Laserfiche WebLink
plan with either AmeriCorps workers or through grant funding. The contractor is <br />required to do the tree upkeep for the first year. <br />Member Mueller appreciated Mr. Taylor touching on the need to protect the <br />investment the City has made because that is where her mind goes. <br />Member Hodder asked regarding resiliency, with climate change the Minnesota <br />zone has been changing and he wondered how the City is preparing for that change <br />in the canopy from climate change. <br />Mr. Taylor thought when the City first started this there was not talk about what the <br />ongoing maintenance was going to be and that is why he thought the City was <br />committed to moving forward and need to put specific resources in to just <br />maintaining all of the trees that are being planted. That is one of the reasons why <br />the City will need to redo its Natural Resources Master Plan and the Urban Forestry <br />Master Plan to talk about what the City is going to do moving forward to deal with <br />some of those things. He thought in the short term staff knows the City needs to <br />put resources into taking care of the investment and he thought in the long term the <br />City needs to plan accordingly for resiliency and the changes in the climate through <br />the City's natural resources planning and the City's Forestry Update Master Plan. <br />Member Mueller explained it is great to be focusing on the newly planted trees, <br />which need to be babied while being established but even established trees need <br />care and one of the things she tries to share with people in her neighborhood and <br />with how dry it has been trees need to be watered, especially going into winter. <br />Even established vegetation needs care and is easy for people to forget. <br />Member Rudolf wondered about the degree of partnership with other communities <br />in doing all of this. She asked to what degree is Mr. Taylor in touch with the <br />foresters or city staff in neighboring cities. She also wondered to what degree there <br />might be for an opportunity to partner with the U of M Forestry students because <br />they are right there in the city's backyard. <br />Mr. Taylor explained as far as partnerships, there is not a lot. City staff has a lot of <br />people asking them how the City is doing its program now because it is a little <br />different than most of what people have done. There is an EAB regional type of <br />group that talks Statewide. They talk about the spread of EAB and what is and is <br />not working. The group meets quarterly throughout the year and have been a little <br />less now that a lot of the State has started to be infested now. As far as the U of M, <br />the City has not done any partnerships with them. One of the things that enticed <br />the City with Tree Trust is that they have an actual training program as well. Part <br />of the people working on the trees in the City are a part of the Tree Trust program <br />and has been part of the focus and one of the reasons why the City picked this <br />contractor. The City has done a lot of things with the Minnesota Forestry as well. <br />Page 3 of 7 <br />