Tree Board Meeting

TOWN OF WEAVERVILLE Tree Board Meeting Wednesday May 7, 2025, 6:00 p.m. Agenda Pg 1. Call to Order Chairman Kantner 2. Adoption of Agenda ……………………………… Chairman Kantner 3. Approval of Minutes April 2, 2025 ………………….. Chairman Kantner 4. Tree Board member terms ……………..………….. Tamara Mercer 5. Update CODE Chapter 32, Species List- trees and vegetation ………………………………………… Chairman Kantner 6. Tree Inventory update ………………………………… Chairman Kantner 7. Potential education opportunity events Music on Main 6/14, Salute to Summer 8/23, Art in Autumn 9/20 8. Adjournment Tree Board Meeting Minutes Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at 6:00 PM Council Chambers The Tree Board regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers at Town Hall, 30 S. Main Street, Weaverville, N.C. 1. Call to Order Tree Board Members Present: Chairman Russ Kantner, Inger Stallman Jorgensen, Jeff Colavecchia, Gary Harmon, Caroline Lord, Caleb Hudson, William Mobley, Pauline Griffith and Greg Sanfilippo. Staff Present: Town Clerk Tamara Mercer Citizen: Patrice Sheehan 2. Adopt Agenda Mr. Mobley moved to adopt the agenda. Carried unanimously. 3. Approval of Minutes Ms. Stallman Jorgensen made a correction to the ground cover section clarifying her paragraph. Mr. Hudson moved to approve the meeting minutes of February with the aforementioned correction. Carried unanimously. 4. Arbor Day Celebration program The Public Works grounds keeping division confirmed the April 10th Arbor Day date and they will supply and plant the Red Oak tree in the Main Street Nature Park. Chair Russ Kantner provided the Long Leaf Pine tree seedlings. The Weaverville Primary School  children will participate, and Mr. Powell's class will receive the pine trees to take home and plant. The program will include allowing the children to plant a tree as a demonstration. The Tree Board reviewed and crafted instructions for planting a loblolly pine tree and agreed to the following planting instructions to accompany each tree. Staff will organize this for the Arbor Day program. Plant Loblolly Pine Tree Within 5 Days- 1. Dig a hole about three to four times as wide as the root-ball. 2. Center your tree in the hole and adjust the depth so the root collar (where the uppermost roots grow out of the trunk) sits even with the ground. 3. Fill and firmly pack the hole until the soil is at ground level. Form a circular ridge out of soil about 1- 1.5-feet from the base of the tree to keep water from running away. 4. Add natural mulch (leaves, grass clippings, wood chips). Keep mulch from touching the tree. 5. Water generously every seven to 10 days during the first year. Keep soil moist, but not soggy. Tamara to follow up with Mayor Fitzsimmons as to the Town Council member who will officiate over the program. 5. Continued Code Chapter 32, Species List review Mr. Harmon had previously submitted the Herbaceous Perennials list, in which he noted: the list of Herbaceous flowering plants included the added web links and he removed the plants that did not appear to be native to NC and adding (in red font) plants that weren’t on the original list. The original list came from Carolina Native Nursery. After a general consensus to include the list as guidelines for the public, Chair Kantner called a vote. Mr. Mobley moved to accept the Herbaceous Perennials plant species list as the Tree Board recommended guidelines. Carried unanimously. Further review of the plant species list included Ms. Griffith's research on the categories for: vines, small, medium and large shrubs, and ferns. Russ Kantner moved to approve the submitted species list for vines, small, medium and large shrubs, and ferns. Carried unanimously. The previously approved categories were discussed for the large, medium small trees, sedges, vines and ground covers. Mr. Harmon was concerned that the links might be broken, to which Ms. Mercer noted that the extended species list with links would be provided to the public. These suggested guidelines would not be codified within the municipal Code of Ordinances; Staff can supply the public with the approved and recommended Tree Board list as the Species List guidelines. 5.1 Chair Kantner stated that funding and grants have been suspended on the North Carolina Forestry Service website due to the uncertainty of the economic situation. He encouraged all to look for other options for the Tree  inventory and educational grants. Community Development funds may be available. 6. Adjournment 6.1 There being no further business, Chairman Kantner adjourned the meeting at 7:15 p.m. Town Clerk  TOWN OF WEAVERVILLE TREE BOARD AGENDA ITEM MEETING DATE: May 7, 2025 SUBJECT: Tree Board member Position Terms PRESENTER: Tamara Mercer ATTACHMENTS: 1 Chapter 2. ARTICLE IV Sec. 2-171. Establishment. (a) The town council establishes a tree board of the town, which board shall consist of seven (7) regular members and up to two (2) alternate members who shall all serve at the pleasure of town council. The tree board members shall primarily consist of residents of the Town of Weaverville, with a majority of the board being residents of the Town of Weaverville. Members shall be appointed by town council. (b) Except as provided for the first tree board or a newly constituted tree board, the term of office of each member of the tree board shall be for three years. To provide for staggered terms, in appointing original members or in filling vacancies caused by the expiration of the terms of existing members, town council may appoint certain members for less than three years so that the terms of all members do not expire at the same time. Vacancies occurring on the tree board shall be filled for the unexpired term only. (c) Members of the tree board shall receive no compensation for their services. (d) Any member of the tree board who is absent without good cause from three consecutive meetings of the board shall be reported to the mayor and may be removed from the board and replaced in the manner prescribed for appointments. (e) In addition to the seven members appointed to the tree board, the town manager or their designee, shall serve as an ex officio non-voting member of the board. WEAVERVILLE TREE BOARD Regularly meets _1st Wednesday of the month at 6 pm in Community Room/Council Chambers at Town Hall CONTACT INFORMATION NAME AND FIRST DATE OF TERM POSITION APPT APPT (3 YEARS) Gary Harmon Weaverville 2024 January May Regular Member Town Resident 2025 2024 – 2027 Pauline Griffith Weaverville 2024 May 2024 May Regular Member Town Resident 2024 - 2026 Russ Kantner Weaverville 2024 May 2024 May 2024 – Regular Member Town Resident 2025 Inger Stallman- Weaverville 2024 June 2024 June 2024 – Jorgensen Town Resident May 2027 Regular Member Greg Sanfilippo Buncombe Co. 2024 May 2024 May Regular Member Outside Town limits 2024 – 2026 Jeff Colavecchia Buncombe Co. 2024 May 2024 May Regular Member Outside Town limits 2024 –2025 Caroline Lord Buncombe Co. 2024 May 2024 May Regular Member Outside Town limits 2024 – 2027 Caleb Hudson Buncombe Co. 2024 May 2024 May Alternate Member Outside Town limits 2024 – 2026 William Mobley Weaverville 2025 January June 2024- Alternate Member Town Resident 2025 May 2025 Scott Harris 828-484-7001 (direct line) Town Manager sharris@weavervillenc.org Tamara Mercer 828-484-7003 (direct line) Clerk/Board Sec. tmercer@weavervillenc.org Last updated January 2025  TOWN OF WEAVERVILLE TREE BOARD AGENDA ITEM MEETING DATE: May 7, 2025 SUBJECT: Tree Inventory procedure information PRESENTER: Chairman Kantner ATTACHMENTS: 1 Contact: Sarah D. Hollis, Community Forestry Coordinator From desk of Sarah Hollis: Recommend calling Bartlett, Davey Resource Group or ArborPro to request an estimated budget figure for the project(s). They are accustomed to providing cursory estimates for municipal budgeting purposes and should have no problem helping if you have the acreage and street miles on-hand when you call. They are map pros and can likely determine the street miles for you in real-time, so I wouldn’t stress about that. I have attached some additional references that may be helpful to you in putting together the request for proposals and planning the project. You may also review the U&CF Inventories & Assessments Fact Sheet and other resources under the Urban Forestry banner on our U&CF Specifications page. You may reach out to our urban forestry specialist. Justin Bennett, copied here with any technical questions that may arise after receiving your quote. The next RFA will open as planned in July, 2025.