The project
During August budget workshops, the township board of directors approved doubling the yearly reforestation effort to 6,000 trees planted over the course of 2024. Township Chief Operating Officer Chris Nunes said the trees will be planted as needed along pathways and in communities based on resident requests.
The timeline
The reforestation will occur in two phases to provide the best conditions for the trees to survive, Nunes said. The planting will take place in:
- Phase 1: February-March
- Phase 2: October-December
The township also has an Arbor Day event planned for Jan. 27 where residents can pick up free seedlings to plant.
What they’re saying
"We continually try new things with [the] reforestation program to learn from challenges that we've [had]," Nunes said. "In the last few years, we have modified how we do additional water into the trees. We have modified actually what the soil preparation is that we're doing; we're actually adding bags of silica to the ground which actually absorbs water and releases water during drought periods. So it's a constant evolution of the program."
Also on the agenda
The board also approved changes Jan. 24 to the operational policy for meetings regarding public comments and adding items to a township agenda. The board approved a new policy that allows the first 15 speakers to have three minutes of time to speak, and subsequent speakers will then only have two minutes to speak regardless of subject. The board of directors also agreed to no longer allow speakers to yield their time to another person speaking, and board members will be required to have another member second their request to put an item on the agenda.
