Urbana, Illinois Minutes of the Urbana Tree Commission Meeting Public Works Engineering Conference Room 706 S. Glover Ave. Urbana, IL 61802 Wednesday, December 2, 2015 1:30 p.m. Members Present: Chair Jeff Dawson, Barbara Anderson, Carol Augspurger, Stewart Berlocher, Jackson Bird, Darrin Eastburn, Michael Stevenson Members Absent: Derek Liebert Staff Present: Michael Brunk (City of Urbana Arborist), Kate Brickman Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m. Approval of Meeting Minutes The minutes from September 2, 2015 were presented for approval. The motion to approve was made by Eastburn, second by Berlocher, and carried by a voice vote. Public Input There was no public input. Former Business a. Urbana Park District Legacy Tree Program Agreement Brunk presented a reworked Legacy Tree Ordinance Revision that would include the Park District, as a way to combine efforts and share costs associated with Park District associated Legacy Tree recipients. It is currently being reviewed by the City of Urbana Legal Department and Brunk hopes to have it to presented to Council before the next Tree Commission meeting. New Business a. Legacy Tree Nominations forwarded for approval i. 724 S. Broadway Sugar Maple The Commission reviewed a legacy tree nomination for a City Sugar Maple tree located at 742 S. Broadway Avenue (see attached). The tree was nominated in the Legacy Size Tree category. Discussion ensued.  Stevenson moved to recommend approval, Anderson seconded, but the motion did not carry. ii. 1303 N. Cunningham Information Center Rare Oak The Commission reviewed a legacy tree nomination for a City Oak Hybrid tree located at 1303 N. Cunningham Avenue (see attached). The tree was nominated in the Legacy Rare Tree category. Discussion ensued. Anderson moved to recommend approval, Dawson seconded, and the motion carried. iii. 1004 S. Lincoln Bur Oak The Commission reviewed a legacy tree nomination for a City Bur Oak tree located at 1004 S. Lincoln Avenue (see attached). The tree was nominated in the Legacy Location Tree category. Discussion ensued and the vote for this nomination will remain on hold. iv. 715 W. Washington Goldenraintree The Commission reviewed a legacy tree nomination for a City Goldenraintree tree located at 715 W. Washington Street (see attached). The tree was nominated in the Legacy Size Tree category. Discussion ensued. Eastburn moved to recommend approval, Stevenson seconded, and the motion carried. v. 901 S. Busey Sugar Maple The Commission reviewed a legacy tree nomination for a City Sugar Maple tree located at 901 S. Busey Avenue (see attached). The tree was nominated in the Legacy Size Tree category. Discussion ensued. Dawson moved to recommend approval, Eastburn seconded, and the motion carried. b. Status of EAB Brunk reported that, as of an inspection in September and October of 496 City Ash trees, 364 were found to show specific or potential signs to indicate Emerald Ash Borer infestation. He also noted that all Arbor employees are working on removals this winter with a total of 215 trees on the in-house list to be dealt with over the next 3 years. Additionally, Brunk shared information on the number of City trees receiving treatment to combat the Emerald Ash Borer. Discussion ensued. c. Discussion – Mitigating Forest Decline Brunk addressed the issue of mitigating forest decline in Urbana and asked that this item be a continuing discussion at Tree Commission meeting. i. Tree Planting Emphasis Brunk would like for planting to remain a priority and not be overlooked because of current and future ash tree removals. ii. Tree Care/Maintenance Dedicated Focus  Brunk suggested preventative maintenance to mitigate forest decline and spoke of the City tree top to tree bottom inspection program that had taken 13 years to complete. The Commission discussed way in which members could act alone or as a group to engage City Council members concerning the importance of these issues when faced with budget constraints. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:01 p.m. Kate Brickman, Recording Secretary Urbana Tree Commission