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

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.