Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission
Meeting Minutes
May 9, 2023
The regular meeting of the STC held in the Garden Room, Village Hall was called to order at 7:33 pm by C. Jacoby.
ATTENDEES:
Maria Damasco, Nancy Brennam Hill, George Wolfson, Carolyn Jacoby, Andrew Lowry, Siobham Winograd, Declan Madden, Ian Keller, Tim Graham, Mahmoud Hamza
Liaison PRC: Vicky Van Dyke
Guests: Alexis Rana, Grace Kim, Chris Houghton
Minutes of the April 11, 2023 meeting were unanimously approved
VILLAGE COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT:
Report given by S. Winograd
- Two student interns were introduced and will be helping with such duties as powerpoint presentations, social media and community awareness
- The By-Laws have been approved by the STC and will be posted on the web site this week
- The Schedler Sugar Maple Heritage tree is leaning over due to wires entangled in the branches but the tree still remains standing
- Village Calendar: Various tree species will be featured on the calendar. Heather will reach out to Larry. Suggestion was made to include Declan in formulating the calendar Also the calendar will be digitized on instagram to show the community how important trees are to Ridgewood-especially for newcomers.
- Linda’s Grove: Close friends, family and members of the community will share memories and tribute to Linda McNamara of her service to the Ridgewood Community at a dedication of her namesake grave and remembrance of her life on May 21, 2023 behind the Stable.
UPDATES:
- Leadership and membership participants were confirmed
Community Outreach: Heritage trees, neighborhood involvement and village calendar
- N. Brennan-co-leader
- A. Brown-co- leader
- H. Mahmoud
Earth Day
- C. Jacoby and STC members
Resource Management:Protective Tree Ordinance and Tree planting
- G. Wolfson-Leader
- M. Damasco-member
CBD
- A. Lowry leader
Funding/Grants
- No designated leader as of this time
Communication: Brochures and Website
- T. Graham
CAPITAL BUDGET REPORT:
Report given by A. Lowry
- Summary for 2022-2023
- $137,000 remaining including $26,000 for tree inventory
- Starting amount was $640,000 for CBD, $200,000 for EAB and $100,000 for street trees
- Summary for 2023-2024
- $13,000 for EAB treatments (this was done 2 years ago)
- $24,000 watering for residential street trees
- $54,000 for watering CBD twice weekly which is above the threshold of $44,000. Therefore this proposal will go out for bidding. Hopefully we can lower the threshold down to $42,000. It is possible the number of waterings will need to be reduced from June to November.
ADOPT A SAPLING:
Report /presentation of proposed project given by N. Brennan
- Volunteers will plant trees for 3-4 hours on a specified Saturday in front of a median strip
- The cost is $3,500 plus $400 for mulch and $1500 for donuts to be used for watering
- Volunteers are covered by the village for liability
- We are hoping for volunteers. We will accept up to 100, but will undertake the project with as little as 20. Based on 100 volunteers, the cost for Adopt-a-Tree will be $5400
GRANTS AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT:
C. Jacoby introduced a New Jersey grant awarded through NJDEP for Federal money given to NJ towns
that meet specific criteria. The grant for tree planting is up to $150,000 and we may be able to qualify. This calls for someone who will take on the leadership role and manage all the details involved in the application process.
G. Wolfson spoke about our dependence on money to accomplish our goals, our current issue of lack of funds and looking beyond our need for trees and defining money resources. There are ways of funding such as private funds and donations.
C Jacoby will email the NJ Grant application to all members for review and comments.
EARTH DAY:
Report by C. Jacoby
- Location was not optimal
- Received only Oak trees for distribution
- Did not distribute as expected
PROJECT PRIDE/CBD Tree Well Maintenance:
Report by S. Winograd
Project Pride is requesting volunteers to plant trees on May 21 at 8 a.m. Lorraine Reynolds would like to liaison and join forces with STC to plant trees and make sure the tree wells are tended to. Mulch and gardening equipment will be provided.
Letters are being sent to shop owners to weed and water and keep tree wells in front of their shops maintained. A copy of the Tree Ordinance was included in the letter to apprise the owners of their responsibilities.
RHS TREE PLANTING:
Report by C. Jacoby
Two years ago Ridgewood High School Seniors wrote a grant to Jersey Sustainable for tree planting. As a result, 17 trees were awarded and planted by the students. A tree assessment is now being conducted to determine the number of trees the High School currently has.
THE GRANT OUTREACH TO THE CLERICS:
Report given by M. Hamza.
The outreach to the clerics resulted in sharing of some main issues with regard to trees and the tree roots lifting up the sidewalks along the right of way. Siobhan worked with the Community Outreach committee to draft a solicitation letter to all clergy and sports groups. M. Hamza will give a two part presentation to the congregation to review their concerns and how STC is addressing them.
COMMUNICATION:
Report given by T. Graham
Brochures highlighting the benefits of shade trees along with information about the purpose and functions of the STC will be developed in the coming weeks. Our student interns are expected to play a key role in driving this initiative, and their efforts will substantially reduce production costs.
- Printing cost of the tri-fold brochures projected at $40 to $80 per 100 depending on paper stock and other considerations
- Will be available online
- Much of the content can be sourced from a number of agencies/organizations
OTHER BUSINESS:
Dunham Trail Tree removal:
Reported by A. Lowry
Ten to fifteen healthy trees were removed on the right of way because they were potentially going to fall into the stream, clog the stream and erode the soil.
The plan is to speak to Heather to determine the role of STC and if an arborist should be the person to evaluate trees to be taken down. A letter will be written to Heather by A. Lowry to request the procedure to follow to inquire about an action taken.
Schedler Property:
Report given by C. Jacoby
This property will no longer be discussed at the STC monthly meetings.
Volunteer Hours:11.5
Meeting Adjourned at 9:45 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Maria Damasco, Recording Secretary STC
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