October 30, 2024 Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

11/06/2024 03:21:43 PM Page 93 to 96 of 203 24 of 80 sheets 93 THE PUBLIC: And good evening, Mr. DeFeo.1 THE WITNESS: Good evening.2 THE PUBLIC: So, just looking around here on3 my notes. All right.4 So we understand that you are, you gave us a5 bunch of your certifications earlier in your testimony,6 but you are not a forester, is that correct?7 THE WITNESS: Correct.8 THE PUBLIC: You are not a arborist, is that9 correct?10 THE WITNESS: Correct.11 THE PUBLIC: You're not a licensed tree12 expert?13 THE WITNESS: That is correct.14 THE PUBLIC: Are you an LTCO?15 THE WITNESS: No.16 THE PUBLIC: You are not.17 Then you -- you actually testified a few18 moments ago that you were on the site when Madam19 Kapferer was asking questions with three arborist's who20 apparently conducted part of your study or part of the21 study of the trees, so are you testifying on their22 behalf this evening, on their findings?23 THE WITNESS: No, I'm testifying on my24 report.25 94 THE PUBLIC: That's a finding on your report1 from their research?2 THE WITNESS: They were hired by me under my3 supervision to do the research in accordance with proper4 statistical methods. I interpreted that report, read5 the report, analyzed the report.6 THE PUBLIC: So you read the report and you7 analyzed their work and then you interpreted it?8 THE WITNESS: It's work. They work for me.9 THE PUBLIC: And you turned that into your10 own report for the township?11 THE WITNESS: Correct.12 THE PUBLIC: So you just agreed with my13 assertion, in a sense.14 THE WITNESS: No, I did not.15 THE PUBLIC: Okay.16 How did it go? Please tell us.17 THE WITNESS: I've been retained in -- I was18 retained in 20 whatever. 2019, 2018, I can't remember.19 Whatever it is, in 2019 I began negotiations, in order20 to do proper negotiations on Schedule C, which21 ultimately resulted, I hired a forester to come in --22 THE PUBLIC: Who was the forester?23 THE WITNESS: Amy S. Greene Environmental24 Services, I believe was the formal name of her company.25 95 She worked for me. Her firm sent me three foresters,1 which was my request.2 THE PUBLIC: You said arborist's.3 THE WITNESS: Foresters and arborist's --4 THE PUBLIC: You said arborist's.5 THE WITNESS: They have both certifications.6 THE PUBLIC: But they're two different7 things.8 THE WITNESS: They are different things.9 There are arborist's who understand the difference

id arborist's.5 THE WITNESS: They have both certifications.6 THE PUBLIC: But they're two different7 things.8 THE WITNESS: They are different things.9 There are arborist's who understand the difference since10 there seems to be some confusion.11 THE PUBLIC: Can we talk about that. Why12 don't you elucidate for everybody here what a forester13 does versus what an arborist does?14 THE WITNESS: Sure.15 THE PUBLIC: So that I don't have to have my16 eyes rolled at me by one of your board members. By one17 of the board members. So could you please do that.18 THE WITNESS: I'd be happy to do that. An19 arborist is a person who has been certified by the state20 of New Jersey to take care of trees. An arborist, for21 lack of a better term, is a tree doctor. They also are22 used and trained to help identify health of trees and23 they are often hired by municipalities, in fact I have24 an arborist on my own personal retainer for my own25 96 property to come inspect my trees and make sure that1 they do not have disease. They often send someone who2 they have trained, who could be a tree expert, which is3 someone who might know about the trees, a certified tree4 expert, it is a state certification. And they would go5 in and take care of the trees. My trees, for example,6 are infected by various fungi, they come and they will7 do an integrated pest management program.8 THE PUBLIC: So --9 THE WITNESS: Let me answer you question.10 So an arborist looks at trees. A forester11 is someone who is trained typically, especially in a12 forestry school, to manage forests. Many foresters work13 for the US Department of Agriculture in our national14 forests. Many foresters work for towns. Many foresters15 work for private tree companies. Foresters look at16 forest management. Typical forest management training,17 forester training to be exact, is designed around18 maximizing output of forests for harvest with maximum19 health for the forest. Old style forester training20 would create monoculture of forest because trees grow21 faster, they go in, they cut accordingly, clear cut,22 selective cut, etc. So a forester is looking to see that23 a forest can have maximum throughput or maximum output24 and can in fact create a healthy forest. In other25