Tree Board Meeting February 16, 2024

Detailed briefing

Tree Advisory Board Meeting — February 16, 2024 ATTENDEES: The transcript supports attendance by board members Kathy Motchel, Anna Mulder, Dale Brown and Kathleen Leo; Teresa Johnson participated via Zoom. City staff, arborist Ben Veling, planning consultant John E. Langley, public commenter Linda Rockwood, and Harbor Springs school superintendent Brad were also present. • The board approved the January 19 meeting minutes. It also kept its regular schedule: noon on the third Friday of each month. Teresa Johnson said her new work schedule conflicts with that time and she may be unable to remain on the board, though she offered to continue helping write articles. • The board elected Dana as chair and Gail as vice chair. Members discussed revisiting the vice-chair position later if a new board member joins. • Members selected several 2024 priorities, including the street tree plan, hazardous and diseased-tree work, tree bases and mulching, zoning-related standards, dedicated annual tree-maintenance funding, and replacement or payment requirements when street trees are removed for non-view reasons. Staff will organize the priorities into a practical work plan. • The board discussed asking City Council to fund an initial 12 street trees, estimated at roughly $7,200 using a $600-per-tree estimate. The city also has seven or eight donated trees not yet planted. Ann Street, Lake Street and Spring Street were discussed as possible early planting areas; Pine Street planting should wait for high-school construction to finish. Members stressed that maintenance funding must be considered alongside planting. • Members agreed that hazardous-tree inspections need more research before adopting a process. Discussion emphasized professional assessment and documentation, rather than relying on informal drive-through reviews. Watering and maintenance of young trees, including gator bags, will be discussed at a future meeting. • On zoning revisions, the board supported increasing the parking-lot landscaping standard from one tree per eight spaces to one per five. The planning consultant will revise plant-material and invasive-species language after receiving criteria from the city arborist. Possible clear-cutting restrictions remain unresolved because members said definitions and real-world application require more investigation. • The board began exploring a pocket forest project with Harbor Springs schools. The superintendent said school classes, including environmental science, could be involved. Members will prepare an overview, explore locations and return to the idea next meeting. Worth watching: • Whether City Council funds the proposed first round of street-tree planting and related maintenance. • Staff’s proposed schedule for the board’s 2024 priority goals. • Follow-through on zoning language for tree species, invasive plants and possible clear-cutting rules. Upcoming: The next agenda is expected to include pocket-forest planning, tree-maintenance discussion, a Council funding request, and a prioritized work plan. Why it matters: The board is moving from long-range tree planning toward funding, planting, maintenance and land-use rules that could shape Harbor Springs’ public tree canopy.

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