Tree Board January 20, 2023

Detailed briefing

Tree Advisory Board — January 20, 2023 ATTENDEES: Gail Brown, Jamie, Patrick, Dana; Victor and City Arborist Ben Beuling participated. Teresa and Jackson were absent. • The board approved the previous meeting minutes. It deferred election of its 2023 chair and vice chair until February. Members did not want to act on a nomination for an absent member, and also discussed whether it is appropriate for one person to chair two boards. Staff said there is no current rule barring that arrangement. • Resident George Peete spoke against planned removal of large trees along M-119 in front of Bay Bluffs. He said mature white pines are an important community resource and urged consideration of burying power lines instead. Staff said the removal contract had already been awarded and estimated that burying the relevant line section would cost at least $400,000, while removal was about 10% of that cost. Staff also cited reliability and access considerations for primary electric lines. • Members stressed that the Tree Board can advise City Council and staff but does not make the infrastructure decision. They discussed improving public understanding of such projects and the value of considering tree benefits alongside direct project costs. • For replacement planting on M-119, the board agreed on a three-species palette: Cleveland pear, Ivory Silk tree lilac, and Donald Wyman crabapple. The discussion weighed seasonal appearance, utility-wire clearance, species diversity, disease risk, and the fact that maples and honey locusts are already strongly represented in the city inventory. • Staff said the project had been expected to cost about $50,000, with about $40,000 for removal and roughly $10,000 currently available for planting. That could fund about 18 to 20 trees, depending on selections. Additional donations or later phased planting may be considered. A member offered to draft a conceptual plan. • The board reviewed its work and priorities, including the tree plan, Tree City USA recognition, Arbor Day programming, tree-canopy articles, donated trees, and maintenance funding. Members selected northern white cedar as the next possible Tree Canopy article topic and discussed asking Teresa to prepare it. Worth watching: • Staff and the board still need a final conceptual M-119 planting layout, including spacing and tree quantities. • Chair and vice-chair elections remain unresolved until the next meeting. • The board plans a future discussion on how climate-change considerations should inform tree decisions. Upcoming: The next meeting is expected to cover the 2023 project matrix, tree-planting location planning, Arbor Day planning, and officer elections; no meeting date was stated. Why it matters: The board is balancing infrastructure needs with long-term urban-forest health, diversity, public input, and the appearance of a major entrance to Harbor Springs.

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