01-23-2017 TBMCity of Hutchinson Tree Board
Monday January 23rd 2017
5:30 PM
City Center
Minutes
Members present: Newton Potter, Dale Redetzke, Annie Kosel
Others present: John Olson public works manager, Donovan Schuette Arborist
Member absent: Juli Neubarth, Gary Forcier (Council Representative)
Meeting called to order at 5:30 p.m. There was a quorum of members present.
Tree board members
Newton Potter (to 01/17 1" full term)
Dale Redetzke (to 01/16 1" full term)
Juli Neubarth (to 01/18 1" full term)
Annie Kosel (to 01/18 1" full term)
Gary Forcier (council representative)
John Olson (public works manager)
Donovan Schuette (arborist)
Discussion and new business
End of year tree board meeting
General numbers
Trees planted 357 through grants, energy tree and development
Removals 103 mostly declining sugar maples due to girdling roots and poor
quality ash
Trees pruned 1904
Notes
• Due to 2 major forestry purchases (boom truck and chipper), we are at $21.32
per person for forestry expenditures for the previous year. Normal years are
around $11-$13 per person which is at or above average for communities our
size. We will likely receive our 38th tree city designation this year.
• We plan to have an Arbor Day observance on May 12th this year with park
elementary and 3M wishes to have an Arbor Day observance this year, date to
be determined.
• General goals for the year include maintaining our current level of maintenance
(1500-2000 trees pruned), continuing to improve new tree maintenance by
establishing an inspection protocol every year for the first 5 years of
establishment, finish out the LCCMR grant in 6 locations around town, the
largest being drift riders park, rolling meadows park, and the site of the new dog
park. Development tree and energy tree programs will also continue as planned,
especially the development program which has seen a sharp uptick due to a
dramatic increase in new house construction. Continue to monitor EAB progress
and explore options for homeowners who wish to remove ash on their
boulevards that are only of marginal quality rather than remove whole
neighborhoods of their ash trees. The firewood quarantine procedures seem to
be ensuring a slow progression of the insect so hopefully we have several years
of slowly whittling away at our population of ash that are in poor condition
before increased amounts of removals are needed.
• We are currently revamping the landscaping ordinance for new commercial
construction. There are several opposing viewpoints on the matter but areas of
common ground can be found so something should be hammered out in the first
part of the year.
• Discussed dissolution of tree board and formation of sustainability board
Next meeting: to be determined, board is transitioning to sustainability board