Agenda - Council - 11/27/1978 - Laserfiche WebLink

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TO: FROM: RE: DATE: City Administrator Bruce Bacon Tree Inspection November 20, 1978 The tree inspector report for the month is one of review and old business. This is the third fall I've served as tree inspector. The first summer had a small subsidy budget; one party I recollect. The next summer we participated in the state 50-50 matching program which was presented to the citizens as a 3 sided individual- municipality-state sharing. This last 6 months saw about 20 phone communications per month. About 1/3 resulted in a field visit and required returned--phone contact. As last year, I tried to remind people that the~Universityof_Minnesota houses the Ag Extension Publication Service, offering relevant bulletins free for a phone call (373-1615). The number of samples request dropped off from.around 20 last summer to 2 or 3 thi~ summer. This summer we did not offer a cost sharing subsidy or re- imbursal or hauling of diseased wood from any citizens effort. This was explained as a budget prio~ty, to hold the mill rate several less than an adequate city-wide balanced effort at facilitating a Dutch Elm and Oak Wilt Disease Control Program. Individual effort would have to suffice. However, one benefit of Ramsey's participation in the state program resulted in a subsidy for a professional forester and former resident of Ramsey to do a scientific and statistical survey of our urban forest. This report awaits evaluation~for its longer-term implications for the direct- ion of growth of our treasured "semi" urban forest. Mr. Dahlman, the forester, has agreed to.respond to an invitation at a future date to discuss and ans- wer questions regarding his survey. OLD BUSINESS Mr. Halsey, 421-5'151, is acting as an attorney for a party on Salish Circle contesting the accurate representation of the property purchased in Winter as "free of oak wilt". He has requested any relevant page of the summer of '76 field notes from a requested visit by a neighbor of the aggrieved party that might make reference to an informal notification to the owner at that time of a common problem with his neighbor of~Salish Circle; namely several trees on or near the border, which would also have overlapping roOt systems. This makes adjoining healthy trees vulnerable to disease spore inoculation through root grafts, common into the same species. After looking at these notes, it seems that #363 of 9/17/76 may or may not be relevant, so I have prepared a copy to mail to him, if you concur that the files are in the public domain. Thank You, Sincerely, Bruce Bacon