EAC proposes up to 250 trees for America 250; board asks to scale to smaller, maintainable pilot

The Environmental Advisory Council presented a proposal to mark the nation's 250th anniversary by planting trees across township open spaces. The EAC outlined three options: a 100-tree bare-root package, a 250-tree bare-root package, or a mixed option of about 50 potted trees and 200 bare-root saplings, paired with a public tree-care session led by a volunteer certified arborist.

EAC members said the plan could include an educational component in which attendees receive a tree to take home and that the remainder of trees would be installed on township open space. Michael Shriner of Shriner Tree Care was noted in the presentation as committing to provide a tree-care session at no fee.

Board members and public-works staff raised practical concerns: bare-root saplings require intensive watering, deer protection cages, re-staking and multi-year maintenance; close spacing (the EAC cited a 30-inch spacing from the vendor) would complicate mowing and long-term maintenance. Staff and supervisors suggested the township prefer potted trees in locations that allow mowing access or an adopt-a-tree volunteer program to guarantee long-term care.

Financing questions also surfaced: the EAC referenced external funding options but said grant commitments were not secured; the board noted the EAC had a modest America 250 activity allocation (discussed as $1,000) and that the township collects tree-in-lieu fees that are available for public-tree plantings. Several supervisors recommended the EAC scale back to a smaller pilot (about 50 potted trees), coordinate logistics with public works and volunteers, and return with a site-specific plan; the board asked the EAC to take the proposal offline for detailed planning before committing to large orders, especially given a shipping season starting March 16.