Tree Board June 16, 2023

Detailed briefing

Tree Advisory Board — June 16, 2023 • The board approved the previous meeting’s minutes after a motion and second. The transcript does not record a vote count. The board also confirmed it had a quorum, with Patrick Rice absent. • Staff reported that some M-119 tree plantings had been installed. Evergreens and a tupelo were referenced as having gone in, while crabapple installation was still pending. The board was told pink crabapples were obtained instead of white ones. • Members praised Arbor Day Fest but questioned whether attendance was down from prior years. Ideas for next year included a different weekend, a more visible site such as Zorn Park near the farmers market, stronger advertising, a speaker, disc golf, hot dogs or a community-barbecue framing, coordination with Parks, and a replacement banner. No specific change was adopted. • The State Street review found major obstacles to street trees: two- to three-foot boulevards, overhead wires, retaining walls, limited frontage, and snow storage. Members raised concerns about planting or subsidizing trees on private property because of ownership, liability, maintenance, and precedent. The working direction was to list zero trees for State Street at this time. • The board discussed whether State Street could instead receive non-tree greenery, such as planting beds or hanging baskets. Members said any recommendation should account for staffing, cost, and long-term maintenance, not rely solely on volunteers. Staff will first discuss the concept internally, and the board may later present unsuitable corridors together to City Council rather than one street at a time. • Possible gaps for future planting were identified near the school and along Pine, Center, and Spring streets. Members discussed checking whether utilities or other infrastructure explain the lack of trees, counting feasible locations, and building a rough citywide tree plan by fall. ReLeaf and a possible fall planting event were also discussed. • Discussion of the Tree Board mission statement was postponed until Patrick Rice can participate. Members also flagged outdated information on the city website’s Donate a Tree page. Worth watching: • Whether staff finds infrastructure or safety reasons that trees are absent on Pine and Spring streets near the school. • Whether State Street is included in a future City Council beautification recommendation and how maintenance would be funded. • Progress toward a rough citywide street-tree plan for fall budgeting. Upcoming: Members plan to continue neighborhood and corridor reviews; a schedule is to be circulated by email, with Lake Street and North Lake discussed as next review areas. Why it matters: The board is moving from individual planting ideas toward a citywide plan that weighs canopy goals against physical constraints, maintenance capacity, and public cost.

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