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Charles Town Tree Board approves minutes and discusses canopy mapping, volunteers and heritage-tree protections
Summary
At its Nov. 6 meeting, the Charles Town Tree Board approved minutes, discussed securing an ArcGIS account and a NatureWorks partnership for a canopy inventory, reviewed volunteer recruitment and pollinator-garden plans, and noted a $1,000 American Chestnut Foundation grant for chestnut saplings.
Chair Aaron Amore called the Charles Town Tree Board to order on Nov. 6 and confirmed a quorum, saying, "We have a quorum, and 3 of our 5 members are here." The board approved the Oct. 2 minutes by voice vote.
Amore told members the board is pursuing a dedicated ArcGIS user license so the tree board can manage its own canopy data rather than rely on staff logins. He said Scott had contacted county GIS with little success and that he would arrange a meeting with a NatureWorks GIS coordinator to explore external assistance in mapping and importing tree data. "They're gonna investigate, getting us a user license for the tree board for the ArcGIS system," he said. The board discussed marking nonnative trees and pairing planting-area identification with the GIS work so volunteers can locate and manage invasive species.
On volunteers and outreach, members discussed options to recruit and retain help for regular spring and fall cleanups, including printed posters, coordination with the city's weed‑and‑waste efforts, garden‑club partnerships and short social‑media vignettes highlighting local residents' native landscaping projects. Amore proposed a universal city volunteer spreadsheet with tabs for parks and the tree board to allow cross‑departmental coordination.
The board reviewed a pollinator‑garden effort that lost outside volunteer support and discussed a maintenance plan for trimming and invasive removal at sites such as Willingham and Evitts Run Park. To speed Phase 2 clearing, Amore said he would discuss renting a flail‑mower attachment for a skid‑steer with city staff and asked a volunteer to verify that mowing plans would not remove native species.
Amore reported funding for chestnut saplings: "So 1000 dollar check came in from the American Chestnut Foundation," and he said he gave the check to Lori to set aside for tubes, cages, fencing and educational materials associated with planting at Happy Retreat. The board has repotted 216 trees received from FirstEnergy and will defer nursery and Arbor Day Foundation software tasks until spring.
Amore said Brent intends to present the town's "B City USA" item to city council; the board noted a council resolution is required before the application proceeds. Members also raised safety and growth concerns about tree grates in the right of way and discussed alternatives such as small fences and plantings to reduce soil compaction.
The board spoke about a heritage‑tree designation already in the codified ordinance and the limits of protections that do not run with the land; Amore said designation can help prevent removals tied to sidewalk or utility projects, but ownership changes present enforcement challenges.
Before adjourning, the board confirmed volunteers for a table at the Earth Grounds festival on Nov. 8 and agreed to continue outreach and ordinance coordination work. The meeting adjourned by voice vote; city representative Corey was thanked for running the Zoom session.
