Tree Board Meeting 4.16.2021

Detailed briefing

Tree Advisory Board Meeting — April 16, 2021 ATTENDEES: Sue, Karen, Nancy, Becky, Ben, Brianna, Victor; public participant John joined by Zoom. • The board approved the March 19 meeting minutes after review. No public comment was offered by the Zoom participant who was asked to speak. • Members discussed potential locations for eight donated trees, focusing on Layton Park and nearby streets. Staff said the area was identified as part of a broader effort to distribute tree canopy across the city rather than concentrate planting downtown and south of the bluff. Locations were not finalized. • The board debated how to notify residents whose city right-of-way may be selected for a tree. Members generally favored advance notice to directly affected homeowners, explaining that the tree would be in the city right-of-way and that residents would not be required to care for it. Members did not support turning the limited donated-tree planting into an open request process. • Final Layton Park planting sites, species, and sample resident letters are expected for the next meeting. Ben was asked to develop a final list of potential locations and species; possible Lake Street replacement locations were also mentioned. • The board planned to combine the Arbor Day celebration with the ReLeaf grant planting at the spillway site. The event is expected to include volunteer planting, educational information, and a seedling giveaway. The board discussed Saturday, May 29, as the event date, and later referred to it as the Arbor Day celebration date for a May council proclamation. • Volunteer recruitment will be a central task. ReLeaf said roughly 30 volunteers would be desirable for a planting of this size, though the number was not described as a required pre-registration threshold. Brianna reported outreach to school National Honor Society students and elementary-school families. Staff said it would promote the event through the website, newspapers, and other channels. • Members considered volunteer incentives, including donated socks, a drawing for trekking poles, and locally made granola bars. They also discussed obtaining up to 100 seedlings, potentially including white pine, and finding homes for any remaining seedlings. Worth watching: • Whether final donated-tree locations and species return with resident-notification letters at the next meeting. • Whether volunteer outreach produces sufficient turnout for the ReLeaf planting. • Whether seedling sourcing, giveaway logistics, and any costs are resolved before May 29. Upcoming: The board expects to meet May 14; Arbor Day/ReLeaf planting is planned for Saturday, May 29. Why it matters: The work advances city tree-canopy distribution, public engagement, and Tree City USA-related activities.

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