October 30, 2024 Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

29 of 80 sheets Page 113 to 116 of 203 11/06/2024 03:21:43 PM 113 THE WITNESS: Okay.1 Can you tell me what it's about, please? I2 apologize, they're not numbered.3 THE WITNESS: It's beyond that.4 THE PUBLIC: Wait.5 THE WITNESS: Back?6 THE PUBLIC: Hold on.7 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Slide 24 is the tree8 removal calculation.9 THE WITNESS: This one?10 THE PUBLIC: I might jump around a little11 bit, I'm sorry.12 THE WITNESS: Is that what you're looking13 at?14 THE PUBLIC: No. You said something about15 you guaranteeing that 77 percent of the trees will be16 preserved forever.17 THE WITNESS: This is 77 percent of the18 properties.19 THE PUBLIC: No, no, it was a guarantee.20 It's not on that, it's in the middle of the report.21 THE WITNESS: Okay. Hang on.22 THE PUBLIC: Yeah, this one.23 THE WITNESS: This?24 THE PUBLIC: Are you going on the record25 114 sir, on behalf of the applicant, to tell us that that1 will be Green Acres property or something?2 THE WITNESS: First of all, I do not speak3 for the applicant, I speak for the planning board, so I4 cannot speak for the applicant. What I am saying to you5 is there is an ordinance and an agreement, I do not -- I6 am not party to the ordinance. I had nothing to do with7 the ordinance per se. I am saying to you that based on8 my understanding those trees are not going to be Green9 Acre property. This is going to be private property, to10 the best of my understanding. It will remain private11 property with restrictions on development as per12 testimony I heard earlier but I can't speak to that with13 authority, it's out of my purview.14 THE PUBLIC: So, okay. It won't be Green15 Acres unless the applicant comes forth and says that.16 I'm not sure how you can say that trees will be here17 forever because according to you the trees are all18 dying. I don't understand, I mean you're saying that19 the forest is in a unhealthy condition. So which is it,20 I don't really understand this.21 THE WITNESS: Okay. I am not God. I cannot22 preserve trees for any length of time by my personal23 will. If I could I would.24 THE PUBLIC: Okay.25 115 THE WITNESS: But I will say to you that1 this is talking about the fact that the forest will be2 developed. Now, with the fencing, what I can say is3 this forest has, as I answered to one of the board4 members earlier, has a much greater statistical5 probability of growing new trees and therefore

developed. Now, with the fencing, what I can say is3 this forest has, as I answered to one of the board4 members earlier, has a much greater statistical5 probability of growing new trees and therefore becoming6 a healthy forest again. In other words, we're giving it7 the best chance that we can to become a healthy forest8 by keeping out over browsing, which is recognized as one9 of the great risks to our forest in the state of New10 Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic region where we have11 development by others than me, and therefore we will12 preserve forever, perhaps a poor choice of words, but13 that means is that they won't be cut down.14 THE PUBLIC: Okay.15 So when you say trees preserved, can you go16 a couple slides back.17 THE WITNESS: Back. Okay.18 THE PUBLIC: Yeah, please.19 THE WITNESS: Bear with me. That one?20 THE PUBLIC: No. It's more with data on it.21 It might have been forward, I'm sorry.22 THE WITNESS: That's okay. I don't have23 them numbered, that's my fault.24 THE PUBLIC: Stop.25 116 THE WITNESS: That one?1 THE PUBLIC: Yeah.2 THE WITNESS: Okay.3 THE PUBLIC: So when you say tree loss, you4 mean tree removal?5 THE WITNESS: Yes.6 THE PUBLIC: Number 2?7 THE WITNESS: Yes.8 THE PUBLIC: Not just loss, as in trees that9 just keeled over and died. Tree loss as in, we are10 actively removing them. Yes?11 THE WITNESS: This is the potential maximum12 tree removal, correct.13 THE PUBLIC: Okay.14 The 279 trees listed on Sheet 29 of Mr.15 Anderson's plans.16 THE WITNESS: I don't have that plan, but go17 ahead.18 THE PUBLIC: Well, you keep citing 279 trees19 that are going to be planted in your report.20 THE WITNESS: Yes.21 THE PUBLIC: 279 under number 3. So my22 question is, and you write, all native species, does23 that refer and regard the list that is on sheet, what24 did I just say, 29 of Mr. Anderson's engineering plans?25