2022-09-27 Town Forest Committee Minutes

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Town of Reading Meeting Minutes RECEIVED TOWN CLERK READING, MA. ITL_ 2022 DEC —I AM 8: 13 Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Town Forest Committee Date: 2022-09-27 Time: 7 PM Building: Location: Address: Purpose: Town Forest Management Session: Attendees: Members - Present: Tim Kirwan, Jeff Lamson, Susan Bowe, Tom Gardiner, BIII Sullivan Members - Not Present: Nancy Dockter, Bill Hughes, Kurt Habel Others Present: Jane Kinsale, DPW; Martha Moore, Conservation; Steven Cool Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Bill Sullivan Topics of Discussion: Meeting was held by video conference due to the COVID pandemic. • Discussed Phase 3 of the dead tree removal. TFC will seek approval from Reading Conservation Commission of the Forest Cutting Plan (FCP) at the 9/28/22 ConCom meeting. DCR approved the FCP. An application for a grant was submitted to DCR as was done last year. • Discussed native plants for Area 3. Jeff and Susan replaced the soil in the native plant pots that were intended for Area 3 as they may have been exposed to Asian jumping worms. Jeff made a motion to reverse the discission made at the July meeting to not plant these plants in Area 3 until 2023. His motion was to plant these plants in Area 3 this fall after a solution of water and mustard seed is poured into the pots (method to bring adult jumping worms to the top) and dumping the soil out and conducting a visual inspection of the soil for adult worms. If no worms are found, they will be planted in Area 3. Susan seconded the motion. The committee voted three in favor and two opposed to planting these plants in the fall of 2022. • Discussed signs posted by the Town restricting access of dogs to water in the TF due to suspected poor water quality due to the on-going drought. No testing has been done to confirm the presence of cyanobacteria. • S. Cool requested the installation of a water station at the Strout Ave field. DPW plans to install one this fall or next spring. • Discussed when TFC meetings should be held in-person. Decision was to keep the meetings virtual for the near future, particularly with winter coming. May hold hybrid meetings (virtual and in-person) in the future. • Voted to approve the minutes from the 7/12/22 meeting. • Next Meeting: scheduled for 10/18/22 at 7:00 pm Page I 1