Tree Committee
Minutes for meeting on 29 March 2005

Members Jim Dodge, Walter Phillips, Ed Trembly and Pat Thomas were present, along with webmaster Daniel Foskett. 

Gabrielle Gourley, who is working on an article about Arlington trees for the Boston Globe's Northwest section, was also in attendance. 

Minutes from September 29 meeting were approved. 

Dan reported on www.arlingtontrees.org, which has been visited by about 400 people since it went online about six weeks ago. Usage peaked during weeks when Walter promoted the site and the town's new adopt-a-tree program on the Arlington list and www.livefromarlington.com 

Dan passed along survey responses from 17 people to Walter, who reported that 11 of 17 said they favored a tree protection bylaw. A larger number responded to questions about what a bylaw might address, and they clearly favored a bylaw that would protect trees on public land and disapproved of one regulating privately owned trees. 

Tree Warden Jim Dodge reported that 23 people signed up for the adopt-a-tree pilot program. Additional trees are being purchased by Friends of Robbins Farm for planting in the park. These trees, added to 100 purchased and planted by DPW, reverse the net loss of street trees in Arlington. Jim and DPW Director John Sanchez would like to repeat this offer in 2006, but don't know yet whether funding will be available. 

Jim also said that 300 seedlings will be distributed to fifth graders at Hardy, Thompson, Bishop, and Brackett schools on Arbor Day. 

On April 21, Jim will receive Arlington's Tree City USA award at the State Capital. The committee thanked him and other town employees for submitted paperwork needed to restore this designation to the town. 

At Walter's urging, the committee turned to our original mission: considering the advisability of a tree protection bylaw for Arlington. There was a lengthy discussion of how the committee might obtain enough data about public attitudes to know whether a bylaw is advisable. Ed Trembly volunteered to contact the town clerk and find out if we could distribute a survey at polling places on June 2 when the override vote is scheduled. Ed will also find out where the new polling places are. 

[Following the meeting, Clarissa Rowe offered to photocopy surveys if Dan will lay them out so that several fit on a standard sheet of copy paper. This will hold down costs.]

Volunteers are needed to hand out surveys on voting day. 

Pat volunteered to find out if small cards promoting our web site, especially tree selection and planting information, could be handed out at the Earth Day event being planned for Menotomy Rocks Park on April 30. 

Members also discussed the committee's annual report to town meeting, and agreed that although we don't yet see a compelling reason for putting a bylaw on the warrant, we wish to continue collecting data and educating the community via the website and other means. Pat agreed to draft the report and circulate it via email. 

Pat also announced that a move out of state will force her to resign from the Tree Committee this summer. It's been fun, though.