March 26, 2025

CITY OF BAYFIELD TREE BOARD MEETING MINUTES Thursday March 26, 2025 CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was convened by B. Cozzi, City Forester and Chairperson of the Tree Board at 5:04PM. MEMBERS PRESENT: Beth Cozzi, Kevon Dietel, Tad Paavola, and Jacob Geisler. MEMBERS EXCUSED: James Kuzzy, Jane Edwards, Sherman Edwards, and Paul Delmain. GUESTS: None. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: A motion was made by T. Paavola and seconded by K. Dietel to approve the agenda with a change in the location of today’s meeting to the Bayfield Carnegie Library. The motion carried. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: A motion was made by K. Dietel and seconded by T. Paavola to approve the minutes of the meeting of February 26, 2025. The motion carried. FINANCIAL REPORT: A financial report was deferred. City administrative staff continues to update financial reports and records. An up-to-date report of Tree Board finances is expected to be completed and available by the April meeting of the Board. OLD BUSINESS: 1. An appreciative statement was made with respect to the removal of cuttings by City DPW staff. 2. The applications for the continued designation of the City of Bayfield as a Tree City and as a recipient of a Tree City Growth Award have been completed and submitted by the City Forester. 3. Possible planting sites for the 2025 Arbor Day event were discussed. Two sites would appear to meet the most desirable condition, that is, the capacity for multiple plantings. These sites would be (1) Halvor Reiten Park along the border adjourning the Bodin Fisheries property and (2) in the area of the terminus of the Big Ravine Trail. The City Forester will explore these options with the appropriate parties. 4. The planting of replacement trees in the area of the upcoming street reconstruction (Manypenny Avenue between South 9th and 12th Streets) is scheduled for this fall once construction is completed. This may not occur until after the 2025 Apple Festival. 5. The tree trimming work detail previously scheduled for March 15, 2025 was cancelled. NEW BUSINESS: 1. There was further discussion of the plans for the 2025 Arbor Day event with specific reference to scheduling, student activity, and other participants, such as, the U.S. Forest Service. 2. The work detail for the members of the Tree Board which had been scheduled for Saturday, April 5, 2025 needs to be rescheduled. An alternate date of April 26, 2025 was chosen. 3. A couple of mechanisms were discussed to most efficiently utilize the $30,000 in the Tree Board’s 2025 budget for tree removal and stump grinding/removal. One option would be to draft a proposal and request bids from local tree services. Another option would be for the city to hire a certified arborist as a temporary employee to perform the work. The City Forester will discuss these options and explore their feasibility with the appropriate City officials and staff. These options are alternatives to the present practice where tree services are engaged on a tree-by-tree basis and paid for these services based on their regular rates. 4. A question was raised about the sourcing of root stock purchased for plantings. In recent years, Earth Sense Garden Center has been used not only for the purchase but also for planting and staking of root stock. Hauser’s Superior View Farm was mentioned as a possible alternate source, particularly for root stock where planting would not need to be included as in the 2025 Arbor Day event. The City Forester will explore this option. 5. The members of the Board were informed that City administrative staff is working on updating the City of Bayfield Forestry--Tree Board website to include the minutes of Board meetings. FOLLOW-UP MEETING: The next meeting of the Tree Board is scheduled for Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at 5:00PM at the City Fire Hall. ADJOURNMENT: A motion for adjournment was made by T. Paavola and seconded by K. Dietel. The motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 5:45PM. Respectfully Submitted, Jacob Geisler