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Check out some recent Registered Statements from forum participants
Kurt Sonen inside ward 2 January 31, 2023, 11:00 PM
How much do you support recommendation 1?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 2?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 3? Support
How much do you support recommendation 4? Neutral
How much do you support recommendation 5? Support
How much do you support recommendation 6? Support
How much do you support recommendation 7? Support
How much do you support recommendation 8? Support
How much do you support recommendation 9? Support
Please select the top three recommendations that you think are most important. Ensure regulations, best management practices, guidelines & partnerships are in place to support tree canopy growth, protection, & preservation, Engage, encourage, and support active participation by residents, neighborhoods, property owners & partner organizations in tree planting & care, Develop and implement an urban wood utilization program for the City of Ann Arbor
Do you have ideas for other recommendations, suggestions for plan targets/measurable metrics or anything else about Ann Arbor’s trees you would like to share? The definition of 'Park tree' needs to be clarified. It would appear to only include developed parks and not include natural areas, though most of the City's biodiversity and carbon sequestering occurs in the natural areas.
The urban forest plan should clearly state that the use of a variety of native trees is a priority and one of the guiding principles. Native trees support the native biodiversity and are adapted to our area.
To that end, oak trees support the most biodiversity of all our trees with over 500 caterpillar species feeding on oaks (and all the other animals that then feed on the caterpillars). Oaks were the dominate tree in our area (which is why it is our city symbol). But no oak trees are naturally regenerating in any of our natural areas due to deer predation. It is important to coordinate the urban forestry plan with a city-wide deer management plan.
Bruce Geffen inside ward 3 January 31, 2023, 7:40 PM
How much do you support recommendation 1?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 2?
Neutral
How much do you support recommendation 3? Support
How much do you support recommendation 4? Do Not Support
How much do you support recommendation 5? Support
How much do you support recommendation 6? Support
How much do you support recommendation 7? Support
How much do you support recommendation 8? Neutral
How much do you support recommendation 9? Support
Please select the top three recommendations that you think are most important. Support proactive tree maintenance of Ann Arbor’s publicly managed trees, Develop an annual city-wide tree planting plan that prioritizes areas with low and aging canopy cover and high equity need, Ensure there is adequate City staff and resources to implement the recommendations and action items of the Urban Forest Management Plan
Do you have ideas for other recommendations, suggestions for plan targets/measurable metrics or anything else about Ann Arbor’s trees you would like to share? Some of us heat with wood. I for one would like to be able to have access to the trees and large branches and tops that have been removed and stored out by the City Airport or elsewhere.
Brooks Curtis inside ward 5 January 31, 2023, 5:59 PM
How much do you support recommendation 1?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 2?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 3? Support
How much do you support recommendation 4? Support
How much do you support recommendation 5? Support
How much do you support recommendation 6? Support
How much do you support recommendation 7? Support
How much do you support recommendation 8? Support
How much do you support recommendation 9? Support
Please select the top three recommendations that you think are most important. Support proactive tree maintenance of Ann Arbor’s publicly managed trees, Develop and implement a strategy to maximize investment and resources to meet Ann Arbor’s desired level of service for urban forestry maintenance, management, and programs, Engage, encourage, and support active participation by residents, neighborhoods, property owners & partner organizations in tree planting & care
Do you have ideas for other recommendations, suggestions for plan targets/measurable metrics or anything else about Ann Arbor’s trees you would like to share? When trees are being selected, I'd like to see a consideration for the number of caterpillars, etc. that the tree will support in the future.
A second item is that I would like see Forestry more engaged in removing invasive trees (and also herbiciding if required).
Margaret Delaney inside ward 5 January 31, 2023, 5:39 PM
How much do you support recommendation 1?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 2?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 3? Support
How much do you support recommendation 4? Support
How much do you support recommendation 5? Support
How much do you support recommendation 6? Support
How much do you support recommendation 7? Support
How much do you support recommendation 8? Support
How much do you support recommendation 9? Support
Please select the top three recommendations that you think are most important. Develop and implement a strategy to maximize investment and resources to meet Ann Arbor’s desired level of service for urban forestry maintenance, management, and programs, Develop and implement a program to regularly update city tree data and review the Urban Forest Management Plan to evaluate and measure progress, Engage, encourage, and support active participation by residents, neighborhoods, property owners & partner organizations in tree planting & care
Do you have ideas for other recommendations, suggestions for plan targets/measurable metrics or anything else about Ann Arbor’s trees you would like to share? Updating and sharing data is important! There are many volunteer / constituent groups and partners that you cite in the updated plan. Those groups may be willing to lend sweat equity and data collection services - in addition to the Citizen Pruners.
Offering "adopt a tree" or "adopt a street" opportunities to individuals and organizations could help. For example, my next door neighbor is a renter who doesn't really care about the tree that was planted in front of his house 2-3 years ago. I do. So, I water his tree regularly when it's really dry and hot in the summer; he helps shovel my walk in the winter.
Developing an ambassador corps that could speak to neighborhood groups and businesses on the importance of supporting street trees may help.
Marta Manildi inside ward 1 January 31, 2023, 5:28 PM
How much do you support recommendation 1?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 2?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 3? Support
How much do you support recommendation 4? Support
How much do you support recommendation 5? Support
How much do you support recommendation 6? Support
How much do you support recommendation 7? Support
How much do you support recommendation 8? Neutral
How much do you support recommendation 9? Support
Please select the top three recommendations that you think are most important. Develop and implement a comprehensive program to evaluate, monitor, and address risks and threats to Ann Arbor’s urban forest, Develop and implement a strategy to maximize investment and resources to meet Ann Arbor’s desired level of service for urban forestry maintenance, management, and programs, Ensure there is adequate City staff and resources to implement the recommendations and action items of the Urban Forest Management Plan
Do you have ideas for other recommendations, suggestions for plan targets/measurable metrics or anything else about Ann Arbor’s trees you would like to share? Yes. First, thank you for the presentation and survey. I reviewed the materials and found them informative. Here are a few additional thoughts:
* While the report reflects an appreciation for the importance of biodiversity and the need to plant native trees in order to foster a heathy biodiversity, these values should be stated clearly, upfront, and used as guiding principles.
* More specifically, the city should state clearly the need to plant as many “keystone” trees as possible. Keystone trees are those that support so much caterpillar and other insect life that they form a generative center from which a richly diverse native biosystem emerges. The report shows quite a few oaks in our urban forest, but more would not be too many. Keystone trees include white oak, bur oak, red oak, river birch, cherry, black gum, hophornbeam, Kentucky coffeetree, and cottonwood trees.
* Sourcing keystone and other native plants is undoubtedly a problem; developing sources either internally or externally should be a priority.
* Some areas present special challenges, such compacted soil, salt exposure, or air pollutant exposure, for example. But environmentally desirable species should be used to the maximum extent possible, and falling back on trees that are effectively inert - ginkgo come to mind - should not be accepted as a solution. Trees that have nothing to offer to moths, butterflies, or native bees should not be planted except in very particular and rare circumstances.
* Consideration should be given to where an increased use of native perennials, either in conjunction with native trees or instead of trees if trees cannot succeed in difficult environments, might effectively solve problems. If native flowering herbaceous plants and grasses are outside the purview of forestry, meaningful and robust coordination with the responsible landscaping unit of government should be forged.
* The recommendations do not address removal of invasive trees (and my impression is that the forestry group is not authorized or commissioned to remove invasive trees). This is a huge omission. If not this agency, some unit of city government should be given responsibility to identify and remove invasive trees, including for example autumn olive, Tree of Heaven, and perhaps to some extent black locust (although it represents a significant part of the canopy, so special consideration would be required).
Thank you for your consideration, and feel free to contact me if that would be at all helpful.
Yours truly,
Marta Manildi
President, Ann Arbor Wild Ones, an Urban Canopy partner
Jamie Hodges inside ward 4 January 30, 2023, 10:07 PM
How much do you support recommendation 1?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 2?
Do Not Support
How much do you support recommendation 3? Do Not Support
How much do you support recommendation 4? Do Not Support
How much do you support recommendation 5? Support
How much do you support recommendation 6? Do Not Support
How much do you support recommendation 7? Support
How much do you support recommendation 8? Support
How much do you support recommendation 9? Support
Please select the top three recommendations that you think are most important. Develop an annual city-wide tree planting plan that prioritizes areas with low and aging canopy cover and high equity need, Engage, encourage, and support active participation by residents, neighborhoods, property owners & partner organizations in tree planting & care, Develop and implement an urban wood utilization program for the City of Ann Arbor
Do you have ideas for other recommendations, suggestions for plan targets/measurable metrics or anything else about Ann Arbor’s trees you would like to share? Plant and education on deer resistant trees and care
Name not shown inside ward 2 January 30, 2023, 5:37 PM
How much do you support recommendation 2?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 3? Support
How much do you support recommendation 4? Support
How much do you support recommendation 5? Support
How much do you support recommendation 6? Support
How much do you support recommendation 7? Support
How much do you support recommendation 8? Support
How much do you support recommendation 9? Support
Please select the top three recommendations that you think are most important. Support proactive tree maintenance of Ann Arbor’s publicly managed trees, Develop and implement a comprehensive program to evaluate, monitor, and address risks and threats to Ann Arbor’s urban forest, Develop and implement a strategy to maximize investment and resources to meet Ann Arbor’s desired level of service for urban forestry maintenance, management, and programs
Name not shown inside ward 5 January 30, 2023, 5:29 PM
How much do you support recommendation 1?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 2?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 3? Support
How much do you support recommendation 4? Support
How much do you support recommendation 5? Support
How much do you support recommendation 6? Support
How much do you support recommendation 7? Support
How much do you support recommendation 8? Support
How much do you support recommendation 9? Support
Please select the top three recommendations that you think are most important. Develop and implement a comprehensive program to evaluate, monitor, and address risks and threats to Ann Arbor’s urban forest, Develop and implement a strategy to maximize investment and resources to meet Ann Arbor’s desired level of service for urban forestry maintenance, management, and programs, Engage, encourage, and support active participation by residents, neighborhoods, property owners & partner organizations in tree planting & care
Name not shown inside ward 4 January 30, 2023, 3:56 PM
How much do you support recommendation 1?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 2?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 3? Support
How much do you support recommendation 4? Neutral
How much do you support recommendation 5? Support
How much do you support recommendation 6? Support
How much do you support recommendation 7? Support
How much do you support recommendation 8? Do Not Support
How much do you support recommendation 9? Support
Please select the top three recommendations that you think are most important. Support proactive tree maintenance of Ann Arbor’s publicly managed trees, Develop and implement a strategy to maximize investment and resources to meet Ann Arbor’s desired level of service for urban forestry maintenance, management, and programs
Do you have ideas for other recommendations, suggestions for plan targets/measurable metrics or anything else about Ann Arbor’s trees you would like to share? I think that pretty much all of these are good recommendations. I think the timelines can be shifted some, though. Annual data collection and processing is time-consuming and intensive. And trees just don't grow that fast. An initial "city-wide tree planting plan that prioritizes areas with low and aging canopy cover and high equity need" would be great. But then it seems like it would need to updated like maybe every 5 years or so, instead of every year? (feel free to ignore this if you have something else in mind for the annual planning)
For success metrics: count how many new trees are still alive and in good condition the next year and the year after that. I love that we plant trees, but without care, they'll just die, especially trees planted without a nearby water source. I've kept my city-planted tree by the sidewalk alive by running the hose over to it. But I can't do that for trees planted, say, in the divider area on S. Seventh by Pioneer High School. :(
Name not shown inside ward 5 January 30, 2023, 12:27 PM
How much do you support recommendation 1?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 2?
Support
How much do you support recommendation 3? Support
How much do you support recommendation 4? Neutral
How much do you support recommendation 5? Support
How much do you support recommendation 6? Support
How much do you support recommendation 7? Support
How much do you support recommendation 8? Support
How much do you support recommendation 9? Support
Please select the top three recommendations that you think are most important. Support proactive tree maintenance of Ann Arbor’s publicly managed trees, Develop an annual city-wide tree planting plan that prioritizes areas with low and aging canopy cover and high equity need, Engage, encourage, and support active participation by residents, neighborhoods, property owners & partner organizations in tree planting & care
Do you have ideas for other recommendations, suggestions for plan targets/measurable metrics or anything else about Ann Arbor’s trees you would like to share? Incorporating trees and bushes that produce food, potentially a park dedicated to this.