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Fairhaven Shade Tree Commission plans 250th‑anniversary tree commemoration and approves March training
Summary
The commission discussed identifying and commemorating historic trees for Fairhaven’s 250th anniversary and approved an educational training session for DPW and volunteers in March, with a modest budget for the speaker and lunch approved by voice vote.
Commissioners spent a large portion of the Jan. 7 meeting brainstorming how to mark Fairhaven’s 250th anniversary with a program that highlights the borough’s oldest trees and engages residents and school groups.
The vice chair summarized the idea: mark trees with ribbons and a QR code linking to a story or a web page about the tree’s age and history. Commissioners discussed whether to aim for a small, walkable set of trees (8–12) or a larger list; one practical option was to identify 13 trees to echo the 13 original states. The commission asked Sherry or an arborist to help certify candidate tree ages and return a vetted list at the next meeting.
“Maybe we tie this into Arbor Day and get the ribbons up by then,” one commissioner said as members discussed logistics, signage and the risk of harming trees with fastenings.
The commission also approved a proposal to host a one‑hour tree‑care training by Bill Brash for DPW staff and community volunteers in early March during the lunch hour, with a modest speaker fee and lunch expense. The motion to allocate funds for the training passed by voice vote.
Separately, staff reported on the tree‑ordinance review and said permit notes will be expanded to record why a tree was removed (infectious disease, insect infestation, dead/dying, obstructing sight lines, structural risk or similar). That data will help the commission decide whether, and under what conditions, replacements or one‑for‑one requirements should be recommended to council.
The commission closed by assigning tasks to staff: ask Sherry to identify candidate 200–250‑year trees by Jan. 31 and return cost estimates for ribbons/signage; finalize the March training date and speaker arrangements for presentation to council if needed.
