 All right welcome to the next installment of Junction City news if I'm keeping track correctly this is our third one so Getting into a little bit of a groove here And I am Regina Mahoney. I'm the city manager for the city of Essex Junction and On today's show. We've got two members of the tree advisory committee here with me Nick Meyer who is the chair of the tree advisory committee and then Warren spinner who is on the committee and also the city's tree warden So thanks to you both for joining me And so let's get started by giving our viewers an overview of the tree advisory committee What it does? What's the background? and Yeah Well, I think you know some background information of what how we got started probably is in order and It goes back to around 2012 where there were a group of interested citizens kind of looking at beautification in the downtown area of Berlin of excuse me of Essex and at that time It was looking pretty shabby a lot of it. So Some residents got together we built flower boxes for some of the Businesses in town Sandy Willie was very involved in working with the the Brown L library and Then developing some of the plantings around the railroad crossings So that was kind of a start and then we were brainstorming and thinking well, what's going on with the trees in the village and I Had a background as being I started in forestry And then I moved into horticulture and had an apple orchard for a long time and At that point we said well, you know, this is a really valuable resource and it really needs to be managed well and and it seemed that Public works was kind of in charge of of the the trees, but it was mostly triage of Damage trees cutting them down. There was no real advocate for them. So we Started to have some more meetings and then brought in some people Warren spinner was a perfect choice given that he was the Arborist for the city of Burlington and he was the tree warden in Essex so he was a wealth of information to get us going and We came up with sort of the plan to approach the trustees at that point of And pleaded our case. So it was really a resident led approach to try and get a committee form and Some people might say You know Vermont's got a lot of trees. What's the important? You know Vermont is 80% forested but the importance of trees in the urban landscape is extremely valuable and we When you look at things like pavement and the heat sink The value of trees are so great, you know, and I'll go through a few of them in terms of Oxygen they make oxygen they Clean the air Their stormwater value, which we can all relate to right now is very important in that they can Slow down the percolation of the water or at least stop it until it slowly drips on the ground They're beautiful They hold the soil in place they provide shade And they help keep high temperatures down to shade pavements and other things so We talked about that and why it's important to have trees and to really look at it from the in the village of Essex Junction village at that point and the Trustees agreed with us and they said yeah, I think we could do something and We started to work on a Policy a committee We were given a Number of tasks to do one was to Conduct a tree inventory and we had to know what we had in the in the in the village for public trees and we received a grant from the Vermont urban community forestry program to do a complete inventory of the city of Street trees There are other trees. What makes a public tree. It's not just street trees. It's park trees trees that belong to the To the city, but we focused just on street trees at that time Not only looking at the trees that we had we looked at the condition of it we Species and we looked at opportunities of where we might be able to plant more trees so that gave us a blueprint to work with and We next developed a home management plan for the trees in the city What our other tasks were to Have an Arbor Day event to work in educating the public about the value of trees and To expand the canopy the urban canopy and finally to work with the Planning department and The DRB board it wasn't a DRB board at that time was a planning commission To develop guidelines in the land development code and then to Assist them when they asked for us about Landscape plans that came in So that's sort of where we we started great and Yeah All right So that sounds great and it it's interesting. I've heard article recently about This the excessive heat wave that's happening in the south and the importance of that shading and how critical it is because it just Absorbs that heat and just keeps turning it around so Great so I understand that the tree advisory committee is a hands-on committee So what are some of the projects and activities you do throughout the year? Well, we are our committee is amazing. We've got a great talented group from Warren We've got a landscape architect on our and we've got just enthusiastic committee members who weren't afraid to get their hands dirty So we do a array of things that From Advice and we work very closely with the public works department. We have a wonderful relationship with them We can offer the expertise for questions that they have about hazardous trees Questions from homeowners will often be thrown to us and we will meet with homeowners to Try and help them out about questions that they have or concerns that they have about a street tree we public works we do the planning and To determine locations for new trees that are going to be going into the community and Work planning and ordering of the trees and then Executing the planting. We don't do all the planting ourselves as a committee. We do work with Some contractors to help us So that's a big big process and We have planted since 13 or 14. I think over 250 trees We and counting You know the public works helps us out in a great way because I handle the watering which is critical for a tree's first year and So we are grateful for them The can I interrupt just on the I've seen those green Thing tree Gators and they hold about 15 to 20 gallons of water And so we're able to put those out and it slowly trickles it down into the root zone So we'll fill those once a week However, we have not had two of the last three weeks given the amount of rain that we've had. Yep It can stop We'll get back to watering. That's okay We We knock on a lot of doors too, you know when we do our if we're deciding on locations because we do want to engage Village residents of what we're doing and if they have a real concern Now we will we address it. We also We can plant in the public right away We try to do that first, but if we find that we're on a street where There's more opportunity to plant on private property. We one of the first policies we developed Years ago was a policy to plant on private property Which would allow us come in plant the tree and then we'd maintain it for a year or two And then it becomes the responsibility of the homeowner, but it's allowed us to plant more trees So we do a combination of both in our planting process Yeah We we oversee sort of the maintenance of trees for the village pruning that's necessary and doing all this to create You know Something very sustainable of the urban canopy that's not going to have Big surprises of storm damage and other things to keep the trees healthy Well, we've heard from our public works director that our efforts are It's working. There has been not a lot of damage Yeah, the last thing I looked at was a lightning strike, but it didn't damage that it didn't hurt anybody or anything Which was nice. Yeah we do an Arbor Day event and again part of it is education and in that case we have been in every school In the in the city and we rotate around to the different schools this past year we were at Hiawatha and We go in and work them in it depends if it's going to be a just a classroom that wants to do it in this case at Hiawatha it was the The earth rangers it was a group that was trying to do things at the school and they were incredibly enthusiastic about And so we we planted a tree there. We've done You know in number of cases the whole school has been there and there have been so it's it's it's really an important part to Teach younger generation about the value and they can be taking the the banner from us Yeah And there was a this year the first Tree and history walk Yeah, we It's one of the programs that we do that we wanted to do was to have a tree walk Being the arborists for several years in burlington. I'd done a lot of this with branch out burlington and found that it's quite popular The folks in the community like it so we Have been planning this for over a year and and made it happen We were and I wanted to do history of the of the city of sx junction as well as trees And we were able to make that happen the only other time i've known in vermont to have a historical Tree walk was in stowe. It was done several years ago And I said ah that was a great idea. So let's see if we can do it and and we did we were able to get Tim german to help us Who came back in he knows sx junctions history really well and it was a treat to be able to do that It was yeah, so that was uh, uh, a great Event for us we had 25 people, you know for a first event like that. So that was a great showing They want more of it. Yep. Yeah Okay, so you uh, warren you mentioned branch out burlington. Can you tell us what that is about and Um, what our partnership with them is sure uh branch out burlington, um I think was formed in the mid 90s um, it was the result of the A program that was started nationally the vermont urban community for the urban community forestry movement from the federal government from the department of agriculture And part of that was part of that was to each Each state in the u.s. To have an urban community forester and then an urban community forestry council and then try to establish um tree groups within the communities within the given state So branch out burlington that was a push to form because burlington being the largest city in vermont We were working with the state urban community forester and we Talked to a couple of individuals and margaret skinner is the president and i've worked with her for several years and she's still uh president of branch out burlington and um Can't even begin to tell you all of the great things that that it's basically a citizen activist group for the trees And enhancing burlington's urban forest. So I worked directly with them for for years and then um upon my retirement a few years ago I was asked because I could not I was like an ex officio on the board. I couldn't be a part of it But after I retired they wrote me in And asked if I would be a member and uh ironically another member of our tree committee in sx junction Is a member of branch out burlington as well So the partnership that we have with them and working with their community tree nursery Which we established 13 14 years ago Has done tremendous things for burlington helping them get many trees Planted and the beauty of that is we could get Different cultivars and species of trees that we couldn't ordinarily go and get from the nursery because they could be out of stock So we get them in young grow them up then bring them back into the city and plant them So because of our partnership and then us being also helping this was the sx junction helping in the branch out nursery They asked us if we would like to have a row or two To plant our own trees for the city of sx junction and bring them back in so we we started that three or four years ago And we're we've been bringing trees back into the village and planting them for two years now So it's been a great Collaboration and partnership with them and much appreciated It's been um and it's really added value to Stretch our budget in the in the city Because we can grow a really great tree for far less than what we can purchase it for It also allows an opportunity for People who may not want to be sitting at meetings to uh be involved in the field We have a giant planting day in the first saturday in may where there'll be 50 or so people out there helping put all these trees in the ground and I think we Are offering volunteers to The organization Absolutely, we go back in and help them in the summer where we have Weeding bees they're called up there so Every time there's one we get at least most of our committee goes up and helps with the nurseries So that's the kind of collaboration They knew they could count on with us and that's why they like to partner with us And we partner with them on another educational thing. We do try and do a a tree training workshop Every spring and um So we can send residents of The junction to go in it it's geared towards the homeowner and it's it's worked out pretty well. Yeah How to plant maintain and take care of trees cool So great, okay So Nick I think you talked about this already that sx junction is um part of the Designated a tree city USA community Anything else to add about that? Sure A great program. I've been involved with the arbor day foundation for years in burlington and We once we got ourselves Established in the city of sx junction. We said well Let's put an application in Because to start where there's four criteria that you need you need a a tree board or A designated person like a tree warden or or a city arborist or urban forester Then you need a tree policy or ordinance. Okay, so how do you manage your trees or Legally take, you know, what's your responsibility? Then you need a Budget of at least two dollars per capita um And then an arbor day Um event and an arbor day proclamation So those are the four criteria that you need so we Already had the tree board We had our management plan And we had the policy before the management plan So we were we had all of the things together and we'd been doing arbor day activities So I said let's go for it. Yeah, so this was year number eight and In the budget is made up of What what we get from the city to manage the trees plus they allow volunteer hours Okay, so We had we had we're doing great. Yeah, awesome Okay, so uh one hot topic in the tree world is the emerald ash borer Um, it's now been detected in nearby communities What has the tree advisory committee done to lessen this problem in s-extinction? Well, we started by First thing we needed to do is with the inventory. How many ash trees do we have? in the public right away Or parks or wherever in the public Means of the city city. So we have the inventory. We already knew what we had we knew where they were and Knew that emerald ash borer was coming and we had to deal with it so we got together and Did an urban not an urban forestry plan, but a uh emerald ash borer management plan to go where there are other plans and Got some great assistance with the vermont urban community forestry council again that program not the council but the program and Put that together Then went to the trustees at the time Showed them our plan told them what we were faced with And they gave us the okay and gave us some money the first year to start implementing the program so emerald ash borer has been in been in the state for six years now and it's in eight of our um Eight different areas or date basically counties in the state Surrounding so it's all around us And we're very vigilant about keeping our eyes open for it We're watching three trees now that i've got to give a closer look at And we started we're knocking on doors So the the people in the neighborhoods are well aware of what it is because nick and i typically go out and We let people know what's going on. We started inter planting between existing trees And then saying that then we started proactively removing trees so Folks are now used to what we're doing and we've had great success. We've had no one Refuse us and Now they know what emerald ash borer already is and they're ready So we've been proactively working with that now for at least Five years four or five years. Yeah, yeah, and visually in those neighborhoods they planted Solid ash on both sides of the street. So When the borer comes in and starts you they will be Decimated after three years. So it's going to be a dramatic change to the landscape there. So trying to You know make it a little bit easier to have stuff coming along We're able to get great help from the public works department and in the city to help us remove trees grind stumps And you know, it's great because the residents are now used to seeing this and Oh, it's nice. It's nice for them to see us. It's just the residents and the other side of the street that The trees belong to them that they have to be they're responsible for it, right? Yeah, we'll give them advice. Yeah, well our public education we we work with everyone And try to help them make decisions. Yep. Yeah Okay, um, great. So, um, You've got um, talked quite a bit about your events. Um, can you let me know what your next event coming up is? We are going to be doing a, um Um Not it's not the awesome tree contest. It is the greatest greatest tree contest So that'll be that'll be something new this fall that we're going to be You know putting out there it'll be on the website front porch forum and we're going to be looking for residents In the village to come up with their awesome tree and why Or okay, so you're not setting the criteria necessarily. You're sort of leaving. We're leaving it pretty open the first even it open And we hope to have some prizes for people too, right awesome. Yeah Or that that's going to be a fall project. Yeah, and that's another opportunity to have engagement with yeah It can be really fun. Yeah Looking forward to it. Okay. You got one in mind. I don't now, but now I'm going to keep my eyes Okay, so can you let me know when the committee meets and how people can volunteer to help Yeah, we meet the um the third tuesday of the month at five o'clock five to seven usually and uh, yeah Five thirties incorrect. Yeah. Oh, yes. Yep Okay, um you can go to the website and find the information. Yeah, and um, we'd love to have People to come in sit in our meetings see if they want to get Involved, you know in the various areas that they might like to And we're trying to be better about some of the work events that we have to let people know about those to come out Say working at the nursery Or uh the planting day that we have in may so Great. Mm-hmm. All right. Is there anything else you would like to add? I don't think so No, that about covers it. Yeah, awesome Pretty involved and excited to be Making the city of sx junction greener. Yeah, and with healthy trees. Yeah, awesome. Well, it's Such a great service. So really appreciate it Um, okay. I'm just gonna run through a couple Other things really quick depending on how much time I have. Okay. Um, so just so folks are aware Uh city clerk surfaces services are now back at two Lincoln street for the city So if you've gotten anything to do with the clerk's office come right to two Lincoln Um Our property tax bills will be mailed on august 15th Um, and if you've got any change of address or anything like that, please Let us know the We've a couple if you are in the city, you know, we've got a couple of construction projects going on Right now, uh, some of those are on delay as that As our contractors are helping Really appreciate that they're able to do this help some of the other communities that have been hit very Devastatingly over the last two weeks. So if you see a hold up, that's what's happening They will be circling back to sx junction and getting the work done as quickly as they can because they know how important it is For us to get those going And one thing to keep in mind is all of our businesses and sx junction in those areas are Open so please come out and support those folks And uh, that would be much appreciated Okay, anything else to add No, no, thanks for having us. Yes, absolutely Thank you so much everybody. We'll see you next uh month for the fourth installment of sx city news