Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Judy Melanson, Lease Plimpton, Jason Burchard, Jeremy Allen, Helen Woodhouse, David Middletown and guest, Tara Bradley The meeting began at 9:40. 1.
1. Minutes: Jeremy made the motion to approve the February 11th meeting minutes. Lease seconded, all in favor.
2. Budget update Sue reported the February 29th balance.
3. Old Business
a) Next Steps, Veterans Field
Jason, Jeremy and Sue placed a stake (with a tag indicating potential species) for 10 trees, 4 by the playground and 6 in the field. Jason, in a conversation with John LeRoux at the Town Council Meeting, determined that the Tulip Tree met his criteria for appropriate trees to plant near the playground.
Jason and Jeremy will visit Sylvans to see what local trees they’ve got in stock. If needed, a trip will be arranged to Central Nursery (or other nurseries) to buy what we need.
Jason and Jeremy discussed the plan for watering trees, once planted.
b) Website David shared the site architecture and answered questions from the committee. Next steps are to reserve the domain name and get to work on the design/programming. Judy made a motion to allow David to spend up to $300 on the site, to reserve the domain name and for annual hosting. Sue seconded and all in favor.
c) 2025 Events
4/25 Arbor Day – 6th grade giveaway Notes: cookies, pledge/adoption form
5/3 Sakonnet Plant Fair
5/24 Blossoms & Sweets For the events and 6th Grade Arbor Day give-away, we need about 150 native trees and shrubs in 1-gallon pots. Sources for the stock include: Sylvans, RI Nurseries, Central Nurseries, NEWP and Beanhouse.
Actions: - Jeremy will check his stock - Potential road trip to NEWP (to select and buy shrubs) - Keep eye out for Sylvan’s catalogue, and get over and select trees as soon as they arrive - Check out availability at Central Nursery
d) Tree Warden’s Work List
Work done: Ground stump on Long Highway.
Running list of work to do in 2025. -
Raise the branches of the Weeping Beech at Veterans Field by about 6’ on the North Side and put chips unter it. - Sweetgum (along Meeting House Lane by soccer field) pruning post utility work to redirect future growth - New planting on the corner of Meeting House Lane (by Wordell) - New planting (9 trees?) at Veterans’ Field - Ash tree (on Meeting House, on curve, across from Brownell House) pruning for aesthetics and safety - Take down big tree on Colebrook - Check on DOT work: Are they coming back to clean up their work on Snell, Peckham, Colebrook? - Plan for trees on Town Islands: Pottersville/Long Highway, Peckham/Long Highway - Simmons Mill cleanup
4. New Business None
5. Next Meeting Date Monday, April 14th at 9:30 at Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
2. Budget update Sue reported the January 31st balance.
3. Old Business
a) Veterans Field update Presentation to Little Compton Town Council Presentation to the LC Town Council scheduled for 3/6. We plan to place a tree order after the March meeting. Jason will go to the Wilbur school to check the plans for underground utilities. Jason and Patrick McHugh met to review trimming the Weeping Beech.
b) Website Postponed until David returns.
4. New Business
a) Emerald Ash Borer Jason confirmed a sighting of Emerald Ash Borer on West Main Road in Little Compton after observing shimmery bark (from birds peeling off the outer bark). He will double check if the ash was a Green Ash, the primary species in town. He hopes the Green Ash is more resistant than Black Ash, noting that old trees are more susceptible than young trees.
b) Tree Warden’s Report Jason completed work on the Pin Oak at the intersection of Pottersville and Long Highway. He proposed adding two trees with soil in the center of the triangle. He started work on the Sweet Gums that line the southwest end of Veterans Field, training them off the footpath and around the powerlines. Jason recommends removing the stump on the north end of Long Highway.
c) LCGC grant Julie will ask the LC Garden Club if we can use their grant to plant trees to shade the playground instead of waiting to plant by them by Town Hall/Community Center.
5. Next Meeting Date Monday, March 10th at 9:30 at Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30.
Respectfully submitted, Jeremy Allen/Judy Melanson
Reminders: Thought about sourcing plant sales/plantings: - Jeremy will check his stock - Road trip to NEWP (to select and buy shrubs)? - Keep eye out for Sylvan’s catalogue, and get over and select trees as soon as they arrive - Check out availability at Central Nursery - Check with Newport Tree Committee on their sources (Tara) Running list of work to do in 2025: - Sweetgum (along Meeting House Lane by soccer field) pruning post utility work to redirect future growth - Removing the stump on the north end of Long Highway - New planting on the corner of Meeting House Lane (by Wordell) - New planting (9 trees?) at Veterans’ Field - Ash tree (on Meeting House, on curve, across from Brownell House) pruning for aesthetics and safety - Put chips under Weeping Beech - Take down big tree on Colebrook - Check on DOT work: Are they coming back to clean up their work on Snell, Peckham, Colebrook? - Plan for trees on Town Islands: Pottersville/Long Highway (two trees), Peckham/Long Highway - Simmons Mill cleanup.
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Victoria Talbot, Judy Melanson, Lease Plimpton, Jason Burchard, Jeremy Allen, Helen Woodhouse and guests, Heather and Tara The meeting began at 9:40.
1. Minutes: Sue made the motion to approve the December 9th meeting minutes. Jeremy seconded, all in favor.
2. Budget update Sue reported the December 31st balance.
3. Old Business
a) Presentation to Recreation Committee Reviewed deck and next steps. Presentation this evening.
b) Website Postponed until David returns.
c) Tree/shrub order for 2025 For events and 6th Grade Arbor Day give-away, we need about 150 native trees and shrubs in 1-gallon pots. Sources for the stock include: Sylvans, RI Nurseries, Central Nurseries, NEWP and Beanhouse. Actions: - Jeremy will check his stock - Potential road trip to NEWP (to select and buy shrubs) - Keep eye out for Sylvan’s catalogue, and get over and select trees as soon as they arrive - Check out availability at Central Nursery - Check with Newport Tree Committee on their sources (Tara)
d) Tree Warden’s Work List Jason is creating a running list of work to do in 2025. Preliminary list includes: - Sweetgum (along Meeting House Lane by soccer field) pruning post utility work to redirect future growth - New planting on the corner of Meeting House Lane (by Wordell) - New planting (9 trees?) at Veterans’ Field - Ash tree (on Meeting House, on curve, across from Brownell House) pruning for aesthetics and safety - Put chips under Weeping Beech - Take down big tree on Colebrook - Check on DOT work: Are they coming back to clean up their work on Snell, Peckham, Colebrook? - Plan for trees on Town Islands: Pottersville/Long Highway, Peckham/Long Highway - Simmons Mill cleanup
4. New Business None
5. Next Meeting Date Monday, February 10th at 9:30 at Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Judy Melanson, Lease Plimpton, Jason Burchard, Jeremy Allen, Helen Woodhouse, David Middletown and guest, Michael Eliot
The meeting began at 9:45.
1. Minutes: Sue made the motion to approve the November 18th meeting minutes. Julie seconded, all in favor.
2. Budget update Sue reported the November 30th balance.
3. Old Business
a) Tree Warden’s Report Jason is working on a list of work to do in 2025. Preliminary list includes: - Sweetgum (along Meeting House Lane by soccer field) pruning - New planting on the corner of Meeting House Lane (by Wordell) - New planting (9 trees?) at Veterans’ Field - Ash tree (on Meeting House, on curve, across from Brownell House) pruning for aesthetics and safety
b) Winter Moth update David reports that the RI Dept of Forestry tech has estimated the trap has collected about 1500 moths in each of the last visits.
4. New Business
a) Veterans’ Field Planning We’ve reached out to the Recreation Committee in the hope that we can get on their 1/13 agenda. At that meeting, we’d like to identify issues with current trees and present our plan for future tree plantings with a focus on diversity, native species and resiliency. Our goal is to manage the trees in this park-like setting through the transition by maintaining shade and providing a wind-break. Judy will prepare materials for the meeting; she’ll send a first draft to the tree committee by the end of the month.
b) New Website David provided a packet with samples of area tree committees’ websites. He walked through what he liked about each and encouraged the committee to take a look for themselves. Then, he presented possible LCTC domain names and his interest in talking to the programmer of the LC website for assistance. The website links of greatest interest to the committee included: - What trees do well in town - Issues our trees are encountering (diseases, insects, etc) - Upcoming events - Contact us - Donate link.
c) Tree/shrub order for 2025 We’ll submit an order with Sylvan’s for 2025 trees and shrubs needed for spring/summer events and Arbor Day. NEWP will be a source for shrubs if needed.
5. Next Meeting Date Monday, January 13th at 9:30 at Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Judy Melanson, Lease Plimpton, Jason Burchard, Jeremy Allen, Helen Woodhous The meeting began at 9:45.
1. Minutes: Sue made the motion to approve the October 21 meeting minutes. Julie seconded, all in favor.
2. Budget update Sue reported the October 31st balance.
3. Old Business
a) Tree Warden’s Report Given the 2-month drought, Jason has watered and applied mycorrhizal fungus (to support root growth) to several trees in town, including the new plantings on Maple and the Centennial Weeping Beech. Trees have been removed from the overgrown Wilbur & McMahon Oasis. He’ll share a list of 2025 work list - plantings and projects - with us at the next meeting.
b) Winter Moth update Given concerns about Winter Moth infestation in previous years, committee member David Middleton reached out to the RI Dept. of Forestry for assistance. State forester Alana Russell and her colleague delivered a winter moth female pheromone bait trap to his house, explaining that they would monitor and count the number of males attracted to the trap so they can track how many moths are active. They have traps set in 5 other locations around the state. The hope is that a resurgence of winter moths would trigger the resurgence of the parasitic fly (a biological control that was released several years back). However, there is concern since few of the caterpillars checked last spring had been infected with the parasite (numbers of infected caterpillars were much higher in Maine) and the parasitic fly is no longer available. David reported that over 1000 moths were counted in the trap after two weeks.
c) Veteran’s Field update The committee reviewed a sketch of the initial thinking of where we might be able to plant trees on Veteran’s Field, the result of our walk with David MacGregor. Members of the committee will return to the site and come to the next meeting with ideas on plantings so we can develop a more comprehensive plan to share with the Town Council, W&M School and Recreation Committee, hopefully at the January 20th Recreation Committee meeting.
d) New Committee Membership Of greatest interest is finding a new member willing to take over our bookkeeping responsibilities.
e) New Website The benefit of improving the website include to: - Look professional - Improve messaging on our mission and activities - Serve as a resource to town residents - Organize and clarify our thinking - (Potentially) Transact donations The site could be set up with the following sections: - About Us - Resources/links o Winter moths o Hardiness zones - Meeting minutes - Contact Us - Donate - FAQ The site will be hosted at the current location until November 2025, so we’ll use the time we have to plan.
f) Annual appeal Annual appeal/newsletter was sent to town residents in mid-November. Initial feedback has been very positive.
4. New Business a) Tree Spree Jeremy will create a planting with Native trees for the Tree Spree raffle. He’ll provide instructions.
5. Next Meeting Date Monday, December 9th at 9:30 at Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Judy Melanson, Lease Plimpton, Jason Burchard, David Middleton, Jeremy Allen, Helen Woodhouse
The meeting began at 9:00.
1. Minutes: Sue made the motion to approve the September 16th meeting minutes. Jeremy seconded, all in favor.
2. Budget update Sue will act as treasurer on Lewis Taylor's retirement. Sue reported the October 21st balance.
3. New Business
a) Committee news Given Lewis’s retirement, Sue will act as treasurer until a new person can be found.
b) Newsletter The remainder of the meeting was spent reviewing drafts of sections of the upcoming newsletter, due to be mailed in early November.
4. Next Meeting Date Monday, November 18th at 9:30 at Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:00, so we could walk around Veteran’s Field with Dave MacGregor of the Recreation Committee.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Judy Melanson, Lease Plimpton, Jason Burchard
1. Minutes: Sue made the motion to approve the August 19th meeting minutes. Jason seconded, all in favor.
2. Treasurer Lewis Taylor reported via email our account balance for August 31st 2024.
3. New Business
a) Committee news Lewis Taylor, after 3 years of service as LCTC Treasurer, will be stepping down from his role. The committee thanks him for his contribution and service.
b) Tree Warden report - Work done this month: - Chestnuts cleaned up at Adamsville Field. - Trimmed Liberty Elm at Town Landing - Work in the queue: - Trimming/shaping the Siberian Elm on the Common - Stump-grinding on Veterans Field - Suggestion: Review trees at Veterans Field with members of the town Recreation Committee to identify investments we could make (particularly important given the role of that gathering place for LC350).
c) Committee focus Judy and David met to discuss our education focus areas (for in-person events and a revitalized website) and provided a first draft to Sue. The three of us will meet and share with the whole committee.
d) Newsletter We’ll follow the schedule and format of last year’s newsletter/fundraising appeal letter: - We’ll use the tax assessor’s database to reach people at their primary residence - We’ll send the package to arrive in early December - The two-sided letter includes: o Front: an appeal letter o Back: ▪ Specific work that has been done this year ▪ A Year in Review from the Tree Warden We will review drafts of each section at the meeting next month.
e) Other: - Julie reached out to the town and the LCGC. The LCGC agrees that we should hold off on tree planting around the Community Center until hardscaping is complete. - Judy asked for the committee’s support in creating a plan (trees and shrubs) to replace dead trees that Jason took out on the North side of SPA’s Blanchard Blazer property (on Coldbrook Road). Judy will coordinate a meet up.
4. Next Meeting Dates Monday, Oct. 21st at Brownell House.at 9am and then walk Veterans Field with Dave MacGregor
Potential dates to meet with Recreation Committee: 11/4 or 11/18. Monday, December 9th at 9:30 at Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:30.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Judy Melanson, Jeremy Allen, Lease Plimpton, David Middleton, Helen Woodhouse
The meeting began at 9:35.
1. Minutes: Sue made the motion to approve the July 8th meeting minutes. Julie seconded, all in favor.
2. Treasurer Lewis Taylor reported via email our account balance for July 8th 2024.
3. New Business
a) Tree Warden report Jason reports by email: - Fungal pathogens continue to show up everywhere. Spruces are dying younger and younger: Blue spruces are in the worst shape and White Spruces are only doing a little better. Norway spruce might be the only one that will make it to maturity at this point. Ornamental Pines are struggling. - Pleased to see the curbing in front of the school to protect the crabapples’ roots. - Completed the work on the Liberty Elm at Town landing. The tree continues to die back from wind and salt spray. - The Highway Department is hiring a new Director who will be my new boss as Tree Warden. “Take back the shoulder” is going to be my priority for safety reasons. - I’m less optimistic about the American Beech trees than last year. Survival rate for young trees because of the beech leaf nematode looks like five years. - Cleaned up the Chestnut at the ballfield in Adamsville. - Hope’s Tulip at the ballfield continues to want to grow north. We need to adjust or remove that brace. I will stop by and see what it needs. - The Weeping Beech looks a little more stressed than last year but still vigorous.
b) Other tree news
Brownell House: Sue caged and mulched the Magnolia to prevent injury to the trunk from weed-whacking. Seeing signs of a second bloom.
Wilbur School Playground: A group of gardeners planted and caged a Black Cherry.
Little Compton Community Center: Julie will check in with Paul Golembeske and the LCCC to check on Town Hall construction plans and timing so that we can prepare to plant the tree donated by the LCGC. We will continue to monitor the situation at the Grange Hall.
4. New Business a) Newsletter: Plan is to send the newsletter out in early December. Sue challenged us to think about our organization’s education goals so we can focus our newsletter copy (and a revised website and future events) on what’s most critical to communicate. Several actions were planned to support Sue’s request.
5. Next Meeting Date Monday, Sept. 16th at 9:30 at Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Judy Melanson, Jeremy Allen, Lease Plimpton, David Middleton, Helen Woodhouse The meeting began at 9:35.
1. Minutes: Sue made the motion to approve the May 20th meeting minutes. Lease seconded, all in favor.
2. Treasurer Lewis Taylor reported via email our account balance for June 30th 2024.
3. New Business
a) Tree cage activity To protect young oak saplings from deer browsing, the committee installed 30 tree cages in Wilbur Woods and 30 cages in Sakonnet Preservation’s Blanchard-Blazer property (at the corner of Colebrook and John Dyer).
b.) Tree warden tree report Jason reports: - Two years later, trees are still being affected by the drought. - The Anthracnose fungus has affected many trees this spring due to rain/moisture, the mild winter and high nightly humidity. - Tussic Moths have caused a great deal of damage to Cherry and London Plane trees. The Tussic Moth is furry, with antennas. It has a bright yellow strip and it irritates the skin if touched.
Tree work: - Trimmed back the red oak at Snell and Long Highway and oaks at the corner of Meeting House.
Discussion: - Oaks at the Brownell Library - The role of cabling - Town Landing - Trees/shrubs on the side of roads (property that belongs to the town, not the homeowner) and concerns about safety for walkers and bikers. Talked about the need for education. Jason has spoken to Bob Mushen
c) Plan for UCC Church Fair - Trees need pals: Jeremy to bring 3 planters, one with a solo oak (with grass), one with oak and understory plantings for dry areas and one with plantings for wetter areas. -
Cages: Judy to bring cages so we can talk about Wilbur Woods; Sue to create a sign -
Scavenger Hunt: David to bring print outs of the kid’s scavenger hunt activity at Wilbur Woods -
Books: Sue has ordered Shrubs and Groundcovers books to sell
4. Next Meeting Date Monday, Aug. 12th (moved to 8/19) at 9:30 at Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:15.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Judy Melanson, Jeremy Allen, Lease Plimpton, David Middleton, Helen Woodhouse
The meeting began at 9:35.
1.Minutes: Jeremy made the motion to approve the May 20th meeting minutes, with one edit. Julie seconded, all in favor.
2. Treasurer Lewis Taylor reported via email our account balance for May 31th 2024.
3. Old Business a) Upcoming Events – Church Fair The committee brainstormed potential educational topics/themes for the fair, choosing to focus our table/booth on: - Maintenance (tree cages, burlap, careful weed-whacking) - Carbon capture/assisted migration, including the value of wet spots (not being a lawn, cypress and the peat moss tactile activity) - Cages in Wilbur Woods - Value of the understory (shrubs and groundcover/grasses) - Purpose of the tree committee Jeremy will make planters to enable us to talk about trees growing best in a community (i.e., “Trees need pals”) that we may auction off at the fair. David suggested creating a handout for kids/families with various things they can find in Wilbur Woods, similar to a scavenger hunt.
4. New Business
a) Winter Moth impact Judy asked about the impact people have seen from the winter moths this year, and whether there was any plan to release the parasitic fly in the future (if things got bad). The committee asked her to reach out to URI, DEM and the RI Tree Council and report back.
5. Next Meeting Date Monday, July 8th at 9:30 at Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Judy Melanson, Jeremy Allen, Lease Plimpton, David Middleton
The meeting began at 9:35 with a welcome to David, our new member.
1. Minutes: Sue made the motion to approve the April 15th meeting minutes. Julie seconded, all in favor.
2. Treasurer Lewis Taylor reported via email our account balance for April 30th 2024.
3. Old Business
a) Tree Warden Update Jason gave an update on the work (and associated costs) of the work his team has done: cleaning up the Princeton Elms in front of St. Andrews and the Oaks at the West Main/Old Main triangle, planting Herb’s Memorial tree at the Adamsville Ballfield, treating the Centennial Weeping Beach with phosphorus to mitigate impact of the Beech Leaf nematodes.
We also talked about the work removing vines from trees along Colebrook at the Blanchard Blazer (SPA property) and whether it would be possible to plant trees on the site in the Fall. Judy will reach out to Adam to discuss.
b) Arbor Day, 4/26 at Wilbur McMahon We spent some time discussing the Arbor Day event and how it could be improved next year. This year, we only had 45 minutes with the class, and substitutes were teaching the class. 5 Tulip Trees and 5 Tupelo distributed; several kids opted not to take a tree. The goal for this event is to inspire curiosity and share information (tree stewardship, carbon capture, how trees grow, etc.). Ideas for next year include: - Bringing more tree rings (enough so everyone can put one in their hand) - Including a smaller tree/shrub (potentially blueberry) - Having them sign a pledge of accountability - Having a 7th grader come back to talk to the 6th grade (a tree ambassador) - Aligning the message with what is being taught and potentially schedule a second visit (in Feb and at Arbor Day) The idea of planting trees on Veterans Field or by the existing garden (a ‘class tree’) was also discussed.
c) Sakonnet Plant Fair Successful event. We sold 70 items - 28 trees and 42 shrubs -- and most of the purchases were to people from LC, Tiverton and Westport. We need to continue to build out messaging to attract more residents of LC.
d) Blossoms & Sweets The sale is from 7:30 – 10:30 ish on Sat, 5/25. Jason will bring existing inventory and Sue and Jeremy will supplement. The SGC will provide a table. Jeremy, Sue and Judy are available to man the booth.
e) Tree protection materials We will meet in Wilbor Woods in June to set up the tree guards and replace the existing cages.
f) UCC Church Fair We brainstormed ideas to spur conversation at the Fair including tree stewardship/maintenance (Including Caging, fertilization, weed whacking, etc.), Assisted Migration (with ‘tiny’ carbon fixers like Bald Cypress trees). We’ll create materials and maybe bring inspirational books about trees to the fair.
4. Next Meeting Date Monday, June 10th at 9:30 at Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30. Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Judy Melanson, Jeremy Allen, Lease Plimpton, Helen Woodhouse
The meeting began at 9:35.
1. Minutes: Jeremy made the motion to approve the March 18th meeting minutes. Lease seconded, all in favor.
2. Treasurer Lewis Taylor reported via email our account balance for March 31st 2024.
3. Old Business
a) Memorial Tree policy After reviewing the Commemorative/Memorial Tree policy from neighboring towns, the consensus is that we will no longer put plaques to mark Memorial Trees. We will not take any action with existing plaques, but will never place another one.
b) Arbor Day, 4/26 at Wilbur McMahon Jason, Jeremy and Sue will share trees with the 6th graders and share information (based on time available) using the tree ring to talk about growth, providing info on how to plant a tree and talking about the two species available, they’ll share trees with the 6th Graders.
c) Sakonnet Plant Fair Reviewed plan for the day – set up (including bringing trees & shrubs) and manning the booth. Jeremy will print labels. Judy will send a press release to the Sakonnet Times and share on LC Facebook pages. We’ll post a few more posters around town as well.
d) Tree protection materials Sue has purchased materials (fencing and stakes) so we can create about 60 tree cages (4’ tall, 2”x3” wire, attached to a stake) to provide deer protection to protect the trees at Wilbur Woods and Blanchard Blazer (corner of Colebrook and John Dyer). We’ll get the cages created and distributed in the June.
4. New Business
a) New Member possibilities We discussed two possible additions to the committee.
5. Next Meeting Date Monday, May 20th at 9:30 at Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:00. Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Judy Melanson, Jeremy Allen, Lease Plimpton Absent: Helen Woodhouse The meeting began at 9:35.
1. Minutes: Jason made the motion to approve the February 5th meeting minutes. Julie seconded, all in favor.
2. Treasurer Lewis Taylor reported via email our account balance for February 28tht 2024.
3. Old Business
a) Arbor Day The LCTC will celebrate Arbor Day on 4/26, the last Friday of April, at Wilbur McMahon School from 10:30 – 12:15. Jason, Jeremy and Sue will attend.
b) NEWP order for Arbor Day and events Jeremy will reach out to Graham at NEWP and lock in a delivery date.
c) 2024 priorities We reviewed Jason’s list of top priorities for tree maintenance, considering whether costs could be split with the landowner or organization. The list will be revisited in April.
d) Wilbur Woods Jason’s team got all obvious dead wood from the south side of the woods.
Sue will buy materials (fencing and stakes) so we can create about 30 cages (4’ tall, 2”x3” wire, attached to a stake) to provide deer protection without limiting the sunshine. Materials will also be purchased to protect trees at Blanchard Blazer. Jeremy asked whether more protection was needed in certain areas of WW to protect young bushes and trees and allow for regeneration. Once the new cages are installed, we’ll communicate the role of the cages via signage (potentially with Gail and Roger Greene’s assistance), place information on our website and try to get an article in the Sakonnet Times.
4. New Business
a) Memorial Tree The committee received a request to secure a plaque left unsecured. Sue to meet with family to review.
b) Hazard Mitigation Team Jason apprised us of his involvement in the town's Hazard Mitigation Team. The team leader had mentioned the usefulness of a baseline inventory of all roadside trees in town in obtaining funding of any tree work that might be needed after catastrophic events. Jason is going to look more into this and report back.
c) Poster for Spring events Judy will create a poster to let people know of the events we’ll attend and the species that will be for sale.
5. Next Meeting Date Monday, April 15th at 9:30 at Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:00. Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Judy Melanson, Jeremy Allen
Absent: Lease Plimpton, Helen Woodhouse
The meeting began at 9:35.
1. Minutes: Julie made the motion to approve the January 8th meeting minutes. Jeremy seconded, all in favor.
2. Treasurer Lewis Taylor reported via email our account balance for January 31st 2024.
3. Old Business
a.). Jason’s tree work ideas for 2024 (full list sent by email, post-meeting)
1. Prune mature red oak at the intersection of Wordell and Meetinghouse Lane. Targets: remove deadwood and redistribute weight. Estimated at $800
2. Brace or cable the North Oak at the Brownell library at the union (about a third of the way down from the top that puts the weight towards the building). Minimal pruning for weight. Estimated at $600
3. Prune and cable the Lindens in front of the Morrison’s house on the Commons. Targets: weight reduction over the road and cable on at least two trees. Estimate for all three trees and any bracing and materials estimated at $2500
4. Remove 9/11 Siberian Elm in the cemetery. Full removal with stump grinding cleanup and backfill. Removal with climber; stump grind with full cleanup and backfill Estimate at $1100 TBD tree replacement
5. Cable codominant horse chestnut at South entrance of Veterans Field Estimated at $600
6. Grind stumps around Veterans Field perimeter and center, full cleanup and backfill. Big stumps estimated at $300. Small stumps - tbd.
7. W. Main Maple clean up. Targets: Remove deadwood and minimal structural pruning in the stretch of maple trees on the state side of the Mittendorf property on W. Main Rd. Estimated at $3000.
8. Remove Meehan Triangle swamp maples since trees will never thrive along the edge of the road, salt ruined trees in road base. Estimated at $100
9. Prune 2 English oaks at the intersection of West Main and old Main Road. Targets are deadwood and minimal structural pruning on laterals. Estimated at $1600 for both.
10. Prune Princeton elms in front of the safety complex and on the town side of Saint Andrews Church. Target lateral weight reduction given Princeton Elms’ high tear-away risk. Estimated at $1000 per tree.
11. Prune five dogwoods clustered in Pikes Peak. Estimated at $1000 for all.
12. Stump grinding on Town and State roads. Take down any that could be a hazard to traffic first. Grind to grade with no cleanup; spread debris to break down. Town hourly rate for operator and stump grinder is $110 per hour.
13. Prune the deadwood from the Zelkova in front of union cemetery. Total is $595.
14. Other potential work: a. Fertilizing? If there is a tree that looks like it has potential and needs a kick, can apply Mycorrhizal or transplant shock reducer. Small trees 50 gallons or less $2.25 per gallon. b. Shaping Pikes Peak hollies? It is a big job to shape and reduce their width. c. Remove dead oaks near Adamsville Cemetery d. Clean up Wilbur Woods e. Knock invasives back at Blanchard-Blazer
b) Tree order for 2024 Arbor Day and events
Sue and Jeremy recommend that we order trees through the New England Wetland Plant nursery (NEWP.com) in Hadley Mass this year, noting:
- Their wide variety of offerings - including hard to get Tupulos and Tulip Trees
- The health/quality of their plants, size and price points - Their current inventory levels
- That (given previous interactions) the LC Tree Committee is already listed as a wholesale purchaser
They will order about 100 plants the 3rd week in February and plan to store them at Sue’s or Jasons.
c) Magnetic Map Julie asked us to consider investing in a magnetic map that we could take to school, fairs and potentially Town Hall, to aid in teaching, inspire conversation, explain our activities. The high-resolution map would be a satellite image of town, about 3’ x 4’, with magnets and dry erase pens. After much discussion about how the map could be used and useful, Julie agreed to write up a plan to further crystalize the idea.
d) Wilbur Woods We enclosed 29 young oaks last fall in polypropylene netting. Sue recommends creating cages (4’ tall, 2”x3” wire, attached to a stake) to provide deer protection and while not limiting the sunshine. Total cost for the cages estimated at around $1000. We will review plan after Jason’s Wilbor Woods review.
e) New member conversations Jeremy continues to reach out to potential new members.
4) New Business a) Town Landing Memorial Tree Fencing Jason volunteered to chat with the family about removing fencing around the Memorial Elm at Town Landing. In follow up emails, the family says the fence was required by the Liberty Elm Society and she is fine with it being taken down. She asks that care is taken when the fence is removed not to disrupt the daffodils. Her son’s sign will remain at the base of the tree. Jason will provide an estimate to cut and dispose the fence.
5. Next Meeting Date Monday, March 11th at 9:30 at Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:45.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Judy Melanson, Jeremy Allen, Lease Plimpton The meeting began at 9:35.
1. Minutes: Julie made the motion to approve the November 13th meeting minutes. Jeremy seconded, all in favor.
2. Treasurer Lewis Taylor reported via email our account balance for december 31st 2023.
3. Old Business
a.). Action resulting from the committee’s November walk around the Commons - For Jason, a plan on tree maintenance, removal and pruning. Much of this work will be billed to the town.
Julie will talk to C. Montgomery to check on Memorial Trees (if any) of concern and whether the Memorial Book has been updated since 2017. - Sue reached out to LCCC (Donna Pilkington) to get information on the plan they created for landscaping and building access. Donna suggested that we reach out to Tony Texeira and Bob Mushen to incorporate the area to the right of the LCCC (including Town Hall), and the area to the left of LCCC (in front of the Grange).
Jason will reach out to Tony to get idea of their plan and timing.
Sue reached out to Sogkanate Garden Club representatives (Sue Talbot and Kate Kelly) to ask if we can partner on a tree planting at the playground garden area. They are excited about our providing a tree for that space and may want to participate in planting it. Jason suggests a narrower tree, potentially a Black Cherry or Hickory.
b.). Fundraising recap The newsletter has brought in $14,535 to date, an increase of $6k from previous years. Success is credited to: (1) mailing to the name/address of each taxpayer (many checks received from out of town) and the (2) value of the content.
c.). Schedule of 2024 worklist Jason will provide a list of his priorities for 2024 - trees he’d like to maintain or plant – in February.
d.). Schedule of 2024 events - 5/3 Sakonnet Plant Fair - 5/25 Blossoms and Sweets - 7/13 UCC Church Fari
e) Member recruiting Ideas for additional committee members were reviewed
4. New Business
a.). Promoting trees for LC based on their ability to sequester carbon For the last 20 years, Jeremy has been studying and experimenting with alternative tree species to sink carbon from the atmosphere. In order of value: - Redwood Forests: 2600 metric tons of carbon per hectare - Coastal Redwood: has been grown in LC for the last two winters outdoors, it is barely hardy here (for now). - Dawn Redwood: while it grows in LC, these trees (here and around the world) are not producing seedlings in situ, so need to be grown from seed and introduced. - Cedar/Cypress Swamps: 1000-1200 metric tons of carbon per hectare - Atlantic White Cedar: Swamp dweller that is native to LC and can live for 1000 years. Needs protection. - Eastern Red Cedar: Great species to start a forest but yields to the oaks and maples, so carbon sink drops to 190. - Bald Cypress: May migrate north with a warming climate. - Native Grasslands: 240 metric tons of carbon per hectare - Oak Forests: 191 metric tons of carbon per hectare Follow up conversation on a number of topics including the importance of native species, and considering the role of trees in the ecosystem, particularly the insects they support.
5. Next Meeting Date Monday, February 5th at 9:30 at Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30. Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Judy Melanson, Peg Hedstrom, Jeremy Allen The meeting began, at the Brownell House, at 9:30.
1. Minutes: Julie made the motion to approve the October 15th meeting minutes. Jeremy seconded, all in favor.
2. Treasurer Lewis Taylor reported via email that our account balance on October 31st.
3. Little Compton Commons tree monitoring . For over two hours, the committee walked the Commons, examining trees for needed maintence and discussing potential locations and species for future plantings/replacements. An image of this walk with the tree locations is on the front of the web site.
4. Next Meeting Date: Monday, January 8 at 9:30 am – Julie’s house.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:00.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
1. Minutes: Sue made the motion to approve the August 14 meeting minutes. Lease seconded, all in favor, with a reminder to review the Memorial Tree policy.
2. Treasurer Lewis Taylor did not report our account balance on September 30th
3. Tree Warden report Jason reported planting the swamp maple on Maple Ave and injecting the centennial weeping beech with a fungicide.
4. Newsletter The committee reviewed the final draft of the fund-raising newsletter, making decisions about the activities (and trees) to include in our annual activities list and general format/tone. Thanks to Peg for her hard work and vision. We reviewed the process for mailing and the contents of the mailer. To determine the effectiveness of the mailer, Sue will ask Lewis to keep track of the number and amount of donations.
5. Little Compton Garden Club donation The LCGC voted to donate $3000 to help to beautify the Commons by planting two trees near the Little Compton Community Center. The money will be used to prepare, plant and maintain the trees, currently planned for in front of the Grange and the Community Center. The Tree Committee will meet at the site in November to develop a plan. Once the trees have been planted (in the spring), photos will be taken and it will be written up in the Sakonnet Times, acknowledging our thanks to LCGC. Jason plans to sample the soil and amend as needed this winter.
6. Next Meeting Date – Monday, November 13, at 9:30 am MEET IN FRONT OF LCCC!
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30AM.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Judy Melanson, Lease Plimpton, Helen Woodhouse, Peg Hedstrom, Jeremy Allen
Absent: Lewis Taylor
The meeting began at Julie’s house at 8:35.
1. New Business The single topic for this meeting was our fundraising newsletter. Discussion included the mailing’s format, articles, pictures/graphics and timing.
2. Next Meeting Date – Monday, October 16, 2023 at 9:30 am
The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 am.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Judy Melanson, Lease Plimpton, Helen Woodhouse, Peg Hedstrom, Jeremy Allen Absent: Jenny Lee, Lewis Taylor, Carter Wilkie The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:35.
1. Minutes: Jeremy made the motion to approve the June 12, 2023 meeting minutes. Helen seconded, all in favor.
2. Treasurer Lewis Taylor reported via email that our account balance on May 31st.
3. Old Business:
a.). Memorial Trees Policy Robust conversation on the Memorial Tree policy, considering whether the tree is on public or private property. After discussion, the draft recommendation is: LCTC can provide guidance and assistance in the planting of Memorial Trees. For trees on private property, LCTC members can advise on the tree, location, planting and on-going maintenance.
For trees to be planted on public land:
A. We will set up a Memorial Tree ‘wait list.’
B. When a location for a tree becomes available, we will email the person at the top of the list.
C. The family will have 30 days to respond and provide payment (for tree, planting and on-going maintenance). Proposed donation: $1700.
D. The LCTC is responsible for recommending the location and recommended tree.
We will not:
A. Deal with human remains
B. Mark the tree with a commemorative sign
b.). Fundraising newsletter Peg’s goal is to increase contributions received as a result of the newsletter. To that end, she: - is working to improve the distribution of the newsletter (getting a list of LC taxpayers and checking with the woman in Portsmouth who manages mailings) - asked us to consider the call-to-action (including a card/info on the envelope, making it clearer that we are asking for a donation) and the timing for the mailing (potentially sending when tree foliage is at the peak) - is getting a quote from Paul at Paul’s Press for printing in color vs. black & white (to reduce costs)
Peg requested that copy for the newsletter be provided prior to/at the next meeting. Potential ideas discussed included: - Challenging people on how many trees they could plant - Jason’s take on the past year (focusing on positive news) o El Nino – great spring for planting - Protecting the trees o Caging o Burlap - sun scald and deer protection Sue will write a draft of a letter requesting support.
4. New Business
a). LCGC donation: Little Compton Garden Club is willing to consider sharing revenue from the recent tour to support a Tree Committee project. We agreed to request a $2k donation to support plantings and follow up maintenance at the Grange and LCCC.
b) Brainstorm of tree work/planting ideas: - Jason asked for more time to explore options for Herb’s Memorial Tree. The committee has ear-marked $500 for planting. - Jason and Sue met with Matt Fletcher at Maciel’s to review replacing 3 Sycamore Maples on the shoulder of the road in front of the property with 2 trees, a Swamp Maple and a Red Oak. Sue made a motion to fund the cost of up to $500 for planting the swamp red maple on the road side of the wall. Judy seconded and all approved. The tree itself is a memorial tree that was donated to us for planting. The cost splitting for the white oak is under discussion. - Brownell House: Sue made a motion to pay up to $400 for treating the Elm at the Brownell House. Jeremy seconded. All approved. - Sid Wordell is willing to pay half of the cost to prune the Princeton elm on Wilbur Store property ($400). Sue made a motion to approve spending the additional $400. Judy seconded. All in favor. - Trees around the Commons need to be pruned. Estimated cost is $2500, but more research is required to understand if trees are on town vs. state property. - Peg requested that we create a landscape plan, showing existing trees and elevation, for the Commons and Veterans Field. This plan will be useful as we engage in conversations with other stakeholders (like the Rec Committee). Hopefully we can get started on this in the winter.
5. Next Meeting Date – Monday, September 11, 2023 at 9:30 am
The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 noon. Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Brownell House (courtesy of Lease Plimpton and the Village Improvement Association) Attending: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Lease Plimpton, Peg Hedstrom, Helen Woodhouse, Jason Burchard, Jeremy Allen, Carter Wilkie
1. Minutes of May meeting were approved without amendment.
2. Treasurer Lewis Taylor reported via email that our account balance on May 31st.
3. Old Business:
a. Jason reports Linden tree in Adamsville came down after suffering from sidewalk improvement work
b. Jason reports Princeton Elm next to Wilbur’s Store may need pruning
c. Jason reports Beech leaf disease looks bad; none of Jason’s treatments have yielded satisfactory results
d. Jason recommends treating weeping beech behind Brownell House; it needs a good soaking and a treatment for beech leaf disease if it is to reach 50 years old in 2025; Lease noted that this tree was planted during the town’s tricentennial 48 years ago, with George Goulart and Rusty Cabot present for the occasion. LCTC will fundraise for maintenance of the tree, starting with a donation jar at the church fair on Saturday, July 8 to raise awareness of it.
e. Two seedling trees from Dick Fisher are rare American Elms; these will be sold in a silent auction at the church fair; Jason says they survive here is free of stress (e.g., compacted or heavy soil)
f. To replace a tree that came down at the Community Center, Jason asked whether the LCTC wants to fund a new installation and recommended stump removal; members will review the site by the raised beds; Lease questioned the need for one at this site; Jason recommends a tree with spreading form; Jeremy asked about a hardy Eastern Flowering Dogwood; Carter noted the cultivar ‘Appalachian Spring’ for its disease tolerance and reported healthy Cornus Florida thriving in Adamsville’s well drained soil when given full sun and air circulation on all sides to reduce threat of anthracnose; Carter also suggested Redbud as a possibility for its similar form.
g. LCTC will loan its two tree ring watering buckets to the United Congregational Church for two weeks to ensure that the LCTC funded White Oak and their new Umbrella Pine in the North Garden are watered until the church has time to order its own; Jason stressed the importance of watering during first two weeks after tree planting, to help remove air pockets in the soil and to lead roots to water in the soil veins; the cost of these has climbed from $40 apiece four years ago (pre-Covid) to nearly $100 today from Bio-Plex
h. Sue reported on Blossoms & Sweets sale of books and plants; conifers and shrubs were popular, including beach plum, shadbush, spicebush, elderberry; LCTC took in $880 from sales, of which $230 went to the garden club as their percentage of sales; buyers did not take the hickories, so Peg volunteered to make a sign for them to help attract interest at the church fair; Carter noted that hickories and all Carya species send down deep taproots and shouldn’t be kept in pots for long or they won’t grow well in soil. Jeremy reported additional benefits of LCTC being at these sales events are public education, constituency building and being able to connect with people who are interested in the committee’s work.
i. Blanchard Blazer property at John Dyer and Colebrook Roads: Judy, Jeremy, Xan Allen and Adam York of Sakonnet Preservation planted approximately two dozen Red and White Oaks in hard-to-dig stony soil and erected wire cages to protect them from deer; Julie donated stakes; Jeremy reported that Judy has been diligent about watering them and vegetative growth around them has been kept down through mechanical means.
j. Newport Tree Conservancy representative has yet to visit the stand of Atlantic White Cedar near Burchard Ave; Jeremy expects this to happen in the cold season. k. Sue reports the sheet metal tree tags did not meet her expectations; she will get images of curatorial tags at Wilcox Park arboretum in Westerly for the committee to consider.
l. Peg has asked treasurer Lewis Taylor to report what percentage of LCTC expenditures has covered work that has benefitted the town as a whole. Members discussed making townspeople aware of the role of the tree warden and town budget for keeping roads clear and need for additional budget for maintenance of specimen trees on town property.
4. New Business
a. Sue reports the Wilbur Woods committee has noted heavy predation of native flora from high deer density in the woods; White Oak seedlings along a walking path need cage protection from deer if they are to survive; the town will pay for material if LCTC can help provide volunteer labor to perform the work. Lease suggested Boy Scouts involvement. Carter volunteered his time for the work.
5. Next meeting: Peg suggested not meeting in July, in light of the fair and Sue’s absence; members agreed. Sue reported after the meeting adjourned that the next meeting will be on Monday, August 14th at 9:30, location TBD.
Respectfully submitted, Carter Wilkie (substitute for LCTC recording secretary Judy Melanson in absentia)
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Judy Melanson, Lease Plimpton, Helen Woodhouse, Peg Hedstrom Absent: Jenny Lee, Lewis Taylor, Carter Wilkie, Jeremy Allen The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:40.
1. Minutes: Julie made the motion to approve the April 11, 2023 meeting minutes. Lease seconded, all in favor.
2. Treasurer Lewis Taylor reported via email that our account balance on March 31
3. Old Business:
a.). Tree Warden report Jason is exploring options for Herb’s Memorial Tree. The committee has ear-marked $500 for planting. In the next few weeks, he will remove the dead Linden on the Adamsville ballfield. Cost is estimated at $1600. Jason noted how healthy the crabapples planted in front of Wilbur-McMahon are – and the importance of tree watering during the summer drought. He expects the watering will need to continue again this summer. He reports that a swamp maple will be planted at the Little Compton Community Center, in place of the raised beds that stand between the building and the Town Hall. The tree is a volunteer from the tree that had been in that spot, raised by volunteer Dick Fisher. Jason asked us to take a look at the trees in the commons and said he is interested in building out a plan to replace some of the trees.
b.). Arbor Day and Sakonnet Plant Fair Debrief Arbor Day: Sue, Jason and Jeremy held the Arbor Day event with 6th graders in the Oasis of the school. They divided the kids into 3 groups: Jeremy had a hole-digging contest; Jason demoed the head and ear-protection he uses as Tree Warden; Sue talked about oaks and had the kids do a game, matching caterpillars that dwell in the oaks to the moths they become. Kids were given a white pine or a white oak to take home. Sakonnet Plant Fair: The plant fair this year was bigger, maybe 2x as many vendors. And weather was beautiful. We sold 67 plants and shrubs and about 6 books. Next year we’d like to improve promotion of the event to encourage more LC residents to attend. We will explore options to get promotions into the Sakonnet Times.
c.). UCC follow up We received a thank you from the Church for our donation of the white oak to the North Garden project.
d.). American Chestnut testing Julie will find a lab: - To make sure the tree is an American chestnut - To see if they can isolate the gene to check whether the trees are resistant to blight - Costs
e.). Atlantic White Cedar update Jeremy to report at next meeting.
f.). Blanchard Blazer tree reforestation Sue made a motion to donate the remaining 1-gallon oaks (white and red) to the Sakonnet Preservation Association to plant at Blanchard Blazer. Julie seconded. The trees will be planted on 5/17 by Adam York and Jeremy. Deer cages will be created (similar to what was used at the Meehan Triangle) from wire and stakes.
4. Next Meeting Date – Monday, June 12, 2023 at 9:00 am The meeting was adjourned at 11:30AM.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Judy Melanson, Jeremy Allen, Lease Plimpton, Helen Woodhouse, Peg Hedstrom Absent: Jenny Lee, Lewis Taylor, Carter Wilkie
The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:40.
1. Minutes: Jeremy made the motion to approve the March 13, 2023 meeting minutes. Lease seconded, all in favor.
2. Lewis Taylor reported the funds available to LCTC.
3. Old Business: a.). Tree Warden report In the next few weeks, Jason expects to take down the dead Linden on the Adamsville ballfield. After some conversation, Jeremy made a motion that the Tree Committee set aside up to $500 to plant a Memorial Tree for Herb Elkington at the corner of Wordell and Meeting House Lane. Jason will get a budget for digging out and planting the tree and report back at the next meeting.
c.). Continued discussion of Legacy projects Conversation centered on the Defend the Edge (where invasives are cleared from road-side trees to prevent tree loss and protect our rare forests) project, including: -
Identifying and prioritizing locations where commercial/professionals could clear - and potentially take ownership - of the space. Locations mentioned include Swamp Road, John Sisson (east end), John Dyer, Long Highway -
Adding a column in the newsletter to continue to communicate/educate on impact of invasives -
Encouraging landowners to take action on their property -
Sponsoring an annual ‘defend the edge’ event -
Whether the town highway dept could participate -
Making a plan to bring people together this winter to discuss this plan
c.). Picking up trees from Sylvans w/o 4/24 Jason will pick up the 187 trees/shrubs and drop them at Peg’s house.
d.). Arbor Day – 4/28 Sue and Jeremy will lead the Arbor Day/tree giveaway for the 6th graders in the Oasis of Wilbur McMahon. Sue will contact the school to get the timing and is looking for activities to get the kids more active.
e.). Sakonnet Plant Fair – 5/6 Sue will send an email to coordinate schedule.
f.). Atlantic White Cedar stand Jeremy will follow up with the contact in Newport.
g.) Church update Sue met with representatives at the Congregational Church and expressed the committees concern with planting trees along the strip of land on the ESE corner of the Common (across from Commons Lunch). She reminded them of our offer to sponsor a tree on another part of the property and on their walk around the site identified the tree, a red maple. A $500 donation will be sent.
h.). Tree tags Postponed to next meeting
4. New business a.). American chestnuts in town The location of some mature chestnut trees was shared with the committee. People were encouraged to go take a look and we’ll follow up at the next meeting.
5. Next Meeting Date – Monday, May 8, 2023
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30AM. Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Judy Melanson, Jeremy Allen, Lease Plimpton, Helen Woodhouse, Carter Wilkie
Absent: Jenny Lee, Peg Hedstrom, Lewis Taylor.
The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:40.
1. Minutes: Jeremy made the motion to approve the February 13, 2023 meeting minutes. Lease seconded, all in favor.
2. Lewis Taylor reports each month the funds available to LCTC.
3. Old Business:
a.). Tree Committee Legacy Project
Carter raised the idea that the Tree Committee could, in addition to overseeing trees in public places and engaging in educational activities, take on a project with longer-term, greater impact. The idea that Carter asked us to consider is working in partnership with the Ag Trust to develop a Town Forest, similar to what Weston has done with its Wood Lot. The Ag trust has 2100 acres in its portfolio, some (5%) in agricultural use, some fallow, and some forested/wooded and not appropriate for farming. His vision includes: - Working with Carol Trocke to identify an appropriate parcel - Installing a deer fence to protect trees - Potentially ‘managing’ the acreage (this resulted in a good bit of conversation). In addition to the Town Forest idea, other potential Legacy projects suggested by members included: Defend the Edge: where invasives are cleared from trees close to town roads to prevent tree loss and protect our rare forests. The suggestion was to start with Swamp Road. Wilbur Woods: work to identify young native seedlings, particularly Oaks, that can be monitored over time and protected by installing tree guards. Iconic Roads: creating a plan for trees on the most traveled and iconic roads in town. Judy suggested we establish some criteria (impact, manpower – short or long term, investment, etc.) to evaluate which idea should be further fleshed out. Carter will forward information by email with more detail on the idea of the Town Forest.
b.). Atlantic White Cedar stand update Carter has contacted the Newport Tree Conservancy Living Collections manager and he’s excited to visit the tree stand by Watson Reservoir. Carter has shared Jeremy’s contact info with him.
c.). Event Prep Dates for upcoming events include: • 4/28 Arbor Day tree giveaway for 6th Graders • 5/6 Sakonnet Plant Fair • 5/27 Blossoms and Sweets • 7/8 Church Fair Sylvans has our plants on order. We have Native Plant and Invasive Plant books to sell.
d.). Tree tag example Examples of tree tags were shared. Sue’s going to take them on site to see how they’ll look.
e.). Tree Warden Report Jason’s team shaped 3 trees (elm and locust, reducing some ‘hangers’) in front of the school. Given the iconic nature of the Weeping Beech at Veterans Field, he’s not planning to treat but instead to monitor and treat only if necessary. Jason talked about really seeing the impact on Oaks (on Eastern half of town) from 2016-2020 winter moth/Gypsy moth devastation. And the potential die back resulting from the recent bitter cold days (after a warm winter). He was asked about (but hasn’t yet witnessed) Lanternflies, Bag worms or Emerald Ash Borers.
4. New business Not at this time
5. Next Meeting Date – Monday, April 10, 2023
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30AM. Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Members Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Lease Plimpton, Peg Hedstrom, Jen Prior, Jeremy Allen, Carter Wilke
The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:30AM.
1. Approval of Minutes: Jeremy moved that the minutes of the January 9, 2022 meeting be approved as written. Carter seconded. Unanimously approved.
3. Old Business:
a.). A change to the timing and method of mailing our newsletter: Peg reported that the tax assessor’s office will share its mailing list with us so that we can mail our newsletter directly to actual, named townspeople rather than using the “Postal Patron” method. In this way we should be able to connect with townspeople that have their primary residence elsewhere. Peg also recommended mailing the newsletter out in the fall (end of September - beginning of October) since we would no longer be under the same pressure to reach people before they leave town with the direct mail method. All members were supportive of adopting this new approach.
b.). 2023 Event Schedule and Tree Inventory: Friday, April 28 - Arbor Day (tentative) with grade 6 (26 students) Saturday, May 6th - Sakonnet Plant Fair (attendance is confirmed) Saturday, May 27 - Blossom and Sweets, Sogkonate Garden Club Plant Sale Saturday, July 8 - Church Fair (date is confirmed) Peg has reserved the following tree species and numbers (all one gallon) with Sylvan’s: 25 white oak, 15 red oak, 10 sweet birch, 17 shagbark hickory, 20 white pine, 20 stag horn sumac. Sue will reach out to Sylvan’s to add some smaller trees / shrubs to the order - beach plum and hazelnut were very popular last year. She will also check on elderberry, black chokeberry, serviceberry, and spice bush. Peg has a secure space for tree storage with water access and has offered to be involved in pickup and care. Carter will look into ordering more of The Northeast Plant Primer books while Sue will continue to provide the Invasive Guides and will look into obtaining the Wild Seed Project’s Tree and Shrub guide at a wholesale price. Jen offered to make a flyer for posting around town to inform residents that we will attend these events with affordable trees and educational materials. Jeremy told us all about Quercus lyrata, a really tough, hardy white oak whose northern most range is New Jersey. This species can handle wet, heat and extended periods of drought. Jeremy is experimenting with germinating some seeds from the Carolinas and we look forward to hearing more.
c.). Atlantic white cedar stand: Jeremy reported on a stand of Atlantic white cedar trees that are on reservoir property. Younger white cedars are growing on the bank of the reservoir and then, further into the woods, are about a half dozen much older white cedars that are being shaded out by maples - some are even falling over - but regeneration was also observed. The Committee agreed that is would be worthwhile to reach out to the Newport Tree Committee to make them aware that something rare and worthy of preservation is here and to invite them to come take a look. Carter thinks he has a contact in Newport and will reach out to begin the conversation.
d.). Tree Tags: Jason reported via email that anodized aluminum would be the best material to use and that stamp kits are inexpensive. The Committee decided that seeing an actual tag or a ‘mockup’ would be helpful for determining the correct size etc. Sue said she would follow up.
e.). Congregational Church Garden Project: Sue said that she communicated to the garden committee that we are uncomfortable with underwriting any trees in the narrow strip between the side walk and Willow Ave but that we would like to contribute to a tree planting in a roomier space. Conversations continue.
New Business: Carter described a greenway effort that he observed in Louisiana that involved preserving 500 year old live oaks, and he challenged us to think of a legacy project here in Little Compton.
Our next meeting date is Monday, March 13, 2023.
The meeting adjourned at 11:30AM.
Respectfully submitted, Sue Theriault
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Peg Hedstrom, Judy Melanson, Jeremy Allen, Lease Plimpton Absent: Jenny Lee, Helen Woodhouse, Carter Wilkie The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:40.
1. Minutes: Jeremy made the motion to approve the December 12, 2022 meeting minutes. Julie seconded, all in favor.
3. Old Business:
a.). Beech tree treatment Jason will review best practices for keeping Beech trees healthy, including potentially the Broadform treatment. He’ll make a recommendation for spring treatment for the Fern Leaf and Weeping beech at Veterans Field at the Feb. meeting.
b.) Tagging trees at Veterans Field The committee is interested in tagging trees on Veterans Field to identify tree’s common and scientific name and, if known, planting date. The tag will hang from a low-lying branch. Jason will talk to Ned about cost to create a metal-punch tag label.
c) New tree on Adamsville Field We had talked about removing and potentially replacing the Linden tree at Adamsville Field killed during recent state road maintenance. Committee members will take a look at the site to support the decision about whether to replace the tree, and if replaced, which tree (Linden or Tulip) to plant.
d) Oaks at the Brownell Library Jason will tend to the oaks in the next month or two. The first $500 will be paid by the Friends of the Library.
e) Sharing cost of work on Veterans Field Sue will talk to the Mr. MacGregor of the Rec Committee about whether funds are available to share costs for tree work on Veterans Field.
f) Trees for sale in 2023 Peg has been in touch with Sylvans. Jeremy suggested we reach out to Nouse Farms and NE Wetlands in Western Mass. Sue has seeded 20 hickories (the nuts that floated in water) in tall tree tubes.
4. New business None to report
5. Next Meeting Date – Monday, February 13 - changed to Feb 20th 2023
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30AM. Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Peg Hedstrom, Judy Melanson, Jeremy Allen, Lease Plimpton, Carter Wilkie
Absent: Jenny Lee, Helen Woodhouse,
The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:35.
1. Minutes: Lease made the motion to approve the November 14, 2022 meeting minutes. Peg seconded, all in favor.
3. Old Business:
a.). Meeting with Town Administrator Jeremy met with Tony Texeira at the Town Council meeting and introduced the idea of increasing communications with this committee. Tony suggested we can help him by communicating through Jason. Jeremy also spoke to Curtis (Highway Dept) and reminded him to let Tony know of any issues related to trees that he identifies, so that Tony can communicate to Jason.
b) Lease’s success with the Friends of the Library Lease asked the Friends to contribute funds for pruning the oaks in front of the library. They agreed to contribute. Jason will create an estimate.
c) Request for Venus dogwoods on east side of Congregational Church The consensus was that the lateral spread of these trees would interfere with people walking on the new sidewalk and cars parked nearby. Although other species were considered, there is considerable concern for the health of the trees planted in this 7’ strip of land. The committee would prefer to consider a tree on another part of this high-visibility property.
d) Memorial Tree at Town Landing Committee members shared their memory of the history of this tree with newer members.
4. New business a.). Work done by Jason Jason has already completed some of the work discussed at the last meeting, including: - Veterans’ Field, Fern leaf Beech: Structural pruning and reduce damage from sun scalding. Sycamore Maple: Remove and grind damaged tree near Virginia’s tree. Remove tree near east entrance. American Elm: prune broken hazards from the tree at Brownell House.
4. Next Meeting Date – Monday, January 9, 2023
The meeting was adjourned at 10:30AM. Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Helen Woodhouse, Jason Burchard, Peg Hedstrom, Judy Melanson, Jeremy Allen, Lease Plimpton Absent: Carter Wilkie, Jenny Lee The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:35.
1. Minutes: Lease made the motion to approve the minutes of the October 3rd, 2022 meeting. Julie seconded, all in favor.
3. Old Business: a.). Blanchard Blazer Jeremy and Judy will cage ~20 young oaks with netting, anchored to the ground with landscape staples, to protect them from deer. These cages are in addition to the 12 deer guards that have already been installed.
4. New business
a.). Engaging with Town Departments (Highway, Planning & Zoning) Peg suggested that we increase communication with relevant departments and decision-makers in town hall to be more proactive and effective in our advocacy for the trees in town. She made a motion that we reach out to Tony Teixeira, Town Administrator, to learn more about how we can work better together. Sue seconded. Peg will schedule a meeting; Jeremy will join her.
b.). Tree Warden news The work that Jason proposes for the upcoming year includes: - Veterans’ Field: o Weeping Beech: Structural pruning in early spring o Fern leaf Beech: Structural pruning and reduce damage from sun scalding o Sycamore Maple: Remove and grind damaged trees - one near Virginia’s tree and a second near east entrance. Replant tree near east entrance o American Elm: prune broken hazards from the tree at Brownell House - Adamsville Ballfield: o Lindens: Remove and grind stump of dead tree Raise canopy on plantings and level trunk guards o Add bamboo stakes to Hope’s tree o Check Elm - 3-way Intersections o Snell/Long Highway: Remove lateral weight from southern branch of oak - Commons o Oaks at Brownell Library o Sycamores across from LCPD Sue made a motion to approve $6,000 from our budget for the work deemed highest priority from what was listed above. Lease seconded; all approved.
c.). Tree Spree, 12/3 We will donate a copy of The Northeast Native Plant Primer and other goodies for the tree spree.
5. Next Meeting Date – Monday, December 12, 2022 The meeting was adjourned at 10:30AM.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Lease Plimpton, Jeremy Allen, Jen Lee, Peg Hedstrom
1. The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:30AM. 1. Minutes: Jen made the motion to approve the minutes of the September 12th meeting. Julie seconded. Unanimously approved.
3. Old Business: Banner: The Committee agreed that an 8 by 2 foot banner with a one line design beginning with the tree logo was best. Lease will work with Paul’s Press to have the banner made in time for our October 22 event. Protecting the Blanchard Blazer Oaks: After discussion it was decided that the best protection for the remaining oak seedlings would be to make use of Judy M’s plastic mesh domes. These could be secured by landscape staples that would be purchased by the Tree Committee. The property would then have three types of plastic tubing and this fourth material (plastic mesh domes) to pilot for effectiveness. Trunk or Treat 10/22: Members volunteered for different roles and set up begins at 4 to 4:30 on Veterans Field. The event runs from 5:30 to 7:30.
4. New Business: The Committee brainstormed topics for discussion this winter:
a.). Peg asked that we discuss coordinating with the appropriate town departments to be made aware of tree planting opportunities.
b.). Jen asked that we continue revisiting the by-laws to update language and to guide strategic planning. As part of this discussion, many agreed that the memorial tree policy needed clarifying.
c.). We could review our website with the eye to making it more of an education / resource tool.
d.). Look at other options for purchasing trees. (Some ideas for mail order nurseries were Chief River Nursery in WI; Cold Stream Farm coldstreamfarm.net in MI). Local ideas were Prides Corner Farms in CT, Hoogendoorn and RI Nurseries.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30AM Respectfully submitted, Sue Theriault
Present: Julie McGeoch, Jason Burchard, Jenny Lee, Peg Hedstrom, Judy Melanson, Jeremy Allen, Lease Plimpton
Absent: Carter Wilkie, Sue Theriault, Helen Woodhouse
The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:35.
1. Minutes: Lease made the motion to approve the minutes of the August 9th, 2022 meeting. Julie seconded, all in favor.
3. Old Business:
a.). Newsletter The board congratulated Peg for a ‘job well done’ in creating and managing the mailing of the newsletter. Next year, Peg would like to improve the mailing list to ensure that we include summer households that may not have a PO Box or mailbox. To that end, she’s gotten an excel list from the Assessor’s office and will look to mail merge or manually add names to the list used this past year. Judy suggested reaching out to Sakonnet Preservation to see if we could leverage lists that they’ve created.
b.). Banner Lease will meet with Paul at Paul’s Press and order a 6’ x 2’ banner, with green text on a white background; one line of text or two. Peg will send all specs to Lease.
c.). Congregational Church walkway plantings Now that the walkway is done, there was strong agreement that there is not enough room for any trees between the walkway and the road.
d.). Chestnuts Jeremy spoke about two initiatives underway to bring blight-resistant American chestnuts to market, hopefully in the next 3-5 years. At the Univ. of Virginia, initial cross-breeding (American/Chinese) has been followed by back-crossing (with American chestnut to reduce percent of Chinese DNA). Carter has acquired some of these seedlings. In addition, NYU is also genetically modifying all-American chestnuts (to make them resistant to blight) and forwarded a link for us to learn more. Carter has planted 3 seedlings on his property since both genders are needed to produce chestnuts. The question of how to identify tree gender was raised. d.). Blanchard Blazer tree guards Jeremy and Judy will meet up this week to install deer guards around some of the donor and volunteer oak saplings. About 100 saplings were planted; about 50 have survived. We’ll install 12 deer guards, 3 different types.
4. New business
a.). Trunk or Treat On 10/22, 5:30 – 7:30, Trunk or Treat will take place at Veteran’s Field. There was a great deal of conversation on decorations, crafts, costumes and goodies. Jeremy will sign the Tree Committee up for the event and the conversation will continue at the next meeting.
b.). Tree Warden news The tree work that Jason is considering for the next few months includes: - Adamsville ballfield: Replacing the linden tree that was damaged during construction of the handicap road crossing. o Jason suspects they used acetone to break down the concrete wall which poisoned the tree. ▪ For next year’s newsletter, we may want to include a short article on the location of tree roots (90% of roots are in the top 12” of soil) and problems caused by solvents/acetone near tree roots - Herb Elkington Memorial Tree: Jason would like to plant a BIG tree to commemorate Herb, potentially using a tree from his nursery. Tom from Traveling Trees has agreed to help with transport/planting. Jason will provide more info on the type of tree and location. - Veterans’ Field Weeping Beech: While dormant, Jason’s guys will trim up the beech’s lateral branches to lighten the load. - Veterans’ Field Fern Leaf Beech: The guys will clean up this tree as well, addressing the trunk twist and sun scald. He’ll come back with more info and costs at the next meeting.
c.). Additional tree talk - LC Community Center: Jason reported that the LCCC plans to plant a tree between the community center and town hall, potentially where the raised beds are currently. They have funds for the planting. - Town Landing: Jason reported that the Memorial Elm at this location has been trimmed but is not suited for this location and he does not expect it to thrive. He’d recommend a cedar for this spot.
5. Next Meeting Date – Monday, October 3, 2022
The meeting was adjourned at 10:30AM. Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Jeremy Allen, Jen Lee, Peg Hedstrom, Lease Plimpton, Helen Woodhouse
The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:40AM.
1. Minutes - The 7/11/22 meeting minutes were unanimously accepted.
2 Old Business -
a.). Newsletter Draft - Peg provided the committee with a beautifully laid out draft of the newsletter and the committee spent considerable time on final edits. (The newsletter was sent to all occupants in Little Compton on 8/24.)
b.). Graphic Design Work - Peg was very happy with Joanna Detz’s graphic design work. Joanna’s bill of $200 has been sent in for payment. The logo files were used for the newsletter and are now available for the banner.
c.). Website Update - Julie and Peg are still working on a forwarding email page for our web site.
d.). Willow Avenue - Though this is Tree Warden business, Jason was informing us that he is in communication with a homeowner about silver maples planted on town property. On this stretch there is a sycamore maple that needs to come down and then three silver maples that need to be moved. He will recommend an arborist to the homeowner to complete that job.
e.). Blanchard Blazer Property - Sue toured the property with Judy and observed the reforesting work that Judy and Jeremy have done. Small oak seedlings have been planted, marked and watered throughout the summer by Judy. Sue was extremely impressed by Judy’s energy, passion and 5 gallon bucket watering system. Jeremy has tree tubes to protect the young oaks from deer damage.
3 New Business
a.). Trial plantings of American chestnuts with the American Chestnut Foundation - Several members are excited about trying to germinate and grow some of these chestnuts in pots. If successful, we can figure out a site for them to grow and mature as test trees. Carter will be asked to move forward with procuring some seed. - There was no interest in joining any organizations to do this. We would rather leave that to Carter as the project's point person. - It seems that the trees need to be about 200 feet apart in order to cross pollinate, so it was felt that the third chestnut tree that Carter offered the committee would do best near one of the other two he has already planted.
The next meeting date was set for Monday, September 12, 2022 at 9:30AM.
The meeting adjourned at about 11:30AM. Respectfully submitted, Sue Theriault, Co-Chair
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jen Prior, Peg Hedstrom, Judy Melanson, Helen Woodhouse, Jeremy Allen, Lease Plimpton
Absent: Jason Burchard, Carter Wilkie
The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:00.
1. Minutes: Sue made the motion to approve the minutes of the June 23, 2022 meeting. Julie seconded, all in favor.
3. Old Business:
a.). Banner Julie continues to look for an original copy of the logo woodblock. The goal is to digitize it, enabling us to use it both at a larger and smaller scale. On a parallel path, Sue is going to talk to a graphic designer to explore the challenge of replicating the logo. Peg requests that the logo is then translated into a vector file (.speg).
b.). Church Fair (July 9th) We sold 9 Native Plant and 5 Invasive species books, 9 trees and 10 shrubs. For the future, we noted: (1) beach plums sold out each time, (2) potential value of categorizing plants by wet/dry, (3) adding companion plants to those sold this year (e.g., bayberry and beach plum grow well together). We also talked about the value of community engagement at these plant sales. Jeremy spoke to the owner of the property across W. Main from Meehan triangle about synchronizing the mowing scheduling with the person who mows her property.
c.). Friends of LC Tree Committee We brainstormed how we can keep in touch with people who express interest in the Tree Committee. Julie and Peg will review the process of setting up contact page/forwarding email and we’ll talk more about this might mean at later meetings.
d.). Meeting at the Congregational Church Sue, Carter and Jason met with the Church Building and Grounds committee to discuss plans and plantings. The hardscaping (sidewalks and stone walls) is underway; so, no commitments were made, but initial thinking is that there may be room for 2-3 trees, potentially hybrid maples or Shademaster Honeylocusts.
e.). Newsletter draft The committee reviewed the initial draft of the newsletter. Peg will review, reorder and add pictures. Timing for mailing: late August.
4. New business None 5.
Next Meeting Date – Monday, August 8, 2022 The meeting was adjourned at 10:30AM.
Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Jen Prior, Carter Wilkie, Peg Hedstrom, Judy Melanson Absent: Helen Woodhouse, Jeremy Allen, Lease Plimpton
The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:00.
1.Minutes: Sue made the motion to approve the minutes of the May 9, 2022 meeting. Jen seconded, all in favor.
3. Old Business:
a.). Frame activity Carter and Jason have not seen germination in the frames yet, though Jason said he needs to get into his and weed it to be sure. Sue had germination of hazelnuts in plug trays, but no germination of the white oak acorns. Carter will use the tall tree pots set in a large rubbermaid and covered with hardware cloth for the next round of planting.
b.). Blossoms and Sweets (May 28th) We sold 45 trees and shrubs at the plant sale. Because the sale was so successful, Sogkonate Garden Club asked us for 25% of our revenues (instead of 50%).
c.). July 9th Church Fair We have enough tree/shrub inventory on hand for the Church Fair sale. The theme for the day will be communicating the importance and value of native plants. Carter will buy 20 copies of a Native Plant book to sell at the event. We will use Carter’s tent. Jason will get stakes/galvanized nails for the tent corners.
d.). Banner Julie will order a 6’ x 2’ banner from Paul’s Press to tie to the back of the tent. Jason will contact a graphic designer to improve our logo for printing on the banner (and on our newsletter).
e.). Meeting at the Church Sue, Jen, Carter and Jason will meet with the Church committee to discuss plans and plantings on 6/28 or 6/29 at 4 pm.
f.). Blanchard-Blazer property visit Judy, Jeremy and his son Xan met with Adam York of Sakonnet Preservation to develop a plan to begin the process of reforesting this recently logged property (due to damage from Winter Moths/Gypsy Moths). We decided to concentrate initial efforts on a barren patch on the NE part of the property (opposite Old Stone Church Orchard) where Adam is working to cut back the wisteria. We planted 25 small oaks, some from the property’s high meadow and others gathered from other spots on John Dyer. An additional 30 saplings were subsequently planted along the John Dyer stone wall. Adam and Judy will get a slate of neighbors/volunteers to water the trees. We’re hoping to use 30 – 40 Tree Committees tree tubes to protect the saplings from deer graze. Jeremy will install the tubes with a stake. SPA will pay for the installation.
g.). Newsletter draft - The committee brainstormed topics for the next newsletter, including the information Jason had previously provided on Climate Change Projections for Individual Tree Species from www.ForestAdaptation.com. Sue will write up a first draft.
4. New business None.
5.Next Meeting Date – Monday, July 11, 2022
The meeting was adjourned at 10:30AM. Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Helen Woodhouse, Lease Plimpton, Jason Burchard, Jeremy Allen, Peg Hedstrom, Judy Melanson The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:30AM.
1. Minutes: The minutes of the April 11, 2022 meeting were unanimously approved with one change: the magnolia planted at the Brownell House is a Magnolia acuminata, Yellow Bird.
3. Old Business:
a.). Care and watering of new tree plantings -
Meehan Triangle: More soil will be added to the three swamp white oaks recently planted. Jason would usually water in a new tree planting but with recent rain - and since they are planted in a swamp - no additional watering at present is necessary. -
Brownell House: Ian will water the magnolia planted at the Brownell House.
b.). Update on tree work and other activities since our last meeting
Done:
- Codominant Ash on the Ponderosa: Jason and team have strapped and pruned the ash to prevent further splitting.
- Meehan Triangle: Jason and team planted three swamp white oaks at staked locations.
- Brownell House: Jason planted the Magnolia Yellow Bird at the Brownell.
To do: - Tree Spree: Jason will buy and deliver an Eastern White Pine (max 10-15 gallon) to the winner of the LC Christmas Tree Spree raffle.
- Elm work at the Brownell House: Jason and team will trim and treat (for Dutch Elm) the American Elm at the south of the Brownell House.
c.). May 7th Tree Sale Debrief - Successful day: We sold 44 trees, 21 shrubs and 6 Guide to Invasive Plant books. - Good publicity for the tree committee. Many people stopped by to see our selection and learn more about the native trees and shrubs we had for sale. Two people offered to help with clearing invasives or future planting; Helen will send an email thanking them for their interest. - Potential future needs: Given we exhibit at 4 events each year, we discussed whether to buy a banner, tent and tablecloth to improve our display. Julie, Helen and Jeremy will gather information so we can make a decision at the next meeting.
d.). Plan for Blossoms and Sweets on May 28 at Wilburs, 7:30 – 12 - Inventory: We have 56 trees and shrubs on hand for the event. - Coverage: Most of us are planning to attend.
e.). Arbor Day with 6th graders at Wilbur-McMahon - Strong engagement: Jeremy, Jason and Sue felt that kids were engaged in the conversation, and have already received thank you letters from some students.
4. New Business
a.). Brainstorm articles for the annual August newsletter - Sue encouraged us to think about articles, reminding us that they need to be ready by July for printing/mailing in August. Peg suggested we provide an ‘annual report’ of our activities. - Jason shared an article on “Climate Change Projections for Individual Tree Species.” Helen suggested that we summarize the information in the newsletter, and provide a link to the full article on the website.
b.). Long Highway-Pottersville Triangle: - Judy asked whether we could replace a swamp maple that had been hit by a car 2 months ago. Jason and Sue will take a look to decide what might be successful and whether other protection may be necessary. - Lease suggested that we also look at the condition of trees on other traffic triangles in town.
The next meeting was set for Monday, June 13th at 9:30AM.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30AM. Respectfully submitted, Judy Melanson
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Helen Woodhouse, Lease Plimpton, Jason Burchard, Jeremy Allen, Jen Lee, Peg Hedstrom, Judy Melanson.
The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:30AM.
1. Minutes: The minutes of the March 21, 2022 were unanimously approved.
3. Old Business:
a.). New Tree Plantings: On Saturday, April 16th, the memorial magnolia ‘butterflies’ will be planted at the Brownell House. Jason will leave a ring and Ian of the Brownell House will keep the new tree watered. Following that planting, Jason will send his crew to the Meehan Triangle to plant the three swamp white oaks in staked locations. Julie has offered cages for deer protection.
b.). Congregational Church: Tara Bradley is organizing a meeting between the church’s Garden Committee and the Tree Committee (members Carter, Sue, Jason and Jen) so look for her email. A ‘shade master’ honey locust was suggested as a possible tree, but members expressed concern about the narrow area between the walkway and the road.
c.). Tree inventory for coming events: Arbor Day with the 6th graders is scheduled for the afternoon of Tuesday, April 26th at the Oasis Garden. Sue will obtain a 3 to 5 gallon tupelo for the demonstration planting, and elderberries as the smaller option for students since witch hazel was not available. Black cherry will be the tree offering that day and Sue has obtained these. Sue continues to obtain trees from Sylvans for this years events and so far has obtained white oak, black cherry, hazelnut and beach plums. Since tupelo and Atlantic white cedar were not available in one gallon pots, these tree offerings will be replaced by red maple and elderberry.
d.). Sakonnet Gardens Sale, May 7th, 9:30 to 3:30: Jeremy will spend the day at the sale and also volunteering that day are Julie, Judy and Peg. Judy has Square for credit card donations and Sue will provide a cash box as well a table, chairs and canopy. After much discussion it was decided to suggest a donation of $10.00 per tree (most wholesale for $10.50) since we are advertising the event as a tree “Give Away”. Invasive guides will sell for $5.00 and the new Tree Planting Guide will be available for free.
e.). Blossoms and Sweets Sale, May 28, 7:30AM to Noon: The Sogkonate Garden Club has approved our table with a 50% revenue share. Set up begins at 6:30 AM. Additional logistics will be discussed at our next meeting.
f.). Publicity: Tree Give Away date cards have been placed at Wilburs, the library, Peckham’s, Grays and Simmons. Jason will put some cards at The Art Cafe Peg at the Bay Coast Bank ATM, and Sue at A-1 Pizza.
4. New Business:
a.). Codominant ash tree at the Ponderosa: Jason has strapped a 70 year old ash at the Ponderosa that is splitting. He explained that the cost to remove the tree is similar to the cost to try and save it. Saving it involves sticking rods into the trunk of the tree to squeeze it together and then climbing into the tree to prune it for weight reduction. (Climbing is necessary because the ground is too wet for heavy equipment.) Jason thought this ash could possibly last another 40 years. The committee unanimously approved $1,200 to save the ash, but will see if the SPA will fund half since the tree is on their property. An idea for the annual newsletter emerged about educating the public in pruning trees early (their first 20 years) to avoid a codominant growth habit as this ash is a great example of a deleterious result.
b.). Corner of John Dyer and Colebrook: Judy, a member of the SPA board, mentioned the Blanchard-Blazer property for possible collaboration. Significant oak loss from the winter moth has occurred and there is interest in reforestation. A forester and the NRCS are involved. Judy will let the SPA know that we are willing to do a walk through to see if we can be of help - experimenting with our different tree guards to preserve emerging seedlings was an idea.
c.). Lease recommended the book The Treeline - the Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth by Ben Rawlence since she is really enjoying the writing reminiscent of Annie Dillard. 5. Next Meeting and Adjournment: The next meeting was set for Monday, May 9th at 9:30AM.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:40AM.
Respectfully submitted, Sue Theriault, Co-Chair
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Jeremy Allen, Jen Lee, Peg Hedstrom and guest Judy Melanson The meeting began at Julie’s house at 9:40AM.
1. Introductions: Guest Judy Melanson has lived in town for 30 years, ihas recently retired, is a Sakonnet Preservation Association board member, and is interested in The Tree Committee. She helped remove invasive plants from the Meehan Triangle on our February 22 work morning.
2. Approval of Minutes: Jen moved the the minutes of the 2/14/22 meeting be approved. Peg seconded. Unanimously approved.
3. Budget not included
4. Old Business:
a.). The planting guide is at Paul’s Press and will be picked up this week. The tree distribution date card was handed out to members but Sue still needs to confirm our attendance at the Blossom and Sweets sale before distributing to the public.
b.). Carter has received three different tree guards. Jeremy will experiment with them to see if his bamboo stakes work to keep them in place.
c.). We now have a wholesale account at Sylvan’s nursery and at Peckham’s Greenhouse.
d.). Jeremy reported that the February 22 work day at the Meehan Triangle was a success. The next step is to stake the locations for the three swamp white oaks so Jason can plant them.
5. New Business:
a.). Sue worded a motion to pay $1,765 to Sakonnet Tree for the site work done at the Brownell House to the right of the driveway. (Mugwort and privet were removed and many yards of loam were trucked in.). Jen moved it, Jeremy seconded and it was unanimously approved. The memorial magnolia will be planted there this spring.
b.). The Congregational Church has requested three new trees as part of a garden project being conceived for the north lawn. The church would like the three trees to run along Willow (opposite The Commons Lunch) to frame and shade the second floor parish windows and to replace trees recently removed. The Committee reviewed the plot map and discussed the limitations of the site - power lines and the narrow planting space between the church foundation, proposed walkway and the roadway. The Committee brainstormed trees that would grow up rather than out: hornbeams, thornless honey locust, European columnar beech, American beech (pruned to grow up and then out) to name a few. The Committee consensus was to ponder the type of tree that would best fit the space and to meet with the church garden committee to better understand their overall plan and motivations. Sue will reach out to the church to schedule a meeting.
c.). The Committee decided that this year the 6th graders would receive tupelo or witch hazel for Arbor Day. Sue will reach out to the school to set a date.
d.). Peg shared that the LC Garden Club is having a flower show in the Fall 2023 and that members have received acorns to grow and display at the show - the club has embraced the importance of oaks.
6. The meeting was adjourned at 11:15 AM and the next meeting was set for Monday, April 11, 2022 at 9:30AM
Respectfully submitted, Sue Theriault Co-Chair
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Lease Plimpton, Helen Woodhouse, Jason Burchard, Jeremy Allen, Carter Wilke and Jen Lee The meeting began on Zoom at 9:30AM
1. Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the 1/10/22 meeting were unanimously approved.
2. Old Business:
a.). Tree planting and care brochure - Upon Peg’s return, she will work with Jen and Julie to take the approved text and turn it into a brochure with graphics so it can be printed and ready for Arbor Day 2022.
b.). Card with tree sale dates - 250 of the cards have been printed by Paul’s Press at a cost of $62 and are ready for distribution.
c.). Tree protection: After discussion a decision was made to order the smallest samples available of three different tree guards so the Committee could decide in a hands-on way which was best. Two types are from AM Leonard and one from Plantra. Carter agreed to handle placement of the orders.
d.). Tree purchases: Sue and Jason will look into opening a LCTC account at Sylvan’s Nursery and Jen will investigate opening one with Peckham’s. After much discussion it was decided that an order should be placed now (once accounts are opened) for the upcoming event season. The committee unanimously approved a budget of $3,000 for such purchases. The trees targeted for purchase are: white oak, black tupelos, black cherry, Atlantic white cedar, hazelnut and beach plum.
e.). Work List: Jason reported that he cleared the area to the right of the Brownell House in anticipation of the planting of a memorial tree there this spring. In addition to clearing the area of privets and other invasive plants he changed the pitch so it will drain well . He also plans on amending the soil with some 50-50 once weather permits. Jason also reported that pruning work in Angela’s Garden has been scheduled.
3. New Business - Awareness was raised about Asian jumping worms and the need to prevent their spread. The meeting was adjourned at 11:20AM.
The next meeting will be at 9.30am May 9th 2022.
Respectfully submitted, Sue Theriault Co-Chair
Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Lease Plimpton, Helen Woodhouse, Jason Burchard, Jeremy Allen, Carter Wilke, Jen Lee and Peg Hedstrom.
Approval of Minutes: Jen moved that the 12/13/21 minutes be approved as written. Lease seconded. Unanimously approved.
Old Business:
a.). Informational hand-out for tree recipients: Jen, Jeremy and Jason have all reviewed the draft of new tree planting and care instructions. (Jen will add Jason’s comment about watering consecutively through Thanksgiving for spring plantings since newly planted trees are stressed and need the additional help.) Jen will then work with Peg and Julie to add images and graphics to make the handout inviting and user friendly.
b.). Informational card with tree give-away dates: Jen has volunteered to prepare the text and use avery.com to produce a 4 by 6 card with our four anticipated dates. Sue will follow up with Jen. c.). Tree protection and tree sources: Carter volunteered to follow up on sources and cost of plastic tree tubes and 1/4 inch hardware clothe rolls to protect seedlings from deer and rodents so these could be offered to recipients of seedlings. In terms of trees, the relative merits of buying gallon pots locally from nurseries (like Sylvans) or bare root trees and shrubs from mail order companies (like Cold Stream Farm in Michigan) was discussed.
c.). Prioritized work list: The list was reviewed and is being entered into a spreadsheet by Julie. Sue mentioned adding removal and replacement of the evergreen at the front of the school. Jeremy mentioned the trees that are between the cemetery wall and the road by the nursery school. Jason said that Union Cemetery might be interested in new tree plantings.
d.). Free the Trees Volunteer Days at the Meehan Triangle: The SPA, owners of the Meehan Triangle, have approved the volunteers days and will provide the liability insurance necessary. Three volunteer mornings are anticipated, with two happening the week of February 21, and one on a weekend in early March. Jeremy is in contact with Tiverton HS and the boy scouts and Sue is in contact with Portsmouth HS.
e.). Tree Spree Winner: A Little Compton household is the winner of the 10 to 15 gallon eastern white pine tree. Julie has contacted the winner and has communicated an April delivery. Jason will obtain the tree.
f.). Assisted migration article discussion: The discussion continued from our last meeting about sprinkling in plantings (like Franklinia and pecan trees) that are a tad south of our range to assist migration of species. Our warming weather is perpetuating tree harming fungi and disease that would normally be killed off. Jason has seen leaf drop and other fungal diseases with all fruit trees, serviceberry, native hollies, blue spruce and firs and in American beech both bark and leaf disease - problems not seen 20 years ago. Trees that are holding their own: red maple, oaks, tupelo and tulip trees. Atlantic white cedar was mentioned by Jeremy as a tree to plant because we are end the northern end of its range.
New Business Helen Woodhouse announced that she is leaving the Planning Board after 16 years, but would like to continue on the Tree Committee. She believes the new representative will be Ginny Greenwood.
The next meeting date is Monday, 2/14/22 at 9:30AM.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:20AM. Respectfully submitted, Sue Theriault
LCTC December 13th 8, 2021 Meeting Minutes. Present: Jeremy Allen, Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Lease Plimpton,
1. Approval of 11/8/21 minutes
2. Julie announced that Jacqueline Durfee won the Tree Spree and LCTC will plant her Eastern White Pine in April 2022.
3. Old Business Follow up on ideas that emerged from review of our objectives: a.). Review content of Jen Prior's draft of an informational sheet to be handed out to tree recipients. Discuss next steps in format and production. b.). Begin to form a prioritized work list containing new planting opportunities, visible sites and trees ranked by need of care. (Carter) Follow up on an idea from the fall: c.). Mobilizing youth (Tiverton and Portsmouth High?) students to remove some of the invasives from the northeastern tree/shrub bed at the Meehan Triangle over their February 2022 break. (Jeremy).
4. New Business 5. Next Meeting Date and Adjournment
The next LCTC meeting will be by zoom due to a rise in COVID cases on Monday January 10th 2022.
LCTC November 8, 2021 Meeting Minutes Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Lease Plimpton, Helen Woodhouse, Jason Burchard and guests Peg Hedstrom and Jen Prior
The meeting began at 9:30AM at Julie’s home.
1. Welcome: The Committee welcomed Jen Prior and thanked her for her interest in trees. Jen has a degree in botany as well as a graduate degree in geography/environmental conservation. Jen works at Peckham’s Greenhouse and has an herbal apothecary business.
The Committee also welcomed back Peg Hedstrom.
2. Old Business Follow Up a.). Julie communicated to the LC Garden Club our approval of $250 to split the cost of pruning the small leaf linden and the eastern redbud in Angela’s garden at the school. b.). Jason was asked about the severity of galls or burls caused by a tree’s reaction to viruses or insects. Many were seen on cherry trees on a recent home visit. He said that cherries are prone to them and that they shouldn’t harm the tree.
3. New Business a.). Tree Warden Report: Jason noted that around town trees with pancake roots, like the Leyland Cypress, have been falling over. He also noted that the standard age for oaks around town is about 80 years and he is seeing some basal rot in the red oaks. Jason also reported that he pruned the tupelo at the Meehan Triangle (per the request of the SPA) that had a co-dominant leader torn away, leaving the remaining leader weakened. b.). Tree Spree (on-line): It was decided that this year we would donate a 10 to 15 gallon Eastern white pine to be delivered to the winner in the spring. The LCTC would provide planting and care instructions as well as siting advice, while the winner would be responsible for planting.
4. Review of 7 Objectives: Sue distributed a copy of the Google Doc that was created at the last meeting. Over the month, Julie, Sue and Carter added their ideas for a.) things we currently do to meet this objective and b.). ideas for further meeting this objective. Members are encouraged to continue contributing to the document as this discussion will span several meetings. This process will help us to target our resources. The conversation at first focused on education (objectives 6 and 7) and the content we would like to communicate to the public. Here is an outline that emerged:
a.). A description of Little Compton’s unique growing environment from the ground (ledge and clay) up (high winds and rain - drought) etc.
b.). The types of trees that do well in Little Compton as well as important tree features (like no co-dominant stems)
c.). The proper placement of a tree - considering power lines, roads and driveways, distance from houses etc.
d.). The correct way to plant a tree
e.). Tree care during the critical first 10 years of a tree’s life (including asking for advice early if things aren’t going well!)
We talked about having an informational sheet to hand out to tree recipients that shows the best way to plant (Jason can be the resource for this) and care for a tree. Jen Prior volunteered to prepare an outline of tree care for year one after planting.
The conversation then turned to objective 1 and the maintenance of trees on state, town and other public property.
The Committee liked Carter’s written comment about having a prioritized list of visible sites and trees ranked by need of care (including trimming for safety). (Jason had mentioned earlier in the meeting his desire to remove some of the trees growing near the sides of the road that are now growing at an angle to reach the sun - a safety hazard - rather than straight up and down.). A brainstorm of visible sites: Commons, Adamsville center, West Main, Swamp and Colebrook Road. It was decided that we would continue our discussion of objective 1 at our December meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 11:30AM. The next LCTC meeting was set for Monday, December 13th at 9:30.
Respectfully submitted, Sue Theriault
LCTC October 18, 2021 Meeting Minutes Members Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Lease Plimpton, Jeremy Allen, Jason Burchard, Helen Woodhouse and guest Peg Hedstrom The meeting began at 9:30AM in Julie’s house.
1. Welcome: Guest Peg Hedstrom was welcomed to the meeting. She is a member of the Little Compton Garden Club and has experience with computers, fundraising and an interest in the Tree Committee’s work. Another volunteer, Jenny Prior, has also expressed interest in helping with Tree Committee projects.
2. Old Business:
A.). Brownell House - A magnolia ‘yellow bird’ has been acquired for Pat Pond and the tree is ‘heeled in’ at Jason’s house where it will overwinter before a spring planting. Jason has some pruning (ash) and removal work (black locust) to do for the Brownell House and will begin site preparations for the memorial tree soon. Pat Pond has donated funds for the site preparations and planting.
B.). Meehan Triangle - Three swamp white oaks have been purchased and are heeled in at Jason’s for overwintering before the spring planting.
C.). Seedling Frames - Jason has a reinforced seedling frame filled with dirt and it is ready to be planted. Sue received white oak and hickory nuts from Carter and will bring these over to Jason’s this week for planting.
D.). Other Items - Jason reported that he has not noticed any new invasive plants or pests around town, but that groups of arborvitae are dying. He will be doing some testing to try and discover the cause. Jason also has fully removed and ground the stump of the tree that fell at the LCCC and said that there would be no replanting until next season. Jason mentioned the stump in the school play ground area that was in need of grinding and Jeremy reached out to the Rec Committee via email and got it put onto their agenda.
3. New Business -
A.). Property Walk Request - Julie received a request from James Bradley of Adamsville for a visit by the Tree Committee to walk and talk about the trees on his property. Jeremy thought that this activity was one of the most important things that we do as a committee. Julie will contact Mr. Bradley to obtain two possible meeting dates for an 8:00AM walk. She will then send out an email to see which committee members are available to attend.
B.). LCGC Request - The Tree Committee agreed to pay half ($250) of the total cost ($500) to prune a small leaf linden and an eastern redbud that are near a memorial garden maintained by the LCGC at the school.
C.). Opening Accounts with Nurseries - Sue and Lewis will meet with Carol Wordell to explore the feasibility of opening an account with a nursery like Peckham’s to make the payment and reimbursement process less cumbersome.
D.). Goal Setting - Sue introduced the idea of a brainstorming session to review the 7 objectives listed in the Tree Committee by-laws to set some goals for the year(s) to come. After much discussion, which included the possibility of working with other land trust groups, revamping the web site, and prioritizing ways to spend donations, it was decided to dedicate the next meeting to this work. A Google Doc, which includes the 7 objectives, will be circulated to members so they can add their thoughts about A.) ways we have met these objectives and B.) new ideas for meeting these objectives.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:30AM.
The next meeting date was set for Monday, November 8th at 4pm. Respectfully submitted, Sue Theriault
LCTC September 13, 2021 Meeting Minutes Members Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Lease Plimpton, Helen Woodhouse, Jeremy Allen and Jason Burchard
The meeting began at 9:30AM on Julie’s deck.
1. Old Business:
A.). Newsletter Debrief - It was verified that the newsletter was mailed to everyone in town, including Adamsville. Sue reported that she has filled requests for 21 invasive plant guides and that a few people have expressed interest in the committee. She was encouraged to invite them to our next meeting.
B.). Church Fair Debrief - The fair was a success as 16 small shrubs of elderberry and winterberry, 22 oak seedlings, 30 white oak acorns and about 10 invasive plant guides went out to the public raising $400 (less the $150 cost for the space). Jeremy’s live samples of the orange-rooted bittersweet and porcelain berry and Julie’s picture of an oak tap root led to good conversations with the public, as well as a follow up house call to identify trees growing on a private property.
C.). Brownell House - The trees on the Brownell House property experienced considerable damage during the latest storm. A few of the ashes had large breaks that took out a small hickory. There is further work to be done on the ashes as well as the removal of a black locust. Much of the damage occurred in the area where a memorial tree planting is planned. Jason is going to provide estimates of the work that needs to occur on the property so a spring planting of the memorial tree can occur. He will also watch the Sylvan’s inventory to see if a suitable magnolia ‘Elizabeth’ comes in.
D.). Meehan Triangle - Jeremy has cut a walking path on the property so the SPA can conduct an inventory of the plants growing there. During the path cutting, a swamp white oak (previously thought to be a tupelo from a distance) was discovered growing by a group of tupelos. Jason will watch Sylvans to see if there are any suitable swamp white oaks for the anticipated spring planting of three. Spring is the better time given the strong winter winds experienced there.
E.). Seedling Frames - Sue reported that her husband has improved one of the two seedling frames so that it is ready for dirt and acorns. Jason will pick up the frame from Sue and place it in a sunny spot on his property. Carter has agreed to collect white oak acorns and other nuts for planting late fall. Note: Acorns of white oaks mature in September and October and will be mottled yellow to light brown in color when mature. Acorns that drop earlier, like in August, are often not ripe and are being aborted by the tree because of lack of vitality or damage by acorn weevils. - from Cultivation Notes by Hope Leeson
F). Linden verticillium wilt treatment - Jason reported that we won’t know until spring if the treatment has been successful. He explained that one linden at the Adamsville ball field has been treated and he speculates that the disease might be the result of work done about 4 feet from the tree in connection with adding a walkway since the wilt was noticed about 6 to 7 months later.
G.). School Property - The school lost a black locust tree during the last storm and there may be interest in replacing it within another tree. There is still interest in replacing the fir tree outside the school office. The meeting was adjourned at 11:30AM. The next meeting was set for the third Monday in October (the 18th) because of Columbus Day.
Respectfully submitted, Sue Theriault
Members Present: Jeremy Allen, Jason Burchard,Julie McGeoch, Lease Plimpton, Carter Wilkie, Helen Woodhouse
Members discussed the plans for LCTC at the August 7th United Congregational Church Fair, specifically the trees that would be donated to the public.
The LCTC annaul flier to raise funds was also going out to the public within days.
Respectfully submitted Julie E M McGeoch
Members Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Lease Plimpton, Helen Woodhouse and Jason Burchard
1. Approval of Minutes: The meeting began at 9:40AM on Julie McGeoch’s deck. The minutes of the May 10, 2021 meeting were unanimously approved.
2. Budget Update: The balance is $10,656 and no bills are outstanding.
3. Old Business: a.). Pat Pond’s Memorial Tree Request - Jason quoted $150 to clear and prep the site for planting the ‘Elizabeth’ magnolia. Sue followed up with Broken Arrow and Weston Nurseries and Jason with Sylvan’s and Peckham’s but no acceptable trees are in stock. Jason said ideally the tree should be 9’ to 12’ tall and Sue confirmed that this size is compatible with Pat’s budget. Since an ‘Elizabeth’ may not be found until the fall, the Committee instructed Jason to prep the site for planting to maintain momentum. (Lease, Sue and Jason visited the Brownell House site after the meeting and confirmed that no trees need removing except privet, but some trees should be pruned to remove dead wood.) b.). Walking the Meehan Triangle with the SPA Stewardship Committee - Sue and Jeremy (and possibly Lewis) will represent the LCTC in a walk with two members of the SPA to exchange ideas about planting three white swamp oaks and the overall plan for the area. Sue will email the parties to arrange a date and time. c.). August 7th 2021 Church Fair Table - Cater has reserved a table for the Tree Committee at the fair. Members questioned its location and whether it was underneath a tent. It was decided that the oak seedlings that the Committee has been growing should be distributed at that time along with protective wire which Jason can provide. Members are to email Sue with the number of seedlings that they can provide that day. Jason thought it would be good to sell some LCTC gear, like hats or travel coffee mugs. Lease said she would investigate and follow up on that idea.
4. New Business: a.). Possible verticillium wilt - Jason reported that one linden in the Adamsville ball field did not bloom at all and wanted to be sure the cause is not an incurable root pathogen that could spread to other trees. He requested $50 to send a root sample to a lab for testing. The Committee unanimously approved his request. The test results should take about two weeks. b.). School Property - Jason is following up on the replacement of the evergreen outside the front office by first talking to the building inspector about what might lie underground in the planting area. The Committee will touch base with Jeremy about the memorial family’s feelings on the replacement. The Committee asked Jason to keep an eye on the crab apple trees and to begin watering if necessary. c.). Memorial Tree Planting in Wilbour Woods - One of Jason’s employees has funded the purchase of a swamp red oak in memory of his father. Jason is going to speak to Town Council member Paul Golembeske about this. The proposed site is near the east bridge in a frequently flooded area. d.). Annual Newsletter Appeal - Sue will bring a draft of text for the newsletter for review and discussion to the next meeting. Possible article ideas are the two tree sapling frames constructed by Xan Allen, the oak/hickory germination project, the two island trees pruned by Jason last fall, Arbor Day at the school, our Church Fair table and distribution of the invasive plant guide. Any other ideas, please email to Sue so they can be included in the draft. e.). Tree Measuring Devices - The Committee owns one device that measures tree height but requires a measurement of your distance from the tree. Sue has possession of it if anyone needs it. There was discussion of buying a laser device that did not require a measurement of the distance from the tree, but no decision was made. 5. The next meeting date was tentatively set for Monday, July 19th at 4pm. The meeting was adjourned at 11:30AM.
Respectfully submitted, Sue Theriault
Members Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Helen Woodhouse, Lease Plimpton and Jeremy Allen
1. Approval of Minutes: The meeting began on Zoom at 9:44AM. Julie moved that the 4/12/21 meeting minutes be approved. Helen seconded. Unanimously approved.
2. Old Business: a.). Pat Pond’s Memorial Tree Request - After discussion it was decided that the yellow magnolia ‘Elizabeth’ would be the best choice for the site. This tree was one of the recommendations made by Mikel Folcarelli since it matches the yellow color of the Brownell House and coincides with previous discussions had between Lease Plimpton and Pat Pond. Various sizes are available at Sylvan’s. Sue will follow up with Pat Pond to obtain his tree budget so a size can be chosen and with Jason for a quote on site prep and installation which will be paid for by the Tree Committee.
b.). Two Additional Swamp White Oaks at the Meehan Triangle - Sue moved that two additional swamp white oaks in the 7 to 10 gallon range be purchased for the Meehan Triangle at the request of the SPA’s Stewardship Committee. Julie seconded. Unanimously approved. A date of Friday, May 14th at 10:00 was set to walk the site to determine optimal planting locations.
c.). Church Fair Tree Give-Away August 7th 2020 - The Committee discussed promotion of the tree give-away. Jeremy suggested being part of the Church Fair promotions and communications and that Lewis and Carter could be helpful connections in making that happen. The Tree Committee Newsletter usually goes out in July and could be used to generate interest as well. Jeremy said he would look into Sylvan’s lead time for reserving plants for the give-away and that a budget needs to be determined. The event could also be a chance for adult education if we staff our table with Committee members who can provide planting advice and answer questions.
3. New Business: a.). School Property - The fir tree that is growing outside the school entry office window and encroaches on the sidewalk has been targeted for removal. It is a memorial tree and Jeremy will follow up on a conversation with the family about removal, replacement and rededication of the tree. The tree is in decline and a new tree could be planted more in the center space between the sidewalk and school window. The Committee is in support of pursuing this. b.). Proposed removal and replanting of a tree on the Commons - tabled until next meeting. c.). Adult education program this fall/winter - tabled until next meeting.
4. The next meeting date was set for Monday June 14, 2021 at 9:30AM on Julie’s porch. The meeting was adjourned at 10:45AM.
Respectfully submitted, Sue Theriault
Members Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jeremy Allen, Carter Wilke and Helen Woodhous. Lease Plimpton sent her apologies for absence.
1. Approval of Minutes: The meeting began on Zoom at 9:36 AM. Jeremy corrected the minutes saying that the word “top” should be changed to “bottom” when referring to the screens in need of additional support on the frames that Xan built. Helen moved that the minutes be approved as amended. Julie seconded. Unanimously approved.
2. Memorial Tree Requests: a.). Pat Pond will visit Julie’s house in May to see her magnolia in bloom. The sited area for the magnolia at the Brownell House will be walked to review the conditions and competing vegetation. Pat will be sponsoring the tree. b.) Sue will visit Jean Sunny to see if she has a spot in her yard for a memorial tree. c.) John Manchester wants to plant a tree (Acer rubrum) in honor of Virginia Peckham. Manchester has one he is willing to donate from his farm and Jason is reviewing the offerings. Cindy Sheldon would also like to contribute to the tree (maybe its installation?). The tree would replace a swamp maple previously lost by the Veteran’s field parking lot. The new tree would be planted in a different location - between the parking lot and the tennis courts per Mr. Mac’s request. d.). Julie asked Jason to follow up on the planting of a 2 gallon, 4 foot red maple at the home of the Tree Spree winner and will forward Jason the winner’s contact information.
3. $100 Offer to Sponsor the Planting of a Tree on the Meehan Triangle: The Committee approved and thanked Tara Bradley and Carol Beach for their generous donation to sponsor the swamp white oak at the Meehan Triangle. Jason will look for a 7 to 10 gallon specimen and the Committee will supplement the cost if needed. SPA volunteers will plant the tree themselves.
4. Tree Warden Update: Jason reported that he sees a trend in homeowners “topping” their trees to reduce height as people want to see over their trees, but not through to their neighbors. Though the tree looks fine for the first year or two, said Jason, the practice leads to vigorous, poor quality, sucker growth. Jeremy mentioned using shrubs and understory trees as screens and Jason said he had a good list from National Grid for plantings under power lines that he would email us. This lead to a discussion about the need for education and the proper choice of a tree for a site. Carter said that the Committee might plan a talk about tree tips and maintenance to “scale our impact” and suggested it be put on next month’s agenda.
5. Arbor Day Plans: Grade 6 - Sue reported that we are scheduled to visit the school on Friday, April 30th from 9 to 10 for an outside lesson. (Any committee member wanting to participate should have a background check on file with the school.) The grade 6 teachers are preparing a student-generated list of tree questions that can be used to shape the lesson. Review of the student’s two plant choices (yellow birch and serviceberry) as well as a how - to demonstration on planting could also be part of the program. Jeremy has already obtained the plants from Sylvans.
6. Tree Give-Away: After much discussion, it was decided that the program would be announced on Arbor Day with a letter to The Sakonnet Times’ editor written by Carter, and that the plants would be made available for pickup at the Church Fair scheduled for August 7, 2021. Participants could pre-order their plant through the LCTC web site. The list of tree offerings is: white oak (maybe seedlings are ready?), tupelo (black gum), sweet gum, tulip, willow (black), and yellow birch. The list of understory trees/shrubs is: serviceberry, witch hazel, chokeberry, viburnum dentatum ‘Chicago luster’. Jeremy will check the list to be sure smaller size pots of these plants are available from Sylvans and then send the list to Julie and Carter. Julie will list the plants on the website with pictures and Carter will list the offered plants in his letter to the editor.
7. Other Business: Carter has been in touch with Tara Bradley, who is concerned about the impact on tree health from the compaction of soil that has occurred during the renovation of the Congregational Church. Jason agreed to look into an aeration treatment for the impacted trees.
8. The next meeting was scheduled for Monday, May 10th at 9:30AM. The meeting was adjourned at 10:45AM.
Respectfully submitted, Sue Theriault Co-Chair
Members Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Lease Plimpton, Jeremy Allen, Carter Wilke and Helen Woodhouse
1. Approval of Minutes: The meeting began on Zoom at 9:36AM. Julie moved to approve the minutes of the 2/8/21 meeting. Lease seconded. Unanimously approved.
2. Memorial Tree Request Update: Lease reported that Pat Pond is fine with the choice of a Magnolia virginiana and is looking forward to viewing Julie’s tree of the same species when it blooms in April. Lease said that the plan is to have Mikel Folcarelli look at the planting spot. Jeremy added that a privet hedge which exists on the site will shelter the new tree from wind damage.
3. Tree Warden Update: Jeremy said he would touch base with Jason to get an update on any winter tree work that has occurred.
4. Arbor Day (April 30, 2021): Possible Tree Give-Away: Jeremy said that he would send the Committee a link that describes a program the Newport Tree Committee is doing to give away trees (includes a plant list) and to provide guidance after the planting. He added that watering bags can be purchased as well for care after planting. Carter liked the idea of a short list of trees and understory shrubs that people could choose from. He agreed with the list from the prior meeting: tulip poplar, tupelo (black gum), and maybe sweet gum, magnolia, white pine and holly. (Oaks are not on the list because saplings will be given away through a separate program). Both he and Jeremy agreed with the understory list: serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis), chokeberry, witch hazel, swamp azalea and maybe fothergilla. Sue mentioned that the Give-Away program was advertised in The Sakonnet Times and applications are left at the Town Hall and Library, but that an electronic approach might encourage more participants. Jeremy volunteered to make a LCTC Facebook page and to link it to the LCTC web site. Carter added that we should set a budget for the amount of money we want to spend on this program. Grade 6: The Committee decided to give the 6th graders a choice of yellow birch and serviceberry this year. Sue will check with the school to see how Covid will impact this year’s program.
5. Saplings: Presently there is a frame in Carter Wilke’s yard (built by Xan Allen). Carter is waiting for the ground to soften so he can fill the frame with dirt and then do a spring planting of nuts. Carter reported that the top screen could not support the weight of the heavy snow and that 1/4 inch mesh or some kind of bracing would help. Jeremy also has access to hoops that could act as support and lift the screen/mesh once sprouts break ground. Jeremy also has a frame in his yard which is being finished (sharp edges smoothed - sharp wire encased) so it is safe for school children.
6. Other: Carter said that David Palumb of the SPA reached out to him to request a swamp white oak for the Meehan Triangle property on West Main Road by Taylor’s Lane. Jeremy supported the choice of a swamp white oak and said her preferred a 7 or 10 gallon tree over a larger one in burlap. He said the smaller trees were less likely to blow over and experience less shock so they begin growing sooner. Carter moved that the LCTC buy the SPA a 7 to 10 gallon swamp white oak. Jeremy Allen seconded. Unanimously approved. 7. Adjournment:
The next meeting date was set for April 12th at 9:30AM.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:35AM. Respectfully submitted, Sue Theriault Co-Chair
Members Present: Jeremy Allen, Julie McGeoch, Lease Plimpton, Sue Theriaul and Helen Woodhouse.
1. Approval of Minutes: The meeting began on Zoom at 9:30AM. Lease moved to approve the minutes of the 1/11/21 meeting. Jeremy seconded. Unanimously approved.
2. Memorial Tree Request for Barbara Pond from her husband, Pat: Lease said that Barbara had always been a wonderful supporter of the Brownell House and thought the north end of the property would be a good location for some type of magnolia. Jeremy proposed a Magnolia virginiana since it is native to the area, hardy, and can tolerate hot weather. Lease will talk to Mikel Folcarelli and then Pat Pond to obtain their feedback.
3. Possible Spring 2021 Tree Give-Away: The Committee discussed whether it made sense to give more mature trees away to homeowners or to focus only on the saplings being germinated. Jeremy thought both were a good idea but that there will be an attrition rate among the saplings - not all will make it. And offering a tree that is 6 feet tall is out of deer browsing height. The Committee talked about offering a list of suggested native trees and smaller understory trees for homeowners with less space. Of the larger trees the list included oak, tulip poplar, tupelo, magnolia, holly and white pine. (Black pine was brought up as an interesting restoration project.) Of the smaller understory trees the list included serviceberry, witch hazel, chokeberry ad swamp azalea. Jeremy noted that the red swamp maples are struggling right now (winter moths?) and questioned whether they should be included on the list. Members will continue to think of possible trees to include and discussion of the program will continue at the next meeting.
4. Invasive Plant Guide: Sue reported that the guide has been given to Peckham’s Greenhouse, Wilburs and Partners to sell. Sue will provide Lease with copies to bring to the library. Lease suggested the Groundswell Garden Store at Tiverton Four Corners and the Art Cafe as two additional outlets. Sue will follow up with those. Jeremy mentioned the conservation hut at Goosewing Beach as another possible site once it opens for the season.
5. Adjournment and Next Meeting: The next meeting was scheduled for the second Monday in March on the 8th at 9:30AM. The meeting was adjourned at 10:30AM. Respectfully submitted, Sue Theriault Co-Chair
Members Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Helen Woodhouse and Lease Plimpton
1.Approval of Minutes: The meeting began on Zoom at 2:05pm. Julie McGeoch moved to approve the minutes of the 12/24/20 meeting. Lease seconded. Unanimously approved.
2. Tree Warden Update: This item was postponed until the February meeting. Instead the LCTC discussed the “Tree Give-Away” program that was last done in Spring 2019. In this program, homeowners apply for a free 8 to 12 foot tall tree in exchange for caring for the tree and paying the expense of planting, staking and mulching. Also, the tree must be planted in a place that is visible from the road. The past “Tree Planting Application” was reviewed. There is interest in doing the program again this spring, but Jason Burchard’s opinion on the program and application wording will be sought at the next meeting.
3. Sapling Project: Xan Allen is completing his paper work to get construction of the raised frames approved as an Eagle Scout project. Xan has met with Carter and the plan is for Xan to build two frames - one to be housed on Carter’s property and the other at the school. (The frames will be a place to germinate the oak acorns and hickory nuts.)
4. Wilbour Woods Committee: Sue reported that the Wilbour Woods Committee has been meeting regularly under the leadership of John Gwynne. The Committee has brought an RFP to Town Council for engineering work to be done relating to the restoration of the two car bridges and eroded roadway.
5. Invasives Guide: Sue has obtained 40 copies of “A Guide to Invasive Plants in Massachusetts from Mass Wildlife. The plan is to distribute the guides to the town library, Peckham’s, Partners and Wilburs. Those entities charge $5 for the guide book and keep the income as compensation for providing a distribution site.
6. The next meeting was set for Monday, February 8, 2021 on Zoom at 9:30AM. The meeting was adjourned at 2:50PM.
Members Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Jason Burchard, Helen Woodhouse and Carter Wilke.
1. Approval of Minutes: the meeting began on Zoom at 9:35 AM. Julie McGeoch moved to approve the minutes of the 11/16/20 meeting. Helen Woodhouse seconded. Unanimously approved.
2. Tree Warden Update: Winter pruning opportunities were discussed. The following three motions were unanimously approved by the Committee: a.) Sue Theriault moved that funds up to $1,000 be approved for the pruning of the centennial weeping beech at Veteran’s field. Helen Woodhouse seconded. Jason plans to complete the pruning in February. b.) Sue Theriault moved that funds up to $1,000 be approved for the pruning of the fernleaf beech by Veteran’s field. Carter Wilke seconded. c.) Carter Wilke moved that the two elms at the Commons on parsonage property receive some preventative work (minor excavation with an air spade) in the spring to inspect and remediate for any girdling. Sue Theriault seconded. The possibility of a spring fertilizer injection was also discussed to strengthen the elm trees against disease. Sites for new tree plantings: a.) A high visibility private yard on 8 Meeting House Lane was mentioned as a possible site. Jason will check in with the homeowners. b.). Another site was Fred Bridge’s house since a large tulip tree southeast of his house needs to be taken down (once National Grid opines) and a replacement tree may be desired.
3. Sapling Project Update: Carter will bring some of his potted acorns to Sue’s house to winter over in a rodent-safe space. Julie reported that no new people have been added to the list o receive saplings, but that spring should be a time of higher interest. All agreed that protective tubes should be given with new saplings to protect against deer.
4. Invasives: Sue Theriault moved that $200 be allocated to the purchase of 50 copies of “A Guide to Invasive Plants in Massachusetts” from Mass Wildlife. Carter Wilke seconded. Unanimously approved. The plan is to distribute the guides to area places such as Wilburs, Peckham’s Greenhouse, Partners and the library where they can be sold as a way to educate the public. Carter Wilke mentioned tapping into the SPA as a possible distributor as well.
5. Tree Spree: The silent auction winner of the 2 gallon, 4 foot red maple has been contacted by Julie about a spring planting. 6. The next meeting date was set for Monday, January 11, 2021 at 9:30AM. The meeting was adjourned at 10:40AM.
The next meeting was set for Monday January 11th at 9.30am and at Oldacre for those that cannot zoom.
Members Present: Julie McGeoch, Carter Wilke, Lease Plimpton, Helen Woodhouse and Sue Theriault
1. Approval of Minutes: The meeting began on Zoom at 9:38AM. Julie McGeoch moved to approve the minutes of the 10/13/20 meeting. Lease Plimpton seconded. Unanimously approved.
2. Tree Spree 2020 Donation: Julie entered the paperwork to auction off a 2 gallon, 4 foot red maple (Acer rubrum) including installation if the winner so desires.
3. Tree Warden Update: Jason Burchard was not present at the meeting but Sue reported that the red oak at the intersection of Snell and Long Highway had been pruned and a LCTC sign was posted. No one was sure if the other red oak at the intersection of Simmons/East Main/Maple has been pruned but will wait for Jason’s report next month.
4. Scope and Scale of the Sapling Project: Sue reported that she has planted 27 germinated white oak acorns (obtained from Carter) in 4 by 14 inch pots. These will winter over and hopefully produced above ground stems and leaves in the spring. Carter reported that he has about 60 of the same planted. The plan is to advertise the availability of these seedlings around Arbor Day. Ways to publicize the seedlings were discussed and included: possibly using the extensive email list of the Brownell House, asking librarian Hillary Joyce to assist with her graphic arts skills, setting up a table at the Church Fair and the Sogkonate Garden Club’s Memorial Day plant sale. It was also mentioned that Cindy Sheldon might have room and interest on her property for some seedlings. Carter added that the white oak seedlings should continue to grow in the 4 by 14 inch pots through the summer and then be ready for a fall planting that includes deer protection. He said that he is still interested in having a frame built and that he has a supply of hickory nuts (shellbark, shagbark, pignut and bitternut) but that these, unlike the white pine, take two years to grow.
5. Tree of Heaven on West Main Road: An email was received from a private citizen about the invasive Tree of Heaven plant. The plant seems to be growing on property owned by the Sakonnet Golf Club rather than the town.The next meeting date was set for Monday, 12/14/20 at 9:30AM on Zoom. The meeting was adjourned at 10:25AM.
The next meeting was set for Monday December 14th at 9.30am and at Oldacre for those that cannot zoom.
LCTC October 13, 2020 Meeting Minutes Members Present: Julie McGeoch, Sue Theriault, Lease Plimpton and Jason Burchard The meeting began at 9:30AM at Julie McGeoch’s house.
1. Approval of the 9/14/20 Meeting Minutes - Upon reviewing the minutes from the last meeting, Jason Burchard voiced his concern about adding more elms to the Commons area due to disease concerns. He said that although the Princeton, Delaware, Liberty and Chinese elms are all disease resistant they are still susceptible and adding more elms increases the chances of disease. He reported that even the Zelkova, a Japanese elm, is not doing well. Julie moved that the minutes be approved as written, Lease seconded and the motion was unanimously approved.
2. Budget Update - NAN - not applicable for web site.
3. Jason Burchard, Tree Warden Update - Jason reported that on October 23 or 24th he plans to prune the two “island” red oaks that were mentioned in our recent newsletter and approved at our 8/10/20 meeting. Jason mentioned the Commons area as a site for winter pruning. (The roads around the Commons are state owned but the state does not maintain the land within those roads.) He said the the Zelkovas (Japanese elm) at the Commons have much dead wood and should be lifted for traffic. He said another winter project could be pruning the weeping beech and the fern leaf beech by Veterans field which has “torsioned” itself. These two beeches are susceptible to sun scald and benefit from mulching to retain moisture, especially during drought summers. The crab apples near the school need about an hours worth of pruning and the sweet gum near the new athletic field could use pruning as well. Jason reported that this year’s new plantings are looking healthy.
4. Sapling Project Update - Julie reported that 11 saplings have been distributed: 3 red oak, 1 white oak, 2 swamp white oak, 3 tulip and 2 shellbark hickory. Carter’s article, “From tiny acorns, majestic oaks will grow in Little Compton” appeared in the Sakonnet Times on September 17th and was very well received. Carter is collecting oak acorns for the next crop of seedlings. Sue is going to order some of the 4 by 14 inch pots for the acorns to overwinter, and Jeremy and his son Xan will make a raised frame for Carter’s yard. The committee agreed that a big picture discussion of the sapling project should be had at a future meeting to determine its scope and scale.
5. Invasives and The Tree Spree - The proliferation of the invasive vine porcelain berry was discussed. Lease has some growing in her magnolia tree for the first time and the recommendation was to cut it, pull out the root and rake up any dropped berries. On a different note, it was also decided that we would donate a 2 gallon Acer rubrum, the RI state tree, to the on-line Tree Spree this year.
Safe distance meeting on back veranda at 9.30am, 420 West Main Rd.
Members present were: Jeremy Alan, Julie McGeoch, Lease Plimpton, Sue Theriault, Carter Wilkie and Helen Woodhouse.
LCTC wishes to thank all those that donated to our annual appeal via the Newletter - it is very gratifying to learn so many in our community care for trees and their maintenance.
Discussion occurred on the best way to grow tree seedlings that avoid pests eating the seeds. A LCTC sponsored project to build a wooden device raised above ground and tarp- covered in winter in Carter Wilkie's land is to be explored.
Little Compton residents who requested tree seedlings are growing the following:
3 Tulip trees Liriodendron tulipifera
2 Swamp white Oak quercus bicolor
1 White Oak Quercus alba
2 Red Oak Quercus rubra
3 Shagbark Hickory Carya ovata
Contact Julie McGeoch to be placed on the future tree seedling list: mcgeoch@fas.harvard.edu
The next LCTC meeting will be at 9.30am on October 13th, dining room of 420 West Main Rd.
Safe distance meeting on back veranda at 9.30am, 420 West Main Rd.
Members present were: Jeremy Alan, Jason Burchard, Julie McGeoch, Lease Plimpton, Sue Theriault, Carter Wilkie and Helen Woodhouse.
The Newletter went out to Little Compton citizens in late July.
LCTC decided to emphasiz to the public that trees planted in gardens are most important for the town, particularly as those on Town and State roads often have to be hashly pruned.
Jason the Tree warden is contining to maintain the Centennial Weeping Beech at the Ball field and planted the LCCC Swamp White Oak. Cindy Sheldon is donating mulch for the Weeping Beech.
3 Red Oaks, 1 Liriodendron and I Shagbark Hickory tree seedlings have bee delivered to Little Compton residents to plant in their land. I other Shagbark Hickory will be delivered in September.
Further tree seeds will be stored, cold exposed and planted next spring for the next round of "trees from seed" distributions.
We have more Red Oaks and Liriodendrons should someone want those right now.
The next LCTC meeting will be on September 14th back veranda and/or dining room of 420 West Main Rd.
Members Present: Jeremy Alan, Jason Burchard, Julie McGeoch, Lease Plimpton, Sue Theriault, Helen Woodhouse.
Safe distance meeting on back veranda at 9.30am, 420 West Main Rd.
Jeremy suggested planting small trees grown from seed between existing established trees - to this end on July 20th the following seeds donated by Carter Wilkie were planted in 5 gallon pots:
Northern Red Oak- Quercus rubra
English Oak MIT Quercus Robur
Shellbarch Hickory Carya laciniosa
Shagbark Hickory Carya ovata
These trees from seed will be given away free to Little Compton residents with full instructions for their care. LCTC will make quite sure each tree goes to residents that are propared to maintain the trees for several years until established.
Jason trimmed the lower branches of the Weeping Beech on Veterans field ready for mulching. This tree will be pruned later in the year.
The 2020 New letter is almost ready for printing.
We have a new P.O. box 572.
An engraved stone for Hope Taylors Memorial Liriodendron at Adamsville Ballfield is to be made.
We welcome a new member to LCTC Carter Wilkie.
Members Present: Jason Burchard, Julie McGeoch, Lease Plimpton, Sue Theriault, Helen Woodhouse.
Safe Distance Meeting around large table at 9.30am 420 West Main Rd.
Jason will spray the Crab apples infront of the school against rust.
Jason will replace the tree given to Tree Spree winner with a white Cornus kousa
Sue and Lease will interview Sidney Tynan
Julie will find a suitable printer for the Flier
Someone will research Adamsville trees
Someone will take images of The LC Island tree to be pruned.
Lease will get signs from Cindy to place at the Swamp white Oak to be planted in front of the LCCC.
Members present: Jeremy Allen, Jason Burchard, Chris Faria, Paul Golembeske, Julie McGeoch, Lease Plimpton, Lewis Taylor, Sue Theriault, Helen Woodhouse meet by Email due to COVID-19.
Lewis Taylor has agreed to be the Treasurer of LCTC.
The following events was cancelled due to COVID-19:
The June meeting of the Wilbur McMahon School Kindergarten children under the Weeping Beech - this will hopefully take place in the Fall of 2020.
However on April 23rd Jason and Sue together with teachers via E contact arranged for 21 or the 25 6th Graders to get their Tree - 10 Red Maples and 11 Sparleberry Winterberry were distributed . No one left their cars and Jason and Sue wore masks and gloves and kept our distance. The teachers did a great job with their electronic promotion of the idea to have such a good turnout. Even the rain held off during the pickup window!
Jason is trying to locate a Dwarf White Dogwood for the winner of the December Tree Spree.
Plans are in place to find a fine Tulip Tree to be planted as a Memorial Tree to Hope Taylor in the Adamsville Ball field.
The next LCTC meeting on May11th may also be via Email and members of the public with questions on any aspect of Trees may send them to Julie at mcgeoch@fas.harvard.edu and someone on the LCTC will answer your questions fully.
Members Present: Jason Burchard, Julie McGeoch, Lease Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Sue Theriault, Helen Woodhouse.
The meeting began at 9:30 AM at the Town Hall.
All LCTC members had just attended the Memorial service of Hope Taylor, a longtime LCTC member since 1979, and a great feeling of loss was expressed by the members for Hope.
Lewis Taylor, Hope's husband has agreed to become the LCTC Treasurer.
On March 11th there was also a joint meeting of Little Compton Garden Club and Sogkonate Garden Club, hosted by LCTC, to explain to the garden clubs the role of the LCTC. That meeting was led by Sue Thiriault and went point by point through the aims of LCTC. Jason Burchard gave an excellent contribution on tree maintencnace with many attendees asking questions.
Julie McGeoch then gave an outline of plans for an Evolution Garden Trail and that was also written up together with Sues talk in the Sakonnet times of 19th March.
A Tulip Tree Liriodendron tulipife, will be planted in the Adamsville Ball Park as a memorial to Hope Taylor.
Cynthia Sheldon, the co-chair of LCTC retired at the March 9th meeting - everyone expressed their thanks for the many years Cindy had given to LCGC.
The next LCTC meeting will be on 13th April at the Town Hall.
Members Present: Jeremy Allen, Jason Burchard, Julie McGeoch, Lease Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Helen Woodhouse.
The meeting began at 9:30 AM at the Town Hall.
Sakonnet Preservation Association, SPA guest: Sheila MacIntosh attended to discuss where land SPA conserves and maintains, might need trees.
6th Grade Trees for distribution in April: Sue will give the presentation to the 6th grade at Wilbur McMahon School on care and maintenance of their trees: Blueberry bushes and Winterberry tree.
Xmas Tree Spree Tree was won by a Tiverton woman. Jason will visit the woman in her garden and plant the tree of her choice in April.
Tree Work: Jason has completed pruning of the Lindens in Adamsville Ball Field.
Little Compton Evolution Garden: the head of the Little Compton Town Council, has been given a tentative plan of the proposed Evolution Garden to run beside the walk way around the new soccer field. Every aspect of the small garden will involve discussion with the Little Compton Public Works foreman as drainage at the site needs to be maintained. A talk by the LCTC with the Little Compton Garden Club and the Sogknate Garden Club on Wednesday, March 11th 9.30am, LC town Hall, will provide further information on the Evolution Garden plans.
UN 1 Trillion Tree Initiative: Jeremy reminded us that all the trees LCTC plant, particularly those by the 6th Graders, can be listed on the UN 1 trillion tree initiative. The World Economic Forum during 2020, held in Davos, announced the creation of the One Trillion Tree Initiative platform made for governments, businesses, and civil society to provide support to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2020-2030), led by UNEP and FAO.
Branch Cutting on Town and State Roads: Because the recent cutting via a huge revolving wheel cutter on a truck, followed by manual pick up of the debris, was so destructive to some small trees on the roadsides, a plan for the future was discussed. Jason will ask the National Grid and the Town Highway Supervisor to alert the LCTC of the next cull – it should not be for about 4-5 years. The LCGC would then go around the town and state roads before the cull finding the more delicate trees – talk to the owner if it’s a private tree hanging over their boundary or the LCTC alone will label it with a tag. LCTC then give the cutting guys a map of the tagged trees. We won’t save all of them but will try to have less damage next time.
By-laws: The updated By-Laws were adopted by a unanimous vote – enclosed below:
Little Compton Tree Committee By-Laws
The Little Compton Town Council voted on 1.18.79 as follows: to endorse the concept of Carolyn B. Haffenreffer for the appointment of a tree committee consisting of the Tree Warden, superintendent of highways and state road superintendent, a member of the Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Little Compton Garden Club, Sogkonate Garden club, and the Town council and the objectives contained in her communication.
Mission Statement To encourage and model the protection, care and replacement of all trees both public and private in the town of Little Compton. To support and encourage the education of all town residents in the proper care of trees. To supply information on tree care.
Officers to be elected by Membership of the Tree Committee for 2year terms at the February 2020 meeting
Chair 2year term
Vice-Chair 2year term
Treasurer no limit
Secretary 2years term
Members
One member from the Town Planning Board
One member from Little Compton Conservation Commission
One member from Little Compton Garden Club
One member from Sogkonate Garden club
One member from the Town Council
Up to 5 members At Large. These At Large members will be selected from persons who show interest in the Tree Committee activities and are invited onto the committee by the membership at the Bi-Annual meeting at which the officers are elected.
Ex-Officio Members (non-voting)
Town Tree Warden
Town Manager
Building Official/ Town Highway Supervisor
Director of State DOT/or Designee
Meetings will be held on the 2nd Monday of the month at a time and place to be determined by a majority of the membership.
Objectives
1. To maintain trees on State and town roads and other public property in consultation with the Town Tree Warden and /or the State DOT by pruning, feeding, removing and replacing where necessary.
2. To raise funds from both private and public sources for the Tree Committee programs.
3. To make a thorough survey of trees previously planted by the Tree Committee and all other trees on public roads and land.
4. To work with the Town Tree Warden to encourage residents to preserve trees on public and private property when possible during the construction of new driveways and of new houses.
5. To guide and assist residents in the sponsoring and planting of memorial trees.
6. To encourage residents to plant and maintain trees on private property.
7. To initiate and sponsor educational programs for children and adults about trees and their care.
The LCTC revised By-Laws were updated during January and February 2020 by all members of LCTC and voted and adopted on February 10th 2020.
The meeting adjourned at 10:30 AM. The next LCTC meeting will be Monday, March 9th 9.30, LC Town Hall.
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Members Present: Julie McGeoch, Hope Taylor, Jason Burchard, Lease Plimpton, Helen Woodhouse, Sue Theriault
The meeting began at 9:30 AM at the Town Hall.
Officers: A motion was made and unanimously accepted to retain Julie McGeoch and Cindy Sheldon as Co-Chairs and Hope Taylor as Treasurer. The position of Recording Secretary was added and Sue Theriault volunteered to fill it.
By-laws: It was agreed that it is time to review and update our by-laws. As a first step it was decided that Julie McGeoch would email the by-laws to all committee members, ask for their feedback within a week, and then the committee will discuss the feedback at a future meeting.
Kindergarten Program: Julie McGeoch and Jason Burchard agreed to lead the kindergarten class in a program under the weeping beech tree as has been done for the last two years.
Memorial Tree: Lease Plimpton reported on a memorial tree that will be planted near the Brownell House for the late Barbara Pond at the request of her husband Pat.
Tree Work: The quality of the tree work being conducted by the state on West Main Road was discussed and Jason said it is in part the effect of the state’s movement away from human labor to machines. Also discussed was the state appears to be cutting some privately owned trees. Jason clarified that it is the location of the base of the tree that determines ownership, and if even a little bit of the base is on town or state land then the tree is not privately owned. It was also discussed that the guideline of 18 feet from the center of the road is not a reliable formula for differentiating between private and public land ownership since the demarcation line is highly variable in town. Review of a plot plan is the only reliable way to determine land ownership. Another conversation occurred about the Tree Give Away program and where these trees can be planted. It was decided that we needed to clarify this at a future meeting, including whether the program applied to trees on private lanes. Jason reported that he has begun pruning at the Adamsville ball field. He said the two chestnuts over the fenced in batting areas are removals. The total cost for the pruning and removal will be around $2,000. Jason also proposed putting in a new swamp maple to replace the one that needed to be removed at Veteran’s field diagonally across from the tennis courts as the previous swamp maple did so well and was a good shade source.
Arbor Day: Sue Theriault will ask Marti Fisher for a donation of 10 eastern white pine saplings for the grade 6 Arbor Day program. Though the teachers had mentioned winterberries as the other plant choice, it was decided that we would rather donate trees. Possible trees for the remaining 15 students were discussed, including Acer rubrum which is fast and easy to grow.
The meeting adjourned at 10:50 AM.
The next LCTC meeting will be at 9.3am Feruary 10th, Little Compton Town Hall.
The December 2nd meeting was held in the Town Hall and present were: Jeremy Allen, Jason Burchard, Hilary Joyce, Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Sue Theriault and Helen Woodhouse.
AGENDA:
1. Recap of yesterday's Tree Spree Raffle - our entry: $300 total for a native tree delivered (within 25 miles of LC) and planted.
2. Jason’s estimates on LC tree work.
3. Julie’s Evolution garden.
4. Considerations re Arbor Day gift to Wilbur McMahon School’s 6th graders. (Order early and avoid stress.)
5. Hope - Town Planning Board’s plans for Town Landing improvements.
6. Sue – Informational program to be in conjunction with next tree give away.
At the meeting on Dec 2nd LCTC did not yet know who had won the Tree donated by them at the Dec 1st Sunday Tree spree.
Jason listed the tree work needed in Little Compton and it was agreed now to: Prune and examine for further maintenance, the 3 Lindens in Adamsville Ball Field and perform further tree work on Veterans Field – specifically the Cut Leaf Beech.
Julie provided images of the site for the Evolution Garden and at Jason’s request will meet with the Little Compton playing field landscape people in the next 2 weeks. She reported that both Garden Clubs of Little Compton supported the concept of an Evolution Garden.
The April 22nd Arbor day trees to be given to the 6th Grade at Wilbur McMahon School will be: Winter Berry Blueberry White Pine.
Hope provided the Planning Board’s plans for the work to occur at the Town Landing.
Sue emphasized the need for an informational plan to be in place, written by LCTC, when further trees are given to Little Compton Residents by LCTC. To this end it was decided to invite the public to a barbeque at the Adamsville Ball field and there demonstrate a tree planting to potential tree recipients and provide the plan.
The November 4th meeting was held in the Town Hall and present were: Jason Burchard, Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Sue Theriault, Helen Woodhouse and a new member Jeremy Allen. A 2nd new member Hilary Joyce was absent due to illness.
Cindy handed out copies of the 1979 By-Laws to all present.
Sue introduced Jeremy Allen to LCTC.
Jason will plant a Maple on the ball field at the site where the very large tree had to be removed.
Jason alerted LCTC to many trees needing pruning in various parts of town - priority will go to the Adamsville Athletic field Lindens and a Sychamore Maple, and the Red Maple at the intersection of Snell Rd and Long Highway.
Julie introduced the concept of constructing to the West of the Garden hut on the soccer field, an Evolutionary Garden plot to be run jointly by the 2 town garden clubs and the LCTC. The 8th grade of Wilbur McMahon School would make the decisions on the perennials planted in the garden and thereby learn some plant evolution. This topic will be discussed at a meeting on March 11th 7.30pm LCCC by LCTC, LCGC and the Sogkonate GC.
At the December 1st Tree Spree LCTC will have a place on the central table for people to bid for a Tree to be planted by LCTC worth $300.
The September 9th meeting was held in the Town Hall and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Sue Theriault and 2 members of Little Compton Garden Club attending with concerns over a Swamp White Oak being planted outside the LCCC.
The LCCC tree issue was discussed amicably on September 26th at LCCC and after discussion the Swamp white Oak was retained as the new tree for the LCCC.
The August 19th meeting was held in the Town Hall and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
The 2019 Annual Fund drive flier will be mailed out August 19th 2019.
Discussion on the tree to be planted outside LCCC continued with the decision to ask Jason Burchard, the Tree Warden, to look out for an Oak about 15 feet high to be planted April 2020. Cindy would contact Dig Safe.
Jason had requested we locate trees needing care at triangle points in town.
Cindy asked each member of LCTC to identify 2 trees needing vine clearance on town and State roads - that task to be conducted in September.
Stakeholder meeting of Wilbour Woods: 3 feet in from the roads the multiflora has been cleared. Long term, Roger Williams University together with the Stakeholders may become involved in the design of a new bridge allowing car travel around the woods again. This replacement of the 2nd bridge is particularly sought as a goal for the Stakeholders because elderly Little Compton residents enjoy being able to drive around the wood and a 2nd bridge also gives fast access to emergence vehicles.
Leas mentioned a person to remove the broken concret blocks near the Weeping Beech Tree.
The July 8th meeting was held in the town Hall and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Sue Theriault and Helen Woodhouse.
The design and plan for the LCTC Annual fund drive were discussed with the goal of getting the flier finished and mailed out to all Little Compton residents in August. It was agreed the text of the flier should list the LCTC 2018/2019 achievements, particularly the trees given to 7 residents and a note to the public to try and remove vines from trees.
The June 10th meeting was held at The town Hall and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Sue Theriault and Helen Woodhouse
Tony Teixeira, the Little Compton town administrator jointed the meeting to learn about the LCTC.
The National Grid has said it will donate a tree for the Wilbur McMahon School and this may be planted on the Ball field at the site of a tree that had to be felled.
On Friday June 7th the Annual meeting of LCTC and the Kindergarten class of Wilbur McMahon school took place at the Weeping Beech. The entire class had written out questions together with tree drawings - the questions were duly answered with much discussion by this lively group of 5-6 year olds. Jason Burchard carefully covered many aspects of tree care and Julie explained the basis of photosynthesis geared to this age group.
Cindy asked every member to write a short piece for the July Annual appeal flyer.
Summer projects were suggested that included:
Asking the public to adopt a tree and then maintain it e.g. Devine of Bitter Sweet.
A list of arborists would be made to perform work not covered by Jason Burchard.
The May 13th meeting was held at The Commons Lunch and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Sue Theriault and Helen Woodhouse
7 new trees donated by LCTC are now planted in 6 gardens and/or outside of 6 gardens in Little Compton.
LCTC decided to give $1,000 to the town of Little Compton to remove the fast growing multiflora rose from Wilbour Woods and contacted Andrew Moore of the Town Council to this effect. A proviso of avoiding extensive clear cutting for this task was added because Wilbour Woods needs to be kept in its as near as possible natural state.
On June 6th Julie and Jason will meeting with the kindergarten Classes of Wilbour McMahon School under the Weeping Beech for their annual lesson on tree care and photosynthesis.
The April 8th meeting was held at The Brownell House and present were: Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Sue Theriault and Helen Woodhouse
7 new trees donated by LCTC are being distributed to 6 applicants in Little Compton.
On Arbor day Cindy Sheldon and Sue Theriault gave out with clear instructions for planting, 6 White Pine trees and many Blueberry bushes to the 6th Graders of Wilbour School.
The March 11th meeting was held at The Commons Lunch and present were: Roberta Apfel, Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Roberta Shaw, Hope Taylor, Sue Theriault and Helen Woodhouse.
It is with great sadness the LCTC learned of the death of our past member Diane Kostial McGuire on February 28th 2019 https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/diane-mcguire-obituary?pid=191709128
Leas took this photo of Diane in her library - Diane was a world renowned landscape gardener providing over the years really good advice to LCTC:
Update of LCTC 2019 tree donations to the public.
7 Applications have so far come in for trees. The Sakonnet Times placed an add for the public obtaining trees on February 21st and the same add will run again in March.
In April all applications for trees will be reviewed by LCTC and planting will begin.
LCGC decided to give the 6th Graders on Arbor day (April 26th) 24 Blueberry bushes and 6 White Pine trees (generously donated by Marty Fisher and arranged by Sue Theriault). LCTC is particularly pleased to welcome Sue Theriault, our newest member to the LCTC and impressed that she has immediately helped at finding a tree type to be given on Arbor day. Cindy Sheldon and Sue Theriault on April 26th will give our usual presentation to the 6th graders on tree care and then present the trees.
The next meeting will be held on Monday April 8th at 9.30am Brownell house.
The February 11th meeting was held at Julie's house, 420 West Main Rd and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Roberta Shaw and Hope Taylor.
The text for the Application by Little Compton residents to receive a tree was completed. The Sakonnet times will be contacted to run adds for these trees in both February and March. The application forms will be localated for residents at the Town Hall and Library. Notices for residents to apply for a tree will also be placed in the library, the LCCC and Wilburs Store. If there are more applicants relative to trees the last applicants will go on a waiting list. Later in the summer after the 2019 donations to LCTC arrive from the Anual Appeal, more trees will be bought and residents on the waiting list will receive their trees.
Blueberries (mainly - as so popular with 6th graders) plus a few small potted trees will be given to each 6th grader on Arbor Day April 26th.
The next meeting will be on Monday March 11th at 9.30am at the Common Lunch
The January 14th meeting was held at the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
A draft text was provided by Hope for Little Compton Residents to apply for a tree to plant in front of their house.
The text for this application will be finalized at the next meeting in February.
An idea to to hold a workshop to get residents (young and old) to plant seeds of 4 tree species will be put back to 2020. It is important in 2019 that members have enough time to help and advise residents to plant 10-20 trees in Little Compton. This will be the main focus this year with the trees being distributed and provided free by the LCTC on Arbor Day April 26th.
The 2019 annual flyer will adopt the same style as 2018 - the inclusion of return envelopes increased the donations to LCTC.
The next meeting will be on Monday February 11th at 9.30am at Julie's house, 420 West Main Rd - park inside on the gravel infront of the barn.
The December 10th meeting was held at the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Jason Burchard, Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Roberta Shaw, Cynthia Sheldon and Hope Taylor.
In 2020 it is 400 years since the Mayflower Compact and the first American flag featuring The Liberty Tree flew in 1620. A 400 year memorial to this Mayflower Compact and the Liberty Tree flag is being organized by the Boston Liberty Tree Society. A LCTC tree planted to commemorate this has been suggested by Carol Wordell and Jason Burchard thinks the tree location should be the West corner of the Ball park gravel road on the site where a large Beech died. A tree to provide shade was discuussed with the following as possible species to plant: Europena Lindens, Swamp Maple, Ginko, Lireodendron and Copper Beech.
The wording for the rules for actuating donations from LCTC for the planting of new trees on Little Compton town and state roads was discussed at length.
The 2019 Abor day tree gifts to the 6th graders of Wilbur McMahon School will be Blue Berry bushes and Holly Trees. LCTC are waiting for the 6th grade teachers to finalize the April 2019 date for this event.
How to attract new members to the LCTC was discussed - younger members with children could be accomodated if we had occasional monthly meeting in the evening. It was agreed this would be adopted if we can acquire new younger members.
The next meeting will be on Monday 14th January at 9.30am 2019.
The November 12th meeting was held in the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Roberta Shaw, Cynthia Sheldon and Hope Taylor.
Replacing the Holiday Tree at Pikes Peak was discussed. The new tree will be planted before the TreeSpree for the Little Compton Scholarship fund on December 2nd.
Further Trees at 3 locations in Little Compton will be planted in April 2019. Owners of houses at the 3 locations have been asked to suggest Trees they would like and the LCTC will advise in terms of suitable species and care. It is hoped owners near these new trees will help with their watering for 2 years on very hot summer days.
The next meeting will be on Monday December 10th at 9.30am Commons Lunch.
The October 1st meeting was held in the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Roberta Shaw, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
Joint Meeting of LCTC and Sogkonate Garden Club 3rd October 2018:Cynthia Sheldon on behalf of the LCTC gave an overview of the committee's work in Little Compton at the October 3rd joint meeting with the LCTC and the Sogkonate Garden Club at the Little Compton Comminity Center where John Campanini and Jason Burchard talked on the subject of global warming, tree pests, bearded lichens, native vs non-native species, and invasive trees/plants.
Since late Summer and Autumn the Tree Committee has been actively looking for the best sites on Town and State roads to new plant trees. Julie McGeoch, Robert Shaw and Cynthia Sheldon travelled around town on the 16th September and identified 3 sites to begin this project. We have to consider at each site the following:
The July 9th meeting was held in the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Roberta Shaw, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
The design for the LCTC annual flier was finalized. This will be mailed out once the printer detail is also finalized. The flier draws attention for the need of donations to LCTC to replace dying trees on the roads of Little Compton.
Regarding the siting of the new Christmas holday tree at Pike's Peak, the Little Compton graveyard machine that detects obstables beneath the soil will be sought to establish the best site to plant a new tree. Margory O'Toole will be asked about this issue.
Lease Plimpton will be asked to briefly (a few minutes) introduce the LCTC on October 3rd at the joint meeting with the LCTC and the Sogkonate Garden Club at the Little Compton Comminity Center where John Campanini and Jason Burchard will talk on the subject of global warming, tree pests, bearded lichens, native vs non-native species, and invasive trees/plants.
The next LCTC meeting will be Monday Oct 1st 9.30am Commons Lunch.
The June 18th meeting was held in the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Roberta Apfel. Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
It was decided that the Tree Committee will not attend the 2018 July Fair but will concenetrate on events each year at Arbor day in April in terms of giving out trees and advice on Tree panting and maintenance - the location of these Arbor days meeting TBA.
The topology of the records for the LCTC monthly meeting on the web site are now latest first.
The annual flier will go to the printers and be sent out in July.
On October 3rd there will be a joint meeting with the LCTC and the Sogkonate Garden Club at the Little Compton Comminity Center where John Campanini and Jason Burchard will talk on the subject of global warming, tree pests, bearded lichens, native vs non-native species, and invasive trees/plants. At the beginning of the meeting a LCTC representative will give a 10 minute introduction to the LCTC.
A representative from the LCTC will introduceThe next LCTC meeting will be Monday July 9th 9.30am Commons Lunch.
The May 14th meeting was held in the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Roberta Shaw. Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
Cindy Sheldon gave a tree care talk to the 6th Graders on April 27th, Arbor Day and distributed 30 River Birch (1.5ft in 6inch pots)) and 15 Blueberry plants. Roberta Shaw also attended.
It was decided to send out the annual appeal to the town mid July and try out the enclosed envelope design using Mallard Printing.
Julie and Hope met with the 2 Kindergarten classes on June 8th under the Weeping Beech conducting the usual lesson on tree care and a little phososynthesis geared to 5 year olds. Each child had drawn tree images and written out a question - very impressive - these children can write clearly and they are in Kindergarten!! - a great tribute to the good teaching at the Wilbour McMahon school and to their teachers.
It was decided not to contune discussions on moving the War Memorial Stone from under the Weeping Beech for a variety of reasons including - it would cause some distress to veterans who were used to that location, moving the stone may damage the Weeping Beech and under the tree when viewing the Memorial it is peaceful and quiet.
LCTC funds will be made avaiable for a new Christmas tree dedicated to the memory of Jane Cabot.
Discussion of the fair and whether LCTC attend with a stand will continue.
The next LCTC meeting will be Monday June 11th 9.30am Commons Lunch.
The March 12th meeting was held in the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Roberta Shaw. Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
The 30 River Birch (1.5ft in 6inch pots)) and 15 Blueberry plants are ordered from Sylvan’s Nursery for giving to the 6th Graders of Wilbour McMahon School on Arbor day, April 27th.
Golembeske has been contacted about the possible relocation of the Memorial stone on Veterans field.
The choice of a Holy to replace the Christmas tree on Pikes Peak were discussed on the grounds Holly trees are more resistent to disease - Julie thought putting lights on a holly each Christmas might be problematic. Also if the hole for a new traditional Gymnosperm were deep the new tree might thrive anyway.
Questions on the safety of Diane McGuire’s extensive library of Botanical books were discussed – in terms of hoping the books are safe or being given to a library.
Cindy asked members to submit a short article of 300 words on a Tree for a LCTC news sheet.
Julie will contact Mallard printers to ascertain whether the trifold design of the LCTC 2018 Annual Appeal flier, to go out in the summer of 2018, could also contain a return envelope. It was hoped the inclusion of a return envelope might generate more contributions to the LCTC.
The next meeting will be held at the Commons Lunch on Monday April 9th at 9.30am.
The February 12th meeting was held in the Adamsville Barn at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Roberta Shaw, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor.
River Birch Betula nigra and Blueberry bushes were decided for the tree and shrub types to be donated to the Wilbur McMahon 6th graders on Arbor Day April 27th. LCTC would contact various nurseries for the source of the trees and shrubs.
The design of the 2018 Annual Appeal for donations by the town citizens to the LCTC was discussed. Images of River Birch, with text mentioning that LCTC would donate $2,000 in 2018 to new trees on town and State roads would be in the design. Local commercial Printers that may be able to include a return envelope in a trifold design for the appeal would be sought.
George and Christopher Goulart would be asked to spend 2 hours each giving advice on tree maintenance and planting at the annual Little Compton United Congregational Church July Fair. Jason Burchard might also be asked too.
The meeting held in the Commons Lunch was attended by Julie McGeoch, Roberta Shaw, Cynthia Sheldon and Hope Taylor.
Further donations from the annual appeal are still coming in and there will be succifient funds to aacquire new trees in the following categories: A new Town Christmas Tree for Pike's Peak from a local nursery suppliers to ensure the tree will be resistant to local pests, and new trees to plant as Little Compton residents request on the Town and State roads
.At the 2018 July Summer Fair Jason Burchard, Christopher Goulart and Paul Golembeski will be asked to each spend 2 hours advising the public at a LCTC stand on plant and tree care and maintenance.
To accomodate LCTC members attending the meetings future meetings will occur on the 2nd Monday of the month.
The meeting held in the Commons Lunch was attended by Julie McGeoch, Lease Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
The 2017 annual appeal resulted in many donations. The 300+ extra appeal fliers will be sent out before Christams to those that in the past donated to the LCTC but so far have not donated for 2017.
Jason will add horse manure donated by Cindy to the Crab Apple trees outside Wilbur School.
Paul Golembeske will be asked if the Town would consider moving the large stone that is now hidden by the Centenial Weeping Beech to a location near the flagpole near Brownell house. The stone commemorates fallen soldiers in many wars and is currently not visible. It however weighs several tons and its move must not harm the tree roots and its move must not be too costly to the town.
Jason is going to cut down the 5 dead trees on Mullem Hill and later remove their roots once the ground has settled.
The meeting held in the Commons Lunch was attended by Julie McGeoch, Roberta Shaw, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
MEMORIAL TREES: The new playing fields will be ready next year for new trees some of which could be donated Memorial Trees. In terms of long term care of existing and new memorial trees Cynthia Sheldon will head this section of LCTC and now will start to contact past donors of trees to ask if they would contribute to their care in terms of maintenance for instance summer watering and weeding. Some memorail trees are in less than perfect condition and need more attention.
WEEPING BEECH: Boisterous children have been breaking the cinder blocks used for the Chicken Barbeque and distributing the broken pieces on the roots under the Weeping Beech at the Ball Field. The LCTC decided to remove all the broken blocks and cover the intact blocks with tarps held down securely. Currently the tarped blocks are beside the stone wall on the East side of the Weeping Beech, but a long term storage place for the blocks is being sought. Hopefully the blocks will not be moved until they are employed to make the fire for the Chichen Barbeque each summer and/or a new better storage site is found.
LCTC discussed our Federal Tax exempt status. LCTC wishes to remain under the auspices of the Town of Little Compton for its Federal Tax exempt status - this allows mailing via the Post Office to qualify for the tax exempt rate. Several other Little Compton Tax exempt organizations are also awaiting clarification by the Town with the Post Office for low rate mailing rates.
Extra annaul appeal flyers will be placed in key Town locations (e.g library, Wilbur Store, Community Center, A1 Pizza, Bank lobby) just before Thanksgiving to hopefully generate further donations to the LCTC. So far the response to the 2017 appeal has been good.
A special organization meeting of LCTC was held on September 4th at 2pm at 420 West Main Rd, Little Compton. Those present were Julie McGeoch (CoChairman), Cynthia Sheldon (CoChairman) and Hope Taylor (Treasurer).
The accounts for LCTC are now being recorded in an Excel file.
Since 1995 the LCTC has been listed with the US goverment as a non profit organization and before that the LCTC was part of the Summer Association of Little Compton.
The Post Office which allows LCTC to mail anual appeal fliers at a low mailing rate because we are a non profit organization, has requested we send in 2017 updated forms to the Post Office experdite a low rate mailing for 2018 + mailings - we have done that. Now LCTC will be recorded as non-profit by the US Goverment and the US Post Office.
The 2017 appeal is successful with many donations arriving to support LCTC.
LCTC June 12th Meeting
The June meeting attended by Jason Burchard, Julie McGeoch, Roberta Shaw, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse, was held under the 1976 Bicentennial Weeping Beech at the Little Compton Ball park together with the Kindergarten classes of Wilbur McMahon school and their teachers Marianne Vareika and Jennifer Segala.
In 2015 the Kindergarden class adopted the Weeping Beech and thereafter each new Kindergarden adopts the tree for a year. Marianne Vareika and her kindergarden class started this in 2015 because the class loved the tree and wanted to be part of its care, the LCTC meeting either in the Fall or spring with the Kindergarten children. At this meeting the Little Compton Tree Warden Jason Burchard, explained the need to care for the tree in terms of protecting its roots via good quality organic mulch from running feet and from drought. At each meeting a little tree biochemistry is covered each time by Julie McGeoch where the children compare a tree to a person in terms of its needs – light, gases in (carbon dioxide) and out (oxygen), water in, can a tree run away from danger – how does it manage injury etc. The children are very knowledgeable and actively take part in all the suggestions for the tree care and maintenance.
LCTC May 8th Meeting
The meeting held in the Commons Lunch was attended by Roberta Apfel, Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse. April Bodman came as a guest to learn about the LCTC.
EVENTS:
On Abor Day April 28th LCTC gave the following trees to the 6th Graders at Wilbur School:
10 Dwarf Alberta Spruce
10 Patriotic Blueberriy
20 White Oak
On May 3rd very early in the morning Jason Burchard and his team distributed 4 yards of mulch from the Brownell Library to the Commons Lunch to protect the tree roots during the heavy summer foot traffic.
FUTURE EVENTS: In early June the LCTC will meet with the Kindergarten classes of Wilbur School under the Weeping Beech near the Ball field. This tree has been adopted by the Kindergarten classes and they will help spread mulch over the tree roots, measure their tree and learn how to maintain it in good health.
Update on Brownell Library Oak Trees
We thank Sakonnet Tree Co and Whipple Tree for volunteering time and effort to prune the Brownell Library Oak trees.
From Cynthia Sheldon:
1)fifteen white oaks in 2 gal containers
2)fifteen blueberries in one gal containers
3)ten dwarf Alberta spruce, also in one gal containers
The presently nude white oaks are especially unimpressive right now, I must say, but a leaf or two will appear before Arbor Day. The impressive parts: they annually grow 1-2' a year to a height of 100', are huge bushy shade trees, disease resistant, with bright orangey-amber color in autumn. It's native to R.I., to boot. The 2 gal containers seem pretty big to me but hopefully the kids will be enthusiastic about the twig's potential (+/- 24" tall at present).
Patriot Blueberries: For kids wanting almost-instant gratification. Big plants in small pots They're vigorous and loaded with buds. (The birds will be so excited.) Heavy, early producers of 'premium fruit', grows to 3-5', hearty to N.E.. Autumn foliage an outstanding scarlet orange.
Dwarf Alberta will make tidy, tiny Xmas trees - for a long time. Slow growing, conical habit, great for small gardens. Is considered "portable" so if you move houses, the tree can come as well. Does well outdoors in container with usual care for container plants.
The March meeting held in the Commons Lunch was attended by Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cythia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse. Peg Hedstrom came as a guest to learn about the LCTC.
Agenda:
Adopt a tree - discussion focused on the need to have the public send a certain sum ($50 suggested) that would be spent by the LCTC on a specific tree in terms of its care - and the donor would be then be named as the adopter of that tree.
Abor day trees for the 6th Graders might be changed to a small variety Ginko (in place of a Hornbeam) and a yellow Azalia.
The newsletter would go out in July to reach the summer Little Compton residents - Cindy would investigate the availability of a small variety Ginko to be given to the 6th Graders and the Ginko and yellow Azalia image would go on the newsletter.
Cindy would prepare a letter to the Sakonnet times outlining the events planned above and discribing the concept of "Adopt a Tree".
LCTC February 2017 meeting
The February meeting held in the Commons Lunch was attended by Jason Burchard, Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cythia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
It was decided to complile a fundraising flyer similar to that of 2015 consisting of images of trees on one side and text the other that outlined future LCTC 2017 events. Potentially a letter to the Sakonnet times would also go out at the time of the flyer. Items to consider for inclusion in the flyer and letter were:
ADOPT A TREE IN LITTLE COMPTON - The citizens of Little Compton would be asked to contact LCTC if they thought they would like to "adopt a tree" on the state or town roads. This would be a particular tree they liked for a whole variety of reasons and were prepared to help maintain at an approximate rate of $0-$200 per annum. The proceedure for adopting would involve contacting LCTC via its P.O.Box 562 and describing the tree in question. The LCTC would then meet with the adoptee to complete the tree adoption. The purpose of this venture would be to get the public involved in tree care and maintenance - the work in terms of watering, pruning, fertilizing and treating disease would occur via the LCTC or be overseen by LCTC.Jason alerted us to the fact that many conifers in the town are now affected by Pine Weevel and people should cut away affected areas before it spreads and kills the entire tree.
Jason suggested a new Swamp Maple should be planted at the corner of Veterans Field and that a new tree was going to be planted in front of the Community Center.
Hope again memntioned we need to find new members.
It was reported that the Sakonate Garden club are compiling a list of all the Memorial Trees in town particularly those to children.
2016 LCTC Meetings
LCTC December 2016 meeting
The December meeting at the SPC was attended by Julie McGeoch, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor.
This was a special meeting that decided the LCTC very much wanted Hope Taylor to remain as President but Hope would receive more support from McGeoch and Sheldon whenever needed.
2107 TREES for Wilbur School 6th Graders: The next general meeting of the LCTC would occur on Mon February 6th and at that meeting the species of trees (approximately 50) for Arbor Day distribution to the Wilbur School 6th Graders would be decided upon and ordered. The tree distibution to the 6th graders would occur on or near Arbor day in April and the 6th Graders would be asked in mid March to sign a pledge to plant and maintain their tree and also state whether they wanted to own a tree - thus each 6th grader was to have a choice of owning and maintaning a tree or declining that offer via pledge. In this way it was hoped real sustained care of some trees by the children would ocurr.
CENTENNIAL WEEPING BEECH: Cindy Sheldon offered to "adopt" the Centennial Weeping Beech tree at the Little Compton Baseball field - this will compliment the fact that since 2015 the Kingergarten classes of Wilbur School also "adopted" this Beech starting in 2015 - each incoming Kindergarten taking over the adoption from the last. The kindergarteners with their teacher Marianne Vareika and Officer Sue (for protection on the road) visit the tree with Julie McGeoch to learn about trees in general and this tree's statistics and care needs. In May 2017 LCTC plans to mulch the tree together with the Kindergarteners.
LCTC July 2016 update on Eagle Scout Trees in Adamsville
Eli Wilson the Little Compton Eagle Scount has planted his trees in Adamsville - they look good in spite of the universal low soil water due to this very dry summer. He knows a watering schedule is the most important thing for the trees survival. Such projects are to be encouraged for future students - they then learn early about the care of trees and the fact that their time commitment to the trees is essential for success of the project.
LCTC May 9th 2016 meeting
The May 9th meeting at the Adamsville Barn was attended by Julie McGeoch, Diane McGuire, Lease Plimpton, ,Cindy Sheldon, Hope Taylor. Absent were Roberta Shaw and Helen Woodhouse.
LCTC Balance: $7,753.82
Expenses: Sylvan nursery $708.69 for 10 Azalaea Weston Innocence, 10 Azalea Delaware Valley White, 20 Azalea Arneson Gem.
Abbor Day Cyindy and Leas conducted Arbor day with 32 Wilbur School children, 2 teachers, 1 School Secretary.
Wellness Center - Sogkonate Garden - plans to landsape an area in the garden via the Diane McGuire design are on hold due to lack of funds to meet any of 3 bids for the work. A Stewartia tree by the Wellness Center has benn requestedby Sue Talbot of the LCTC. Discussion as to whether the Hudner family should be contacted to have the tree or the whole design devoted to the late Hope Hudner.
Swan Point Providence tree walk will occur 2pm Wednesday May11th Rain day May12th.
Makepeace Champion Elm Tree Jon T Campanini wishes to do a memorial write up for the felled Makepeace Elm. The tree lost a large branch in the April 2nd 2016 storm with the branch falling on a pool house. Because the rest of the tree might have fallen on the main house it was felled for safety. This magnificant Elm had been treated for 15 years for Dutch Elm disease.
Friday May 27th - New Bedford School Trip in Wilber Woods organized by Kathy Wattle: The LCTC will send members to help the LCGC with the children for the trip around Wilbur Woods. Parking is on Swamp Rd.
LCTC April 29th 2016 Abor day
Arbor Day which was Friday April 29th. found Lease, Helen and me in front of 32 eager 6th. graders along with their teachers. Three varieties of azalea were available; Weston Innocence and Delaware Valley White have white blossoms while the Arneson Gem has red blossoms which become orange. Cindy picked the shrubs up at Sylvan's and delivered them to the school on Friday morning.
LCTC March 7th 2016 meeting
The March 7th meeting was held in the Adamsville Barn and present were: Julie McGeoch, Diane McGuire, Lease Plimpton, Roberta Shaw ,Cindy Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Helen Woodhouse.
April 29th Arbor Day - We have to decide on the distribution of trees on this day.
Hope allerted LCTC to the old forest in Portsmouth near the Polo field: Oakland Forest Preserve trail - Union Str/Carriage Dr, maintained by the Aquidneck Land Trust.
Winter moth infestation was discussed with mention that even the organic oil treatments kill many "good" insects like butterflies.
Diane Mcguires landscape projects over many years will be listed in the next LCTC news letter.
Ricke Dark, Doug Tellany whose book Living Landscapes will give a seminar in the Fall.
The next LCTC meeting will be on April 4th at 9.30am at the Wibur School Oasis project
LCTC January 11th 2016 meeting
The January 16th meeting was held in the Commons Lunch and present were: Julie McGeoch, Lease Plimpton, Roberta Shaw ,Cindy Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Helen Woodhouse.
Jason Burchard, the town Tree Warden attended and provided detailed plans of the Little Compton Commons Creation Area to allow decisions by the LCTC in the future as to where best to plant trees.
Jason Burchard also advised on organic oil spray to control Winter moth.
The topic of Little Compton residents experiencing the proximity of new large houses that now adversely effect their view, was discussed. It was suggested that LCTC could advise on the choise of trees for such residents to hide the large houses.
2015 LCTC Meetings
LCTC November 16th 2015 meeting
The November 16th meeting was held at the Adamsville Barn and present were: Robbie Apfel, Julie McGeoch, Diane McGuire, Lease Plimpton, Roberta Shaw ,Cindy Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Helen Woodhouse and representing the Planting Project at the Wellness Center, Sue Talbot.
LCTC Balance >$5,000. Donations of $1,455 received. 29 checks so far from Newsletter appeal. Roberta Shaw and Cindy Sheldon will write thank you notes to the donors.
Sue Talbot provided images of the planting areas to be considered in the Wellness Center. The design in terms of new native trees was discussed with particular reference to hiding the view of the car park from within the Center. Diane McGuire will be involved with the choise of trees and the planning of the site at the back of the Wellness Center. Stewartia and American Holy weresuggested. Planting will have to accomodate many pipes in the area.
The New England Grows on Dec 2-4th at the Boston Convention Center was discussed.
It was decided to donate $100 to Peckhams for the Tree Spree again this year.
The Wilbur School Kindergarden Class of Marianne Vareika are adopted the Weeping Beech near the ballfield and on Dec 4th Julie McGeoch will talk to the class about the tree and its long term needs and how the class can help the tree.
The Wilbur School Kindercourt fountain/pond in flowing and most of the trees and scrubs have been planted. The LCTC will need to find waterers for this project in the spring and summer.
We will invite Jason Burchard, the Town Tree Warden to the next LCTC meeting in January with the aim of he keeping us informed of the trees to be planted in the Ballfield and jogging path.
The Little Compton Bioblitz resulted in the identifiaction of 1,184 species with 215 participants. 28 species of fish, 4 flat worms (Platyzoa) and 96 birds were recorded.
LCTC Jobs to be done:
1) What needs mulching? 2) What needs pruning? 3) What needs planting? 4) Some invasive vines need to be removed from trees. 4) Winter Moth awareness.
LCTC October 5th 2015 meeting
The October 5th meeting was held at the Commons Lunch and present were: Julie McGeoch, Diane McGuire, Lease Plimpton, Roberta Shaw, Hope Taylor, Helen Woodhouse.
The design in terms of new trees for the Little Compton Wellness Center was discussed. Diane McGuire will be involved with the choise of trees and the planning of the site at the back of the Wellness Center. Stewartia and American Holy were species suggested because Holly is a jolly tree and Stewartia although not native flowers in Spring.
The layout of the 2015 fundraising document was discussed and it was decided to have a single page with images of several Little Compton trees with words around asking for donation to the LCTC together with an envelope for return. This would be sent out to every member of the town.
A Little Compton Eagle Scount has been granted permission by the Town council to plant some trees in the grave yard in Adamsville. Specifically this is at the corner of John Dyer Rd and Colebrook Rd on Adamsville Hill. The trees could be planted around the edge of the plot of 13,000 suare feet where the old school house once resided. Robert Mushen has asked the LCTC to assist the lad in this venture. Hope Taylor has already made him aware of the turn from and to John Dyer Rd being kept free of trees for safety of motorists and no trees should be planted under wires on the road. It was decided to help and advise the Eagle Scout while keeping him aware of the work involved in maintaining newly planted trees (watering, fencing against weed wackers etc) and the fact that maintenance of such trees does go on for some years and therefore he must have time to devote to these prospective trees.
Monarch butterfly connservation was discuused and the planting and maintaining of their essential food species like Milkweed.
LCTC June 8th 2015 meeting
The June 8th meeting was held at the Commons Lunch and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Roberta Shaw, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor.
Nature day Saturday June 13th and The BioBlitz to be held in Little Compton Friday 12 3pm-Saturday 13th 3pm were discussed in terms of our presence and when each of us would help and man tables. LCTC is giving out 4 tree species to the public on Nature day:
Literature on the 4 trees and the Winter Moth pest currently afflicting many local trees will be made available to the public via a single sheet or discsussion with advice from the members of the LCTC at the Nature day and Bioblitz events.
The new Oasis Garden in the Wilbur School was discussed.
Ideas for fund raising for the LCTC via our annual summer appeal letter were discussed.
LCTC March 11th 2015 meeting
Han G Hawrysz gave a presentation to LCTC, Lttle Compton Garden Club and the Sogkonate Garden Club in the Little Compton Community Center, as an introduction to the future BioBlitz to be conducted in Little compton on June 12-13th 2015 - he also showed the movie "Carbon Nation".
LCTC January 12th 2015 meeting
LCTC are meeting at Cindy Sheldon's house with the National Grid to discuss action ahead of time to avoid further fast inaccurate pruning after a storm. The beautiful huge Beech tree on Meeting House Lane after a storm was prunned so drastically by subcontractor workmen for the National Grid, that it subsequently killed the entire tree.
Post Meeting with the National Grid: A permanent tree representativeof the National Grid is now available for residents of Little Compton to contact via Cynthia Sheldon of the LCTC.
The pruning dimensions of the NG are branches are removed 10feet above, 10feet below and 6 feet to the side of the NG wires (top wires on roads).
It was stated at the meeting that the National Grid wants to be made aware of Tree concerns of LC residents. The NG is now aware that their pruning of trees after storms SANDY and IRENE killed some trees and left others very ugly. LC residents should send their concerns to LCTC and Cynthia Sheldon will then pass these on to the represenative of the NG. Concerns might be in the following categories:
1) Wanting a dangerous tree on a State or Town road removed.
2) Wanting a tree pruned on a State or Town road.
3) Wanting a tree NOT to be pruned on a State or Town Road.
In the spring of 2015 the NG plan further pruning of LC trees on State and Town roads and also plan to send fliers to each house before they start to prune near that house allowing time for a resident response.
2014 LCTC Meetings
LCTC November 10th meeting
Cindy Sheldon had arranged for the National Grid to remove the dead Beech on Meeting House Lane- this was subsequently removed.
Winter pruning and mulching schedules were arranged.
LCTC June 9th meeting
2014 Church Fair
LCTC will have a pre-Church Fair meeting at Leas Plimpton's home at 4pm June 24th.
We will buy $1,000 worth of trees to give to the public at the fair - size suitable to carry away and in containers.
The amusing LCTC card (initially 100 copies) will be printed asking for donations for the LCTC and availble to those that take a tree.
Hopefully a tree expert will be on hand at the fair to answer the publics question on tree care and planting.
Mulching the Crab Apples outside of the Catholic cemetry
Mulch will be ordered to place around those 3 Crab Apple Trees.
Mulch will also be applied to the base of the Weeping Beech Patriot tree.
Pesticides and how to treat the Winter moth Infestation
Julie Mcgeoch will find data on safe treatment for Winter Moth not involving Neonicotinoid pesticides.
News Letter
Everyone is encouraged to write a small paragraph for the newsletter.
LCTC April 14th meeting
2014 6th Grader Trees to be given out on Arbor Day Monday May 12th 2014:
Class 1, 6th graders at 8.30am.
Class 2, 6th graders at 9.30am.
2014 Church Fair
LCTC will have a stall at the 2014 United Congregational Church Fair on 12th July. Dave Mandel will be present to answer tree questions of the public.
New Flowering Shrubs on road side of Wilbur School car park
Jason Burchard, LC Tree Warden, has been asked by the Town Council to remove the dead trees on the road side of the Wilbur School, car park. He has asked the LCTC for ideas for new trees/shrubs to plant at the site. The LCTC thought 2 types of flowering shrub one early flowering and the other late would be acceptable. Suggestions included shrubs that are liked by bees as hives are to be placed by the Little Compton Garden Club in Angela’s Garden at the back of the school - this special garden being fairly near to this Wilbur School car park site in terms of bee forage area.The trees or shrubs at this site must also be low in height because of overhead power lines.
Early flowering Shrub Crab Apple
Late summer flowering- Hydrangea arborescens
Flyer design for the 2014 LCTC donation letter
A cartoon design for the donation letter was selected.
Pruning of the Crab Apple Trees South of Commons across road from the Catholic Cemetery.
Jason Burchard pruned the 3 Crab Apple trees at the entrance to the Catholic cemetery.
Town Landing Fence around donated tree
Christopher Goulart removed the cover material originally placed inside the fence of the donated tree at Town Landing. Diane McGuire will now tend to the trees feeding, watering and maintenance.
LCTC March 13th meeting
Results of Tally of Wilbur School 6th Grader trees.
Cindy reported that most of the 7th and 8th graders of Wilbur school had produced written details on a questionnaire of details of the tree they received in the 6th grade. This means that many tens of trees are planted and maintained successfully by the 6th graders each year: 17 out of 35 trees given to 6th graders were still growing in Little compton gardens in the Autumn of 2013 which is a 49% scuccess rate.
2014 6th Grader Trees and for the public on Arbor Day Friday April 25th 2014
3-4 tree species will be selected to give out to all 6th graders in 2014 and to the public on Arbor Day. At the suggestion of Diana McGuire local tree growers will be contacted by the LCTC with the aim of choosing species that were grown in RI and not brought in from other states. This will ensure the young trees chance of survival due to their being used to local soil conditions and local pests.
2014 Church Fair
It was decided that the LCTC would man a stall at the 2014 United Congregational Church Fair in July.
Pruning of the Crab Apple Trees South of Commons across road from the Catholic Cemetery.
Jason Burchard will prune the 3 Crab Apple trees at the entrance to the Catholic cemetery.
Mulch Quality
A better mulch quality would be sought for use by the LCTC for the town trees requiring mulch.
Flyer design for the 2014 LCTC donation letter
It was decided to seek a new design for the LCTC donation flyer potentially with more colorful images.
April LCTC Meeting Place
A local garden would be sought for the location of the April 2014 meeting of the LCCT.
LCTC February 10th meeting
Pruning of the Crab apple Trees South of Commons across road from the Catholic Cemetery.
Several people have asked the LCTC to prune the Crab Apples trees that grow on town land South of Commons, across the road from the Catholic cemetery. It therefore was decided to send a letter acquainting Reverent Father Gerald Hussey with the plan. This was considered courteous, as the trees are associated with the cemetery of his parishioners.
Should there be no objection to the plan Jason Burchard will to be asked to conduct the pruning.
Chinese Garden Plan for the Kinder Court of Wilbur School
Leas Plimpton introduced the idea of a Chinese garden for the Wilbur School Kinder Court once the Wilbur School is completed. Such a garden would require minimal watering during the hot summer months by virtue of its design. The garden would have a raked gravel surface and many limestone rock structures with some hardy plants. The Wilbur school children could also design and build some of the rock structures giving them an introduction to garden design where summer watering and maintenance are difficult.
Tally of Wilbur School 6th Grader trees.
Cynthia Sheldon will send out the cards bearing 5 questions to ascertain from Wilbur 7th and 8th Graders the fate of their trees received when they were in the 6th Grade. These will go out to the parents of the 7th and 8th graders on Monday February 24th and be collected at the school on Wednesday February 26th.
Plans for Arbor Day Friday April 25th 2014
LCTC will acquire 60-72 trees to be given to the 6th graders before Arbor Day and the public on Arbor Day. Heptocodium was discussed as a possible tree:
Memorial trees around the renovated Wilbur School
Julie McGeoch used Google Earth Pro (GEP) to let the LTCT view the area to be landscaped by the Little Compton Open Space Committee encompassing 1) the fields with cabins currently housing the Wilbur School children, 2) the ball fields and 3) the immediate school area under renovation. Once the school renovation is complete and the landscaping underway the public wanting to plant memorial trees will be able to use these images to choose the most suitable site for their tree.
January 13th meeting
Planting of trees, particularly memorial trees, on the land freed up once the Little Compton children are out of the porter cabins and back in their new classrooms in the renovated Wilbur School.
The LCTC wants to be included with all the groups in Little Compton involved in the landscaping and tree planting discussions and decisions for the land immediately around the school and the playing fields further away. We support the Little Compton Recreation and Open Space Committee that via Marjorie O’Toole applied for local grant funds to finance this work.
Winter moth and other insect threats to the Little Compton trees.
While the LCTC is concerned about tree damage via pests like the winter moth we have decided not to fund spraying of insecticides but do everything possible to strengthen our trees. LCTC funds will be directed at steady constant tree maintenance to ensure the Little Compton trees are pruned and fertilized when needed leaving them with increased ability to resist most pests. Our decision not to spray insecticide is based on the fact that insecticide compounds are directed at living organism nervous systems which at the molecular level have similarities from insects to man. Atmospheric concentrations of insecticide that will kill insects will effects to some extent humans and the most vulnerable humans, young children with developing nervous systems and pregnant women, should not be subjected to this risk. In this regard we note that certain legal insecticides in the USA at this time are banned in Europe and therefore the LCTC will err on the side of caution and not fund spraying.
Tally of Wilbur School 6th Grader trees.
Cynthia Sheldon will make a card of 5 questions to ascertain from Wilbur 7th and 8th Graders the fate of their trees received when they were in the 6th Grade. In this manner the LCTC will gain insight into how effective were its efforts to instill into young children the need to plant and nurture trees in the town.
Lease Plimpton will write to the Sakonnet Times on this matter to encourage the present 7th and 8th Graders and readers further afield from Wilbur School to also become active tree planters and follow the fate of their trees.
Trees donated by the LCTC for the people of Little Compton will be given out on Arbor Day Friday April 25th near the Post Office.
Web Site Julie McGeoch will from now on post the main points of each meeting on the LCTC on the web site.
Books discussed:
Diane McGuire recommended to the LCTC: Modern Garden Design: Innovation since 1900 by Janet Waymark.
The September 9th meeting was held in the Town Hall and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Sue Theriault and 2 members of Little Compton Garden Club attending with concerns over a Swamp White Oak being planted outside the LCCC.
The LCCC tree issue was discussed amicably on September 26th at LCCC and after discussion the Swamp white Oak was retained as the new tree for the LCCC.
The August 19th meeting was held in the Town Hall and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
The 2019 Annual Fund drive flier will be mailed out August 19th 2019.
Discussion on the tree to be planted outside LCCC continued with the decision to ask Jason Burchard, the Tree Warden, to look out for an Oak about 15 feet high to be planted April 2020. Cindy would contact Dig Safe.
Jason had requested we locate trees needing care at triangle points in town.
Cindy asked each member of LCTC to identify 2 trees needing vine clearance on town and State roads - that task to be conducted in September.
Stakeholder meeting of Wilbour Woods: 3 feet in from the roads the multiflora has been cleared. Long term, Roger Williams University together with the Stakeholders may become involved in the design of a new bridge allowing car travel around the woods again. This replacement of the 2nd bridge is particularly sought as a goal for the Stakeholders because elderly Little Compton residents enjoy being able to drive around the wood and a 2nd bridge also gives fast access to emergence vehicles.
Leas mentioned a person to remove the broken concret blocks near the Weeping Beech Tree.
The July 8th meeting was held in the town Hall and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Sue Theriault and Helen Woodhouse.
The design and plan for the LCTC Annual fund drive were discussed with the goal of getting the flier finished and mailed out to all Little Compton residents in August. It was agreed the text of the flier should list the LCTC 2018/2019 achievements, particularly the trees given to 7 residents and a note to the public to try and remove vines from trees.
The June 10th meeting was held at The town Hall and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Sue Theriault and Helen Woodhouse
Tony Teixeira, the Little Compton town administrator jointed the meeting to learn about the LCTC.
The National Grid has said it will donate a tree for the Wilbur McMahon School and this may be planted on the Ball field at the site of a tree that had to be felled.
On Friday June 7th the Annual meeting of LCTC and the Kindergarten class of Wilbur McMahon school took place at the Weeping Beech. The entire class had written out questions together with tree drawings - the questions were duly answered with much discussion by this lively group of 5-6 year olds. Jason Burchard carefully covered many aspects of tree care and Julie explained the basis of photosynthesis geared to this age group.
Cindy asked every member to write a short piece for the July Annual appeal flyer.
Summer projects were suggested that included:
Asking the public to adopt a tree and then maintain it e.g. Devine of Bitter Sweet.
A list of arborists would be made to perform work not covered by Jason Burchard.
The May 13th meeting was held at The Commons Lunch and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Sue Theriault and Helen Woodhouse
7 new trees donated by LCTC are now planted in 6 gardens and/or outside of 6 gardens in Little Compton.
LCTC decided to give $1,000 to the town of Little Compton to remove the fast growing multiflora rose from Wilbour Woods and contacted Andrew Moore of the Town Council to this effect. A proviso of avoiding extensive clear cutting for this task was added because Wilbour Woods needs to be kept in its as near as possible natural state.
On June 6th Julie and Jason will meeting with the kindergarten Classes of Wilbour McMahon School under the Weeping Beech for their annual lesson on tree care and photosynthesis.
The April 8th meeting was held at The Brownell House and present were: Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Sue Theriault and Helen Woodhouse
7 new trees donated by LCTC are being distributed to 6 applicants in Little Compton.
On Arbor day Cindy Sheldon and Sue Theriault gave out with clear instructions for planting, 6 White Pine trees and many Blueberry bushes to the 6th Graders of Wilbour School.
The March 11th meeting was held at The Commons Lunch and present were: Roberta Apfel, Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Roberta Shaw, Hope Taylor, Sue Theriault and Helen Woodhouse.
It is with great sadness the LCTC learned of the death of our past member Diane Kostial McGuire on February 28th 2019 https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/diane-mcguire-obituary?pid=191709128
Leas took this photo of Diane in her library - Diane was a world renowned landscape gardener providing over the years really good advice to LCTC:
Update of LCTC 2019 tree donations to the public.
7 Applications have so far come in for trees. The Sakonnet Times placed an add for the public obtaining trees on February 21st and the same add will run again in March.
In April all applications for trees will be reviewed by LCTC and planting will begin.
LCGC decided to give the 6th Graders on Arbor day (April 26th) 24 Blueberry bushes and 6 White Pine trees (generously donated by Marty Fisher and arranged by Sue Theriault). LCTC is particularly pleased to welcome Sue Theriault, our newest member to the LCTC and impressed that she has immediately helped at finding a tree type to be given on Arbor day. Cindy Sheldon and Sue Theriault on April 26th will give our usual presentation to the 6th graders on tree care and then present the trees.
The next meeting will be held on Monday April 8th at 9.30am Brownell house.
The February 11th meeting was held at Julie's house, 420 West Main Rd and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Roberta Shaw and Hope Taylor.
The text for the Application by Little Compton residents to receive a tree was completed. The Sakonnet times will be contacted to run adds for these trees in both February and March. The application forms will be localated for residents at the Town Hall and Library. Notices for residents to apply for a tree will also be placed in the library, the LCCC and Wilburs Store. If there are more applicants relative to trees the last applicants will go on a waiting list. Later in the summer after the 2019 donations to LCTC arrive from the Anual Appeal, more trees will be bought and residents on the waiting list will receive their trees.
Blueberries (mainly - as so popular with 6th graders) plus a few small potted trees will be given to each 6th grader on Arbor Day April 26th.
The next meeting will be on Monday March 11th at 9.30am at the Common Lunch
The January 14th meeting was held at the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
A draft text was provided by Hope for Little Compton Residents to apply for a tree to plant in front of their house.
The text for this application will be finalized at the next meeting in February.
An idea to to hold a workshop to get residents (young and old) to plant seeds of 4 tree species will be put back to 2020. It is important in 2019 that members have enough time to help and advise residents to plant 10-20 trees in Little Compton. This will be the main focus this year with the trees being distributed and provided free by the LCTC on Arbor Day April 26th.
The 2019 annual flyer will adopt the same style as 2018 - the inclusion of return envelopes increased the donations to LCTC.
The next meeting will be on Monday February 11th at 9.30am at Julie's house, 420 West Main Rd - park inside on the gravel infront of the barn.
The December 10th meeting was held at the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Jason Burchard, Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Roberta Shaw, Cynthia Sheldon and Hope Taylor.
In 2020 it is 400 years since the Mayflower Compact and the first American flag featuring The Liberty Tree flew in 1620. A 400 year memorial to this Mayflower Compact and the Liberty Tree flag is being organized by the Boston Liberty Tree Society. A LCTC tree planted to commemorate this has been suggested by Carol Wordell and Jason Burchard thinks the tree location should be the West corner of the Ball park gravel road on the site where a large Beech died. A tree to provide shade was discuussed with the following as possible species to plant: Europena Lindens, Swamp Maple, Ginko, Lireodendron and Copper Beech.
The wording for the rules for actuating donations from LCTC for the planting of new trees on Little Compton town and state roads was discussed at length.
The 2019 Abor day tree gifts to the 6th graders of Wilbur McMahon School will be Blue Berry bushes and Holly Trees. LCTC are waiting for the 6th grade teachers to finalize the April 2019 date for this event.
How to attract new members to the LCTC was discussed - younger members with children could be accomodated if we had occasional monthly meeting in the evening. It was agreed this would be adopted if we can acquire new younger members.
The next meeting will be on Monday 14th January at 9.30am 2019.
The November 12th meeting was held in the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Roberta Shaw, Cynthia Sheldon and Hope Taylor.
Replacing the Holiday Tree at Pikes Peak was discussed. The new tree will be planted before the TreeSpree for the Little Compton Scholarship fund on December 2nd.
Further Trees at 3 locations in Little Compton will be planted in April 2019. Owners of houses at the 3 locations have been asked to suggest Trees they would like and the LCTC will advise in terms of suitable species and care. It is hoped owners near these new trees will help with their watering for 2 years on very hot summer days.
The next meeting will be on Monday December 10th at 9.30am Commons Lunch.
The October 1st meeting was held in the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Roberta Shaw, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
Joint Meeting of LCTC and Sogkonate Garden Club 3rd October 2018:Cynthia Sheldon on behalf of the LCTC gave an overview of the committee's work in Little Compton at the October 3rd joint meeting with the LCTC and the Sogkonate Garden Club at the Little Compton Comminity Center where John Campanini and Jason Burchard talked on the subject of global warming, tree pests, bearded lichens, native vs non-native species, and invasive trees/plants.
Since late Summer and Autumn the Tree Committee has been actively looking for the best sites on Town and State roads to new plant trees. Julie McGeoch, Robert Shaw and Cynthia Sheldon travelled around town on the 16th September and identified 3 sites to begin this project. We have to consider at each site the following:
The July 9th meeting was held in the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Roberta Shaw, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
The design for the LCTC annual flier was finalized. This will be mailed out once the printer detail is also finalized. The flier draws attention for the need of donations to LCTC to replace dying trees on the roads of Little Compton.
Regarding the siting of the new Christmas holday tree at Pike's Peak, the Little Compton graveyard machine that detects obstables beneath the soil will be sought to establish the best site to plant a new tree. Margory O'Toole will be asked about this issue.
Lease Plimpton will be asked to briefly (a few minutes) introduce the LCTC on October 3rd at the joint meeting with the LCTC and the Sogkonate Garden Club at the Little Compton Comminity Center where John Campanini and Jason Burchard will talk on the subject of global warming, tree pests, bearded lichens, native vs non-native species, and invasive trees/plants.
The next LCTC meeting will be Monday Oct 1st 9.30am Commons Lunch.
The June 18th meeting was held in the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Roberta Apfel. Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
It was decided that the Tree Committee will not attend the 2018 July Fair but will concenetrate on events each year at Arbor day in April in terms of giving out trees and advice on Tree panting and maintenance - the location of these Arbor days meeting TBA.
The topology of the records for the LCTC monthly meeting on the web site are now latest first.
The annual flier will go to the printers and be sent out in July.
On October 3rd there will be a joint meeting with the LCTC and the Sogkonate Garden Club at the Little Compton Comminity Center where John Campanini and Jason Burchard will talk on the subject of global warming, tree pests, bearded lichens, native vs non-native species, and invasive trees/plants. At the beginning of the meeting a LCTC representative will give a 10 minute introduction to the LCTC.
A representative from the LCTC will introduceThe next LCTC meeting will be Monday July 9th 9.30am Commons Lunch.
The May 14th meeting was held in the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Roberta Shaw. Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
Cindy Sheldon gave a tree care talk to the 6th Graders on April 27th, Arbor Day and distributed 30 River Birch (1.5ft in 6inch pots)) and 15 Blueberry plants. Roberta Shaw also attended.
It was decided to send out the annual appeal to the town mid July and try out the enclosed envelope design using Mallard Printing.
Julie and Hope met with the 2 Kindergarten classes on June 8th under the Weeping Beech conducting the usual lesson on tree care and a little phososynthesis geared to 5 year olds. Each child had drawn tree images and written out a question - very impressive - these children can write clearly and they are in Kindergarten!! - a great tribute to the good teaching at the Wilbour McMahon school and to their teachers.
It was decided not to contune discussions on moving the War Memorial Stone from under the Weeping Beech for a variety of reasons including - it would cause some distress to veterans who were used to that location, moving the stone may damage the Weeping Beech and under the tree when viewing the Memorial it is peaceful and quiet.
LCTC funds will be made avaiable for a new Christmas tree dedicated to the memory of Jane Cabot.
Discussion of the fair and whether LCTC attend with a stand will continue.
The next LCTC meeting will be Monday June 11th 9.30am Commons Lunch.
The March 12th meeting was held in the Commons Lunch at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Roberta Shaw. Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
The 30 River Birch (1.5ft in 6inch pots)) and 15 Blueberry plants are ordered from Sylvan’s Nursery for giving to the 6th Graders of Wilbour McMahon School on Arbor day, April 27th.
Golembeske has been contacted about the possible relocation of the Memorial stone on Veterans field.
The choice of a Holy to replace the Christmas tree on Pikes Peak were discussed on the grounds Holly trees are more resistent to disease - Julie thought putting lights on a holly each Christmas might be problematic. Also if the hole for a new traditional Gymnosperm were deep the new tree might thrive anyway.
Questions on the safety of Diane McGuire’s extensive library of Botanical books were discussed – in terms of hoping the books are safe or being given to a library.
Cindy asked members to submit a short article of 300 words on a Tree for a LCTC news sheet.
Julie will contact Mallard printers to ascertain whether the trifold design of the LCTC 2018 Annual Appeal flier, to go out in the summer of 2018, could also contain a return envelope. It was hoped the inclusion of a return envelope might generate more contributions to the LCTC.
The next meeting will be held at the Commons Lunch on Monday April 9th at 9.30am.
The February 12th meeting was held in the Adamsville Barn at 9.30am and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Roberta Shaw, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor.
River Birch Betula nigra and Blueberry bushes were decided for the tree and shrub types to be donated to the Wilbur McMahon 6th graders on Arbor Day April 27th. LCTC would contact various nurseries for the source of the trees and shrubs.
The design of the 2018 Annual Appeal for donations by the town citizens to the LCTC was discussed. Images of River Birch, with text mentioning that LCTC would donate $2,000 in 2018 to new trees on town and State roads would be in the design. Local commercial Printers that may be able to include a return envelope in a trifold design for the appeal would be sought.
George and Christopher Goulart would be asked to spend 2 hours each giving advice on tree maintenance and planting at the annual Little Compton United Congregational Church July Fair. Jason Burchard might also be asked too.
The meeting held in the Commons Lunch was attended by Julie McGeoch, Roberta Shaw, Cynthia Sheldon and Hope Taylor.
Further donations from the annual appeal are still coming in and there will be succifient funds to aacquire new trees in the following categories: A new Town Christmas Tree for Pike's Peak from a local nursery suppliers to ensure the tree will be resistant to local pests, and new trees to plant as Little Compton residents request on the Town and State roads
.At the 2018 July Summer Fair Jason Burchard, Christopher Goulart and Paul Golembeski will be asked to each spend 2 hours advising the public at a LCTC stand on plant and tree care and maintenance.
To accomodate LCTC members attending the meetings future meetings will occur on the 2nd Monday of the month.
The meeting held in the Commons Lunch was attended by Julie McGeoch, Lease Plimpton, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
The 2017 annual appeal resulted in many donations. The 300+ extra appeal fliers will be sent out before Christams to those that in the past donated to the LCTC but so far have not donated for 2017.
Jason will add horse manure donated by Cindy to the Crab Apple trees outside Wilbur School.
Paul Golembeske will be asked if the Town would consider moving the large stone that is now hidden by the Centenial Weeping Beech to a location near the flagpole near Brownell house. The stone commemorates fallen soldiers in many wars and is currently not visible. It however weighs several tons and its move must not harm the tree roots and its move must not be too costly to the town.
Jason is going to cut down the 5 dead trees on Mullem Hill and later remove their roots once the ground has settled.
The meeting held in the Commons Lunch was attended by Julie McGeoch, Roberta Shaw, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
MEMORIAL TREES: The new playing fields will be ready next year for new trees some of which could be donated Memorial Trees. In terms of long term care of existing and new memorial trees Cynthia Sheldon will head this section of LCTC and now will start to contact past donors of trees to ask if they would contribute to their care in terms of maintenance for instance summer watering and weeding. Some memorail trees are in less than perfect condition and need more attention.
WEEPING BEECH: Boisterous children have been breaking the cinder blocks used for the Chicken Barbeque and distributing the broken pieces on the roots under the Weeping Beech at the Ball Field. The LCTC decided to remove all the broken blocks and cover the intact blocks with tarps held down securely. Currently the tarped blocks are beside the stone wall on the East side of the Weeping Beech, but a long term storage place for the blocks is being sought. Hopefully the blocks will not be moved until they are employed to make the fire for the Chichen Barbeque each summer and/or a new better storage site is found.
LCTC discussed our Federal Tax exempt status. LCTC wishes to remain under the auspices of the Town of Little Compton for its Federal Tax exempt status - this allows mailing via the Post Office to qualify for the tax exempt rate. Several other Little Compton Tax exempt organizations are also awaiting clarification by the Town with the Post Office for low rate mailing rates.
Extra annaul appeal flyers will be placed in key Town locations (e.g library, Wilbur Store, Community Center, A1 Pizza, Bank lobby) just before Thanksgiving to hopefully generate further donations to the LCTC. So far the response to the 2017 appeal has been good.
A special organization meeting of LCTC was held on September 4th at 2pm at 420 West Main Rd, Little Compton. Those present were Julie McGeoch (CoChairman), Cynthia Sheldon (CoChairman) and Hope Taylor (Treasurer).
The accounts for LCTC are now being recorded in an Excel file.
Since 1995 the LCTC has been listed with the US goverment as a non profit organization and before that the LCTC was part of the Summer Association of Little Compton.
The Post Office which allows LCTC to mail anual appeal fliers at a low mailing rate because we are a non profit organization, has requested we send in 2017 updated forms to the Post Office experdite a low rate mailing for 2018 + mailings - we have done that. Now LCTC will be recorded as non-profit by the US Goverment and the US Post Office.
The 2017 appeal is successful with many donations arriving to support LCTC.
LCTC June 12th Meeting
The June meeting attended by Jason Burchard, Julie McGeoch, Roberta Shaw, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse, was held under the 1976 Bicentennial Weeping Beech at the Little Compton Ball park together with the Kindergarten classes of Wilbur McMahon school and their teachers Marianne Vareika and Jennifer Segala.
In 2015 the Kindergarden class adopted the Weeping Beech and thereafter each new Kindergarden adopts the tree for a year. Marianne Vareika and her kindergarden class started this in 2015 because the class loved the tree and wanted to be part of its care, the LCTC meeting either in the Fall or spring with the Kindergarten children. At this meeting the Little Compton Tree Warden Jason Burchard, explained the need to care for the tree in terms of protecting its roots via good quality organic mulch from running feet and from drought. At each meeting a little tree biochemistry is covered each time by Julie McGeoch where the children compare a tree to a person in terms of its needs – light, gases in (carbon dioxide) and out (oxygen), water in, can a tree run away from danger – how does it manage injury etc. The children are very knowledgeable and actively take part in all the suggestions for the tree care and maintenance.
LCTC May 8th Meeting
The meeting held in the Commons Lunch was attended by Roberta Apfel, Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse. April Bodman came as a guest to learn about the LCTC.
EVENTS:
On Abor Day April 28th LCTC gave the following trees to the 6th Graders at Wilbur School:
10 Dwarf Alberta Spruce
10 Patriotic Blueberriy
20 White Oak
On May 3rd very early in the morning Jason Burchard and his team distributed 4 yards of mulch from the Brownell Library to the Commons Lunch to protect the tree roots during the heavy summer foot traffic.
FUTURE EVENTS: In early June the LCTC will meet with the Kindergarten classes of Wilbur School under the Weeping Beech near the Ball field. This tree has been adopted by the Kindergarten classes and they will help spread mulch over the tree roots, measure their tree and learn how to maintain it in good health.
Update on Brownell Library Oak Trees
We thank Sakonnet Tree Co and Whipple Tree for volunteering time and effort to prune the Brownell Library Oak trees.
From Cynthia Sheldon:
1)fifteen white oaks in 2 gal containers
2)fifteen blueberries in one gal containers
3)ten dwarf Alberta spruce, also in one gal containers
The presently nude white oaks are especially unimpressive right now, I must say, but a leaf or two will appear before Arbor Day. The impressive parts: they annually grow 1-2' a year to a height of 100', are huge bushy shade trees, disease resistant, with bright orangey-amber color in autumn. It's native to R.I., to boot. The 2 gal containers seem pretty big to me but hopefully the kids will be enthusiastic about the twig's potential (+/- 24" tall at present).
Patriot Blueberries: For kids wanting almost-instant gratification. Big plants in small pots They're vigorous and loaded with buds. (The birds will be so excited.) Heavy, early producers of 'premium fruit', grows to 3-5', hearty to N.E.. Autumn foliage an outstanding scarlet orange.
Dwarf Alberta will make tidy, tiny Xmas trees - for a long time. Slow growing, conical habit, great for small gardens. Is considered "portable" so if you move houses, the tree can come as well. Does well outdoors in container with usual care for container plants.
The March meeting held in the Commons Lunch was attended by Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cythia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse. Peg Hedstrom came as a guest to learn about the LCTC.
Agenda:
Adopt a tree - discussion focused on the need to have the public send a certain sum ($50 suggested) that would be spent by the LCTC on a specific tree in terms of its care - and the donor would be then be named as the adopter of that tree.
Abor day trees for the 6th Graders might be changed to a small variety Ginko (in place of a Hornbeam) and a yellow Azalia.
The newsletter would go out in July to reach the summer Little Compton residents - Cindy would investigate the availability of a small variety Ginko to be given to the 6th Graders and the Ginko and yellow Azalia image would go on the newsletter.
Cindy would prepare a letter to the Sakonnet times outlining the events planned above and discribing the concept of "Adopt a Tree".
LCTC February 2017 meeting
The February meeting held in the Commons Lunch was attended by Jason Burchard, Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Cythia Sheldon, Hope Taylor and Helen Woodhouse.
It was decided to complile a fundraising flyer similar to that of 2015 consisting of images of trees on one side and text the other that outlined future LCTC 2017 events. Potentially a letter to the Sakonnet times would also go out at the time of the flyer. Items to consider for inclusion in the flyer and letter were:
ADOPT A TREE IN LITTLE COMPTON - The citizens of Little Compton would be asked to contact LCTC if they thought they would like to "adopt a tree" on the state or town roads. This would be a particular tree they liked for a whole variety of reasons and were prepared to help maintain at an approximate rate of $0-$200 per annum. The proceedure for adopting would involve contacting LCTC via its P.O.Box 562 and describing the tree in question. The LCTC would then meet with the adoptee to complete the tree adoption. The purpose of this venture would be to get the public involved in tree care and maintenance - the work in terms of watering, pruning, fertilizing and treating disease would occur via the LCTC or be overseen by LCTC.Jason alerted us to the fact that many conifers in the town are now affected by Pine Weevel and people should cut away affected areas before it spreads and kills the entire tree.
Jason suggested a new Swamp Maple should be planted at the corner of Veterans Field and that a new tree was going to be planted in front of the Community Center.
Hope again memntioned we need to find new members.
It was reported that the Sakonate Garden club are compiling a list of all the Memorial Trees in town particularly those to children.
2016 LCTC Meetings
LCTC December 2016 meeting
The December meeting at the SPC was attended by Julie McGeoch, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor.
This was a special meeting that decided the LCTC very much wanted Hope Taylor to remain as President but Hope would receive more support from McGeoch and Sheldon whenever needed.
2107 TREES for Wilbur School 6th Graders: The next general meeting of the LCTC would occur on Mon February 6th and at that meeting the species of trees (approximately 50) for Arbor Day distribution to the Wilbur School 6th Graders would be decided upon and ordered. The tree distibution to the 6th graders would occur on or near Arbor day in April and the 6th Graders would be asked in mid March to sign a pledge to plant and maintain their tree and also state whether they wanted to own a tree - thus each 6th grader was to have a choice of owning and maintaning a tree or declining that offer via pledge. In this way it was hoped real sustained care of some trees by the children would ocurr.
CENTENNIAL WEEPING BEECH: Cindy Sheldon offered to "adopt" the Centennial Weeping Beech tree at the Little Compton Baseball field - this will compliment the fact that since 2015 the Kingergarten classes of Wilbur School also "adopted" this Beech starting in 2015 - each incoming Kindergarten taking over the adoption from the last. The kindergarteners with their teacher Marianne Vareika and Officer Sue (for protection on the road) visit the tree with Julie McGeoch to learn about trees in general and this tree's statistics and care needs. In May 2017 LCTC plans to mulch the tree together with the Kindergarteners.
LCTC July 2016 update on Eagle Scout Trees in Adamsville
Eli Wilson the Little Compton Eagle Scount has planted his trees in Adamsville - they look good in spite of the universal low soil water due to this very dry summer. He knows a watering schedule is the most important thing for the trees survival. Such projects are to be encouraged for future students - they then learn early about the care of trees and the fact that their time commitment to the trees is essential for success of the project.
LCTC May 9th 2016 meeting
The May 9th meeting at the Adamsville Barn was attended by Julie McGeoch, Diane McGuire, Lease Plimpton, ,Cindy Sheldon, Hope Taylor. Absent were Roberta Shaw and Helen Woodhouse.
LCTC Balance: $7,753.82
Expenses: Sylvan nursery $708.69 for 10 Azalaea Weston Innocence, 10 Azalea Delaware Valley White, 20 Azalea Arneson Gem.
Abbor Day Cyindy and Leas conducted Arbor day with 32 Wilbur School children, 2 teachers, 1 School Secretary.
Wellness Center - Sogkonate Garden - plans to landsape an area in the garden via the Diane McGuire design are on hold due to lack of funds to meet any of 3 bids for the work. A Stewartia tree by the Wellness Center has benn requestedby Sue Talbot of the LCTC. Discussion as to whether the Hudner family should be contacted to have the tree or the whole design devoted to the late Hope Hudner.
Swan Point Providence tree walk will occur 2pm Wednesday May11th Rain day May12th.
Makepeace Champion Elm Tree Jon T Campanini wishes to do a memorial write up for the felled Makepeace Elm. The tree lost a large branch in the April 2nd 2016 storm with the branch falling on a pool house. Because the rest of the tree might have fallen on the main house it was felled for safety. This magnificant Elm had been treated for 15 years for Dutch Elm disease.
Friday May 27th - New Bedford School Trip in Wilber Woods organized by Kathy Wattle: The LCTC will send members to help the LCGC with the children for the trip around Wilbur Woods. Parking is on Swamp Rd.
LCTC April 29th 2016 Abor day
Arbor Day which was Friday April 29th. found Lease, Helen and me in front of 32 eager 6th. graders along with their teachers. Three varieties of azalea were available; Weston Innocence and Delaware Valley White have white blossoms while the Arneson Gem has red blossoms which become orange. Cindy picked the shrubs up at Sylvan's and delivered them to the school on Friday morning.
LCTC March 7th 2016 meeting
The March 7th meeting was held in the Adamsville Barn and present were: Julie McGeoch, Diane McGuire, Lease Plimpton, Roberta Shaw ,Cindy Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Helen Woodhouse.
April 29th Arbor Day - We have to decide on the distribution of trees on this day.
Hope allerted LCTC to the old forest in Portsmouth near the Polo field: Oakland Forest Preserve trail - Union Str/Carriage Dr, maintained by the Aquidneck Land Trust.
Winter moth infestation was discussed with mention that even the organic oil treatments kill many "good" insects like butterflies.
Diane Mcguires landscape projects over many years will be listed in the next LCTC news letter.
Ricke Dark, Doug Tellany whose book Living Landscapes will give a seminar in the Fall.
The next LCTC meeting will be on April 4th at 9.30am at the Wibur School Oasis project
LCTC January 11th 2016 meeting
The January 16th meeting was held in the Commons Lunch and present were: Julie McGeoch, Lease Plimpton, Roberta Shaw ,Cindy Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Helen Woodhouse.
Jason Burchard, the town Tree Warden attended and provided detailed plans of the Little Compton Commons Creation Area to allow decisions by the LCTC in the future as to where best to plant trees.
Jason Burchard also advised on organic oil spray to control Winter moth.
The topic of Little Compton residents experiencing the proximity of new large houses that now adversely effect their view, was discussed. It was suggested that LCTC could advise on the choise of trees for such residents to hide the large houses.
2015 LCTC Meetings
LCTC November 16th 2015 meeting
The November 16th meeting was held at the Adamsville Barn and present were: Robbie Apfel, Julie McGeoch, Diane McGuire, Lease Plimpton, Roberta Shaw ,Cindy Sheldon, Hope Taylor, Helen Woodhouse and representing the Planting Project at the Wellness Center, Sue Talbot.
LCTC Balance >$5,000. Donations of $1,455 received. 29 checks so far from Newsletter appeal. Roberta Shaw and Cindy Sheldon will write thank you notes to the donors.
Sue Talbot provided images of the planting areas to be considered in the Wellness Center. The design in terms of new native trees was discussed with particular reference to hiding the view of the car park from within the Center. Diane McGuire will be involved with the choise of trees and the planning of the site at the back of the Wellness Center. Stewartia and American Holy weresuggested. Planting will have to accomodate many pipes in the area.
The New England Grows on Dec 2-4th at the Boston Convention Center was discussed.
It was decided to donate $100 to Peckhams for the Tree Spree again this year.
The Wilbur School Kindergarden Class of Marianne Vareika are adopted the Weeping Beech near the ballfield and on Dec 4th Julie McGeoch will talk to the class about the tree and its long term needs and how the class can help the tree.
The Wilbur School Kindercourt fountain/pond in flowing and most of the trees and scrubs have been planted. The LCTC will need to find waterers for this project in the spring and summer.
We will invite Jason Burchard, the Town Tree Warden to the next LCTC meeting in January with the aim of he keeping us informed of the trees to be planted in the Ballfield and jogging path.
The Little Compton Bioblitz resulted in the identifiaction of 1,184 species with 215 participants. 28 species of fish, 4 flat worms (Platyzoa) and 96 birds were recorded.
LCTC Jobs to be done:
1) What needs mulching? 2) What needs pruning? 3) What needs planting? 4) Some invasive vines need to be removed from trees. 4) Winter Moth awareness.
LCTC October 5th 2015 meeting
The October 5th meeting was held at the Commons Lunch and present were: Julie McGeoch, Diane McGuire, Lease Plimpton, Roberta Shaw, Hope Taylor, Helen Woodhouse.
The design in terms of new trees for the Little Compton Wellness Center was discussed. Diane McGuire will be involved with the choise of trees and the planning of the site at the back of the Wellness Center. Stewartia and American Holy were species suggested because Holly is a jolly tree and Stewartia although not native flowers in Spring.
The layout of the 2015 fundraising document was discussed and it was decided to have a single page with images of several Little Compton trees with words around asking for donation to the LCTC together with an envelope for return. This would be sent out to every member of the town.
A Little Compton Eagle Scount has been granted permission by the Town council to plant some trees in the grave yard in Adamsville. Specifically this is at the corner of John Dyer Rd and Colebrook Rd on Adamsville Hill. The trees could be planted around the edge of the plot of 13,000 suare feet where the old school house once resided. Robert Mushen has asked the LCTC to assist the lad in this venture. Hope Taylor has already made him aware of the turn from and to John Dyer Rd being kept free of trees for safety of motorists and no trees should be planted under wires on the road. It was decided to help and advise the Eagle Scout while keeping him aware of the work involved in maintaining newly planted trees (watering, fencing against weed wackers etc) and the fact that maintenance of such trees does go on for some years and therefore he must have time to devote to these prospective trees.
Monarch butterfly connservation was discuused and the planting and maintaining of their essential food species like Milkweed.
LCTC June 8th 2015 meeting
The June 8th meeting was held at the Commons Lunch and present were: Julie McGeoch, Leas Plimpton, Roberta Shaw, Cynthia Sheldon, Hope Taylor.
Nature day Saturday June 13th and The BioBlitz to be held in Little Compton Friday 12 3pm-Saturday 13th 3pm were discussed in terms of our presence and when each of us would help and man tables. LCTC is giving out 4 tree species to the public on Nature day:
Literature on the 4 trees and the Winter Moth pest currently afflicting many local trees will be made available to the public via a single sheet or discsussion with advice from the members of the LCTC at the Nature day and Bioblitz events.
The new Oasis Garden in the Wilbur School was discussed.
Ideas for fund raising for the LCTC via our annual summer appeal letter were discussed.
LCTC March 11th 2015 meeting
Han G Hawrysz gave a presentation to LCTC, Lttle Compton Garden Club and the Sogkonate Garden Club in the Little Compton Community Center, as an introduction to the future BioBlitz to be conducted in Little compton on June 12-13th 2015 - he also showed the movie "Carbon Nation".
LCTC January 12th 2015 meeting
LCTC are meeting at Cindy Sheldon's house with the National Grid to discuss action ahead of time to avoid further fast inaccurate pruning after a storm. The beautiful huge Beech tree on Meeting House Lane after a storm was prunned so drastically by subcontractor workmen for the National Grid, that it subsequently killed the entire tree.
Post Meeting with the National Grid: A permanent tree representativeof the National Grid is now available for residents of Little Compton to contact via Cynthia Sheldon of the LCTC.
The pruning dimensions of the NG are branches are removed 10feet above, 10feet below and 6 feet to the side of the NG wires (top wires on roads).
It was stated at the meeting that the National Grid wants to be made aware of Tree concerns of LC residents. The NG is now aware that their pruning of trees after storms SANDY and IRENE killed some trees and left others very ugly. LC residents should send their concerns to LCTC and Cynthia Sheldon will then pass these on to the represenative of the NG. Concerns might be in the following categories:
1) Wanting a dangerous tree on a State or Town road removed.
2) Wanting a tree pruned on a State or Town road.
3) Wanting a tree NOT to be pruned on a State or Town Road.
In the spring of 2015 the NG plan further pruning of LC trees on State and Town roads and also plan to send fliers to each house before they start to prune near that house allowing time for a resident response.
2014 LCTC Meetings
LCTC November 10th meeting
Cindy Sheldon had arranged for the National Grid to remove the dead Beech on Meeting House Lane- this was subsequently removed.
Winter pruning and mulching schedules were arranged.
LCTC June 9th meeting
2014 Church Fair
LCTC will have a pre-Church Fair meeting at Leas Plimpton's home at 4pm June 24th.
We will buy $1,000 worth of trees to give to the public at the fair - size suitable to carry away and in containers.
The amusing LCTC card (initially 100 copies) will be printed asking for donations for the LCTC and availble to those that take a tree.
Hopefully a tree expert will be on hand at the fair to answer the publics question on tree care and planting.
Mulching the Crab Apples outside of the Catholic cemetry
Mulch will be ordered to place around those 3 Crab Apple Trees.
Mulch will also be applied to the base of the Weeping Beech Patriot tree.
Pesticides and how to treat the Winter moth Infestation
Julie Mcgeoch will find data on safe treatment for Winter Moth not involving Neonicotinoid pesticides.
News Letter
Everyone is encouraged to write a small paragraph for the newsletter.
LCTC April 14th meeting
2014 6th Grader Trees to be given out on Arbor Day Monday May 12th 2014:
Class 1, 6th graders at 8.30am.
Class 2, 6th graders at 9.30am.
2014 Church Fair
LCTC will have a stall at the 2014 United Congregational Church Fair on 12th July. Dave Mandel will be present to answer tree questions of the public.
New Flowering Shrubs on road side of Wilbur School car park
Jason Burchard, LC Tree Warden, has been asked by the Town Council to remove the dead trees on the road side of the Wilbur School, car park. He has asked the LCTC for ideas for new trees/shrubs to plant at the site. The LCTC thought 2 types of flowering shrub one early flowering and the other late would be acceptable. Suggestions included shrubs that are liked by bees as hives are to be placed by the Little Compton Garden Club in Angela’s Garden at the back of the school - this special garden being fairly near to this Wilbur School car park site in terms of bee forage area.The trees or shrubs at this site must also be low in height because of overhead power lines.
Early flowering Shrub Crab Apple
Late summer flowering- Hydrangea arborescens
Flyer design for the 2014 LCTC donation letter
A cartoon design for the donation letter was selected.
Pruning of the Crab Apple Trees South of Commons across road from the Catholic Cemetery.
Jason Burchard pruned the 3 Crab Apple trees at the entrance to the Catholic cemetery.
Town Landing Fence around donated tree
Christopher Goulart removed the cover material originally placed inside the fence of the donated tree at Town Landing. Diane McGuire will now tend to the trees feeding, watering and maintenance.
LCTC March 13th meeting
Results of Tally of Wilbur School 6th Grader trees.
Cindy reported that most of the 7th and 8th graders of Wilbur school had produced written details on a questionnaire of details of the tree they received in the 6th grade. This means that many tens of trees are planted and maintained successfully by the 6th graders each year: 17 out of 35 trees given to 6th graders were still growing in Little compton gardens in the Autumn of 2013 which is a 49% scuccess rate.
2014 6th Grader Trees and for the public on Arbor Day Friday April 25th 2014
3-4 tree species will be selected to give out to all 6th graders in 2014 and to the public on Arbor Day. At the suggestion of Diana McGuire local tree growers will be contacted by the LCTC with the aim of choosing species that were grown in RI and not brought in from other states. This will ensure the young trees chance of survival due to their being used to local soil conditions and local pests.
2014 Church Fair
It was decided that the LCTC would man a stall at the 2014 United Congregational Church Fair in July.
Pruning of the Crab Apple Trees South of Commons across road from the Catholic Cemetery.
Jason Burchard will prune the 3 Crab Apple trees at the entrance to the Catholic cemetery.
Mulch Quality
A better mulch quality would be sought for use by the LCTC for the town trees requiring mulch.
Flyer design for the 2014 LCTC donation letter
It was decided to seek a new design for the LCTC donation flyer potentially with more colorful images.
April LCTC Meeting Place
A local garden would be sought for the location of the April 2014 meeting of the LCCT.
LCTC February 10th meeting
Pruning of the Crab apple Trees South of Commons across road from the Catholic Cemetery.
Several people have asked the LCTC to prune the Crab Apples trees that grow on town land South of Commons, across the road from the Catholic cemetery. It therefore was decided to send a letter acquainting Reverent Father Gerald Hussey with the plan. This was considered courteous, as the trees are associated with the cemetery of his parishioners.
Should there be no objection to the plan Jason Burchard will to be asked to conduct the pruning.
Chinese Garden Plan for the Kinder Court of Wilbur School
Leas Plimpton introduced the idea of a Chinese garden for the Wilbur School Kinder Court once the Wilbur School is completed. Such a garden would require minimal watering during the hot summer months by virtue of its design. The garden would have a raked gravel surface and many limestone rock structures with some hardy plants. The Wilbur school children could also design and build some of the rock structures giving them an introduction to garden design where summer watering and maintenance are difficult.
Tally of Wilbur School 6th Grader trees.
Cynthia Sheldon will send out the cards bearing 5 questions to ascertain from Wilbur 7th and 8th Graders the fate of their trees received when they were in the 6th Grade. These will go out to the parents of the 7th and 8th graders on Monday February 24th and be collected at the school on Wednesday February 26th.
Plans for Arbor Day Friday April 25th 2014
LCTC will acquire 60-72 trees to be given to the 6th graders before Arbor Day and the public on Arbor Day. Heptocodium was discussed as a possible tree:
Memorial trees around the renovated Wilbur School
Julie McGeoch used Google Earth Pro (GEP) to let the LTCT view the area to be landscaped by the Little Compton Open Space Committee encompassing 1) the fields with cabins currently housing the Wilbur School children, 2) the ball fields and 3) the immediate school area under renovation. Once the school renovation is complete and the landscaping underway the public wanting to plant memorial trees will be able to use these images to choose the most suitable site for their tree.
January 13th meeting
Planting of trees, particularly memorial trees, on the land freed up once the Little Compton children are out of the porter cabins and back in their new classrooms in the renovated Wilbur School.
The LCTC wants to be included with all the groups in Little Compton involved in the landscaping and tree planting discussions and decisions for the land immediately around the school and the playing fields further away. We support the Little Compton Recreation and Open Space Committee that via Marjorie O’Toole applied for local grant funds to finance this work.
Winter moth and other insect threats to the Little Compton trees.
While the LCTC is concerned about tree damage via pests like the winter moth we have decided not to fund spraying of insecticides but do everything possible to strengthen our trees. LCTC funds will be directed at steady constant tree maintenance to ensure the Little Compton trees are pruned and fertilized when needed leaving them with increased ability to resist most pests. Our decision not to spray insecticide is based on the fact that insecticide compounds are directed at living organism nervous systems which at the molecular level have similarities from insects to man. Atmospheric concentrations of insecticide that will kill insects will effects to some extent humans and the most vulnerable humans, young children with developing nervous systems and pregnant women, should not be subjected to this risk. In this regard we note that certain legal insecticides in the USA at this time are banned in Europe and therefore the LCTC will err on the side of caution and not fund spraying.
Tally of Wilbur School 6th Grader trees.
Cynthia Sheldon will make a card of 5 questions to ascertain from Wilbur 7th and 8th Graders the fate of their trees received when they were in the 6th Grade. In this manner the LCTC will gain insight into how effective were its efforts to instill into young children the need to plant and nurture trees in the town.
Lease Plimpton will write to the Sakonnet Times on this matter to encourage the present 7th and 8th Graders and readers further afield from Wilbur School to also become active tree planters and follow the fate of their trees.
Trees donated by the LCTC for the people of Little Compton will be given out on Arbor Day Friday April 25th near the Post Office.
Web Site Julie McGeoch will from now on post the main points of each meeting on the LCTC on the web site.
Books discussed:
Diane McGuire recommended to the LCTC: Modern Garden Design: Innovation since 1900 by Janet Waymark.