October 30, 2024 Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

11/06/2024 03:21:43 PM Page 109 to 112 of 203 28 of 80 sheets 109 THE PUBLIC: DBH, it's the same thing.1 Diameter, breast, height.2 THE WITNESS: Yeah, but you're -- anyway, I3 won't get into a debate of tree terms.4 The diameter of a tree that is planted5 depends on what the landscaper chooses to plant. I have6 not looked at yet, other than speciation, the landscape7 plan for this site, all-though part of my charge would8 be to take a look at the species that are planted and9 help this planning board determine what's finally done10 with the landscape plan. As far as what is generally11 planted, that is totally dependent on what the applicant12 wants to plant. It could be three-inch, two-inch13 diameter trees. It could be four-inch. It could be14 six-inch. I will tell you that in research I have done15 there are some ordinances that require larger trees in16 towns, such as six-inch in a building site.17 Unfortunately as you plant larger trees you tend to have18 higher mortality of those trees. So there's a downside19 to that. You can plant it, but it makes it harder to20 grow. Bigger trees are harder to transplant or harder21 to plant in general. Having said that, I can't answer22 your question as to what will actually be planted by23 size on this site.24 THE PUBLIC: I wasn't asking that.25 110 You were talking about the forest. Can you1 show the chart?2 THE WITNESS: Yup.3 THE PUBLIC: That shows the different sized4 trees that you found on the site.5 THE WITNESS: Okay. Bear with me.6 THE PUBLIC: Maybe I should have led with7 that and I wouldn't have gotten in trouble.8 THE WITNESS: That's what you're looking at?9 Is that what you're looking at.10 THE PUBLIC: Yes. Okay. Go ahead, what's11 your question, sorry.12 THE PUBLIC: Okay. So what's the arrow13 pointing to, please explain?14 THE WITNESS: The arrow is pointing to the15 fact that during the 2019 tree survey we, in the study16 plots, found no trees or saplings I should say, since17 it's not a tree below four-inches, no saplings smaller18 than four-inches in diameter in the study plots.19 THE PUBLIC: How many four-inch trees did20 you find?21 THE WITNESS: Approximately 55, 58 plus or22 minus.23 THE PUBLIC: 58?24 THE WITNESS: It's not exact, it's a25 111 histogram. It's giving you an approximation.1 THE PUBLIC: This is, I'm sorry, this isn't2 the totality of trees on the site?3 THE WITNESS: No, it's in the

?24 THE WITNESS: It's not exact, it's a25 111 histogram. It's giving you an approximation.1 THE PUBLIC: This is, I'm sorry, this isn't2 the totality of trees on the site?3 THE WITNESS: No, it's in the study plots, as4 I explained. This is a statistical --5 THE PUBLIC: I'm sorry, say that again.6 THE WITNESS: It is in study plots, as I have7 explained. This is a statistical study, not an8 absolute. We don't go into a forest and count every9 single tree on 120 acres. You statistically analyze the10 forest using acceptable means of statistical analysis by11 study plots. That's what was done here. This is all12 that is.13 THE PUBLIC: So how long does it take for a14 sapling to become a four-inch tree?15 THE WITNESS: Totally dependant on living16 conditions. Species -- depends on species, depends on17 weather.18 THE PUBLIC: What about oaks, because19 everyone know oaks?20 THE WITNESS: I'm sorry, how much what?21 THE PUBLIC: Oak trees.22 THE WITNESS: It depends on growing23 conditions, depends on weather, it depends on how much24 water it receives. Is it growing in a rocky25 112 environment, top soil rich environment, is it getting1 plenty of moisture. I can look at a tree ring of a 1002 year old tree and see it grow infinitesimally one year,3 and this may be one of those years, or I can see a very4 large spurt of growth. Hybridized trees I could see5 half-inch a year in diameter for certain hybridized6 species. I can see hybridized species grow three-inches7 a year. But native trees, it depends. There's no8 answer to that question. Nature doesn't work that way.9 THE PUBLIC: I didn't mean to upset you, I'm10 just asking questions because you seem to show a large11 amount of trees that basically are not that big in this12 small area that seems to be chosen randomly without13 reason or rhyme. I'm not really sure why this small14 swath --15 THE WITNESS: You view a statistical survey16 randomly or else you institute bias and to avoid bias17 you pick random plots. In this case the random plots18 were focused on the area of disturbance that we were19 given as projected areas of disturbance and the plots20 were then randomized within that. You don't -- you21 purposely do not do a nonrandom study if you expect22 statically valid results of a tree survey.23 THE PUBLIC: On Page 24, if you go to Page24 24 or slide 24, whatever you want to call it.25