HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-10-01 Town Forest Committee Minutes rzwAj Town of Reading
Meeting Minutes b
Board - committee - Commission - Council:
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Town Forest Committee
Date: 2019-10-01 Time: 7 PM
Building: Location: Berger Room
Address:
Purpose: Town Forest Management Session:
Attendees: Members - Present:
Farrukh Najmi, William Sullivan, Kurt Habel, Rick Wetzler, Thomas Gardiner,
Nancy Docktor
Members - Not Present: -
Dan Ford, Michael Bourque
Others Present:
]ane Kinsella
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Farrukh Najmi
Topics of Discussion:
• Presentation by Philips Academic student on Forest Health
o Presenter was unable to make it today
• Review of the Sherborn Town Forest Conference
• Kurt, Nancy and Bill attended and reported on meeting
• Very informative conference. Sherborn facing similar problems as our Town
Forest
• All about technical aspects of managing their our Town Forest
They had volunteers doing with cutting, splitting and making board for sale to
community
• Rapture Owl session was fabulous. They were invited to attend our upcoming
Town Forest Conference 2020 but are unable to come due to prior commitments
• Nancy: Reached out to Tim Riccardi from NH who does similar session
• Discussion with Mike Rogers trip 702 on Eagle Scout project proposals
1. Proposal 1: Do time limited Eagle project to clear Buckthorn. Targeting
council ring and South of it. Team age 11-18, adult volunteers welcomed
2. Proposal 2: Install trail head signs
3. TFC strongly supported the Buckthorn removal proposal and felt that the Trail
Head signs proposal was not needed at this time as there is a sentiment to
not put more "stuff" in the forest
4. Bill: Position it as part of larger pilot thinning project
5. Kurt: Suggestion to add introduction of nature species to replace Buckthorn
as part of project
6. Tom: UMass Amherst nursery may be a good source of native plants (e.g.
pawpaw)
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• Review of next steps for pilot thinning project. Rough order is as follows:
1. Approval from Conservation Commission
2. Bid doc preparation
3. Public hearing
4. Tagging of trees to be cut (Forrester Phil Benjamin). Phil already has paint for
tagging that Reading purchased three years ago
5. Open the bid
6. Town chooses bidder
7. Cutting begins. Target: Dec 2019
• Reviewed and discussed draft bid doc and edits that it needs
• Review and approval of previous meeting minutes
c Minutes from September 3, 2019 approved with minor edits unanimously
• Next Meeting: Will be at the public hearing. Date to be announced
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