October 30, 2024 Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

17 of 80 sheets Page 65 to 68 of 203 11/06/2024 03:21:43 PM 65 I'm not certain, I'm reasonably certain I won't be here1 in 150 years to see what happens to it, but I can't tell2 you what will happen that far down the road. What I can3 say is deterioration shouldn't, shouldn't, again,4 there's no absolute number to this, shouldn't be any5 worse than it is today. In fact it might get better6 because you have so many new plants going in to reseed,7 it's conceivable, with no promises, that enough new8 plants will grow in a similar fashion to my seeing some9 young saplings in there that enough might start to10 survive because of everything else going on and by sheer11 number I might have a healthier forest. I have a12 chance, let me put it that way.13 MR. WILKES: Okay. We're really going based14 on what you had mentioned in your testimony earlier that15 if you don't do anything it's going to get worse. So16 that's why I want to be able to have something in place17 to protect that.18 THE WITNESS: Well, that's why we have the19 deer fencing here. Because that gives use a base of a20 seed bank.21 MR. WILKES: Okay.22 THE WITNESS: That's a starting point. Now,23 I have heard people say seeds won't get from A to B.24 Well, those barberry didn't get there by themselves.25 66 MR. WILKES: Right.1 THE WITNESS: Seedlings can travel several2 hundred yards in the wind, up to miles in some cases for3 certain seeds. Wildlife moves, deer will move, they4 will carry seeds. If you've ever walked through this5 forest or any forest and gotten burs on your clothes,6 that is a means of seed transmission. It's going to get7 there.8 MR. WILKES: Okay.9 No other questions.10 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Thank you.11 Mr. Cardoza.12 MR. CARDOZA: Thank you Mr. DeFeo for your13 presentation and your testimony during questioning thus14 far.15 You had a reference in Page 4, you have a16 reference in P-4 as far as three years of tree growth17 and in a later slide at the end of the deck you18 referenced that native species contending with invasive19 species when provided the right specific beneficial20 conditions can contend with those invasive species. So21 the, ultimately saying that the deer fencing would,22 under the best conditions, create or would everything23 going correctly, would create those conditions?24 THE WITNESS: The deer fencing's intended to25 67 maximize the possibility of those conditions.

under the best conditions, create or would everything23 going correctly, would create those conditions?24 THE WITNESS: The deer fencing's intended to25 67 maximize the possibility of those conditions. I can't1 guarantee anything at all. No one can because we're2 dealing with nature.3 MR. CARDOZA: What are some of those ideal4 conditions?5 THE WITNESS: That we start getting normal6 weather, and I don't know what that is any more quite7 honestly to tell you the truth. But if we start getting8 normal rain falls and some normal temperature swings,9 the fact that we have wildlife moving through the area10 will help, because it helps reseed. We have fox, we11 know there are fox in the area. I know there are coyote12 in West Orange. We have multiple species of birds and13 small game. All of those animals act as disbursal14 agents for the forest. With the deer fencing, what that15 does is allow where they have disbursed those seedlings16 have a better chance of growth. And what you will get17 is what we call more normal forest succession, where the18 forest ages, young things grow, old ones die. And as19 they get replaced, so as a large trees, to give you an20 illustration, if we have a storm and a large tree is21 thrown down in that deer fenced area, it's not going to22 be cut up. It will remain undisturbed. That tree that23 comes down acts as a nursery for new tree seedling. As24 the tree rots it creates a growth environment, that's25 68 wonderful for new trees. So that is what you'll start1 to see to occur. Now if I see that and I get new growth2 it's gone, because the deer come and eat it, which I3 can't blame the deer, but that's what they do.4 MR. CARDOZA: Okay. I appreciate that.5 So you can't say for certain, you know, you6 just can't positively say yes, you know, 100 percent,7 you know, it's great the deer fencing alone, but I8 believe during Council President Rutherfords questioning9 you referenced three to five year time span. I'm sorry,10 what was that in reference to?11 THE WITNESS: This shows you, you can see12 here, this is deer fencing. Okay. Where I'm standing13 is on the wrong side of the fencing where there is no14 deer fencing. Within three years this area was15 completely denuded by deer. But it's very similar to16 the forest that we're talking about. It looked17 basically the same. In three years this is the growth,18 after the deer fencing is

is area was15 completely denuded by deer. But it's very similar to16 the forest that we're talking about. It looked17 basically the same. In three years this is the growth,18 after the deer fencing is in place, starting to come up.19 In fact this is even worse than the spot I was at in our20 forest because it was farm field and there was some21 other things as well, but there was no growth here.22 This is how quickly land regenerates itself when it's23 given that opportunity. That's what I was referencing24 in three years.25