Narberth Shade Tree Commission members on a September meeting reviewed the group’s fall tree order with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) and found mismatches between species residents requested and the two‑per‑species allocation the commission placed with PHS.

The commission’s PHS invoice covers 20 trees at $2,970. Commissioners said several species now show more resident requests than the PHS allocation — notably redbud, dogwood and sweetbay magnolia — while chokecherry, black gum and linden currently have no customer requests recorded against the commission’s PHS allotment. Commissioners asked staff to ask PHS whether additional units of in‑demand species are available and to revise the public order form to reflect current availability.

Why it matters: The commission orders discounted trees through PHS but must reconcile what residents request with PHS limits and with the commission’s budget and with Tree Authority as a backup source. If PHS cannot supply extra units of certain species, the commission said it will either (a) ask residents to accept substitute species, (b) buy additional trees from Tree Authority at different price/size points, or (c limit per‑house orders to spread supply.

Key facts and next steps
- The commission’s PHS invoice for the confirmed fall order is $2,970 for 20 trees. Commissioners voted separately to approve that expense (see separate article).
- Commissioners reported that more residents ordered redbuds, dogwoods and sweetbay magnolias than the two‑per‑species the commission had reserved from PHS. Several species (chokecherry, black gum, linden) had zero resident orders against the commission’s allotment; yellowwood and hackberry each had one order.
- Direction given: Commissioner Carson Clark will contact Mia Fox at PHS to ask whether additional stock of specific species remains available. Commissioners Christina Baylor and Carson Clark agreed to revise the public order form and the borough blast messaging to show only species still available or to explain substitution options.
- Household/ownership checks: Commissioners will contact residents whose entries raise ownership or capacity questions before a tree is purchased or planted (examples discussed: requests submitted by renters; a renter, Rebecca Garden, had requested six trees and the commission asked staff to confirm owner permission; another block request from Linnea Sanderson required address detail and a completed order form). Commissioners said they will limit how many trees are allocated at once for a single address if needed to ensure proper watering and care; a suggested informal cap discussed was five trees at once.

Discussion vs. direction vs. decision
- Discussion: Commissioners reviewed species tallies, PHS ordering limits, and a mix of resident requests, including multiple large requests from renters or single households.
- Direction/assignment: Staff/volunteers were assigned to contact PHS (Mia Fox) to request any available additional stock, to revise the public order form, and to contact named residents (Linnea Sanderson, Rebecca Garden) to confirm addresses and owner permission.
- Formal action: The commission approved payment of the existing PHS invoice ($2,970) in a separate motion (see budget article). No formal vote was taken tonight to change per‑house limits; members agreed to use outreach and case‑by‑case checks.

Clarifying details reported in the meeting
- PHS order invoice total for 20 trees: $2,970 (commission record).
- Initial count of resident requests at one point during the discussion: 28 entries; after removing one out‑of‑borough order the commissioners cited roughly 24–25 resident requests tied to the borough; totals were adjusted several times as staff reviewed the spreadsheet.
- Species with no current resident assignments against the commission’s PHS allotment: chokecherry, black gum, linden.
- Species with single assignments: yellowwood (1), hackberry (1).

What the commission will do next: Carson Clark will email Mia Fox at PHS to ask about inventory; Christina Baylor and Carson Clark will work to revise the order form and the borough blast; commissioners will contact residents whose submissions lacked owner authorization or complete information to confirm orders before additional purchases are made.

Ending: Commissioners stressed that any additional purchases beyond the PHS order depend on (a) PHS availability and (b) the commission’s remaining budget or, if necessary, purchases from Tree Authority at higher unit cost.