Fort Thomas commission plans Earth Day tree giveaway, trail signage and invasive-plant mapping

The Fort Thomas Tree Commission outlined plans for an Earth Day tree distribution and a broader set of park stewardship actions at its meeting. Members agreed to aim for Sunday, April 26 for the Earth Day event and discussed tree species to offer, recommending a mix that included swamp white or red oaks, red or sugar maples, Virginia pine and serviceberry to balance diversity and yard suitability.

Commissioner Leonard recommended selecting trees that differ from past giveaways to increase species diversity in the city’s inventory. Members emphasized not handing out trees likely to be planted in narrow street tree lawns; they urged advising recipients to put larger species in backyards or away from curbs and power lines. The commission suggested producing a flyer for recipients explaining species characteristics and planting guidance.

Separately, the commission reviewed the Landmark Tree Trail signage project and concluded the existing scout-created QR-code system is no longer reliably maintained. Members discussed creating a new QR-linked map tied to the city website, walking the trail with volunteers or specialists (mentions included DJ Scully and Mark Leopold) to identify trees to feature, and assigning an intern or city staff to help populate kiosk content.

Staff also reported progress on mapping invasive plants with GPS points to support targeted removal. The commission called for training city crews on species-specific treatment (for example, when to spray leaves versus when to target roots) and noted that some invasives require repeated manual removal because of seed banks. Members agreed to convert existing GPS data into field-ready formats and to schedule on-site training with an expert.

Next steps included finalizing a vendor and order list for seedlings and plugs, producing informational flyers/QR content for giveaways and kiosks, and scheduling on-site invasive-plant training and trail walks. No binding budget allocations beyond previously discussed pilot amounts were recorded in the transcript.