Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 9:30 a.m. by President Lorrie Stromme, on 
May 16, 2002, at the Oliver Kelley Farm, Elk River, MN. 

Approval of Minutes. The Minutes of the 4-18-2002 Membership Meeting were reviewed. 
Motion/Second: Mike Zins/Michael Max. Approved. 

Announcements: 
Lorrie Stromme announced that the next MnSTAC meeting would take place on Thursday, June 
20, 2002, on Nicollet Island. The meeting will start inside De La Salle High School, and the 
program will be an outdoor field tour of the brownfield trees planted on the island in the Fall of 
2002. Kirk Brown and Gary R. Johnson will lead the field tour. 

Kirk Brown passed around a copy of the Buckthorn-Busting Neighborhood Guide; copies are 
available from Tree Trust. Kirk distributed copies of "Interesting Research on the Benefits of 
Trees." Lorrie reported that Kirk has been asked to write an article on the benefit of trees for a 
future issue of the Minnesota Planners Association newsletter. 

Don Mueller said that Brian Loeffelholz has compiled a list of urban & community forestry web 
sites, bookmarks, and resources. The members were very eager to have access to them. Lorrie 
will see if the list can be posted on the MnSTAC web site. Rich Hauer said that the U of MN 
Forestry Library has databases on forestry, accessible through the library's search engine (via 
www.lib.umn.edu). 

Mike Zins announced that the Minnesota Turf & Grounds Foundation (MTGF) will have its 
Summer Field Day on July 25, 2002, on the U of MN St. Paul campus. There will be an air-
knife demonstration and tours of the trees and woodies on campus. The MTGF and the 
Minnesota Nursery Landscape Association (MNLA) will have a joint winter conference, the 
Green Expo, in January 2003. Over 850 vendors will participate in the Green Expo. 

Bruce Bacon reported that Dan Keiser has successfully grafted cuttings from the Sacred Oak 
Tree (Highway 55) onto swamp white oak. Bruce will give us updates. 

Agency/Field Reports:
Minnesota Department of Transportation. Tina Klein, MnDOT, reported that the Vegetation 
Management Association of MN (VMAM), North American Weed Management Association 
(NAWMA), and the Minnesota Association of County Agriculture Inspectors (MACAI) are 
having the Vegetation Management Conference on July 31 - August 1. One of the features is a 
field tour, including a stop at the St. Croix Information Center where MnDOT is conducting 
buckthorn research. MnDOT is trying 7 different treatments during three seasons with cut-and-
treat and basal-spray-and-let-stand methods. Tina also reported that MnDOT is in the process of 
moving 55 oak trees, ranging in size from 1" dbh to 5" dbh, and 22 Black Hills spruce, ranging in 
height from 8' to 18' from the 494-61 area to Hwy 55. 

Department of Natural Resources. Don Mueller of DNR distributed copies of the May 2002 
Urban & Community Forestry Update, with calendar items. Don displayed two posters by Sue 
Burks, DNR: one on oak wilt and the other on proactive silviculture practices. The posters are 
available and can be customized for individual communities. Other resources available include 
the Teacher's Guide and CD-ROMs on buckthorn and "Restore Your Shore." Don reported that 
the MN ReLeaf grant cycle is wrapping up. Applications for next year's grant cycle will go out 
soon. Don reminded folks to make sure their grant contract is signed before putting plows into 
the ground or starting an oak wilt program. As for the Neighborhood Wilds program, increased 
publicity should help increase community awareness about available funds for demonstration 
projects on ecological management. Don also reported that two regional DNR offices would be 
closed effective July 1, 2002. The Metro region will increase by 11 counties. 

Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Rich Hauer, MDA, reported that gypsy moth has 
hatched (instar stage). The gypsy moth spraying program (Bt) will start on May 20 in the Lake 
Harriet area of Minneapolis and in Golden Valley (2,000 acres, 2 treatments). Rich announced 
that there are 900 certified tree inspectors in Minnesota. Rich also announced that good response 
(317 out of 854 communities replied) to his survey, "Minnesota Community Tree Programs and 
Activities in 2001 Questionnaire: Working Together to Build Capacity." 

Minnesota Society of Arboriculture (MSA). Rich Hauer, MSA President, announced that in 
July and August that free OSHA-safety-training programs would be conducted for non-English-
speaking workers. Rich announced that MSA will have a Fall Conference on September 13, 
2002, at St. John's University in Collegeville, MN. The Tree Climbing Championship will be 
held at St. John's on September 14th. The Tree Worker Certification Program (through ISA) will 
be held at St. John's on September 12th. 

Committee Reports: 
Lara Newberger, Chair of the Awards Committee, announced that MnSTAC would have its 
second annual photo contest. The theme is "Trees Along Your Journey," or interesting trees one 
sees along highways, back roads, etc. 

The Legislative Committee issued its first of six STAC Facts fact sheets in late April. The first 
one was on the MN ReLeaf funding. It was distributed to legislators and to communities 
throughout Minnesota. Sue Burks and Mike Albers (DNR) are preparing the next fact sheet 
(gypsy moth and forest tent caterpillar, comparing exotic and native insect pests) for distribution 
in late May or early June. 

Feature Presentation: "A Story of Collaborating to Achieve Forest Certification at Kelley 
Farm." Speakers: Jim Mattson, Minnesota Historical Society; Phil Guillery, Community Forestry 
Resource Center; Glen Olson, Kunde Co. 

Barb Spears, Community Forestry Resource Center (CFRC), introduced the speakers and others 
who have collaborated on the project (Bruce Bacon, Sandy McCartney, and Tim Edgeton). Jim 
Mattson gave the background of the forest certification process. He called the Oliver Kelley 
Farm an "island of agriculture" in an area where development has converted farmland to 
commercial and residential purposes. Oliver Kelley and his family started farming the 189-acre 
tract of land in 1849. In 1935, the farm was acquired by the Grange, a frateral farmers 
oganization that Kelley founded. The Grange donated the property to the Minnesota Historical 
Society (MHS) in 1961. The farm is now a living history farm, with MHS staff dressed in period 
clothing and demonstrating mid-19th century farm tasks. 

Phil Guillery, CFRC Forestry Program Director, described the collaboration between the MHS 
and the Kunde Company to have the woodland on the Kelley Farm certified by the Forest 
Stewardship Council (FSC). An FSC certification is the equivalent of the Good Housekeeping 
seal of approval, recognizing well-managed forests. There are 10 principles and 56 criteria of 
responsible forest management. Annual audits are conducted to assure continued compliance. 
Minnesota is a leader in the U.S., with about 1,000,000 acres FSC-certified. Certification started 
in 1993. 

Glen Olson, Kunde Company, wrote the management plan for the Kelley Farm. Glen said that 
the Kelley Farm doesn't produce 2x4's. It’s an educational site. The major theme is the impact 
of agriculture on the land. The management plan units include soil maps, pastureland, active 
farmland, inactive fields, flood plains, 80 acres of woodlands, and a disturbed prairie. The goal 
is the preservation and restoration of the site and the promotion of land-stewardship and 
sustainability. 

Adjournment. Motion/Second: Kirk Brown/Rich Hauer. Approved. 
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30 a.m. Glen Olson led a walking tour of the Oliver Kelley 
Farm and woodlands after the meeting adjourned.

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