December 11, 2024 Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

01/08/2025 12:06:06 PM Page 77 to 80 of 100 20 of 38 sheets 77 put in. We had this discussion early on and the problem1 with putting more deer fencing fundamentally is the2 wetlands. So we get to a point where you start getting3 into disturbing wetlands, which is intimately worse than4 anything that's going to happen in the area of5 disturbance.6 MR. AFRAN: Well, we would also say that7 becomes a somewhat synthetic devise. You add more8 fencing to the development plan from the trees, so at9 some point you can't put fences up just to prevent10 development at the cost of not planting trees.11 COMMISSIONER KLEIN: Oh, right. It's a12 combination of deer fencing and planting new trees.13 THE WITNESS: They have to put in trees14 according to their plan. They have to use native15 species and then the idea of that, of course, is what16 that does over time is helps to populate, especially17 deer fenced area, with seedling.18 COMMISSIONER KLEIN: They could plant around19 the perimeter of their disturbance, right? On the edge20 of the, right.21 THE WITNESS: Yeah, I'm not sure what their22 final landscape plan is going to look like. Where the23 trees will go exactly.24 COMMISSIONER KLEIN: I'm saying they can25 78 always throw in a few more trees.1 THE WITNESS: The Chairman kind of asked this2 question, I believe, I don't know how many hearings ago,3 I lost track. Could the developer, and I believe I put4 it in the supplemental report, get seedlings from the5 state to help speed the process.6 COMMISSIONER KLEIN: Right.7 THE WITNESS: And my answer was, I believe8 it was last hearing or the one before, there were no9 trees available through the different commissions. The10 state didn't have them. The short answer is, yes, there11 is availability of seedlings from the state projected12 and they could do that.13 COMMISSIONER KLEIN: That would be inside14 the deer fence? I'm talking just --15 THE WITNESS: Outside area.16 COMMISSIONER KLEIN: Just on the edges of17 the disturbed. You try not to take down to many trees18 and now that there's a clear area and you try and build19 a building or a parking lot and the existing trees they20 can fill in some more if they had to?21 THE WITNESS: Yeah, you have to be careful22 when you're planting in the building site, but one of23 the elements you may recall in one of my reports is a24 recommendation that we do an EIS type study

THE WITNESS: Yeah, you have to be careful22 when you're planting in the building site, but one of23 the elements you may recall in one of my reports is a24 recommendation that we do an EIS type study using25 79 satellite imagery where we can identify trees of a1 certain size that maybe we could save within that2 disturbed area because they have some unique3 characteristic and that might be a condition. That4 would help to reduce that number further.5 COMMISSIONER KLEIN: And then my other6 question is, in your opinion what is the impact of7 removing mature trees or trees in general within 1008 feet of a ridge line?9 MR. AFRAN: I'm sorry, I was distracted by10 my clients. I didn't hear your question.11 COMMISSIONER KLEIN: It was for him.12 MR. AFRAN: I didn't hear it.13 COMMISSIONER KLEIN: My question is, in your14 opinion Mr. DeFeo, what's the impact, I guess, on the15 ridge or on the slope of the ridge if you remove trees16 within 100 feet of a ridge line?17 THE WITNESS: To generalize things like that18 are very dangerous, because it depends on the ridge line19 and depends on the theology, it depends where the tree20 is, it depends how it's growing.21 COMMISSIONER KLEIN: Can you give a range?22 THE WITNESS: Generally you wouldn't want to23 do a -- generally try to avoid removal if you can, but24 if you can't then you just want to be sure that you have25 80 some sign of a stable system. One of the elements that1 -- well, this drawing is useless. One of the elements2 of trying to use deer fencing the way we designed it was3 to minimize the impact on that ridge line because4 everything to the east of that ridge line will5 regenerate faster within the deer fencing and mitigate6 any impact. Normally I would see a ridge line and the7 concern is runoff, so we're trying to increase plant8 growth in the direction of runoff that's native there9 and also the understanding, as I understand site plans,10 and I'm not the site engineer, the design as it was11 explained, as I heard it, the storm water on that ridge12 line in the impacted area will be directed away from the13 ridge going west and I believe that's south, right.14 South and west.15 COMMISSIONER KLEIN: Right. Correct.16 THE WITNESS: That's as I understood the17 engineer. So my thinking and my working in negotiating18 with this of course is let's increase the understory19 growth, more plants, more water

ht. Correct.16 THE WITNESS: That's as I understood the17 engineer. So my thinking and my working in negotiating18 with this of course is let's increase the understory19 growth, more plants, more water absorption, so even20 though this, you have this ridge here and anything21 falling here goes this way and anything falling there22 goes that way, I'm worried about what's going that way.23 COMMISSIONER KLEIN: And that's the deer24 fence side?25