Stow City Urban Forestry Commission to revise community tree management plan; annual approval deferred to next meeting

Commission members reviewed proposed updates to the Stow City Community Tree Management Plan at the June 9 meeting and agreed to revise pruning schedules and administrative implementation language before a formal vote.

Members said the plan has not been formally approved for two years and that the proposed edits remove a three-year pruning cycle that has not been completed, leaving a five-year pruning schedule instead. “We cut out a lot of the, like, three-year pruning things because it’s not getting done,” one commissioner said, adding that “let’s just cut out the three-year thing. So let’s leave it at five.”

The draft also removes repeated individual names (for example, Sue and Jill) and replaces them with titles to avoid frequent updates when personnel change. Commissioners discussed adding at least two or three people with access to the TreeKeeper tree-management software to maintain the master street-tree planting list and other records. “I think Mike is on there, but there needs to be at least two or three people on there that can manage that and have access,” one member said.

Members asked for copies of the revised plan and agreed to circulate edits by email. A commissioner said they would consolidate the changes and present a final document for approval at the next meeting; the group did not adopt the plan at the June 9 meeting.

Less critical details: commissioners questioned whether a master street-tree planting list is maintained in TreeKeeper or in the city’s tree ordinance; staff were asked to confirm the list’s source and location. The commission set a timetable to review the edited draft and seek formal approval at the following meeting.

Ending: The commission’s next meeting is July 14 at 3:30 p.m., when members expect to vote on the revised Community Management Plan.