12-30-2013 TBMCITY OF HUTCHINSON
TREE BOARD
Monday, December 30, 2013
5:15 p.m.
City Center
Meeting Minutes
Members present: Newton Potter, Laura Poser, Corey Stearns, Steve Cook (Council)
Members absent: Dale Redetzke,
Others Present: Mike Bake, Natural Resource Specialist, John Olson, Public Works Manager,
Others: Kirstin Taggart, Green Corps Member, Dann Penke, forestry° intent; Mark
Schnobrich, former Cih- Forester.
Meeting began at 5:15 p.m. There was a quorum of members present.
1. Tree Board Meeting Notes
Tree Board meeting notes of October 28th, 2013 were available for review.
2. Tree Board Members
Nev,lon Potter (to 04/13, 2nd lull- terns) Dale Redetzke
(to 04/13, 2nd lull- terns)
Corey Stearns (to 04/14, 2nd hull - terns) Laura Poser
(to 04/13, 2nd hull - terns)
Steve Cook (Council representative) Mike Bahe
(PRCE representative)
Jolui Olson (Public Works representative)
Ovarterly Aleeting sehedzdes: 0127 14, 04 28 14, 07 28 14, 10 2714.
For meeting schedides & interest forms for serving on the Tree Board,
see ururur.ci.hlttchinson.nm. its
3. Standing Renorts
a) 2014 will be the 35th year for TreeClh-USA. Special events are being planned for Arbor Day
and the 35th anniversary° of the TreeCit-,°USA designation. Hutchinson is tied for second
longest TreeCih-USA in MN. TreeLineUSA is a program for utilities. HUC staff is trained
on proper pruning practices and best practices to protect trees while trenching and boring.
4. Onerational Issues and Onen Proiects
a) Presentation by Dani Penke (Iowa State): Bur Oak Blight (BOB) Study Review. Dani
presented her findings from the study, which included 15 trees in Oakland Cemetery. There
were other trees treated for BOB, but the study was limited to trees in the Cemetery. The
findings of the study indicate that fungicide treatments for affected trees are effective in
stabilizing or reducing BOB symptoms. Cost of treatments is expected to be about $100 per
tree and would need to be done bi- annually. Because of the cost, selected, high -value trees
could be treated.
b) A significant discussion took place about the proposed `Forestry Diversification Project.
The proposed 2011 resolution for Tree Disease/Infestation Mitigation account was discussed.
Staff is seeking approval of a resolution that would allow a portion of the funds to be spent on
diversification projects.
The program goals are to get the total ash population in anyone of the 49 project areas to
below 20 %. Each area will have specific trees identified for removal /replacement, with the
goal of replacing ash trees that are in the worst condition first. It was also noted that species
for replacement would be selected based on those species that do well in this area, excepting
maple trees, since there maples already represent such a significant portion of the total tree
population.
The plan for program spending is that no more than $2,000 of the roughly $55,000 annual
contribution to the fund would be spent annually. About $20,000 would be for boulevard tree
removals /replacements. The other $5,000 would be available for park properties. This would
leave roughly $30,000 per year to continue building the fluid, which may be needed in the
future for removals, if Emerald Ash Borer is detected locally.
There are several project areas with high ash populations, which means it may be necessan• to
remove /replace several trees in any given area to meet the 20% goal. Because mature trees
also have some value, it was noted that it may be necessary to spread the actual
removal /replacement work out over a few years to avoid having too many removals in an
area, particularly if the trees slated for removal are grouped in a row. Other factors that were
discussed were visibilih< prioritization and the efficiency of removals. It was suggested that in
the early stages of the project, ash targeted for removal and replacement should be those in
highly visible areas such as near parks and the downtown area. Further, it was questioned
how efficient the removal /replacement process will be if we remove only a portion of the
trees in a project area and return to remove the remainder in subsequent years.
A key element in the plan is to conduct neighborhood meetings for areas with high ash
populations to provide information about the project and to have discussions about the
number and location of trees planned for removal /replacement. If a neighborhood does not
have a high ash population but expresses keen interest in the project, a neighborhood meeting
will be considered. The neighborhood meetings should be an excellent forum for helping
property owners understand the goals of the plan and the benefit of increasing diversity° of
tree species within the CIO,%
Based on discussions at the meeting, it was determined the first high -ash neighborhood that
will be addressed is identified as SW9, the area between South Grade Rd SW and Linden Ave
SW from Harrington St SW to Merrill St SW. A re- inventor° of all ash in the project area is
underway to determine potential removal /replacement tree candidates in SW9.
The Board approves:
• Resolution 13853 as written and would like to submit it for City Council approval.
• `Forestry Diversification Project' as proposed with these changes:
— Projects ui areas with high densih- of ash will be divided into as many as 3
smaller projects
— Project implementation prioritization will use:
1. Densih- of ash trees
2. Frequency of use in area
5. Other Discussions/ New Business
a) Other items:
Discussion for the next meeting: Potential ordinance update
NEXT MEETING: Regularly scheduled meeting: 01/27/2014