Dane County  
Minutes - Final Unless Amended by  
Committee  
Tree Board  
Consider:  
Who benefits? Who is burdened?  
Who does not have a voice at the table?  
How can policymakers mitigate unintended consequences?  
Tuesday, November 21, 2023  
3:45 PM  
Hybrid Meeting: Attend in person at the Lyman  
Anderson building 5201 Fen Oak Dr; Meeting Room  
Drumlin: attend virtually via Zoom  
A Call To Order  
5 - Supervisor MICHELE RITT, JAY WEISS, MATT NOONE, CORY RICH, and  
CATHY BRODBECK  
Present  
2 - LAURA WYATT, and CRAIG KLINKE  
Absent  
Also present Brian Wahl, Adam Alves  
B. Consideration of Minutes  
2023  
10.23.2023 MINUTES TREEBOARD POLICY  
MIN-400  
Attachments:  
2023 MIN-400  
A motion was made by WEISS, seconded by BRODBECK, that the Minutes be  
approved. The motion carried by a voice vote 5-0.  
C. Tree Board Operating Agreement  
discussion about the need for board members to read previous meeting’s minutes prior  
to meeting. Matt will forward previous meeting’s minutes at an earlier time so they can  
be distributed prior to agenda for next meeting.  
D.  
Project Updates  
Matt shared updates on Schank and Frank Allis Tree Planting and progress made at  
drafting letter for Shorewood Hills swamp white oak. Brodbeck contributed several edits  
to Shorewood Hills letter and she and Matt agreed to elevate the letter with additional  
formatting. The letter will be mailed to the appropriate contacts at the Village of  
Shorewood Hills and the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District.  
E. Action Items  
1) Goals: General discussion to better share Tree Board mission with other County  
groups (Parks Commission, Public Works, etc.). Also discussed need to draft a Tree  
Protection resolution for delivery in 2024. TB members agreed to review discussed  
goals and send additional goals comments etc. to Matt prior to next TB meeting. Adam  
shared the following ideas to help tie objectives to stated goals:  
1. Goal: increase/promote equitable tree canopy Objective: support IRA grant  
objectives for tree planting.  
2. Goal: support tree preservation. Objective: Develop tree preservation resolution for  
county properties, that can be used as a model for other communities  
3. Goal: Support forestry careers and opportunities. ObjectiveꢀCollaborate with  
community organizations to support forestry careers. Support county relationships with  
vocational training programs. Add an advisory Tree Board position for student member.  
4. Goal: Advocate and support Dane County Forestry. Objective: Advocate for  
funding levels that meet Tree City USA requirements, $2 per person in the county  
5. Goal: Increase education knowledge about trees. Objective: Update website, keep  
it updated. Objective: Coordinate with communities and TCC on educational materials  
for children and adults. Objective: Develop a tree related educational network to explore  
opportunities, and leverage support for tree related education  
Adam agrees to update goals and share during December Tree Board meeting.  
2) Significant Community Tree Program: Tedward Erker not able to attend meeting, no  
update  
3) Budget Report and Spending Requirements: Discussion of how to spend the  
remaining $1300-1500 tree board funds. Weiss motions to use $300 to purchase  
heritage tree seedlings from the DNR nursery in Boscobel, and remainder to purchase  
tree planting and building materials for additional planting tree bed construction to be  
used at schools with underserved populations. Brodbeck seconds, motion carries  
unanimously.  
4) Arbor Day Discussion: Discussion about Tree Board involvement in Arbor Day  
celebrations given that other county entities already have this space covered. Brodbeck  
motions to put Tree Board’s Arbor Day application program on hold, and to remove  
mention of application from Tree Board website. Rich seconds motion, which carries  
unanimously.  
F. Future Meeting Items and Dates  
December 19, 3:45-4:45pm  
G. Public Comment on Items not on the Agenda  
H. Such Other Business as Allowed by Law  
I. Adjourn  
A motion was made by BRODBECK, seconded by WEISS, that the Meeting be  
adjourned. The motion carried unanimously 5-0.  
Minutes respectfully submitted by Matt Noone, pending board approval.