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Evansville Tree Advisory Board approves tree removals and multiple public plantings, debates canopy priorities and volunteer logistics
Summary
The Evansville City Tree Advisory Board on Oct. 3 approved removal of hazardous trees and a package of public plantings funded in part by the Solid Waste District, heard from new deputy parks director Paul Balsman, and spent substantial time planning volunteer logistics for a large Nov. 9 planting event.
The Evansville City Tree Advisory Board voted Oct. 3 to approve a set of tree removals and a coordinated package of public plantings at parks and community sites, and members debated where future plantings should be concentrated.
The board approved the September minutes, carried a motion to remove several hazardous trees after staff presented photographs, and approved public plantings at Teepee Park, Goosetown Park and Hillcrest Youth Services. Sean, the board’s urban-forestry staff member, described multiple funding streams for the package, including a Westman Woods grant, Solid Waste District support and an IU cohort program; he cited roughly 170 Guggenheim trees, about 69 burlap trees and an IU allocation of about 100 core trees among the efforts.
“That gives you the Solid Waste District plantings,” Sean said when describing how the various donations and grants stack together. The board moved and seconded approval of the planting package and carried the measure by voice vote.
Why it matters: board members emphasized that the city’s canopy initiative is intended to rebuild shade where it has been lost, especially over streets and parking areas in neighborhoods with less tree cover. Several members pressed staff to prioritize plantings in canopy-deprived residential corridors rather than focusing primarily on parks.
“We need to start doing the harder work of recreating canopy over streets and parking lots, instead of doing the easy work,” said a board member during the planting discussion, urging the board to target hotter, low-canopy neighborhoods.
Staff and new parks leadership Paul Balsman, introduced at the meeting as “Paul Balsman, deputy director, Evansville Parks and Recreation,” thanked the board for its stewardship of the city’s trees and described his prior work at Mesker Park Zoo. “I mainly wanted to come to this meeting today to thank you for the work that you do, to work on the canopy and the trees in Evansville,” Balsman said, and pledged to coordinate parks maintenance with urban-forestry efforts.
Board members also discussed a vacant seat on the tree board meant for a parks-board representative. Paul and others noted the existing ordinance requires the appointee be a parks-board member and that filling the vacancy with someone who is not a parks-board appointee would require an ordinance change by City Council.
Volunteer events and logistics The board spent considerable time on plans for volunteer-driven planting events. Sean outlined a Fall Tree Planting Celebration scheduled for Nov. 9 that would place hundreds of trees at multiple sites (including state hospital grounds, Hillcrest Youth Services, Gable sites, Goosetown and Teepee Park) with financial help from the Solid Waste District. He also announced a Twilight Tour fundraiser on Oct. 19 and a Tree Pruners Licensing Seminar on Nov. 7.
Several members warned the board to avoid poor volunteer management that can leave people idle and discouraged. “There’s nothing worse than wasting volunteer sign. You lose their interest,” a board member said, urging pre-assigned group leaders, pre-dug holes and a one-page logistics sheet so each site runs efficiently. The board named several group leaders in discussion, and staff said sites would have augers and pre-dug holes to speed planting.
Other business The board acknowledged a volunteer effort by DJ’s Tree Service to remove nearly a dozen dead trees (including stump removal) at Howell Park, thanking the company for the work. Staff also reported INDOT had agreed to provide nine replacement trees connected with removals on U.S. 41 South and that some Walnut Street replacements would move to November.
Next steps Larson, who prepared planting maps, was not able to join via Webex and will present maps and species placements at the November meeting. The board adjourned after a motion by Mike Schottmeyer and a second from Jean Carlson.
Meeting materials and claims provenance: the planting counts, funding sources and site lists were presented by Sean; Paul Balsman made the introductory remarks; motions and voice votes are on the record in the meeting minutes.
