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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-07-10 Tree Board Minutes Tree Board Wednesday, July 10, 2024 @ 5:30 p.m. City Council Chambers, 262 Harlow St. Meeting Minutes In Attendance: Tree Board Members: Greg Edwards, Annette Dodd, David Ludwig, Dominick Rizzo City Staff:Aaron Huotari, Ben Arruda,Jefferson Davis Guests: Sophia Cameron, William McPhee, Karen Marysdaughter 1. Call meeting to order—Greg Edwards a. 5:32 pm 2. Approval of Meeting Minutes 4/23/24 a. Motion to accept: Dominick, Second:Annette. Unanimous approval 3. Spring Tree Planting Review— Ben Arruda a. 59 trees planted i. Regular staff and interns planted in 12-16 hours b. Most doing well - 2 are doing poorly i. Red maple—struck by car ii. Larch—damaged/vandalized c. Still planning to plant in the fall under the new fiscal year budget d. Currently have 77 planting requests - many need to be assessed e. Used several vendors for this year's planting—increased diversity 4. Bangor Beautiful Spring Planting Project Review—Greg Edwards a. Spring planting went well. Only one tree is not doing well — Elm i. Arruda mentioned that this year he is seeing a lot of elm die back ii. We should explore prevention strategy for Dutch Elm Disease iii. Still need to plant two more trees in the fall after trees go dormant. b. Plan for fall planting i. Bangor Beautiful proposed a fall planting at the intersection of Oak and Washington Streets—26 trees ii. Includes some planting near the retaining wall below Washington St. 1. Will remove invasive species against wall, too iii. Would like to widen esplanade by the 45 Oak St. parking lot—would need to remove a small section of existing asphalt that wouldn't affect vehicle traffic or parking 1. This would allow us to plant canopy trees along this section as there are no overhead power lines 5. Resident Tree Removal Requests a. None b. Dunning Blvd tree planting update 6. Browntail Moth (BTM) Response Update a. Pesticide injections were effective b. Fungus that is lethal to caterpillars was seen in many places around the City c. Parasitoid wasps were seen on the waterfront d. Adult moths hatching— update posted to City website today e. Yellow lights are less attractive to moths 7. Emerald Ash Borer(EAB) Update a. Suspected EAB found in Bangor Gardens on private ash tree—submitted to MFS b. Presentation regarding EAB and tree inventory—Sophie & Will c. Master of Forestry project to develop an EAB response plan i. Discussion regarding re-use of harvested ash ii. Discussion regarding coordination with indigenous peoples iii. Discussion of re-planting strategy iv. Discussion of the plan for ash tree management on private property 8. Urban Forestry Management Plan Update a. The City of Bangor grant application received positive feedback and scored highly b. Waiting on final word of award 9. Other Items a. Discussion regarding infrastructure work that damages trees i. Can we develop standards/guidelines that protect trees? b. Board Membership Discusson i. David Ludwig resignation ii. Karen Marysdaughter application iii. Can a non-resident sit on the board?—Yes iv. Does the landscape architect or arborist need to be licensed?—Yes v. Is there a problem with Board members being related? - No 10. Next Meeting a. October 9, 2024, 5:30 pm In Attendance: ❑ Greg Edwards ❑ Annette Dodd ❑ David Ludwig ❑ Dominick Rizzo ❑ Ben Arruda—PW Forestry Manager ❑ Aaron Huotari—PW Director ❑ Sophie Cameron—UME intern ❑ William McPhee—UME intern ❑Jackson Skog—UME intern ❑Jackson Varley—UME intern ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑