November 13, 2024 Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

45 1 A Yes, I have taken courses in towards getting my 2 degree in botany I’ve done, let’s see, I have one 3 report that was done, published, where I did my own 4 independent study in a forestry analysis at Valhalla 5 Glen in New Jersey analyzing the impacts of an insect 6 called Fiorinia Externa Ferris, which was a scale 7 insect on the eastern hemlock forest. In that forestry 8 analysis I would have done a complete analysis using 9 quadrat analysis, an analysis of the forest 10 identification. 11 Towards my master’s, I would have taught 12 multiple courses in forest management. 13 Q I’m sorry, you would have taught or took? 14 A Taught multiple courses and taken courses 15 simultaneously in forestry and forest management. I 16 was -- I don’t know that they even have this 17 certification much, but I was certified as a Project 18 Learning Tree instructor which was done by the Western 19 Regional Environmental Education Council where I was 20 trained as an instructor on forestry. 21 WREEC and/or Project Learning Tree were used 22 to teach curricula on forestry and forest management to 23 teachers in order to teach students about the proper 24 means of forest management. I also would have worked 25 at that time teaching Project Wild, which would have 46 1 been a wildlife management curriculum. 2 And to answer your question further, the 3 point being that wildlife curricula and forestry 4 curricula and forest management curricula, as well as 5 botany and environmental studies and ecology, all of 6 which was training that I’ve had, the point being, you 7 look at the entire forest. A forester looks at, 8 specifically -- let me rephrase that. A forester looks 9 primarily at forest management. Forest management is 10 different than environmental science and his different 11 than the ecology of a forest. 12 It does not mean a forester does not look at 13 the ecology, what it does mean is a forester is looking 14 at a forest for a specific reason, typically, not 15 always, but typically, to look at that forest as a 16 harvestable crop versus looking at the forest as a 17 healthy ecosystem. 18 Now, you can’t -- you can have without the 19 other so a forester might say it’s okay to plant this 20 species of tree. We’ll just pick loblolly pine in the 21 south because it grows quickly. And a forester will 22 look at the spacing and the culling and the speed with 23 which

’s okay to plant this 20 species of tree. We’ll just pick loblolly pine in the 21 south because it grows quickly. And a forester will 22 look at the spacing and the culling and the speed with 23 which that’s done for the purpose of getting the 24 greatest amount of board feet out of the forest in the 25 shortest period of time. 47 1 An environmental scientist will look at that 2 and say that forest is not really great and healthy 3 because it’s a monoculture and we don’t like that. As 4 I -- 5 Q We don’t have a monoforest here. 6 A You do not. You have an oak , primarily oak mixed 7 hardwood forest. 8 Q Now, we do have a town forester, do we not? 9 A You do have a town forester. 10 Q That’s Mr. Kipp -- Walter Kipp, is that 11 correct? 12 A That is correct. 13 Q Now, you’re not suggesting that he’s 14 interested in managing the town forest to sell it as a 15 crop, are you? 16 A I am not. He has a different charge 17 Q Did you consult with Mr. Kipp before making 18 any recommendations to the town with respect to -- 19 A He was not hired at the time I was doing that. 20 Q When was Mr. Kipp hired? 21 A I don’t know, but he wasn’t here then. 22 Q He’s here now. 23 A No, I know, but he was not here when I was 24 negotiating and developing all of this. 25 Q Have you spoken to Mr. Kipp since? 48 1 A On this issue, no. 2 Q Don’t you think consulting with the town 3 forester would be valuable in terms of developing the 4 whole range of testimony and ideas you’ve presented 5 here? 6 A Well, as I noted, again, this entire plan of 7 action vis-a-vis deer fencing et cetera that you see up 8 there was negotiated before he started and finalized. 9 So, there really would not be much point. 10 Q You mentioned Project Wild, that was a 11 project for teaching school children, isn’t that 12 correct? 13 A Teachers. 14 Q Sorry? 15 A And school children. 16 Q Correct -- 17 A The curriculum was for students. My job was to 18 teach teachers. 19 Q All right. So, you taught teachers who 20 taught school children about what exactly? 21 A In the Project Wild curriculum, that was wildlife 22 management as developed by that plan, discussing, for 23 example, and using wildlife ecology as a way to teach 24 math by using carrying capacity. 25 Q What grades were those children?