Harbor Springs Tree Advisory Board Meeting 11.20.20

Detailed briefing

Harbor Springs Tree Advisory Board Meeting — November 20, 2020 ATTENDEES: Mark Gilbert, Dana Mulder, Sue Stewart, Nancy Rondell, Brianna Goldsmith, city staff, and member of the public John Leo; John Cupps was absent. • The board approved corrected October 16 minutes. The correction records discussion of an Arbor Day committee, with a meeting anticipated in January. Members also said the city’s formal tree list has not yet been adopted; the list is expected to be incorporated into the developing tree plan and then brought back for approval. • For 565 E. Main St., the board recommended limited trimming acceptable to city staff instead of removing the city tree. Staff said the arborist found no disease despite the applicant’s concern, identifying moss rather than mold and no urgent hazard. Members discussed the public value of street trees and the need for clearer planning and consistent decision-making on future removal requests. • The board approved removal of a tree at 476 E. Lake St. to accommodate a driveway/curb cut for a house under construction. The approval is conditioned on the owner planting a replacement tree from the city’s approved list somewhere in the right-of-way. Placement will be addressed through a tree application. • Members discussed bones found while trees were being hand-dug nearby. Staff said the material had been provided to a forensic expert and the tribe to determine whether it is Native American. The issue remained under review, but staff said it did not halt the tree planting work. • The board did not approve a proposed program to grow donated evergreen trees on city property for future downtown holiday display. Instead, it supported further research. Questions included the years needed to reach a usable height, maintenance and shaping requirements, disease risk, suitable species, costs, and whether the program would reduce liability associated with obtaining trees from private property. • Members began looking ahead to 2021. They said budget and goal-setting would be addressed at the December meeting, noted that roughly six or seven donated trees remain unplanted, and discussed the need for a completed tree plan before making a more specific annual funding request to City Council. Worth watching: • City staff is to research holiday-tree program maintenance, costs and species recommendations before any decision. • The city tree list and broader tree plan still need completion and formal board approval. • The replacement-tree condition at 476 E. Lake St. requires follow-through through the city application process. Upcoming: The next meeting was identified as December 18; ReLeaf Michigan planting is expected in spring, with a possible late-March site visit. Why it matters: The board’s actions preserved one public tree through trimming, replaced another after a removal approval, and highlighted the planning and funding needed to sustain Harbor Springs’ tree canopy.

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