Harbor Springs Tree Board Meeting 7.17.2020

Detailed briefing

Harbor Springs Tree Advisory Board Meeting — July 17, 2020 ATTENDEES: CeCe Johnson, Sue Stewart and Dana Mulder were present; Mark’s surname was recorded inconsistently in the transcript. - The board approved the June 19 meeting minutes after noting and correcting a duplicate attendance listing. Jeff Granger’s resignation, submitted the previous day because of personal commitments, was announced. The city will seek a new board member; Jan Schlaibaugh was mentioned as interested and was encouraged to contact Matt. - Mark reported that the ReLeaf tree-planting application was accepted for a spring 2021 planting. The project will require local in-kind work and volunteers, including pre-drilling holes, staging trees and providing mulch. A ReLeaf representative is expected later in the summer to review potential sites and tree species. - Residents and board members discussed a reported clear-cutting on private property behind 638 West Bluff. The resident said about 30 trees were removed and some large logs remain. Staff said the city currently lacks an ordinance that prohibits cutting trees on private property, and the blight ordinance is too vague to clearly address logs left in a rear yard. The board agreed to revisit possible research, education and informal mediation roles at a future meeting. - The board reviewed Sue Stewart’s revised “value of trees” section for the draft tree plan. Members praised the work. Staff said approximately five or six sections remain and expressed hope that a draft could be completed by the end of the year. - Bluff management dominated the policy discussion. Staff presented survey results showing respondents placed bluff stability and prevention of erosion/runoff above improved views. Board members generally supported moving away from individual tree-trimming requests toward a comprehensive, professionally informed plan for publicly owned bluff property. - The board’s consensus was that bluff stability—including erosion and runoff—should be the primary objective, with aesthetics and views secondary. Members said the planning process should involve appropriate expertise, such as arborists, hydrologists and ecologists, and public input. Staff expects to bring a fuller bluff-management presentation to City Council after additional legal research. - Officers were elected: Mark Gilbert as chair and Sue Stewart as vice chair. Worth watching: - Whether City Council pursues a comprehensive bluff management plan and how it addresses differing conditions across bluff areas. - Follow-through on research or policy options for private-property clear-cutting and debris left after tree removal. - Planning, site review and volunteer commitments for the spring 2021 ReLeaf planting. Upcoming: The Tree Advisory Board will meet again August 21; staff anticipated a bluff-management presentation to City Council at its first August meeting. Why it matters: The board is framing tree and bluff policy around long-term slope stability, erosion control, public aesthetics and urban canopy management.

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