Tree Advisory Panel
Meeting Minutes
MEETING DATE: December 18th, 2013
LOCATION: Barb’s House
PANEL MEMBERS and ATTENDANCE:
Attended
Name
Dustin Ellis
Christine Soutter
Gary Johnson, Chair
Barb Spears, Vice Chair
VACANT
Jonathan Heaton
VACANT
VACANT
Andy Hovland
Jeanne Weigum
Kristen Nelson
Erick Goodlow
Dave Ronzani
Rachel Coyle
Representing
Council Ward 1
Council Ward 2
Council Ward 3
Council Ward 4
Council Ward 5
Council Ward 6
Council Ward 7
Business
Private Tree Service
Friends of Parks & Trails
University of Minnesota
Parks Commission
Parks & Recreation – Design
Forestry/Panel Facilitator
ADDITIONAL FORESTRY STAFF: Cy Kosel, Karl Mueller, Brett Stadsvold
GUESTS: Rebecca Koetter
MINUTES, INTRODUCTIONS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT: 6:00 pm by Gary Johnson
The evening was devoted to opinion and idea-gathering that would move the TAP on to the next level
and ensure its role in Saint Paul’s urban forest management.
Question One: “What is TAP’s role as stewards for Saint Paul’s urban forest?
 Connecting citizens to their resource and encouraging engagement.
 Public education (including district councils and council members) on key issues: ordinances,
tapping maple trees on public lands, who prunes our trees.
 Advocates for policies that project and promote trees.
 Teaching children about trees, tree care, tree care professionals.
 Continue to pressure work ethics: licensing of arborists, getting the public to recognize and hire
good companies.
 Draw the Minnesota Society of Arboriculture more into municipal forestry at the community
level.
 Advice to city forestry unit. Review policies. Where should Saint Paul forestry be headed?
 Develop subcommittees that can assume tasks to their completion.
 Assist Forestry with the development and maintenance of their web site. Improve it, promote
it.
 Help maintain and improve the quantity, quality and diversity of Saint Paul’s urban forest
through advocacy, targeting Saint Paul’s decision-makers and working with its political system.
 Promote education on trees and urban forests in general.
 Facilitate a better connection between Forestry and the community.
Question Two: “What can TAP do in that role to be most effective and efficient?
 TAP members can agree to be “on-call” for special interests and events.
 Set up and employ sub-committees to actually accomplish tasks.
 Monthly meetings have become cumbersome. Use monthly meetings for sub-committees to
report results, progress, and then the meetings can be used to discuss urban forestry in more
general terms, broader-picture terms.
 Send out agendas with topics.
 Have project “partners.”
 Sub-committees should pair up with the appropriate representative from Saint Paul Forestry.
 Assign tasks to 1-2 people, but don’t overburden the same 1-2 people.
 When there’s an active project, keep it in the monthly agenda. Most notable project for 2014 is
the Legacy of Elms project.
 As a ward representative, ask to take 5 minutes to pass on announcements at one or more of
their meeting/s.
 Send urban forestry and TAP information to council member aides.
 All messages should come from TAP. This identifier needs to be prominent in all of our
messages.
 Get our own email (The email address: stpaultap@gmail.com and the password: Buroak#1).
 Get on District Council agendas. Perhaps on the annual election meeting to let them know who
we are.
 Send meaningful messages about TAP and urban forestry in Saint Paul to councils, 2-3 times per
year.
 Maintain constant contact with the community through the media, special interest groups, and
district councils.
Question Three: “How can we most effectively and efficiently work with Saint Paul’s Division of Forestry
to manage and improve Saint Paul’s urban forest?
 Receive regular updates from Saint Paul Forestry on critical and timely issues.
 Receive regular recommendations from Forestry for our involvement.
 Conduct neighborhood feedback as appropriate and serve as a conduit for that information.
 Let Saint Paul Forestry know what newspapers, Facebook sites, blogs, etc, so they can spread
information through them.
 E-democracy (didn’t catch what this meant).
 Eastside Review is a good place to send press releases.
 Questions about free trees, etc. get blown out of perspective and become myths. These media
options can be used to get the best information out to the public and squash the rumors.
Question Four: “What do you imagine Saint Paul’s urban forest to be like, look like in 40 years?”
 Genetically diverse.
 More public involvement and community gardens.
 More vest-pocket parks.
 Downtown and commercial area will have trees lasting longer than 10 years.
 Some ash trees will still be alive and healthy.
 Our urban forest will be healthier.
 Our constituency will be better educated in regards to arboriculture and urban forestry.
 The actions we’re taking now have resulted in better trees in the landscapes.
 Private landscapes have been positively influenced by better information and the actions of TAP
and Saint Paul Forestry.
Question Five: “What is one reasonable yet significant contribution you can make to Saint Paul’s urban
forest or urban forestry program in 2014?”
Gary: Write three seasonal press releases. Become fully engaged as a participant in one Arbor Month
activity in Saint Paul.
Dustin: Develop signage for Tree Walks in Saint Paul parks. Support this with a web site that hosts the
linked information. Dustin is looking for partners (within and without) for this project.
Kristen: Partner with Erick and get on-going annual conversations about TAP.
Erick: Leverage Parks Commission to increase awareness of TAP.
Chris: Focus on regular press releases of timely information.
Brett: Work on developing a subsidized tree program.
Karl: Work on the elm legacy story.
Andy: Develop a linkage with the Minnesota Society of Arboriculture
Barb: Work on the elm story and promoting the Landmark Tree Program.
Jon: Focus on public education and press releases.
Dave: Bring a community perspective to the fact that there are too many maples in Saint Paul’s urban
forest and emphasize the need to genetically diversify.
Rebecca: Press releases and the subsidized tree sales idea.
Meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.