Fitchburg Urban Forestry Committee Meeting – April 9, 2026

The Fitchburg Urban Forestry Committee met on April 9, 2026, at 4:03 PM and adjourned at 4:38 PM. The committee approved the spring 2026 street tree planting contract, adopted the urban forest strategic management plan with minor amendments, and received updates on departmental activities and upcoming events.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of minutes from the previous meeting: unanimously approved.
• Approval of the meeting agenda: unanimously approved.

Discussion Items

• Spring 2026 Street Tree Planting Project (Resolution R-67-26): The forester presented the project, which involves planting 263 street trees (ash replacements and new developments). The project was bid in March 2026; six bids were received. The lowest qualified bidder was Arthur Wheeland at $59,057, a contractor the city has worked with before. The contract specifies work to begin after April 15, 2026, and finish by June. The tree species include a variety of canopy and small/medium trees chosen to accommodate site constraints such as mail kiosks and utilities. The committee discussed the challenges of planting in tight new developments, the importance of terrace trees for canopy coverage where yard space is limited, and trade-offs between lot size and affordability. A motion to approve Resolution R-67-26 was made, seconded, and passed unanimously.
• Moving Fitchburg Forward: Urban Forest Strategic Management Plan (Resolution R-64-26): The forester reported that the plan had undergone extensive discussion and had already incorporated many comments. The Parks Commission suggested three minor amendments: (1) adding City Resolution 2045-25 (which approved hiring the forester in March 2025) to the appendix; (2) on page 36 under Goal 3, Objective 3.1, adding “wildlife” to the wording so it reads: “implement a city woodlot management policy that manages woodlots for desirable wildlife and plant communities and minimizes undesirable species abundance”; and (3) adding a caption to a GIS photo on page 8 and fixing the title page photo. The committee further amended the Parks Commission’s wording to change “undesirable species abundance” to “undesirable plant species abundance” to avoid the city managing undesirable wildlife (e.g., turkeys, raccoons). This amendment was moved, seconded, and approved unanimously. The committee then voted to approve Resolution R-64-26 as amended by the Parks Commission and the additional amendment, passing unanimously.
• Report from the Department: The forester announced the hiring of Miriam, a postdoctoral researcher from UW, as the new park and forestry assistant for the summer (May 11 to late August). The forester highlighted Miriam’s technical skills, particularly in tree equity and urban forest data analysis, and noted the high interest in the position (22 applicants, eight interviewed). The city was again recognized as a Tree City USA and received a Growth Award from the National Arbor Day Foundation. A grant was also awarded. The department is preparing for Arbor Day/Earth Day events: tree planting at Chicory Meadows on April 24 and at Western Hills Park with Urban Tree Lines on April 25, both from 10 AM to noon. The Urban Tree Lines partnership will continue planting in neighborhoods (e.g., Huble Jamestown, Maple Lawn Heights, Traceway, King James Way), adding about 100 trees. The forester also noted that junk trees at Kyle Steer Greenway have been removed and the site is wet; future work will address conditions.
• Announcements: The committee noted that the Arbor Day proclamation will be presented at the upcoming city council meeting on Tuesday, April 14 (or next Tuesday). Committee members were encouraged to attend. The next regular committee meeting is scheduled for May 14, 2026.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimous approval of the minutes from the previous meeting and the meeting agenda.
• Unanimous approval of Resolution R-67-26, awarding the spring 2026 street tree planting contract to Arthur Wheeland for $59,057.
• Unanimous approval of Resolution R-64-26, adopting the urban forest strategic management plan as amended by the Parks Commission and the committee’s additional amendment to clarify “undesirable plant species.”
• Next meeting: May 14, 2026.