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, April 15, 2025

3:45 PM

Hybrid Meeting: Attend in person at the Lyman

Anderson building 5201 Fen Oak Dr; Meeting

Room Driftless (121); attend virtually via Zoom

A. Call To Order

The meeting was called to order at 3:45pm

8 -

Present

Excused

Supervisor MICHELE RITT, JAY WEISS, MATT NOONE, CORY RICH, CATHY

BRODBECK, TIERNEY BOCSI, TEDWARD ERKER, and KATE KENDZIORA

1 - LAURA WYATT

Others present: Adam Alves, Brian Wahl, Lisa Johnson

B. Consideration of Minutes

MINUTES OF THE MARCH 18, 2025, TREE BOARD MEETING

2024

MIN-616

Attachments: 2024 MIN-616

A MOTION to accept minutes was made by WEISS, seconded by RICH. MOTION

passed (8-0).

C. Tree Board Operating Agreement

1. Have a common understanding of Acronyms. CARPC, Capital Area Regional Planning

Commission, assists regional governments with planning efforts and assists DNR with

water quality management. OFS, Operation Fresh Start, assisting youth with social

barriers obtain work experience and education. TCC, Tree Canopy Collaborative, a

diverse group of professionals whose goal is to increase tree Canopy. WAA, Wisconsin

Arborists Association. DCTB, Dane County Tree Board.

2. This will be an evolving agreement between board members that can help our team

create an environment in how we communicate and operate.

• Action-oriented agenda items: “decide, brainstorm, weigh in on” –

• Shift from reporting and information-sharing to engaging

• Be deliberately engaged

• All members of the board feel valued and respected

• Permission to be unpolished

• Communicate the ask

• Hear from everyone

• Make new members feel welcome

• Follow up on request/tasks (accountable)

• Start on time/end on time

• Review TB Minutes prior to TB Meetings

D. Project and General Updates

1 – Remarkable Tree of Dane County: Some members have nominated trees, others

visited the site but did not nominate.

2 – 2024 DCTB Report to DC Board Supervisors: 2024 Report was submitted by NOONE

last week as per RITT’s instruction for getting it to the County Board Supervisors.

3 – Farmers Market Tree Sale Opportunity: RITT will check with corporate counsel to see

if it is allowed for the TB selling heritage tree seedlings at farmers markets or if a

third-party donation to purchase trees from the Board and accept donations from the

community for the trees or other scenario is allowed so the Board could use the revenue

for Tree Board-related activities and items.

4 – Tree Nursery Signs: Tree Nursery Signs will say ‘Donated by the DCTB Cared for by

you Built by OFS From little things big things grow’. The DCP shop will plasma cut on the

verbiage on metal signs in-house and make sure corners are rounded for safety. Johnson

will send the logo to Alves and Noone or Johnson will also send the verbiage.

5 – Tree Board Member Recruitment: KENDZIORA, BRODBECK, and RICH met re:

outreach for recruitment and created a hard copy draft flyer for DCTB that was reviewed

at the meeting. Discussion ensued. KENDZIORA will send the electronic file to the

members. Generated an official email to market the DCTB for members to send out.

OFS and MG&E will also market these items.

6 – DC Tree Preservation Resolution: RITT says the resolution is written and goes before

the EANR committee, likely to be on the May agenda. RITT will notify Alves so he can

attend the meeting via Zoom; Laura Hicklin of LWRD will already be there and the two of

them can answer questions. If approved by EANR, then it goes to the full Board for

approval.

RITT left at 4:15pm

7 – Tree Nursery Projects: Crib delivery to Cambridge school 4/16. Second crib may go

to a school in Verona. Third crib is TBD.

7 -

Present

JAY WEISS, MATT NOONE, CORY RICH, CATHY BRODBECK, TIERNEY BOCSI,

TEDWARD ERKER, and KATE KENDZIORA

2 - Supervisor MICHELE RITT, and LAURA WYATT

Excused

E. Discussion Items

1 – Arbor Day Events (everyone)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ehEov3ecx_66Et4gcjuFL4lWAGzsMgRXLnh8BICl

NA0/edit?usp=drive_link

• Earth Day Extravaganza (Lussier Center -April 22) under shelter, NOONE, Johnson,

Alves 2-6 pm will have heritage oaks, bags, display and kids’ items

• Dane County Arbor Day (Indian Lake -April 24 & 25?) 25th is canceled. Educational

stations, County Exec, Johnson will do a nature walk. Johnson and Alves will do a

pre-visit to the site.

• Bilingual Environmental Conservation Fair, El Dia de la Tierra (Elver Park - April 26)

NOONE will attend and have a display, Extension (Sharon Lezberg) will also attend and

have tree-related display and educational items.

• Bird and Nature Fest (Northside - April 27)

• Midwest Climate Collaborative (UW Memorial Union - May 2 - April 30)

• Party for the Planet (H. Vilas Zoo - May 3) BRODBECK, Alves, RICH, NOONE, BOCSI

will attend and have display items, activities, and educational materials.

• Severson Center Tree Crib Installation (Village of Cambridge - April 28)

• Verona High School Tree Planting and Tree Crib Installation (Mt. Horeb - May?)

F. Action Items

1. Tree Board Purchases

Not discussed

2. DCTB Tree Sale

Not discussed

G. Future Meeting Items and Dates

1. May 20, 2025 @3:45 pm, Location to be determined

H. Public Comment on Items not on the Agenda

None

I. Such Other Business as Allowed by Law

None

J. Adjourn

A MOTION was made by WEISS, seconded by BRODBECK. The MOTION passed

(7-0). The meeting adjourned at 4:49pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Lisa Johnson, pending board approval.