Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee

Membership Meeting Minutes

January 16, 2003, 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

MN State Horticultural Society – 1755 Prior Ave., Falcon Heights, MN

Call to Order. President Lorrie Stromme called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m. on January 16, 2003, at the MSHS Center for Northern Gardening in Falcon Heights, MN.

Name	Affilation
Peggy Booth	MN Dept of Natural Resources
Kirk Brown	Tree Trust
James Burks	City of Crystal
Bob Condon	Tree Care Advisor
Dave Davis	Woodlot Advisor
Rich Hauer	MN Dept of Agriculture
Gier Friisoe	MN Dept of Agriculture
Glen Hambleton	Tree Care Advisor, KEEY Program
Dave Hanson	U of MN, Forest Resources
Jim Hermann	Mpls Park & Recreation Board, Forestry
Katie Himanga	Heartwood Forestry
Fletcher Johnson	Xcel Energy
Gary R. Johnson	U of MN, Forest Resources
Meagan Keefe	U of MN
Janet Larson	Nativescapes
Tina Markeson	MnDOT
Michael Max	EnvironMentors
Sandy McCartney	Consultant
Lara Newberger	City of Plymouth
Gail Nozal	Tree Trust
Tom Schuster	City of New Hope
Mark Schnobrich	City of Hutchinson
Marc Shippee	City of Blaine
Glen Shirley	City of Bloomington
Ken Simons	Ramsey County
Jill Sinclair	City of Chanhassen
Mike Sombrio	U of MN
Lorrie Stromme	Tree Care Advisor
Dave Sundmark	City of St. Paul, Forestry
Kim Sullivan	Anoka County Extension
Rebekah VanWieren	Tree Trust
Patrick Weicherding	U of MN Extension
Kathy Widin	City of Stillwater
Mike Zins	U of MN – Horticulture Dept.

Approval of Minutes. The Minutes of the 12/19/2002 Membership Meeting were reviewed. Motion/Second: Michael Max/Patrick Weicherding. Approved.

New Members

Motion/Second: Gary R. Johnson/Rich Hauer, to welcome the following U of MN students as new MnSTAC members: Meagan Keefe, Jennifer Hoffman, and Mike Sombrio. Motion Carried.

Announcements, Committee Report, and Agency Reports:
Lorrie Stromme announced that Sandy McCartney now has email! (Michael Max’s retort: “Welcome to the 90’s!”). She also announced that the NE STAC was hosting its annual NE Minnesota Urban Forestry Workshop on February 20, 2003, in Cloquet. That is the same day as the regular MnSTAC membership meeting. In order to accommodate both, MnSTAC will hold its February meeting in the evening (6 to 8:30 p.m.) at the North Mississippi River Regional Park and Interpretive Center. It will be a potluck dinner (MnSTAC will provide soup, bread bowls, beverages, and cake). Glen Shirley will be the guest of honor, as he will be retiring on February 21^st. Glen is one of the founders of MnSTAC and one of its past presidents.

Lorrie acknowledged Mike Zins, who is retiring from the U of MN at the end of January. Mike was presented with a memento, a group photo of the MnSTAC members. Lorrie reminded folks that Mike had also recently received distinguished service awards from both MnSTAC and the Minnesota Society of Arboriculture.

Gary R. Johnson, U of MN, announced that the Shade Tree Short Course would be held on March 25 and 26 at Bethel College in Arden Hills. Gary announced that he received a grant from the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association (MNLA) to continue his planting depth research. It’s the first time that the U of MN Department of Natural Resources has received a grant from the MNLA.

Gary then introduced Meagan Keefe, who administers the website for the U of MN Forest Resources Extension Office (www.cnr.umn.edu/FR/extension). Gary described the office as a “best kept secret.” The office had nearly 9,000 contacts in 2002, with the website accounting for over 8,000 of them (a 250% increase from 2001). Meagan distributed a handout detailing the types of inquiries by subject. Gary proudly reported that the website, run by students, was voted one of the 10 Best Forestry Websites in North America.

Peggy Booth, DNR, described the “Guide to Using Natural Resources Data in Local Decision-making,” a new joint project between the MN DNR and the Dakota County SWCD. The project purpose is to provide local decision-makers with a practical guide to why, for what, and how to use natural resources information in local decision-making. In particular, it would focus on the roles of natural resource inventory and assessments in informing land-use decisions. The guide is available as a full-color brochure (4 to 12 pages), or as a CD/web-based guide. Distribution will be made available by June 2003. Contact Peggy Booth (651-772-7562) for more details.

Peggy Booth announced an opportunity to receive training on open-space planning on March 18, 2003. Sponsored by NEMO (Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials), the program will inform local land-use decision-makers about the relationship between land use and water quality.

Glen Hambleton (KEEY: Kids, Environment, Education, and You program) described his upcoming tree-seedling giveaway program. On Friday, April 25^th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., over 172 McDonald’s restaurants will each provide Norway Pine seedlings to its customers. Glen is seeking help to inform the seedling recipients about how to plant and care for the young trees.

Geir Friisoe reported that MN Dept of Agriculture is updating several Minnesota statutes pertaining to plant protection. He assured the group that the Certified Tree Inspector program would not be eliminated in the process. The professed intention is to standardize the plant protection statutes in conformance with national models. Geir also reported that the Gypsy Moth program at MDA would be funded this year.

Lara Newberger, chair of the MnSTAC Awards Committee, reminded the group that the deadline for MnSTAC award nominations is February 21, 2003. She announced that the theme for the 2003 MnSTAC Photo Contest is “Inspiring Trees.”

Gail Nozal and Rebekah VanWieren, Tree Trust, reminded the group about nominating developers for the Builders Award, in recognition of developers who observed best management practices in regard to trees, the landscape, and the environment.

Katie Himanga reported that the SE STAC’s Tree City USA event would be held on April 4, 2003, in Rochester, MN.

Rich Hauer, president of the Minnesota Society of Arboriculture (MSA), announced that MSA dues are proposed to increase by $10 per year. He also announced that the MSA board voted to make Dave DeVoto, Ken Simons, and Mike Zins MSA Honorary Members in recognition of their years of service to MSA and arboriculture.

Feature Presentation: "Preventing Windthrow and Other Problems: Is Deeper Better for Containerized Trees." Speaker: Gary R. Johnson, Professor, U of MN, Department of Forest Resources.

Gary R. Johnson presented the results of a cooperative study with Bailey Nurseries, Inc., and the University of Minnesota (Colleges of Natural Resources and of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences) on windthrow in containerized plants. Investigators included Gary Johnson, David Hanson, Patrick Weicherding, and Jeff Gillman. Little research has been conducted regarding the effects of burying plants too deep in containers, or determining what is “too deep.” The study tested the common belief among nursery owners that containerized and container-grown trees needed to be buried deep to keep from leaning or uprooting.

In early June, 240 trees were potted up and staged out in pot-in-pot (PIP) production fields at Bailey’s Nurseries in southeastern Minnesota. Four tree species were represented in the study: Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash), Betula platyphylla var.japonica ‘Whitespire,’ (‘Whitespire’ birch), Malus ‘Spring Snow’ (‘Spring Snow crabapple), and Quercus bicolor (bicolor or swamp white oak). All but Fraxinus were heavy-branched, 2-3 cm. calipered, bare-rooted trees. Fraxinus were unbranched whips, 1.5-2.5 cm. in caliper and bare-rooted. Trees were root pruned to fit the containers and to remove any turned or broken roots, and potted into 10-gallon containers with a standard soil mix (REG #3), then staged out in an available block within the nursery. Irrigation was a standard trickle system, as per the design and frequency of the rest of the production nursery.

Each species was subjected to four treatments: planting depth at 0,5,10, and 15 cm. of soil over the first, main-order root. For the duration of the project that concluded on October 4, 2002, the frequency and extent of lean and the frequency of windthrow were observed and recorded at seven-day intervals. A lean greater than 3.5 cm. off plumb was arbitrarily deemed unacceptable. On October 4, 2002, all trees were harvested and transported to the U of MN St. Paul campus. Concluding data collection consisted of final caliper measurements, twig growth, root volume, and mortality. Data was evaluated by ANOVA (analysis of variance).

Initial statistics:
Windthrow: Not a problem for any species, any particular depth. There were four, individual trees that chronically windthrew throughout the study.

Lean: By species, for any amount of recorded lean, Quercus leaned the most and most frequently, Betula and Fraxinus ranked second, and Malus leaned the least and least frequently. By planting depth, trees planted at either 0 or 5 cm. depths leaned more ore more frequently than those at 10 or 15 cm. depths. There was variability with species. If no “Standard of Acceptable Lean” was established, differences among planting depths ranged from no significant difference to significant differences.

Caliper Changes: By species, in order from most to least change (increase) were Betula, Fraxinus, Malus, and Quercus. By planting depth, in order from most to least change (increase) were 0 cm., 5 and 10 cm. ranked second and were not statistically different, and 15 cm. ranked last by not significantly different from 10 cm.

Root Volume Changes: By species, in order from most to least change (increase) were Fraxinus and Betula, Malus, and Quercus exhibiting the least change (increase) in root volume. By planting depth, in order from most to least change (increase) were 0 and 5 cm. depths, followed by 10 and 15 cm. depths.

Annual Growth Rate: No significant differences.

In general, the study concluded that there was no distinct advantage to planting deep.

Adjournment. Motion/Second: Rich Hauer/James Burks. Approved.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:40 a.m.