Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee

Monthly Meeting Minutes

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
3675 Arboretum Drive
Chaska, MN 55318

April 22, 2005 – 9:30 - 11:30 A.M.

Attendees:

Barbeau, Emily	City of Minnetonka
Booth, Peggy	MN DNR Metro Forestry
Brown, Kirk Buck, Paul	Tree Trust City of Plymouth
Burks, James	City of Crystal
Carroll, Todd Clark, Sonny	MN/DOT City of Wayzata
Condon, Bob Cordes, Jeff Domholt, Paul	Tree Care Advisor City of Eden Prairie Mpls Parks and Recreation Board
Hanson, Dave	University of Minnesota
Hermann, Jim	Mpls Parks & Recreation Board
Holman, Ken Johnson, Fletcher Johnson, Gary Jordan, Manuel	MN DNR Metro Forestry Xcel Energy University of Minnesota City of New Hope
Larson, Janet Maier, Jay	EcoDesigns and Consulting Maier Forest and Tree
Max, Michael	EnvionMentor Systems
McCartney, Sandy	Private Consultant/City of St. Louis Park
Mueller, Don Newberger, Lara	MN DNR Metro Forestry City of Plymouth
Norgaard, Dave	Top Knotch
Sievert, Ralph	Mpls Parks and Recreation Board
Simons, Ken Schnobrich, Mark	Heritage Tree City of Hutchinson
Spears, Barb	Tree Trust
Sundmark, Dave Sylvester, Steve Thompson, Steve Vaughn, Jim	City of St. Paul Parks & Recreation S&S Tree & Horticultural Specialists Rainbow Treecare City of St. Louis Park
Walvatne, Paul	MN/DOT
Widin, Kathy	Plant Health Associates, Inc.

BUSINESS SECTION:

Call to Order

President Simons called the meeting to order at 9:33 a.m.

Review and Motion to Approve Previous Meeting Minutes

Mix Max made the motion to approve the March 2005 minutes and Kirk Brown seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Introductions and Nomination of New Members

Mike Max nominated and Kirk Brown seconded the nomination of Todd Carroll, MN/DOT.

Motion carried.

Committee and Partner Reports

Announcements

Dave Sundmark, St. Paul Festival of Trees, Saturday, May 7 at Como Park in St. Paul.

James Burks, MSA Fall Conference, September 29. There may be a Masters’ Challenge.

Kirk Brown, Midtown Greenway planting event, May 7.

Ken Holman, Arbor Day Celebration, April 29 at the State Capital.

Partner Reports

Minnesota Department of Transportation

Paul Walvatne reported on the MN/DOT “Roadsides for Wildlife” program. The Mourning Dove Bill included language to have MN DNR, Counties and others collaborate on this program. One symbol is a hat to be handed out to maintenance staff after completing a survey. The goal is to improve the roadsides for game birds, song birds, and monarchs.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Ken Holman reported that the MN ReLeaf grant application packets are available with the due date of May 27.

Ken provided copies of a PowerPoint presentation on the summary of Forest Service research titled “Trees in Our City.” You can find this information at http://cufr.ucdavis.edu/powerpoint_detail.asp?id=159

Web Committee

Ken Holman updated the group on the portal www.mntrees.org with the tagline “Tap into expertise.” The portal will be launched on Arbor Day, April 29.

Legislative Committee

Ken Holman provided an update on the recent MnSTAC legislative report focusing on insect and disease issues. The role of this committee is to keep membership informed on issues important to U&CF concerns. Current related legislation is still moving through the legislature. The funds would be used to revitalize the previous MDA Shade Tree Program and restructure it to address current insect and disease concerns, expand the definition of shade tree, and bring MDA back into the fold. U.S. Representative Martin Sabo is supporting funding for DED.

General Business

None

FORUM:

Master of Ceremony: Paul Walvatne

Program: Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee Awards Reception for 2004

The purpose of this reception is to recognize the outstanding work and leadership in community forestry and acknowledge contributions to making Minnesota’s cities and communities more livable through protection, planting and maintaining green infrastructure.

Sculptor Dean Rehpohl talked about his inspiration for the different sculptures he created for the awards. Dean thanked the group for the opportunity to create the sculptures and be a part of this important event. He had the group think of a favorite, specific tree in a specific location. How does it look -- form, shape -- it’s history? He read the poem “Council Tree” by Ronald McCook. The rocks the trees are on are Lake Superior stones.

Distinguished Service Award -- Janet Larson, EcoDesigns and Consulting.

For significantly contributing to urban and community forestry through seemingly tireless hours of spreading stewardship far and wide. Janet has been actively teaching, providing support and volunteering for many projects and initiatives year after year. She has put forth tremendous efforts to foster community support to better the open spaces and backyards of everyone willing to listen in Minnesota. Janet has been an active member in the following groups: MN Shade Tree Advisory Committee, MN Society of Arboriculture, MN Native Plant Society, MN Horticultural Society, Tree Care Advisors, Master Gardners, U of MN Forestry and Biological Station at Itasca State Park. Janet has been leading the charge against buckthorn in the name of saving the native plants that she champions and has created a 2-page information sheet on chemical control of buckthorn that she will send to you if you contact her at janetlars@pclink.com.

Outstanding Arbor Day Celebration Award: Festival of Trees – Steve Sylvester, S&S Tree and Horticultural Specialists and Dave Sundmark, City of St. Paul.

For organizing the Festival of Trees, a community celebration which best commemorates and furthers the Arbor Day ideal. The Festival was created to bring the arboriculture professionals, government agencies, and green industries together with the community for a day of education, stewardship. This year’s event will be held May 7 at Como Park in St. Paul.

Outstanding Community Forestry Maintenance Award: Edgewood Gardens Tree Preservation – City of Crystal.

James Burks accepted the award on behalf of the City for cooperatively preserving trees during the Edgewood Gardens redevelopment project; through planning, arboricultural practices and a cooperative spirit between City departments and contractors. John Sutter, City Planner, designed the lots to save trees and worked closely with James Burks, Forester, who implemented arboricultural practices to save as many trees as possible. They also communicated with the developer, builders and other contractors on the project. James explained that the City of Crystal is a second ring suburb of Minneapolis with no open developable land. John Sutter is a huge supporter of trees and James gave much of the credit for this award to John. John involved James and together they planned the design for the homes and identified trees to be saved. They put out an RFP for builders and screened those that emphasized tree preservation. S&S Tree and Horticultural Specialists worked on this project. Six houses had to be built – compromises were necessary to balance revenue and trees. Result: enhanced tax base, saved trees, and improved the community in the neighborhood.

Stewardship Award – Michael Max, EnvironMentor Services and Todd Carroll, MN DOT Landscape Partnership Program Coordinator

For the development and launching of MN/DOT's comprehensive new Plant Selector website http://plantselector.dot.state.mn.us that enables professionals and novices alike to become more informed and successful in identifying and selecting the most appropriate woody and herbaceous plants for specific roadside or general landscape functions, site conditions and constraints throughout Minnesota. Todd gave Paul Walvatne much credit for his extensive knowledge and sharing that knowledge via this website. This information is now linked to www.MnTrees.org and includes trees, shrubs, grasses, and ferns. This project involved 93 contributors/researchers.

Outstanding Volunteer Project Award: 2004 Arbor Day Partnership – City of St. Louis Park.

Jim Vaughn accepted the award on behalf of the City of St. Louis Park and the other partners for reforesting the Southwest Regional Trail and Midtown Greenway utilizing hundreds of volunteers planting over one hundred trees in St. Louis Park last spring. The Midtown Community Works Partnership partnered with the City for this planting along with Hennepin County, Hennepin Regional Rail Authority, Tree Trust and Three Rivers Park District.

Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award – Tim Wallace

For many volunteer hours and vigilance ensuring the success of Minnesota Department of Transportation (MN/DOT) partnership plantings in Wayzata area. Tim Wallace has been an outstanding volunteer for the community of Wayzata over the past several years. Tim started his tree planting efforts because of the 22-acre remnant parcel along Hwy 12 he decided to preserve. He did all of the work himself including coordinating with MN/DOT. Tim is the best advocate for the Big Woods and due to his efforts, the City of Wayzata purchased that land. Since 2000, Tim has worked on projects with MN/DOT as well as the City of Wayzata, planting and maintaining literally thousands of trees. On MN/DOT rights-of-way alone in the past 5 years Tim and his fellow volunteers have planted and maintained over 2,300 trees and 900 shrubs. Tim has also planted hundreds of trees on City property. “You have to start somewhere, and it might as well be in your backyard” – Tim Wallace

Tim was not able to attend to accept his award in person. Paul Walvatne said that Tim is a painter and couldn’t be here because he couldn’t take today off in order to be able to take next Friday off to plant trees! Sonny Clark accepted the award on Tim’s behalf.

Innovation Award: Rochester Citizen Forester Program – Jay Maier and Sharon Tuntland.

The Rochester Citizen Forester Program was set up through a MN ReLeaf grant. The Citizen Forester program resulted in a tree inventory, 150 trees planted in Rochester and many citizens being educated in tree care and maintenance. This program is an excellent blueprint for other communities wishing to get the most from their forestry resources! The Rochester Citizen Forester Program was initiated by Jay Maier, former Rochester City Forester, now owner of Maier Forest and Tree and couldn’t have been possible without the support of Sharon Tuntland in helping to raise over $30,000 in small amounts and other partners such as the Rochester public utility and Rochester Park and Recreation Department.

Outstanding Partnership Award: Buffalo Lake, Minnesota “Trees After the Tornado” Project -- the Rotary International (Area 8, District 5950) and the City of Buffalo Lake.

For initiating, planning, fundraising, expert seeking, and organinzing a replanting project in tornado-torn Buffalo Lake. Mark Schnobrich accepted the award on behalf of the group and began by describing this project as greater Minnesota rural community forestry at its best! A collaborative group of Rotarians from several communities had the idea and implemented the project. One Rotary Club member, Carlene Taylor, is also a documentarian and documented this project. She described that she had not before realized the impact of mature trees until they were lost due to the tornado. Rotary Clubs help others for the good of all. The City of Buffalo Lake needed trees so they wanted to help. Initial contributions were matched to provide 120 trees to the City of Buffalo Lake. They’re looking forward to the time when these trees become mature and once again make the city as beautiful as it had been. She thanked Mark Schnobrich for his support and assistance.

Sponsorship Award: Commercial Arborists “Cartel” – Top Knotch Tree, Ostvig Tree Service, S&S Tree and Horticultural Specialists, Rainbow Treecare, St. Croix Tree Service, Inc., and Vineland Group

For their innovation and dedication of staff and capital investments to act as stewards of community forestry. The Cartel deserves to be recognized for their contributions in promoting proper arboricultural practices and all that arboriculture represents. They have worked together to improve the knowledge of the general public as well as others in the tree care industry. They partnered with the City of St. Paul to organize and gain support for the Festival of Trees on May 7, which will be held for the second year in Como Park. This year the Festival of Trees will be in conjunction with the Minnesota Tree Climbing Championship. Dave Norgaard spoke on behalf of the Cartel and described how this group came together to address issues of concern for tree service companies. The group looked at issues and topics including: licensing, MSA’s role with tree service companies vs. general public education, helping Hennepin Technical College create an arborist school, encouraging business leaders to participate in educational mentoring at the school level, organizing the Festival of Trees, sponsoring the Tree Fund Drive for ISA 2006 to be held in Minneapolis, and others. The Cartel will be looking forward to strengthening partnerships with cities and others. It was noted that the members of this Cartel are highly competitive, but have collaborated on projects to better serve the tree service industry.

Paul Walvatne closed the reception by thanking Lara Newberger and the Awards Committee members with a special thanks to the sculptor. He challenged the public sector members of MnSTAC to pitch in and get more involved in volunteer community projects, such as Day of Service, as a rewarding experience.

Paul also noted that there were no youth project awards. He challenged MnSTAC members to submit nominations for next year’s award.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mike Max moved to adjourn the meeting and Kirk Brown seconded. Motion carried.

Meeting adjourned at 11:35 a.m.