Minutes of a meeting of
The Old Lyme Tree Commission
August 21, 2008
Attendance:
Regular members present: Joanne DiCamillo, Anne Bing, Emily Griswold, Adela Wilmerding
Alternate members: Joan Flynn, Gerry Foster
Members absent: Pat Moll (regular), Tom Degnan (ex-officio)
A quorum being present, Chairman Joanne DiCamillo called the meeting to order at 4:08 PM.
REPORTS
Clerk’s Report
The minutes of the 07/17/08 meeting were reviewed. Adela Wilmerding moved to accept the minutes as presented. Anne Bing seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report
Joanne DiCamillo reported that the carryover of $12,000 from FY 2007-2008 was approved by the Board of Finance. No balance report this month.
OLD BUSINESS
Ferry Road & Route 156 – update on project
Joanne DiCamillo reported that CIRO Landscapers resumed work at the site today, weeding, planting, and digging out invasives. Some wildflowers have been growing among the weeds – daylilies, Queen Anne’s lace, and an unidentified yellow flower - and will be left there.
· Watering: The plantings have been watered several times this summer. Watering will continue until the end of the season.
· Planting: More perennials (lobelia cardinalis, butterfly weed, and Joe Pye weed) will be planted on Wednesday, August 27. Members are asked to help out with planting if possible. Matt Griswold of Judges Farm has offered to sell perennials to the Tree Commission at cost. More shrubs will be planted this fall, along with a variety of ferns and grasses. Joanne DiCamillo has some cinnamon fern in her yard that will be transplanted to Ferry Rd.
Town Hall – Review landscape plan and plantings
Joanne DiCamillo checked the plantings and found some problems (crooked trees, shrubs planted in the wrong location, some substitutions made). Additional plantings will be used to screen the back of the parking area. A few substitutions have been made for hard to find plants, but sources for others have been found. Mrs. DiCamillo, after several phone calls, located the Cryptomeria “Black Dragon” at Twombly’s Nursery in Monroe. The landscaper will complete the planting next week. John Forbis has been watering the new plants and will continue for the rest of the season. Mrs. DiCamillo met with him this week to discuss plans for maintenance beginning next spring (soaker hoses, tree gators, etc.). Tree trimming and tree removals will be done behind Town Hall next year.
Fall Tree Planting
Joanne DiCamillo contacted River End Landscaping for fall tree planting and will call Millane Nurseries in Cromwell. Emily Griswold agreed to select and tag the trees (2 shadblow “canadensis” and 2 red maples). She will check the sizes and try to get the 6’-8’ shadblow priced at $135. There are several varieties of red maple to consider: “Fairview Flame” which grows to 35 feet and has red foliage in fall; “Carpick” which grows to 40 feet and has yellow foliage in fall; and “Red Sunset” which grows to 50 feet and has red foliage in fall. The members agreed that either “Fairview Flame” or “Red Sunset” would look best. The maples are priced according to trunk diameter (1 ½ “, 2”, 3 ½ “).
· Ferry Road – one red maple needs to be planted this fall
· Old Shore Road – two shadblow and one red maple need to be planted this fall
NEW BUSINESS
Cross Lane - letter request to remove trees
Tom Degnan, Tree Warden, checked the Cross Lane/Champlain Drive sightline in response to a letter from Matthew Ward of 23 Cross Lane. Mr. Degnan found that the trees on that corner were healthy and did not feel that they posed a significant sightline problem. He did not recommend that the town remove them. Mrs. DiCamillo is in agreement with the Tree Warden. Gerry Foster also checked the area, her opinion was that the trees interfered a little with the sightline, but did not obscure it completely (unlike the euonymus which were cut back on the corner of Brown’s Lane).
Tree Warden’s list of tree requests and inspections
· 29 Pin Oak Trail - a scarlet oak which appears healthy but has a lot of decay.
· 21 Noyes, 2 dead cherry trees have been marked for removal
· 27 Shore Drive, the homeowner, Tom Cooper, is concerned about a tree near his driveway with a squirrel hole which may be a sign of decay. Wilcox Tree Experts evaluated the tree and reported that it has some old pruning cuts but it appears to be healthy for its age.
·
MEMBER REPORTS
Joan Flynn mentioned that there are two trees which create hazards on Buttonball Road, one has a large branch crossing the road, and the other is a large tree growing right at the edge of the road (right side before Black Hall).
Anne Bing again mentioned the tree with a low crotch on Bill Hill Rd, in front of the stone wall near the entrance to Rte. 156. The tree is healthy, but could split in a storm and block Rte. 156.
OTHER BUSINESS
Members’ maintenance - young trees
Mrs. DiCamillo asked members to check the trees they mulched last spring and remove crabgrass and other weeds growing around them.
Joan Flynn agreed to check Pat Moll’s trees – the Kousa dogwoods at the Firehouse, the Weeping Cherry at Old Lyme Daycare, the Tree Lilac at Town Hall, and the Franklinia at Center School.
Tree Inventory discussion
Joanne DiCamillo asked for one or two volunteers from the commission to begin exploring the process of how to conduct a Tree Inventory in Old Lyme. The first step would be to gather information within Town Hall about using the town’s GIS system.
REMINDER
NOTICE: The next regularly scheduled meeting on September 18, 2008 is CANCELLED
Next Meeting
Next scheduled meeting is on Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 4 PM at the Town Hall.
ADJOURNMENT
Adela Wilmerding moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:25P.M.; Joan Flynn seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved.
Submitted by:
Martha Hansen, Clerk
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