Tree Advisory Board Meeting — 2025-01-17

Detailed briefing

TREE ADVISORY BOARD — JANUARY 17, 2025 ATTENDEES: Council representative Tom Graham; public commenters Pam and Rick; Tree Advisory Board members and city staff. • The board approved its December meeting minutes. It also elected a chair and elected Carol as vice chair through separate voice votes. Both motions passed, but the transcript does not clearly identify the person elected chair. • Members substantially revised the board’s implementation matrix. They removed the proposed comprehensive inventory of every tree on public property, along with related inventory-update and species-mapping tasks. Discussion cited an estimated cost in the tens of thousands of dollars and staff’s limited use of such an inventory. The board instead prioritized a tree health and safety assessment every other year, including hazards, maintenance needs and conflicts with infrastructure. • Heritage and landmark trees moved up the agenda after public comment encouraged Harbor Springs to recognize historically, culturally or environmentally important trees. Members supported identifying significant trees, including trees on private property, and researching definitions and approaches used by other communities. They did not adopt protections or a permit system at this meeting. • The board repeatedly drew a line between education and regulation on private property. It removed proposed forest-management-plan and clear-cutting restrictions. A proposal to prohibit private property owners from planting invasive tree species was rewritten as an educational effort. Members discussed creating a public resource covering invasive or unsuitable species, tree selection, planting and care. • A remote public commenter asked about oak disease and whether oaks should be removed from the city’s planting list. The board said it follows a species-diversity approach, with discussion referencing a 20% cap, and noted that most urban tree species face some pest or disease threat. No decision was made to remove oaks from the list. • For its annual City Council report, the board agreed to request $6,000 to purchase and install 10 trees for the first phase of the vegetation-management plan and the second phase of the street-tree plan. The report also says 10 trees previously approved by Council are expected to be planted in spring 2025. Worth watching: 1. Whether City Council approves the proposed $6,000 tree allocation. 2. How the board defines and inventories heritage or landmark trees without regulating private property. 3. Funding and staff capacity for the vegetation-management plan. Upcoming: The next meeting is February 21. Vegetation management was postponed until then, and members were asked to review priority parks, bluff areas, the Shay Drain area and the boardwalk viewing platform beforehand. Why it matters: The board is narrowing its work toward practical tree maintenance, planting and public education while avoiding broad private-property mandates.

No open public follow-ups are linked to this meeting yet.