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Home My WebLink About2009-03-05_Tree_MIN ASHLAND TREE COMMISSION MINUTES March 5, 2009 CALL TO ORDER –Chair John Rinaldi called the Ashland Tree Commission meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. on March 5, 2009 in the Siskiyou Room in the Community Development and Engineering Services Building located at 51 Winburn Way, Ashland, OR. Commissioners Present Council Liaison Laurie Sager Kate Jackson (absent) John Rinaldi Jr. Zane Jones Staff Present Bobby Townsend (tuned in by Amy Anderson, Assistant Planner phone) Anne Rich, Parks Department APPROVAL OF MINUTES February 5, 2009 Tree Commission Minutes – Commissioner Jones stated that language in the minutes relating to the Electric Department Report needs to state: Dave Wood prunes by taking the leaders, arborists remove the laterals leaving him nothing to prune back too. Rinaldi/Jones m/s to approve the minutes of February 5, 2009 with the modification. Voice vote: all AYES, Motion passed. The minutes were approved with modification. WELCOME GUESTS Russ Neff attended the meeting to observe, he is interested in the Commission. Russ is a retired Landscape Architect from Washington DC and he now lives in Ashland. UPCOMMING ITEMS Arbor Week Events - Amy will write a Press Release and post the information to the City of Ashland website. Arbor Week Presentation th Tuesday, April 7 – 7 PM at Council Chambers the Mayor is scheduled to read the Arbor Week proclamation and Oregon Department of Forestry will give the Tree City USA presentation. Commissioners Townsend, Rinaldi and Sager agreed to attend. Amy will provide them with a script informing the City Council of the scheduled April events and informing the City Council of the Tree Commissions goals. Tree Plaque Installation The Commission would like to invite the new Mayor, the City Council members, City Administrator Martha Bennett and former City Administrator Brian Almquist who used to live at the residence. Tree Walk at Southern Oregon University Anne Rich and Commission Jones along with Casey from Upper Limb-it will be guiding the tree walk. Sign-ups through Ashland Parks and Recreation Department and North Mountain Nature Center GOAL SETTING Education and outreach Classes at North Mountain Nature Center Tree Seminars – sponsored by the Tree Commission working with professionals (landscape architects, arborists, Pruning clinics for property owners on how to maintain their street trees Tree Walks More Back page Articles Code Changes Amend Heritage Tree Language (if joining state group for Heritage Tree – there is a definition) Remove the deed restriction Contact property owners Create map Distinctive Tree List Building Permits and Tree protection – outside of Planning Action Education about cost savings / values; increases in tree preservation Landscape Professional Ordinance (sign offs on irrigation plan and planting plan installations) Arborist Retention throughout the duration of the project Add Arbor Week items – Earthday, Tree City USA, National Arbor Day Foundation Tree Line USA program– look into the requirements Group meeting with Forest Lands – Chris Chambers Urban Forester position – oversight of all tree activities – have other departments fund Dave Woods position so that he can do the types of tree maintenance that the property owners cannot. Street tree maintenance plan along boulevards – North Main / East Main ITEMS FROM COMMISSIONERS Liaison Reports Aesthetics Advisory Committee: Commissioner Rinaldi – Committee didn’t feel like the most recent Oregon Department of Transportation bridge design proposal met the mark. The commission didn’t like the cobblestone stamp, or the ‘coats of arms Greek columns, medallions, lighting (footpath lighting/ traffic safety lighting), etc. on the bridge. They wanted to keep the visual impacts of the bridge to a minimum –focus on natural landscape not bridge. Some of the ideas such as using retaining walls which followed the natural contours making them less visible and using low key concrete treatments would be more visually pleasing. State Heritage Tree meeting: Commissioner Townsend going to the May 2 meeting. Old Business: Distinctive Tree List – Commissioner Jones working on list and Commissioner Townsend is also interested. Recommended Street Tree Guide The last meeting reviewing the Recommended Street Tree Guide was held on February 9, 2009. The meeting was attended by Steve Siewert, Commissioners Jones and Rinaldi. The group thought it would be informative to add a BioSwale Trees / Riparian Tree section to the Recommended Street Tree guide since bioswale parkrows are becoming more common as a method to deal with stormwater generation in new developments. Amy will be taking the information gathered at that meeting compiling it and then circulating the proposed revisions to those that didn’t participate and the commissioner. Another meeting will be necessary after that review period to finalize the modifications before they go to the printer. New Items: Earth Day Events / Information Sign up sheet in the April packet Great Oregon Tree Plant – 150 Trees for Oregon’s Sesquicentennial Use planting as a ‘planting seminar’ Steve Siewert would like to assist Tree Storytelling What part of a tree is that? Grab box (for Children’s learning event) Current Balance - $ 123.32 – 35 approved for the Earth Day contribution. 2 ADJOURNMENT - Commissioner Rinaldi adjourned the meeting at 8:00 PM. Respectfully submitted by Amy Anderson, Assistant Planner 3