Opening The regular meeting of the Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission was called to order at 7:30PM on March 13, 2018 by Andrew Lowry.
Present Commission members - Andrew Lowry, George Wolfson, Melody Corcoran, Bron Sutherland, Ian Keller, Mike Sedon, Dan Cramblitt
Approval of Minutes
Motion to approve the minutes for February 13, 2018 was made by Ian Keller, seconded by Bron Sutherland, and approved by all present.
Graydon Tree
The Graydon tree topic will be tabled until more experts can be contacted for their opinions and input. Nick Polanin, Andrew Hillman and Jason Grabosky will be contacted.
Signage
Quotes from Ridgewood Press have not yet been received.
CBD Trees
Need to get CBDAC and both store and building owners on board with upkeep and replacement of CBD trees. Need to build enthusiasm and participation. Need an expert to design CBD tree wells, perhaps Jason Grabosky or someone he could recommend. There has been a positive response from street tree recipients after they saw the arborist personally trim and shape their trees; could this also work in the CBD? A plan to raise awareness in the CBD and recruit more STC volunteers is needed.
Budget
Every year $50,000 to $60,000 must be in the village budget for tree replacement.
CFMP Accomplishment Report
This report needs to be finished by 3-14-18. Keeping track of what was accomplished this year will make next years report easier to complete.
Speakers
The library auditorium is booked for Thursday, November 15, 2018. Speaker not scheduled yet. Two CEU’s will be awarded for Wayne Cahilly’s talk on April 10, 2018:
“Risk Assessment in Municipal Arboriculture: The Graydon Sycamore Case Study”
Nursery
At the next STC meeting a date will be set to move and plant the nursery trees in the nursery at the recycling center.
Call to Order The regular meeting of the Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission was called to order at 7:40PM on January 9, 2018 by Andrew Lowry.
Present Commission members - Andrew Lowry, Melody Corcoran, Carolyn Jacoby, Michael Sedon, Ian Keller, Dan Cramblitt, Bron Sutherland
Approval of Minutes Motion to approve the minutes for November 14, 2017 and December 12, 2017 was made by Ian Keller, seconded by Carolyn Jacoby, and approved by all present.
Graydon Sycamore The sycamore on the island in Graydon Pool is a hazard. Wayne Cahilly, arborist NY Botanical Gardens, examined the tree, made an extensive report and recommended cutting down the tree and replacing it with a grove of 5-7 black locust trees.
STC Member Tree Pruning Because of union conflicts, STC members cannot do any pruning of street trees. Issues of minor trimming such as a small broken branch or low hanging branch need to be discussed with the village attorney. Need a resolution to clarify this issue.
CBD Trees A meeting needs to be scheduled with Ramon Hache, the village council, the Chamber of Commerce, the CBD Advisory Committee and any other business groups to discuss the CBD street trees.
Budget The $9000 in the village budget for STC use cannot be used for anything else and will stay available until it is spent. There is no urgency to use it. The 2018 budget should have a request for 200 gator bags. They would be used on newly planted trees for one year then stored and saved for the next year.
Spring Plan for CBD Tree Wells Perhaps the above mentioned monies could be used for structural soil test tree wells in the CBD this spring. Ian Keller made a motion to hire Andrew Hillman to write specs for structural soil tree wells and to also suggest the type of trees to be planted. Carolyn Jacoby seconded the motion. If the fee for these specs is under $1000 no quote is needed, if over $1000 it needs to go out for bids.
Improving Adopt-a-Tree Carolyn Jacoby will meet with Dan Cramblitt to work on a package of FAQs to be distributed to AaT customers in February and March. Applications for AaTs need to be received by June 30.
CBD Watering Project Pride is paid to water in the CBD. Perhaps someone else, such as students on summer break could be hired, if the current watering plan is not working out.
Marketing A subcommittee needs to be formed for marketing. Anyone interested should contact Andrew Lowry.
Grants A grant is needed to fund the tree survey. Mike Sedon has contacted the village grant writer, Millenium Strategies, with a copy of last year’s grant application to Sustainable Jersey. Grants are also available through CSIP.
Nursery The stakes and fencing are up. Furrows to plant the trees in will be dug in the spring.
Speakers Speakers need to be funded. It was suggested that Wayne Cahilly be asked to speak. His talk could address the Graydon sycamore and the techniques he used to evaluate the tree. Pruning was suggested as a topic for another speaker. Talks should be scheduled on Thursdays so that there is no conflict with village council meetings.
Adjournment Meeting was adjourned at 9:05PM 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 November14, 2017 by Andrew Lowry.
Present Commission members - Andrew Lowry, George Wolfson, Monica Buesser, Tim Cronin, , Melody Corcoran, Carolyn Jacoby, Bron Sutherland
Approval of Minutes Motion to approve the minutes for October 10, 2017 was made by Carolyn Jacoby, seconded by Tim Cronin, and approved by all present.
Fall Plantings Conquest will be planting the adopt-a-trees week of Nov. 20th. Jacobsen will be planting the CBD test tree wells at a cost of $10,000 for four wells. New soil, watering system and mulch are included; Andrew plans to observe and ensure proper planting. JA Alexander will be planting the trees in areas C and D. These trees will be held at the Lakeview site where there is a security camera.
Adopt-a-Tree All adopt-a-trees will get a gator bag. Perhaps in the future the STC logo could be placed on the bags. The CBD gator bags need to be retrieved. A plan needs to be made to monitor the adopt-a-trees a year after planting. The condition of the tree needs to be assessed, the gator bags and stakes removed, and perhaps a new door hanger placed reminding the homeowner of proper care of the new tree. A copy of the addresses where all new trees have been planted will be obtained from the Parks and Recreation office. Carolyn Jacoby and resident Siobhan Winograd will meet on Nov. 20 to discuss tree planting in the CBD; all tree plantings there must go through the STC.
Grants Tim Cronin reported that the village has hired a grant writing company. The company will research grants for which the village may be eligible and will write the grant proposals. The STC would like to pursue a grant to cover the $50,000 cost of a tree survey and the $10,000 cost of a 5 year software license to maintain and update the tree survey. These costs are listed as an item in the 2018 budget.
Membership The STC commission should consist of 7 members, 2 alternates, 1 village employee and 1 council member. New members need to be recruited.
Nursery Update The tree nursery is status quo until the spring when volunteers will be needed to plant the trees. The trees will be winterized in place and moved in the spring. The nursery will be staked out this week. Perhaps the overpass adopt-a-tree sign could be placed by the trees now as an advertisement for the STC. Locations are needed to put the non-street trees (paw paws and persimmons).
Tree Protection Ordinance The sections on non-native and invasive species have been removed. The sections on the replacement program and permit process for homeowners have been clarified. A list of state suggested trees to be planted on homeowners property is included. The village arborist will make all decisions on street tree removal, pruning, etc. Need to get council members on board before the ordinance goes to the council for consideration.
Speakers If possible, speakers need to be scheduled on a night when there is not a council or other meeting occurring. Council members and other village officials need to be encouraged to attend these meetings because they contain information vital to maintaining our trees and getting trees to thrive in the CBD.
Core Training All STC members are encouraged to attend the NJUCF core training sessions. The information on tree care, planting, pruning and risk management, and the laws governing shade tree commissions is invaluable.
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 October 10, 2017 by Andrew Lowry.
Present Commission members - Andrew Lowry, Michael Sedon, George Wolfson, Monica Buesser, Tim Cronin, Dan Cramblitt, Manish Shrimali, Melody Corcoran, Ian Keller Residents - Siobhan Winograd and Denise Lima
Approval of Minutes Motion to approve the minutes for September 11, 2017 was made by Dan Cramblitt, seconded by Monica Buesser, and approved by all present.
Budget Update STC trust fund - $11,306 Parks and Recreation - $850 for training Horticultural - $8200 for tree replacement $15,000 for CBD and areas C and D tree planting (from $55,000 in capital budget)
New Fall Plantings Street scape contractor JA Alexander will plant approximately 120 trees – 100 trees plus up to 20% more and will include gator bags. Adopt-a-trees will be planted this fall. Bids are out for 27 trees. Residents have requested updates on the status of their adopt-a-trees. Carolyn will follow-up with monthly emails to all residents requesting trees. All new adopt-a-trees will be followed-up to ensure proper planting, gator bags, etc. Four tree wells in the CBD have been selected to be improved with soil amendments, root guards, watering rings or tubes, etc. Village Landscaping has submitted a bid of $2475 per well; with possible extras the cost could increase to $2800 per well. Two other vendors have not yet submitted their bids. Dan will confirm which species of trees will be planted in these wells.
Adopt-a-Tree in the CBD Siobhan Winograd of the League of Women Voters presented a plan to promote the planting of trees in the CBD as part of its revitalization. She has designed a logo to be used in promoting this plan to tree-loving groups and individuals in the village. She already has 8 people interested; there are currently 12 empty tree wells.Social media needs to be used to promote the CBD adopt-a-tree plan. Siobhan, Carolyn Jacoby and Jiffy Vermylen (Green Team) will work on this.Planting of these trees will not occur until after the results of the four improved test tree wells is complete. Other tree wells will be improved in the future as sidewalks in the CBD are replaced.
Nursery Update Weeds have been removed, fencing needs to be installed.
Tree Protection Ordinance The permit procedure for tree removals must be explained and made clear. A request for a building permit will trigger checking on trees on the property. If a tree is removed, provision must be made for its replacement. Council members buy-in of the ordinance must be secured and then explanatory sessions with residents need to be held. To secure public acceptance of the tree protection ordinance, focus groups to hear resident concerns may a good idea.
November Speaker Andrew Hillman for Davey Tree will speak on tree wells at the Ridgewood Library on November 8 at 7PM.
Pruning Plan The idea to have STC members meet in the CBD to prune trees is not an option. The village tree crew is unionized; we cannot have our own pruning crew. There are also insurance, training and safety concerns. Perhaps instead, “branch managers” could report on pruning needs as the observe them. A pruning seminar could be held at the recycle center for the STC and interested residents.
Budget for 2018-2019 Budget total of $60,000 will be requested, $5000 may be marked for a tree well consultant. The first budget hearing is 10/18/17. The budget goes to the council in January 2018.Monica will work on a tree inventory budget. Perhaps the tree inventory could be funded through engineering since our trees are an important asset.
Adjournment Meeting was adjourned at 9:10PM by: Andrew Lowry. Minutes submitted by: Melody Corcoran
The regular meeting of the Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission was called to order at 7:35PM on February 13, 2018 by Mike Sedon.
Present Commission members - Mike Sedon, George Wolfson, Melody Corcoran, Carolyn Jacoby, Bron Sutherland, Dan Cramblitt, Ian Keller, Manish Shrimali
Approval of Minutes
Motion to approve the minutes for January 9, 2018 was made by Ian Keller, seconded by Carolyn Jacoby, and approved by all present.
Pruning in CBD
No pruning by STC members can be done until there is clarification with the unions.
Spring Planting in CBD
Andrew Hillman will help draft the planting specifications to be put out for bid. Amounts of $10,000 or less require at least 3 quotes; they do not have to be bid out.
Removing the brick bands around the CBD tree wells is a possible first step to improving them. Excess mulch and soil also needs to be removed from the root flare of the trees.
Removing the excess mulch and soil is a project that could be undertaken by STC members.
CBD Advisory Committee
Mike Sedon and Ian Keller met with the CBDAC and explained to them what the STC is doing and planning to do in the CBD.Inviting store owners to an STC meeting to discuss trees, wells and the adopt-a-tree process should be considered as a way to get them involved and to get them understand what the STC is trying to do in the CBD. It must be made clear to the store owners that you can get a replacement tree faster if you adopt-a-tree for $350; but, the tree will not be planted until the best way to improve the tree wells has been determined and the well in front of their store has been improved. Tree well improvement costs approximately $2500 per well.
Gator Bag Labelling
Melody Corcoran is pricing round labels to be placed on gator bags for branding and marketing purposes. Minuteman Press quoted $160 for 200 5” round vinyl weatherproof labels. Ridgewood Press has not supplied their quote yet.
2018 Priorities
Tree wells
Marketing and promotion
CSIP grants
CFMP accomplishment report for 2017 must match the goals stated in the original application for STC status.
Grants
Millenium Strategies, the village grant writing firm, is applying to Sustainable Jersey for a $10,000 grant to be used for a tree inventory. An up-to-date village tree inventory needs to be maintained. A CSIP grant of $30,000 for planting 100 balled and burlaped 2 ½” diameter trees will be pursued. The vendor and their qualifications need to be included in the grant application. These grants need council approval of the amounts and the amounts need to be put in the village budget. If a grant proposal is approved, the village pays out the monies for the project first. Then when the grant monies are received, the village is reimbursed.
Speakers
Wayne Cahilly will be speaking at the library on April 10.
Graydon Sycamore
All STC members present agreed that 5 black tupelo trees of 2 ½” diameter should be planted on the island in Graydon to replace the sycamore. These trees will be planted by the parks department. It was suggested that the STC as a committee present this to the village council at their February 28 meeting.
Nursery
An inquiry had been made about purchasing land adjacent to the tree nursery. This land is not for sale at this time
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