[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",5988340,"mediaKeyId","5766311-6d7064696f53a27435fbe0fe33761d26","parentId",5766311,"title","Commission to review approved tree list; plans Arbor Day planting and tree-inventory work","audioSeconds",147,"startMs",500000,"endMs",647000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5766311-6d7064696f53a27435fbe0fe33761d26&start=500&end=647","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5766311-6d7064696f53a27435fbe0fe33761d26/thumbnail_500000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5988340/Ohio/Commission-to-review-approved-tree-list-plans-Arbor-Day-planting-and-tree-inventory-work","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5988340-f32686d323b9401ad316375a305478c2/orig.mp4?Expires=1775113032&Signature=F6pn0INAkfEmV9QsdXYEoj1hL97cLisHIFS7wrJh9PfuR8YUZz9au5mLIPcuEGmY5HtUbdgs-P8HtQkRA4P6LZW2~ACZspWelxGe5wJ-KwCneBBe7WfcyuTWuW6-QxR0G4tQXbfXv5DADfXYm8tvIlZ6itqKq4D8JQjM5N42-eEjPRg2ZJpVs1HZQITWznYE~NStcIOOBxeUaMUR4Im5LraK2o~179MkqRdkNo9cduYW28QmWbtxVTMleY02jUcDXwu6C7fTf6hbQ1RIE8Ai9g5D7zmHouio5S7HdTOwx-RP3-hUjtAXNH6FzEG-TCbeZTXkmlZi2WfWBbrY2DON1w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Athens Ohio","date","2025-09-12T00:00:00Z","article","The Athens Shade Tree Commission said it will revisit the city’s approved tree list to remove or reconsider nonnative species and to add species better suited for changing climate conditions while continuing outreach and volunteer inventory work.

At the meeting a commissioner said the existing approved tree list is \"pretty old,\" contains nonnative ornamentals and omits some native species. The commissioner said the list governs what trees may be planted in city rights-of-way and that the commission’s role is to advise on siting and species selection \"so the city then has to maintain them.\" Another commissioner noted that some recommended plants being used in a community rain-garden project are not native and asked whether the list should be edited.

Commissioners discussed forming a subcommittee or otherwise taking steps to update the list; one commissioner said it had been a stated goal to rework the list within the next year and mentioned a commissioner named Jean as a possible leader for the work. The commission did not take a formal vote; members described this as an item for future work.

Commissioners also reported progress on volunteer-driven projects that support inventory and public education. A spring BioBlitz generated iNaturalist observations that a student volunteer, Eva Miller, is compiling into a GIS-supported street-tree inventory as part of coursework. The commission said that inventory work would help fill gaps if the ODNR grant does not come through.

The commission confirmed plans for an Arbor Day tree planting along the Stimson bike path near the new gym. Commissioners said the parks department has coordinated hand tools and prep work, the tree list has been updated for the event, and an order of trees has been submitted to Menards. Commissioners said the city Facebook account or the city's volunteer platform (GivePulse) will likely be used to promote the event and handle volunteer waivers and media-release forms — Amy Brink previously provided volunteer waiver forms for past events.

Separately, one commissioner described recent community rain-garden meetings featuring Teresa Caldwell of the Soil and Water Conservation District and said the district provided recommended plant lists. Commissioners encouraged community plantings while advising residents that plantings within 10 feet of the street could be in the public right-of-way and are appropriate to run by the commission to ensure correct siting and species selection.

Commissioners emphasized outreach and education: they said they want to be a resource rather than an obstacle for residents who want to plant trees and that they have certified arborists on the commission to advise on species selection and siting.

Next steps discussed included assembling volunteer waiver and media-release forms for the Arbor Day event, contacting Teresa Caldwell about further rain-garden education, and forming a working group to update the approved-tree list. No formal deadlines or budgets for the list update were specified at the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Athens Shade Tree Commission - September 11, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Commissioners discussed updating the city's approved tree list to remove less-suited nonnative species, coordinating an Arbor Day planting along the Stimson bike path, and continuing volunteer-led iNaturalist/BioBlitz work to build a street-tree inventory.","taxTitle","Athens City Council, Athens , Athens County, Ohio","taxId",70977,"location","Ohio","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5988345,"City to remove dead pines on Lincoln Street, commission says",72,321000,393000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5766311-6d7064696f53a27435fbe0fe33761d26&start=321&end=393","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5766311-6d7064696f53a27435fbe0fe33761d26/thumbnail_321000.jpg","/articles/5988345/Ohio/City-to-remove-dead-pines-on-Lincoln-Street-commission-says","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5988345-9cacd27242962dfb8dbb10b1b194bb13/orig.mp4?Expires=1775113032&Signature=EIIqsWCCTPKkQBiTQOprenKQF3QiWVd2YQ1hzl9lPWaNRXvoyJ65yjHeXxPW~87lJl6J3yjT8rxRUDligaymxevOwFn~RkYnNbS4pEk9GEyBASbK8PJyOphrSaddXRB2vUso7Q2UCIVvGH7yfjuxFI8sO-ncsWNigJjBxpbAnaztfKUlZO9f6eXfL-GNoD4G1Qnr49MwkovqJN08fkf3AtVtXuUH4OtigI08CGCK7gdXH5r0KkjpPEcsOyfdTacE7u3fBYmIC2B-SmeCgbCphP1BIwpqkeYldad3vyGLLnYgZagbTflZ~UA8c9v08jpHV2UzJHksiV9NJdqHTgvFUw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City crews are scheduled to remove dead pine trees along Lincoln Street after a resident alerted the Athens Shade Tree Commission to multiple declining trees, commissioners said.

Commissioners reported that one pine on the corner of an unmarked alley had already been removed by the city several months earlier and that at least two other pines were identified as dead in follow-up inspections. \"I certainly know that 1 of them was dead,\" a commission member said; the resident who reported the trees copied a city staff member, Kurt Veil, who, the commissioner said, \"jumped right on it and said we will take care of it.\"

Commissioners said the removals were planned for either this week or next week. The commission did not take a formal vote; the work was described as a city staff operational action following resident reports and the commission’s inspection.

The commission presented the update as routine maintenance and a response to public concern. No safety incidents or property impacts were reported at the meeting; commissioners said the city would \"do the best they can to see what needs to be taken out there.\" The commission did not disclose how many trees in total would be removed or the cost, and no formal permit or contract action was discussed.

The Lincoln Street item was the primary substantive land-maintenance report on a generally short agenda for the evening; commissioners otherwise focused on grant and outreach items.","The commission reported that city staff plan to remove multiple dead pines along Lincoln Street after a resident raised concerns; one tree had already been removed previously and another was identified as dead by the commission.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":44,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5988350,"Shade Tree commissioners say ODNR grant application may be disqualified for missing council resolution",78,422000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5766311-6d7064696f53a27435fbe0fe33761d26&start=422&end=500","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5766311-6d7064696f53a27435fbe0fe33761d26/thumbnail_422000.jpg","/articles/5988350/Ohio/Shade-Tree-commissioners-say-ODNR-grant-application-may-be-disqualified-for-missing-council-resolution","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5988350-998efce23f779eaa0f3355ad3aaa481f/orig.mp4?Expires=1775113032&Signature=OfU4To~haIpQwkERd4PJj5~QivRASVciD5Ep230EF-XDcXBQDJ4V2YppibN0-vLQEyfKG2LPnK--hL3ovBY83Fxeyla5S2Mdru1o3IkQ7SG1YHri1NVHyRzH93xZB6oHIYr4zxkhgyaxJKtXd9GDnWAIAupzxtf0DCYlmy9l4SlvTfGUnNARRqtoi5UYagCh5hB1djYybYXYvKbcqqVOGW1CNnLUqZu6hqHM7~o6pV7dxv~FkJ~3vuVudn-zCz-Tf1lp3ZK51hsfBgO4tdgepsLFX7MpnYrGXcj5bDjmcBGSpt4jGDdyAlX6R2904v2rmswoh5NYjG7R6frlDSkQTQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Commissioners with the Athens Shade Tree Commission said an ODNR grant application the commission submitted a few weeks ago may be disqualified because it lacked a formal city council resolution. \"We may be getting thrown out of consideration kinda right off the bat,\" one commissioner said during the commission's September meeting.

The commission submitted the grant application to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and included a letter of support from the city council but not a voted council resolution, the commissioner said. That omission, a commission member reported, triggered a question from a reviewer identified to the commission as Anne Bonner and raised a \"red flag\" about eligibility.

The commission has not received formal notice that the application has been rejected, the commissioner said. If ODNR removes the application from consideration, commissioners said they would seek to correct the deficiency by asking the city council to adopt a resolution and then resubmit or otherwise attempt to remedy the paperwork quickly.

Commissioners framed the matter as procedural: the application could remain viable if the city council converts its letter of support into a formal resolution and transmits it to ODNR within any corrective window the agency provides. No formal motion or vote on the grant was taken at the commission meeting; commissioners described the report as an update and a pending administrative issue.

Why it matters: ODNR grants can fund planting, inventory and public-education work the commission planned to support; losing eligibility could force the commission to scale back or seek alternative funding streams. Commission members said they were watching for an official determination from the applicant reviewer and would coordinate with the city to pursue a resolution if needed.

The commission did not provide an application number, grant amount, or a specific ODNR contact beyond the name referenced; those details were not specified during the meeting.

The commission discussed other volunteer-led efforts that could partially fill gaps if the grant is ineligible, including a spring BioBlitz and a student volunteer’s work to compile inventory data from iNaturalist into a street-tree database.","Commissioners said an Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) grant application the commission submitted could be removed from consideration because the submission included a city council letter of support but not a formal council resolution; the commission said it will seek to remedy the defect if notified.","actionData","errors"]

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Commission to review approved tree list; plans Arbor Day planting and tree-inventory work

City to remove dead pines on Lincoln Street, commission says

Shade Tree commissioners say ODNR grant application may be disqualified for missing council resolution