Minutes of a meeting of
The Old Lyme Tree Commission
December 17, 2009
Attendance:
Regular members present: Anne Bing, Joanne DiCamillo, Gerry Foster, Emily Griswold, Adela Wilmerding
Alternate members present: Pat Moll
Members absent: Joan Flynn (alternate)
Tom Degnan (ex-officio) attended the meeting.
A quorum being present, Chairman Joanne DiCamillo called the meeting to order at 4:00 PM.
Guests: Ruth Roach and Charles Delinks were present for the tree inventory software discussion
At the request of the chairman, Gerry Foster made a motion, seconded by Adela Wilmerding, to move Old Business to the end of the Agenda after Member Reports.
Clerk’s Report
The minutes of the 11/19/09 regular meeting were reviewed.
Anne Bing made a motion, seconded by Gerry Foster to accept the minutes as presented. All present voted in favor.
Budget Report
Mrs. DiCamillo reported that the balance in the General Fund (Tree Commission and Public Works) was $22,834.12 as of December 3, 2009.
NEW BUSINESS
July 2010-June 2011 budget request
Mrs. DiCamillo submitted FY2010-2011 budget request, asking for $27,260.00, the same amount as FY 2009-2010.
OTHER BUSINESS
75 Lyme Street – Dr. Awwa - Permit application for tree trimming
Mrs. DiCamillo noticed two men, who were not arborists, standing on ladders trimming the oak tree front of Dr. Awwa’s home as she drove by. Since the oak is a town tree, she stopped to talk with them and saw several more dead branches up in the crown. She explained that the procedure for homeowners who wish to trim a town tree includes filling out a permit application in town hall before the work proceeds. She contacted the Tree Warden, Tom Degnan, who evaluated the tree and authorized the additional work. Mrs. DiCamillo will ask Jason Wilcox to estimate the cost to trim it.
120-1 Sill Lane – resident report of fallen tree branches
A resident reported fallen tree branches to town hall.
3 Cedar Hollow Drive – Robert De Pianta- Permit application for tree planting
Mr. DePianta applied for a permit to plant six 3 foot tall blue spruce across the road from his home.
Tom Degnan looked at the planting site and approved the planting on the condition that the trees are not planted closer to the road than the existing white pine that is growing onsite.
5 Coach Lane – Bruce Noyes - Permit application for tree removal
Mr. Noyes requested the removal of two trees between 72 and 73 Grassy Hill Road. The Tree Warden will evaluate the trees.
Historical photos
Tabled until the January meeting.
MEMBER REPORTS
Adela Wilmerding is resigning from the Tree Commission, as of January 1, 2010. She has served on the commission for 8 years. Mrs. DiCamillo thanked her for her dedication and reliability, always volunteering to participate in the activities of the commission.
OLD BUSINESS
Inventory Discussion
There was a discussion about the equipment and software needed to perform a tree inventory. Mrs. DiCamillo explained that the commission would utilize a town tree inventory to create a long range management plan for trimming, removals and replanting. Kenerson Group, of Massachusetts, demonstrated their software, Tree Works, to the Tree Commission in August. Tree Works is compatible with ArcView, the town’s GIS system, and requires a hand held GPS unit and PDA or tablet pc. Kenerson Group’s package (software, training & equipment) would cost about $8,000, not including the labor to perform the inventory. Dana Whitney, a local arborist, attended a meeting and showed the commission how he uses Excel to record a Tree Inventory. Mr. Whitney’s charge would be about $5,000 and would include his labor. He
has also used Tree Works software to perform a Tree Inventory for Greenwich, CT, but does not own the software or equipment. Mrs. DiCamillo requested $6500 from last year’s budget balance to be carried over for a Tree Inventory.
Mrs. DiCamillo discussed the purchase of a GPS unit with First Selectman Griswold who suggested that the town could possibly pick up the cost with IT budget funds since the unit will be shared between 4 groups – Emergency Management, Public Works, Tree Commission, and the Harbor Management Commission. The Harbor Master would like to record mooring locations using a GPS unit.
Ruth Roach recommended that the town purchase a digital camera with a GPS unit in it so that all the pictures would contain location coordinates. Emergency Management would like to take pictures of and record the locations of all the catch basins and bridges in town. FEMA requires that towns have pictures of all municipal buildings in order to qualify for disaster reimbursement. The pictures would be downloaded to a computer and incorporated into the towns GIS system.
The town could also increase the money it gives to CRERPA to pay for a simple map layer in GIS. Margo Burns, from CRERPA, has already created some map layers for the town. She could create a “tree layer” which could include tree identification, condition, and location. Mrs. Roach suggested using volunteers to conduct the inventory. Mr. Degnan and the Chairman noted that a certified arborist is needed to correctly identify the trees and evaluate their condition.
Tom Degnan suggested hiring a consultant to manage the project, and recommended the Trimble GPS unit ($3,500).
Mrs. DiCamillo pointed out that member Gerry Foster has been working diligently since the beginning of this year on locating arborists/companies to do an inventory. There are very few people in the state who perform this type of service so the possibility of finding a consultant may be difficult.
Gerry Foster and Adela Wilmerding left the meeting early. The Chairman thanked Mr. Delinks and Mrs. Roach for attending the meeting and their participation.
Tom Degnan wrapped up the meeting by explaining that the tree inventory and any other tree information should be part of an active management program in order to be effective. Trimming and removals should be reported and entered on a consistent basis and someone will need to update it regularly. He questioned if all of the parties who are involved with trees in the town notably the commission, Public Works and himself would be able to fulfill this requirement.
Greenwich has a full time Tree Warden who updates the tree inventory regularly, but Old Lyme does not have anyone trained to do this. After listening carefully to the chairman’s discussion of objectives, he suggested a possible alternative that could be an effective and a much simpler approach to achieving these goals. He proposed hiring Dana Whitney to create an “Inventory Management Plan” for Old Lyme. Mr. Whitney would identify the trees and evaluate their condition, one road at a time. He would provide a report including recommendations for pruning, removals and planting that would be used as a tool by the Tree Commission in creating a 10 year management plan. Mr. Degnan volunteered to share his personal Arc View GIS program with Mr. Whitney so the information gathered could be entered into the town
hall system. All of the tree information going back to 2001, when the commission was created, is in files in Mrs. DiCamillo’s home. She would like it transferred into the system at town hall. Mr. Degnan suggested including it in the final report. Mrs. DiCamillo also stated, in the event of a disaster, FEMA requires an inventory of damaged and downed trees be submitted within 4 days in order to qualify for reimbursement funding.
The four members who were present were enthusiastic about the new proposal which appears to be less complicated and not as expensive.
The Chairman asked Mr. Degnan to contact Dana Whitney to discuss his recommendation. He will also get in touch with the Kenerson Group.
REMINDER
Next Meeting
Next scheduled meeting is on Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 4 PM at the Town Hall.
ADJOURNMENT
Anne Bing moved to adjourn the meeting at 6:15 PM. Pat Moll seconded the motion. Only 3 members were present to approve the motion.
Respectfully Submitted
Martha Hansen
Clerk
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