History / Timeline

In 2011 Mayor Ellen Polimeni selected members of the Tree Advisory Board to advocate for the City of Canandaigua trees as part of the National Arbor Day Foundation's Tree City USA core standards.

Bill Mehls, Laura Ouimette, David Poteet, and Torsten Rhode were given National Arbor Day Foundation Tree City USA booklets, A Handbook for Tree Board Members, and set off to work meeting once a month throughout the year. Assistant City Manager, Bryan White, met with the TAB initially and City Arborist, Chris Dorn, soon joined the group until his retirement in 2013. Berna Ticonchuk, as FLCC representative, became a valuable asset to the group when she joined in 2012.

May 2011: learned about the Emerald Ash Borer at a City Environmental meeting

August 2011: TAB members enjoyed an educational tour of city street trees with Chris Dorn.

An early concern for the Tree Advisory Board grew out of the street reconstruction on the southern portion of Charlotte Street. A presentation (PDF) was made to the City Council in February 2012.

October 1, 2012: Met with the RGE Chief Forester, Kevin Fagan.

October 8, 2012: Nina Bassuk met with the TAB, Ellen Polimeni, Jim Sprague, and Bill Taylor at FLCC. Nina Bassuk of Ithaca, NY is an expert in the field of urban forestry and shared a wealth of knowledge and support for use here in Canandaigua. Nina's information reinforced the TAB's commitment to "legacy trees" involving visually compatible trees (PDF). Nina's information was also extremely helpful to the TAB's revisions to the Canandaigua City Comprehensive plan.

November 2012: The City of Canandaigua Tree Advisory Board made a donation of the book: The Abcs Field Guide to Young and Small Tree Pruning by Andrew G. Pleninger and Christopher J. Luley Ph.D. to the collection at Wood Library in Canandaigua, NY

2013: Chris Dorn and members of the Canandaigua Parks and Recreation Department completed a computerized tree inventory that can be edited as tree conditions change, are removed, replaced, and planted.

Berna Ticonchuk fosters collaboration between the City of Canandaigua and FLCC Horticulture classes. Street trees are used as the setting for Tree Maintenance and Horticulture classes.

June 2013: The Urban Forest Master Tree Plan (PDF) was adopted into the Canandaigua City Comprehensive Plan.

October 2013: Tour of Main Street rain gardens and meeting with Andrew Spencer of BME Associates regarding the Canandaigua Main Street Streetscape.

Autumn 2013:

• Volcano Mulching brochure created to be sent out with city water and sewer bills
• TAB members invited to Mayor's Roundtable
• Tree Advisory Board on City website

December 2013: Review of North Shore project proposal - recommendations made to incorporate the excellence of nearby Main Street Streetscape and Lagoon Park restoration.

January 2014: Meet with David Hutchins, Director of Sonnenberg Gardens, to begin working partnership.

2014: Stephanie Crim joins the TAB as city arborist

April 23: FLCC Activities Day

April 25: Arbor Day - City tree planting: 1 pm at Baker Park

June 5, 2014: TAB report to City Council

August 2014: Main Street-Scape Tour with Landscape Architect, Andrew Spencer, and Berna Ticonchuk

Autumn 2014: TAB members work to revise the Municipal Tree Ordinance

2014 to 2015: TAB reviews street reconstruction proposals for 2015. This is the first opportunity to apply the Canandaigua Street Reconstruction recommendations set in 2012. TAB works with the Canandaigua City staff and residents of Scotland Road to help save as many trees as possible. A dispensation is requested and granted in order to place water lines under the street instead of under the sidewalks in hopes of disturbing fewer root systems.

April 24, 2015: Arbor Day - City tree planting: 1 pm on Calman Place

May 2015: Met with the RGE Chief Forester, Kevin Fagan.

June 2015: Welcomed Gene Pratt and Bill Bross of the new Victor Tree Board to meet with us.

Summer 2015: Melissa Virag and Roger Morse expressed interest in joining the Tree Advisory Board. Monitored street reconstruction progress. Alerted to recent increase in the number of falling limbs at Lakefront Park.

September 2015: Met at Lakefront Park to view willow trees. We discussed possible replant plan, public awareness, and ideas about community support for replanting with more mature trees.

October 1, 2015: Melissa Virag and Roger Morse recommended by Mayor Polimeni as Tree Advisory Board members.