This provides a brief summary of the decisions reached and the issues discussed at the above meeting
Governance
A quorum was present.
Minutes from April 11, 2017 were approved.
It was requested that the STC minutes be forwarded to the Dillon for posting on the Village Website
Grant Funds Spending
Monica indicated that funds for the NJ grant were spent as follows:
Pots……………………….$300 Bartlet Trees…………..700 URL…………………………100 Post Cards A-A-Tree.900
Total $2,000
Confirmation has been sent to the state. Once bills fron the contractors are received they should be sent to Bob Roney for payment.
Adopt-A-Tree
Tim reported he had received several calls about the program, these were general information calls. We have received 4-5 applications for fall planting.
Carolyn has issued a press release which has been picked up by Ridgewood News. We need to get the information on Facebook and Jiffy (?). Manish will handle.
Village Budget
The Capital Budget has $55,000 for tree replacement and will be available June 20, 2017. It was noted that while unspent Capital funds can be carried over to the next year it is prudent to be sure that they are spent in the year in which they have been allocated. Future Capital approprialions are often based on what was spent in the previous year. Given the amount of catch-up planting required it is important to be sure we spend the all the money allocated in this year. The implication is that we need to be very schedule focused in planning the fall planting.
Tim reported that his post retirement replacement will be on board after July 3, 2017. Tim will be working with him until the end of 2017.
Tree Wells – Downtown Trees
Ian presented the findings from the tree well excavation. He thanked Chris for sending Ryan and the excavating equipment without which the effort would have been impossible (we did not realize how hard the sub-soil was)
There were several pieces of learning:
The first 12 inches of soil seems to be fairly good, but is very compacted.
The seconds 12-18 inches is a mixture of gravel, construction debris and sandy grit. Clearly this is not a good soil at this depth.
There is a 12-18 inch cement collar surrounding the pit. This would inhibit lateral root growth and would force roots down, into the less desirable soil.
Other observations were made but the general agreement of the STB, after the discussion, is that we should ideally replace all the soil in the pits when a planting is planned.
Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission Meeting Minutes August 14, 2018
Opening The regular meeting of the Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission was called to order at 7:35PM on August 14, 2018 by Andrew Lowry.
Present Andrew Lowry, Dan Cramblitt, Melody Corcoran, Ian Keller, Carolyn Jacoby, Declan Madden
Approval of Minutes Motion to approve the minutes for July 10, 2018 was made by Ian Keller, seconded by Carolyn Jacoby, and approved by all present.
Andrew Hillman’s Draft Tree/ Tree Well Evaluation Report
Tree/ Tree Well Evaluation Ridgewood, NJ Broad St. and Ridgewood Ave. 7-28-2018 Draft Report
Project Description: 1. Evaluate the condition of the trees and tree wells on two blocks of Broad St. and on the entire length of East Ridgewood Ave. These blocks were selected due to their visibility in the Village. They have 109 tree wells. They are not necessarily representative of all (205) trees/tree wells in the Central Business District but many of the issues identified in the evaluation are reflected on other streets. The evaluation took place on July 28, 2018 from 9: AM to 4:30 PM 2. Identify problems and possible causes 3. Make recommendations for improvement as appropriate.
This evaluation is viewed as an initial step in developing a comprehensive plan for improving the vitality and longevity of trees in the CBD.
Summary of Findings
The trees and tree wells on Broad St. and Ridgewood Ave. (105) are in poor condition.
• 51% are either dead (mostly empty tree wells) or in very poor condition (not able to be saved) • 28% were judged to be in “good” condition but even these have some issues which could lead to premature death or risk of falling or splitting. • 21% were judged to be of “middle” or fair health. Not thriving but not likely to die in the next few years. Some of these might be salvageable but in most cases they are not the right tree for the location.
The reasons for this situation are fairly identifiable but unfortunately not easy to address in the short term.
• The trees are stressed by a lack of water o Tree Wells do not have enough soil o Tree Well Design – Brick Collar o No watering by Village o Mulch compressed – sheds water o Vehicle damage
• The Species Planted o Several not suited to urban environment o Not disease resistant
• Little maintenance over the years o Little structural pruning o No disease Treatment?
• The renovation of the tree wells in the 1990’s o Elevated soil which increased bark decay o Mulch makes it worse
Next Steps
• Complete Report (work with Hillman and STC) • Agree on design of test wells for 2018 o Brick Collar o Cement circle o Extra Bricks removed o Soil (get specs for PH etc.) CU soil o Drains/water tanks o Mulch/grate/bricks etc. o Supports
• Agree on Species – and find nursery sources
• Develop planting specs for Bidding o Qualified Landscapers o Supervision o Detailed Specifications
• Agree on Planting Plan
CBDAC and Tree/Tree Well Improvements:
After the STC has received and agreed on Andrew Hillman’s recommendations, the improvement plan needs to be presented to the CBDAC to get their buy-in and agreement. The plan then needs to be presented to the village council. The esthetics and benefits of improved trees and tree wells need to be emphasized – an attractive treescape is good for businesses and the village. Andrew Lowry will contact Andrew Hillman to get his recommendations on the design of the wells and also a review of available porous materials that could be used for the tree wells. Declan Madden will contact Andrew Hillman re suitable tree species. He will also start working on the specifications for tree planting bids. The requirement that a Licensed Tree Expert (LTE) must be on site and supervise the planting process will be included in the bid specifications. The developers of new downtown construction need to be informed that the streetscape guidelines developed using Hillman’s recommendations must be followed. Andrew Lowry will follow-up with the village on how to accomplish this.
Nursery:
The watering system installed in July is working well. It was extended to water more trees that are waiting to be planted. Many of these trees are species that are not suitable as street trees; it was suggested that these trees may possibly be given away to residents. The potted trees need to be moved to a more attractive location. Placing these trees alongside the firehouse was suggested as a better place for them; Dan Cramblitt will look into this and other possible sites for the potted nursery trees.
Adopt-a-Tree: Carolyn Jacoby spoke to Dylan Hansen, CGCIO village manager’s office, about the steps necessary to update the AaT application on the website. A Word file is needed to enable editing of the document. Carolyn Jacoby will also contact Lisa Simms of the NJ Tree Foundation on their bidding process for tree planting.
Adjournment: Meeting was adjourned at 9:20PM by: Andrew Lowry. Minutes submitted by: Melody Corcoran
Opening The regular meeting of the Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission was called to order at 7:35PM on May 8, 2018 by Andrew Lowry.
Present Andrew Lowry, Dan Cramblitt, Melody Corcoran, Ian Keller, Carolyn Jacoby, Bron Sutherland, George Wolfson
Approval of Minutes Motion to approve the minutes for April 17, 2018 was made by Carolyn Jacoby, seconded by Bron Sutherland, and approved by all present.
Budget Update
Approximately $65,500 capital money is marked for trees; $3450 - $3500 for the consulting fee concerning tree wells in CBD is requested. Gator bags may possibly be provided by the tree planting contractors so that they would not need to be purchased.
Adopt-a-Tree
Dan Cramblitt suggested that the adopt-a-trees should be planted in the fall when street scape trees are planted after re-paving. All of the AaT species will be available and the AaT trees would be planted first. If done this way, the trees will be cheaper because they would be part of the street scape bid; the cost for all trees then would be approximately $45,000 rather than $65,000.
Dan Cramblitt, Carolyn Jacoby, Ian Keller, Nancy Bigos and Candice Fitzpatrick will meet next week to work on setting up AaT guidelines, FAQs, how to care for trees, water bag instructions, etc. to be given to AaT buyers.
Declan Madden checked the trees planted in 2016, pruned as necessary, and placed a door hanger on residents’ doors to advise them that their new tree had been checked.
CBD Tree Wells
The quote from Andrew Hillman of $3500 for consulting on the CBD tree wells is still good. Ian Keller and Andrew Lowry will work on sending Mr. Hillman the specifics of what the STC thinks needs to be done to improve the tree wells along with a map of the tree wells in the CBD. Because the quote is over $3000, three bids would be needed for the project. If the job were broken into smaller jobs spread out over time and costing less than $1000 each, bids would not be needed.
Ridgewood Agricultural and Environmental Club
RAEC from Ridgewood High School is looking for projects. If it is not already bid out to contactors, a possible project for them would be cleaning the CBD tree wells of weeds, ivy and trash and loosening the mulch. Also suggested is helping to move the nursery trees, using I-Canopy to count the trees in the village, and possibly watering downtown plantings. Carolyn Jacoby is working with RAEC.
Earth Day 2018
Earth day on April 22 was very successful and well attended. The STC needs to be better prepared for next year. If possible, we should plan on giving away tree whips to residents.
Tree Protection Ordinance
George Wolfson will talk individually to village council members about the tree protection ordinance. It has been simplified; the basic aims of the ordinance are to prevent clear-cutting, provide for replacement of trees that are cut down, and give the town arborist the final decision on the care or fate of village trees. It is imperative that the tree protection ordinance be passed soon.
Shade Tree URL www.ridgewoodshadetree.org should be working by the end of the week. Any email sent to the STC will be directed to Parks and Recreation and forwarded to the STC if relevant.
Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission Meeting Minutes June 12, 2018
Opening The regular meeting of the Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission was called to order at 7:38PM on June 12, 2018 by Andrew Lowry. Present Andrew Lowry, Mike Sedon, Dan Cramblitt, Melody Corcoran, Ian Keller, Carolyn Jacoby, Declan Madden, George Wolfson, Richard Stiga, Gary Cirillo Approval of Minutes Motion to approve the minutes for May 8, 2018 was made by Ian Keller, seconded by Carolyn Jacoby, and approved by all STC members present.
Graydon Tree If a seed-grown descendant of the original sycamore on the island were to be used, it might possibly be a hybrid with another sycamore or a London plane tree or there could be other concerns with it. It was suggested that a disease resistant variety of elm be planted instead of a sycamore. In the past, there was another island in Graydon that contained an elm tree. All STC members present agreed that the sycamore should be replaced with an elm. Declan Madden will research and choose a disease resistant elm variety. The type and size of tree that the STC recommends and why it is recommended will be presented to the village council for approval.
STC Google Groups Because the STC Google groups for emailing is not up to date, it will not be used until it is updated with the current STC roster. In the meantime, individual emails will be used to communicate with STC members. It has been suggested that a new Google group be created which will be administered by Candice Fitzpatrick, office assistant, Parks and Shade Tree.
CBD Tree Wells Individual shop owners are not required to fix the tree wells in front of their businesses. The village needs to remove the brick bands and cement collars. This should be done as soon as possible this fall and/or winter. The four trees in the CBD which previously had their brick bands and cement collars removed and a drain added are currently OK. A more complex or technical improvement of the tree wells may not be necessary. Andrew Hillman has agreed to come for one day and give advice on tree wells; his fee will be less than $1000. Four more trees will be planted following his recommendations.
Project Pride Project Pride pays seasonal employees of the village to water the flowers and trees in the CBD. A schedule of what needs to be watered including the tree wells with drains needs to be created. Dan Cramblitt will email Gary Cirillo with the locations of the 4 new trees in the CBD so that they are watered appropriately. If there is a drought this year, the village council will need to make a special allocation to water more trees.
Nursery There are approximately 120 swamp oak and red maple trees in pots. The new nursery site needs a water supply before these trees can be planted in the ground. These potted trees will need to be watered this summer. A timer and drip hose are needed for this; George Wolfson will set this up.
Adopt-a-Tree An article about Adopt-a-Tree appeared in the Ridgewood News for several weeks. The Adopt-a-Tree application needs streamlining; the bullet points on the application need to be simplified. Carolyn Jacoby and Ian Keller will work on this. The contractors who plant the Adopt-a-Trees need to plant to ANSI standards.
Oak Tree Dedication The oak tree dedication for pollinator week is set for June 20, 2018.
Grants The STC needs to research which grants should be applied for. The village grant writing firm will do the actual application. Mike Sedon will try to find out why our grant application to Sustainable Jersey was denied. Adjournment Meeting was adjourned at 9:10PM by: Andrew Lowry. Minutes submitted by: Melody Corcoran
Opening The regular meeting of the Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission was called to order at 7:35PM on April 17, 2018 by Andrew Lowry.
Present Andrew Lowry, Michael Sedon, Dan Cramblitt, Melody Corcoran, Ian Keller, Carolyn Jacoby, Bron Sutherland, Declan Madden
Approval of Minutes Motion to approve the minutes for March 13, 2018 was made by Bron Sutherland, seconded by Ian Keller, and approved by all present.
CFMP Accomplishment Report The report was completed by Andrew Lowry, Dan Cramblitt and Manish Shrimali. Although submitted after the published deadline, the report was accepted. Previous years’ CFMP accomplishment plans will be used as the basis for future plan objectives.
Graydon Tree A replacement tree will most likely be planted in the fall after obtaining more recommendations about what species of tree to plant. The sycamore stump can be removed, the hole filled in, and grass planted until a replacement tree is chosen. The village council will announce the species of tree chosen.
Cahilly Lecture The Graydon Sycamore Case Study lecture by Wayne Cahilly was very well received. Perhaps he can be invited back in the future to lecture on another topic.
Tree City and Arbor Day A proclamation is needed from the village council proclaiming Arbor Day. The STC will have a table at the Earth Day event held in Van Neste Square on April 22nd. Information about the STC and Adopt-a-Tree will be available for residents.
CBD Tree Wells Andrew Hillman of the Davey Resource Group is available at a cost of approximately $95/hour as a consultant for the CBD tree wells.
To be considered for improving the current tree wells are the following: larger wells or longer runs of open ground that would contain more than one tree, removal of the brick bands around the current tree wells, rubberized permeable mulch, and structural soil. Species of trees that do well in small spaces need to be researched. Gingko, hornbeam and honey locust are all currently doing well in the CBD. Funds need to be allocated to improve the CBD tree wells and provide for watering of the trees. Possible sources for these funds are next year‘s village budget and funds from the CBDAC. Ian Keller, Carolyn Jacoby and Dan Cramblitt will determine what needs to be covered in the consult with Hillman.
Nursery The potted trees need to moved into the furrows in the nursery and mulched. The pawpaw trees, which are not suitable as street trees, can be planted along the brook in the 700 block of Linwood Avenue.
New Members Some residents have applied for membership in the Shade Tree Commission.
Grants The village grant writers need to research available grants and organizations which have grants available. NJDEP website has a list of grants. The STC can then choose which grants should be applied for. Andrew Lowry will follow-up on this process.
Adopt-a-Tree Nancy Bigos, director of Parks and Recreation, has determined there will be a May planting of adopt-a-trees this year. Currently, the application for adopt-a-tree has a June 30th deadline for fall tree planting. Fall is the best time to plant trees. Dan Cramblitt will discuss the May planting with Ms. Bigos.
Bee City Proclamation Ridgewood is the first Bee City in New Jersey. One of the newly planted oak trees will be dedicated in honor of bee pollinator week.
Adjournment Meeting was adjourned at 9:05PM by: Andrew Lowry. Minutes submitted by: Melody Corcoran
If you have any trouble with accessing information contained within this website, please contact the MIS Department - 201-670-5500 x2222 or by email mis@ridgewoodnj.net.
