ASHLAND TREE COMMISSION

MINUTES

February 4, 2010

CALL TO ORDER – Co-Chair Bobby Townsend called the Ashland Tree Commission meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. on February 4, 2010, in the Siskiyou Room in the Community Development and Engineering Services Building located at 51 Winburn Way, Ashland, OR.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

January 7, 2010 Tree Commission Minutes –   Jones / Neff m/s to approve the minutes of January 7, 2010. Voice vote: all AYES, Motion passed.  The minutes were approved as submitted.

WELCOME GUESTS

Michael Dawkins, Planning Commissioner

ACTION ITEMS

Tree Walk

The Tree Commission will hold a Tree Walk in conjunction with Ashland Parks and Recreation Dept. on June 5, 2010 from 9 AM – 11 AM and will be hosted by Anne Rich and Bobby Townsend. Amy will send the form to Parks for inclusion in the new Recreation Guide. Prefer if the walk is free with no registration.

Casey’s Tree Pruning Clinic is scheduled for Saturday, March 13 from 9 – noon. Sign up through Ashland Parks and Recreation.

Arborist Roundtable

Would the Commission be interested in inviting Arborist’s and other tree professionals to a meeting to discuss issues, concerns, successes, etc.? How would people use the information? Tree professionals could bring questions, concerns, situations they’ve encountered and be ‘trained’ on the ordinance. Nursery representatives could learn about the Planning side of the Tree Ordinance, for instance using the Recommended Street Tree Guide to sell better street trees and asking basic questions about power lines overhead or other encumbrances.  What ways can the Tree Commission be of assistance to tree professionals? The commission decided to discuss this topic with Arborist and others they know to gauge their level of interest to determine if holding a meeting is feasible.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

18.61.250 – Performance Bonds

Continued to next month

Arbor Week Planning

The State of Oregon celebrates Arbor Week April 4 – 10; National Arbor Day is April 30. The Arbor Week Proclamation will be read by the Mayor at the April 6, 2010 City Council meeting as required per Tree City USA specifications. Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) will also present the City with the 25^th Tree City USA award.

The Commission will place the Tree of the Year winner’s plaque at the Dogwood Tree. Amy will contact the property owners to see when the tree blooms and whether the two can be coordinated. The Friday of Arbor Week works well also as it has for the past winners. The Commission will also place the plaque was the given to the City by ODF for the Bald Cypress planted last year as part of the Oregon Sesquicentennial, 150 trees for Oregon.  The Ashland Boy Scouts are doing a Riparian Planting with Ashland Parks at the “Ashland Ponds” near the wastewater treatment plant and it could be part of the Arbor Week events. Anne will check with Jeff McFarland regarding when their thinking about doing that planting. The Commission also discussed options for an Arbor Week tree, the High School was discussed. Anne will talk with the grounds crew, Amy will talk with Steve Gies about acquiring a tree.      

Recommended Street Tree Guide – Descriptions of trees

Amy went through the ‘final’ list of changes to the Recommended Street Tree Guide. Each Commissioner took a tree which they would then write the Guide page of information about. Amy will get the proposed changes to Mark Mularz from Acorn Design so he may provide a bid on the proposed changes. The Commissioners were asked to have their descriptions provided to Amy before the March 4, 2010 meeting.  

ITEMS FROM COMMISSIONERS

Liaison Reports:

Council: The Tree Commission Resolution adding language to 18.61 allowing for the option of payment in lieu of planting, enforcement fees and restoration fees passed at Council.

Parks: None

New Business: The trees at the Ashland Hardwired Building on A Street were topped. The Commission would like some contact made with the property owner informing them of the code (AMC 13.16) which requires street trees to not be topped. In their experience they have seen that once people start enacting topping as a form of pruning, that it spreads to others and it is not a proper technique and can harm the trees.

Current Balance - $ 590.00

ADJOURNMENT - Commissioner Townsend adjourned the meeting at 8:00 PM.

Respectfully submitted by Amy Gunter, Assistant Planner