2023-03-02 Tree Board PacketOp E D
o Agenda
Edmonds Tree Board
s71. ,Hv� REGULAR MEETING
BRACKETT ROOM
121 5TH AVE N, CITY HALL - 3RD FLOOR, EDMONDS, WA 98020
MARCH 2, 2023, 6:00 PM
MEETING INFORMATION
This is a hybrid meeting. The in -person portion of the meeting is in the Brackett Room on the
3rd floor of City Hall. The Zoom link is provided below for those attending online.
Zoom link: https://edmondswa-gov.zoom.us/j/82838461777
Webinar ID: 82838461777 Passcode: 068009 Telephone: (253) 215-8782
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, the Sdohobsh (Snohomish) people and
their successors the Tulalip Tribes, who since time immemorial have hunted, fished, gathered, and
taken care of these lands. We respect their sovereignty, their right to self-determination, and we
honor their sacred spiritual connection with the land and water.
CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL
II. CHANGES TO AGENDA
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. Draft Meeting Minutes/February 2, 2023
IV. AUDIENCE/PUBLIC COMMENTS
V. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
1. April 22 Earth Day planning discussion
2. October 7 Arbor Day planning discussion
3. Annual Work Plan for Director's Approval
4. Annual Presentation to City Council
VI. NEW BUSINESS
1. Consider updates to Homeowners Tree List
2. Consider Heritage Tree program
3. Staff updates: critical area maps, tree code amendment/public engagement
VII. TREE BOARD CHAIR, MEMBER COMMENTS
VIII. ADJOURNMENT
Edmonds Tree Board Agenda
March 2, 2023
Page 1
3.1
Tree Board Agenda Item
Meeting Date: 03/2/2023
Draft Meeting Minutes/February 2, 2023
Staff Lead: Deb Powers
Department: Planning Division
Prepared By: Deb Powers
Background/History
N/A
Staff Recommendation
Approve minutes from the February 2, 2023 Tree Board meeting.
Narrative
Draft minutes from February 2 meeting are included as Attachment 1.
Attachments:
02022023 Tree Board Meeting Minutes —draft DP
Packet Pg. 2
3.1.a
CITY OF EDMONDS
0TREE BOARD
Summary Minutes of Regular Meeting
February 2, 2023
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Chair Cass called the February 2 Tree Board meeting to order at 6:15 p.m.
Board Members Present
Janelle Cass, Chair
Bill Phipps, Vice Chair (via Zoom)
Chris Eck
Wendy Kliment
Andy Lyon
Crane Stavig
Kevin Fagerstrom
Vacant Board Position
Alternate (appointment pending)
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Board Member Lyon read the Land Acknowledgement.
MINUTES:
Approval of January 5, 2023 Tree Board Minutes
Staff Present
Deb Powers, Urban Forest Planner
David Levitan, Planning Manager (via Zoom)
Others Present
Jenna Nand, Edmonds City Council Representative
(via Zoom)
The January 5, 2023 Tree Board minutes were approved as presented.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Introductions (New Business la) was moved up to the top of the agenda.
Vice Chair Phipps asked to discuss House Bill 1078 that is before the Washington State Legislature this session.
There was agreement to add this under New Business as 1.c.
Chair Cass asked for someone to give an update on the tree vandalism under New Business as Ld.
The agenda was approved as amended.
Tree Board Meeting Minutes
February 2, 2023
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3.1.a
NEW BUSINESS
Administrative
a. Welcome - New Tree Board Member Kevin Fagerstrom and Planning Manager David Levitan
were welcomed and introduced themselves.
AUDIENCE COMMENTS
Nick Coelho said his responsibilities as a member of the Snohomish County Parks Advisory Board are to get
the lay of the land and see what conservation and stewardship efforts are going on in the south county. He said
he was attending the meeting in order to learn and to pass on any comments from Edmonds to the Board.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
Annual/Ongoing Events
a. 2022 Tree Board Presentation to the City Council — Chair Cass will do the presentation to the
City Council on March 7, but other board members are encouraged to attend. Chair Cass
indicated she would reach out to Larry Vogel to see if he had any pictures of Earth Day and
will provide a draft of the presentation for Tree Board review at the March 3, 2023 meeting.
2. Special Events/Projects
a. 2023 Work Plan — Chair Cass and Board Member Kliment pointed out that work plan projects
were discussed at the January meeting and noted in the minutes, and still need to be added to
the table. Chair Cass recommending having a smaller Task Group update the work plan,
reformat it in an Excel spreadsheet and add a column with the relevant director so they can
organize topics. Ms. Powers suggested the Board reformat the document in any suitable manner
from the one that can be found on the FTP server and that Director McLaughlin will need to see
anticipated costs for 2023 projects for budget approval. Board Member Kliment and Chair Cass
will work together on the 2023 Work Plan.
Ms. Powers encouraged the Board to focus on planning an Arbor Day event because it is
required for the City to keep its Tree City USA standing. For events or projects that involve city
staff or other resources, Ms. Powers explained how the Board needs to contact department
directors in order to get approval first, before getting in touch with staff. She recommended
consolidating questions for each department director.
Councilmember Nand stated she had followed up with an email to Director Feser and did not
receive a response. She felt this was part of a larger issue between City Council and the mayoral
administration. She recommended just backing off and waiting on this until it can be resolved
between Council President Tibbet and Mayor Nelson. She also noted that there has been concern
among councilmembers about the cost of Tree City USA certification. Her understanding was
that it would be budget neutral but recommended adding a note stating that fact to the City
Council presentation.
Tree Board Meeting Minutes
February 2, 2023
Page 2 of 5
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3.1.a
Planning Manager Levitan thought it was fine if Tree Board Members reached out to the
appropriate department directors. He explained that this is a different concern than the
conversations between city councilmembers and city staff.
Motion made by Board Member Eck, seconded by Board Member Kliment, that the
Arbor Day Celebration will be held on October 7, 2023. Motion passed unanimously.
Board Member Stavig commented he is still trying to get in touch with Bess Bronstein about
the tree walk. He has not heard back but will keep trying.
There was some discussion about critical areas education. Chair Cass said staff is developing
another layer to the interactive map currently on the website that could help show residents
where tree removals are limited due to steep slopes. Ms. Powers distributed some static photos
of the layer. She commented that property owner tree removal in critical areas is a topic they
will be looking at with the tree code updates. The critical areas education would be very timely.
b. Tree Code Amendments —Deb Powers gave a project update via PowerPoint regarding tree code
amendments. She reviewed the project scope of addressing property owner tree removals and
considering minor changes to the current code. She also discussed the project timeline.
Chair Cass asked about public outreach plans other than the public hearings. Ms. Powers
explained a consultant has been hired and has drafted a public engagement strategy. In addition
to the public hearings, there will be an online survey, stakeholder meetings, and notifications to
the public, all prior to the public hearings. The public engagement strategy should be available
to the Planning Board by the end of February. Because of the Planning Board's meeting
calendar, in lieu of joint meetings with them, the consultant will be working specifically with
the Tree Board as a stakeholder group.
Board Member Stavig spoke to the importance of having some kind of visibility to the public
with the community outreach strategy before it is too late in the process.
Board Member Fagerstrom asked about the process for Board Members providing feedback on
the tree code. Ms. Powers indicated he could email comments to her, but recommended he first
take a look at everything that's been on the table so far and the red line markups on the minor
code amendments. Vice Chair Phipps recommended sharing comments with the Tree Board as
a whole in addition to Ms. Powers.
Vice Chair Phipps recommended that the Tree Board have a discussion about how they feel
about property owner tree removals. He recommended having a study group to look at this.
There was discussion around the ability to have a study group meeting, as long as there are three
or fewer members present.
Board Member Lyon asked what the canopy coverage goal should be for Edmonds. Ms. Powers
replied that it should be a stated policy goal that is in the Comprehensive Plan, but it is not. They
are adding a canopy cover policy goal to the docket for the 2024 Comp Plan Update. Currently
Tree Board Meeting Minutes
February 2, 2023
Page 3 of 5
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3.1.a
they have "no net loss" as a goal but that is really hard to measure. There was discussion around
the best sequence to do updates.
Planning Manager Levitan gave some context to the reason they are doing the code amendments
and the Comp Plan updates in the order they are.
C. Street Tree Plan — Vice Chair Phipps raised this topic for discussion. Planning Manager Levitan
reviewed some background on the Street Tree Plan, the project status and that Director
McLaughlin is now the project manager for the Street Tree Plan.
Vice Chair Phipps recalled that (prior Tree Board Members) Gail and Barbara spent a lot of
time working on a list of appropriate street trees and submitted it to Deborah Dill a few years
ago. He will reach out to Deborah Dill to find out the status of that list. He also recommended
having Director McLaughlin join them at a Tree Board meeting for an update on the Street Tree
Plan. He would like to know more about budgeting for street trees and implementation of a
street tree plan. Mr. Levitan indicated he would check with Director McLaughlin about
discussing the vision, scope, and schedule once the project gets going.
Ms. Powers noted that there is a tree list aimed for the public that is linked from the Tree Board
web page which has some trees that are no longer appropriate. She recommended that the Tree
Board review that. Board Member Stavig indicated he would look at that.
NEW BUSINESS
Administrative (continued)
b. 2023 Tree Board Budget — Ms. Powers stated the Tree Board Budget was expected to be $2000
for 2023. Ms. Powers noted that Director McLaughlin was interested in getting a finalized work
plan with anticipated costs prior to approval of the budget.
C. House Bill 1078 Discussion — Vice Chair Phipps brought up the proposed tree banking bill
currently in the Washington State Legislature. There was some discussion among the Board
about challenges of tree banks in general. Ms. Powers explained that in theory the concept
already exists with the Tree Fund. She will forward more information to the Board on this.
d. Tree Removal/Vandalism — Chair Cass referred to an article in the paper in January about trees
that were cut down by Shell Creek behind Holy Rosary church. Ms. Powers thought this could
have been done as part of work to remove invasive species from naturalized areas. She
recommended getting more information before jumping to conclusions.
Councilmember Nand noted that according to Joe Scordino, whatever the intention was of the
person/people who did this, they did it in such a poor fashion that it caused a lot of damage by
making it more likely to have erosion and by crushing the saplings of native species that had
been planted there. She invited the Tree Board to make a comment or statement on this.
Tree Board Meeting Minutes
February 2, 2023
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3.1.a
Board Member Fagerstrom noted that from the pictures he saw it appeared to be out and out
vandalism because it was done so poorly and was not cleaned up whatsoever. Police were
contacted and are conducting an investigation.
TREE BOARD CHAIR, MEMBER COMMENTS
Councilmember Nand stated that she and Councilmember Chen are working on a resolution to create a kind of
sponsor spotlight with local media sources for city boards and commissions to do outreach about their activities,
open positions, volunteer engagement, etc.
Board Member Stavig asked for an excused absence for the June meeting since he will be gone.
Vice Chair Phipps thanked everyone for a good meeting tonight. He welcomed Board Member Fagerstrom and
Planning Manager Levitan. He thanked everyone involved with getting the Zoom portion up and running. He
appreciated being able to participate remotely.
Board Member Fagerstrom said he was glad to be on the Board and is looking forward to being in person next
month.
Ms. Powers distributed copies of the goals section from the Urban Forest Management Plan. Some of these
might translate to the work plan. She also provided revisions to the draft Tree Board Handbook.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 8:08 p.m.
Next meeting: March 2
Tree Board Meeting Minutes
February 2, 2023
Page 5 of 5
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5.1
Tree Board Agenda Item
Meeting Date: 03/2/2023
April 22 Earth Day planning discussion
Staff Lead: Deb Powers
Department: Planning Division
Prepared By: Deb Powers
Tree Board members will discuss April 22 Earth Day planning.
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5.2
Tree Board Agenda Item
Meeting Date: 03/2/2023
October 7 Arbor Day planning discussion
Staff Lead: Deb Powers
Department: Planning Division
Prepared By: Deb Powers
Narrative
Tree Board members will discus October 7 Arbor Day planning.
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5.3
Tree Board Agenda Item
Meeting Date: 03/2/2023
Annual Work Plan for Director's Approval
Staff Lead: Deb Powers
Department: Planning Division
Prepared By: Deb Powers
Background/History
City boards and commissions typically develop annual Work Plans to prioritize business matters based
on codified Powers and Duties, City management plans and policy goals. The Tree Board Work Plan
identifies the upcoming year's events and projects per ECDC 10.95.030 and the Edmonds Urban Forest
Management Plan.
The Tree Board's annual budget is established by the Director of Planning and Development. The
previous year's budget was $2,000 and the 2022 expenditures were approximately $700. The Director
requests that the 2023 Tree Board Work Plan include information on anticipated costs prior to
approving the 2023 budget.
Staff Recommendation
Finalize the 2023 Tree Board Work Plan, including anticipated costs for submittal to Director
McLaughlin.
Narrative
Staff provided a draft annual work plan at the February 2 meeting to facilitate the board's goal setting
and planning discussions (Attachment 2). The Chair requested a smaller Task Group complete and
reformat the document (not available) for board review and approval prior to submitting the final Work
Plan to Director McLaughlin.
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5.4
Tree Board Agenda Item
Meeting Date: 03/2/2023
Annual Presentation to City Council
Staff Lead: Deb Powers
Department: Planning Division
Prepared By: Deb Powers
Background/History
Under the Tree Board Powers and Duties per ECDC 10.95.030.B, the board shall provide an annual report
to the city council within the first quarter of each year. The board elected Chair Cass to present an
annual report to the Council and agreed to review the draft PowerPoint at the board meeting prior to
the scheduled March 7, 2023 City Council meeting.
Staff Recommendation
N/A
Narrative
Chair Cass will present the draft PowerPoint at the March 2, 2023 Tree Board meeting.
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6.1
Tree Board Agenda Item
Meeting Date: 03/2/2023
Consider updates to Homeowners Tree List
Staff Lead: N/A
Department: Planning Division
Prepared By: Deb Powers
Tree Board members will consider updates to the recommend Tree Choices for Homeowners list (link
attached) as part of their 2023 work plan.
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s.2
Tree Board Agenda Item
Meeting Date: 03/2/2023
Consider Heritage Tree program
Staff Lead: N/A
Department: Planning Division
Prepared By: Deb Powers
Tree Board members will discuss establishing a Heritage Tree program as part of their 2023 work plan.
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6.3
Tree Board Agenda Item
Meeting Date: 03/2/2023
Staff updates: critical area maps, tree code amendment/public engagement
Staff Lead: Deb Powers
Department: Planning Division
Prepared By: Deb Powers
City staff will provide updates on critical area maps and the tree code update, including upcoming
opportunities for public engagement.
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