20231010 - Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission Meeting Minutes

 Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission 10/10/2023 Meeting Minutes

In Attendance: Carolyn Jacoby, Nancy Brennan-Hill, Mahmoud Hamza, Cavan Sieczkowski, Siobhan Winograd, Declan Madden, Ian Keller, Andrew Lowry. Joined by guests Keith Kazmark, Grace Kim, Anne Burton Walsh

Meeting called to order by Chair Carolyn Jacoby

September 2023 meeting minutes approved.

Keith Kazmark: 90 days on the job, STC is doing a good job with PR and will be able to take advantage of better communications with the Village website redesign. CBD planting is planned to begin 10/23. STC should plan another Adopt-a-sapling effort in '24. Openly supports trees, recognizes STC's importance to Ridgewood. '23 budget was very difficult because federal aid funds disappeared, but '24 budget should not be so tight. George Wolfson/Siobhan Winograd/Keith Kazmark agree to meet before upcoming presentation to council. Millenium may be contracted to seek grants for STC and others.

Nancy Brennan-Hill: 32 trees for Adopt-A-Sapling program. Markouts complete, trees and donuts purchased, planting will be done in small groups meeting at Orchard School. Andrew Lowry expressed concern about whether residents will be willing and capable of filling the donuts as intended.

Declan Madden: CBD planting scheduled to begin 10/23. Beuchler doing removals and stump grinding, Tode to plant 37 trees. Scheduling is tight with paving and shade tree conference, which complicates supervision. Fall planting of 120 trees to be done by Downes. November watering of all new plantings TBD.

Carolyn Jacoby: 2024 budget proposal of $580k. Planting of 350 trees, with $200k for outsourced removals. 65 trees to be planted in Schedler neighborhood, other low canopy areas to be targeted.

George Wolfson: Three main parts of the tree ordinance: a) land development (Planning Board), b) home improvement (Zoning Board), and canopy preservation (STC and Parks). Certificate of Occupancy should be contingent on tree plantings (Planning Board) and as-built surveys should be required by the Zoning Board. Enforcement should be a priority, and replacement calculation must be determined. Siobhan Winograd comments that the ordinance must not be a burden to homeowners, and Ian Keller discusses the loopholes created by the "qualified tree" stipulation.

Carolyn Jacoby presents the draft of the (first?) STC tri-fold brochure. Group discussion regarding the definition of a commission, fundraising in the future, and "the letter." Champion tree nomination is a great PR exercise, we should look for others candidates (Heritage, Champion, Significant). Core Training and minimum annual CEUs to be mandatory for future STC members. Reminder of Daffodil festival in Spring, and obligatory subcommittee participation. George Wolfson identifies possible fungus issue due to gator bags in CBD.