City of Columbia, Missouri  
Meeting Minutes  
Tree Board  
City Hall  
Wednesday, December 17, 2025  
5:00 PM  
Conference Room 1B  
701 E. Broadway  
Columbia, MO  
I. CALL TO ORDER  
6 -  
Present:  
Jacob McMains, Samuel Wright, Stephen Bybee, Patricia Quackenbush, Max  
Miller and Renee Scheidt-Hahn  
1 - Michael Kyd  
Excused:  
II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA  
A motion was made to approve the agenda.  
6 - McMains, Wright, Bybee, Quackenbush, Miller and Scheidt-Hahn  
1 - Kyd  
Yes:  
Excused:  
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES  
A motion was made to approve the minutes of the last meeting.  
6 - McMains, Wright, Bybee, Quackenbush, Miller and Scheidt-Hahn  
1 - Kyd  
Yes:  
Excused:  
IV. CITY TREE FUND  
V. WORK CALENDAR  
Fritz informed the board that the new director is planning on attending the next meeting to  
discuss the fund. The group reviewed the letter to council. McMains asked if the director  
could provide questions ahead of the next meeting. Wright asked if the letter could be  
redistributed to the board for review. The board discussed how the fund might operate to  
expand and enhance tree canopy within the city.  
The board discussed upcoming off season events. Scheidt-Hahn suggested budget  
discussion for the next agenda. Wright thought it was a good time to review the Urban  
Forest Master Plan. Bybee offered to bring back information about a possible event at  
Walt’s Bicycle in February.  
VI. TREE BOARD INFO CARDS  
The group talked about Tree Board messaging at outreach events. All agreed a clear  
mission statement would help people understand the work the board is doing. Fritz  
reminded everyone that the existing materials cover much of this and many copies  
remain. Wright asked if this could be shared with the group. The conversation then turned  
to how to better display information. Scheidt-Hanh suggested that a better table display  
would be helpful. Bybee offered to share an example from MCC.  
VII. REPORT FROM MISSOURI CONSERVATION CORPS  
Stephen Bybee, Project Director for the Missouri Conservation Corp, provided an annual  
report to the Tree Board.  
VIII. REPORT FROM LIAISON  
Fritz review protocol for posting meeting agendas. Then reported on a budget increase for  
public works tree maintenance with CIP funds and that potential projects were being  
considered. Then informed the board that the Community Forester position at the  
Missouri Department of Conservation had been posted. Last he shared a template for an  
annual report to city council.  
IX. GENERAL COMMENTS BY PUBLIC, MEMBERS AND STAFF  
McMains reported that cuts to federal funds were affecting the budgets of the Missouri  
Community Forestry Council, Missouri Department of Conservation and that the Forest  
Service was no longer funding updates to iTree services.  
X. NEXT MEETING DATE  
The next meeting will take place January 21st. Agenda items will include: City tree fund,  
Urban Forest Master Plan, and Tree Board budget.  
XI. ADJOURNMENT  
The meeting was adjourned at 6:22PM.  
A motion was made to adjourn the meeting.  
7 - Kyd, McMains, Wright, Bybee, Quackenbush, Miller and Scheidt-Hahn  
Yes:  
Members of the public may attend any open meeting. For requests for accommodations related to  
disability, please call 573.874.CITY (2489) or email CITY@CoMo.gov. In order to assist staff in making  
the appropriate arrangements for your accommodation, please make your request as far in advance of  
the posted meeting date as possible.  
USB DRIVES PROHIBITED: A speaker who desires to display a presentation must upload the  
presentation, in advance, to the city network using an upload portal. To upload your files and learn  
more, visit CoMo.gov/upload.