Tree Board Meeting 1.19.2024

Detailed briefing

Tree Advisory Board Meeting — January 19, 2024 ATTENDEES: Kathy Mitchell, Gail Brown, Jan Mulder, Kathy Leo, and Thalia Sartora were present; Teresa was absent. • The board approved the prior meeting minutes and completed a large portion of its tree implementation matrix review. Several goals were treated as completed, including identifying neighborhoods with relatively few trees, creating potential planting locations, maintaining preferred public-property tree lists, publicizing “Right Tree, Right Place,” holding pruning demonstrations, and some resident education work. • Members assigned high priority to work including a list of tree species not allowed on public property, planting and maintenance standards, street-tree planting guidelines, water considerations before planting, hazardous and diseased-tree work, improved tree bases, grant research, annual funding, donated-tree promotion, and volunteer recruitment. Staff will average the ratings and bring the high-priority items back so the board can choose several projects to focus on this year. • Staff will circulate tree-related sections of the draft zoning code before the February 16 Tree Board meeting. The board will compare that language with tree-plan goals and may recommend tree-related changes for council and the Planning Commission to consider. Staff said the city’s target is zoning-code approval by the end of April, while an early-March schedule may be aggressive. • Council plans to form a bluff-stability committee in response to concerns about clearing on the bluff and potential effects on aesthetics and stability. Staff described the proposed membership as the mayor, DPW director, three bluff residents, and three East Third Street residents. Formation was anticipated in late February or early March. A resident asked how appointments would work; staff said interested residents may apply through the city. • The board reviewed its advisory role, Open Meetings Act rules, email and text-message cautions, quorum requirements, and conflict-of-interest practices. Members supported updating bylaws so regular-meeting agendas are described as emailed rather than mailed. Officer elections were deferred until the next meeting. • Members discussed a possible experimental reforestation or pocket-forest project, potentially using free trees and possibly involving the school. They also discussed connecting a project with Arbor Day, preparing an annual Tree Board report for council, and exploring support for the street-tree planting program. Worth watching: • Whether the Tree Board’s zoning recommendations reach council in time for the city’s zoning-code approval process. • How council appoints the bluff-stability committee and whether it adds a Tree Board representative. • Which three to five implementation-matrix priorities the board selects for 2024. Upcoming: February 16 Tree Board meeting; planned topics include tree-related zoning language and selection of leading annual priorities. Why it matters: The board’s choices will shape how Harbor Springs protects, plants, funds, and educates the public about its urban forest.

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