April 30, 2025, Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

05/12/2025 02:23:28 PM Page 45 to 48 of 116 12 of 48 sheets 45 mass, if you recall?1 Yeah.2 A. So in other words, if we have a larger edge or3 Q. dominant edge will we expect to see a greater alien root4 mass and less water retention over time?5 And also greater erosion. Know one, you know,6 A. there are engineers who use numbers, this site is going7 to hold this much, shed that much water, those numbers8 change once you're down the road as alien species become9 the dominant vegetation. Those numbers are going to10 change and the soils are going to hold less water. It's11 going to get more compact, it's going to go dryer more12 of the time and dry soil takes a long time to get wet.13 It's hydrophobic, which means it doesn't like water. It14 rains and if it is dry it stays dry for a really long15 time and all water is surface runoff until it starts to16 get wet. Think of putting Nestle's chocolate in milk,17 it takes a long time to stir and takes a long time to18 get wet, that's what a dried out forest is like that19 doesn't accept the water right away because it is to dry20 and so that means there's more runoff.21 MR. AFRAN: Thank you. That covered my22 supplemental questions.23 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Thank you.24 THE PUBLIC: Rachel Klein, Howell Drive.25 46 So is there any method of deer fencing1 create a core forest?2 THE WITNESS: No. As I said, deer fencing3 has nothing do with core forest. Deer fencing has to do4 with the plant community in the understory that if you5 are trying to protect some native wild flowers and6 shrubs and eventually tree regeneration 100 years down,7 but not core forest environment conditions.8 THE PUBLIC: Hi. Ellen Hare and thank you9 for your presentation. I just have one question, I am10 new to this whole development plan and I just want some11 clarity. When I look at the map and I see the bright12 red territory, am I correct in assuming that, that is13 all deforested?14 THE WITNESS: That was taken right from the15 site plan of the limit of disturbance, so, yes. That's16 -- everything is converted to non forest.17 THE PUBLIC: So it's either one of four18 buildings or pavement or cement?19 THE WITNESS: Grass perhaps and beds, flower20 beds and buildings and pavement and sidewalks and21 whatever.22 THE PUBLIC: And does any of that edge of23 the red go further than 300 feet of those property lines24 in the Highlands?25 47 THE WITNESS:

eds and buildings and pavement and sidewalks and21 whatever.22 THE PUBLIC: And does any of that edge of23 the red go further than 300 feet of those property lines24 in the Highlands?25 47 THE WITNESS: I'm not sure what you're1 asking me. Let me just go to this.2 THE PUBLIC: Might not have an answer.3 MR. PLOCKER: I'm going to object. As a4 layperson you can see that there's a portion of red in5 an area where there's zero building development. That's6 why I just -- there is a site plan that can be viewed7 but we're not doing testimony on that tonight.8 MR. AFRAN: Well, if it's so obvious to9 everybody what's the harm in talking about it.10 MR. PLOCKER: You can talk about anything11 you want, I'm enjoying that actually.12 THE PUBLIC: I'm asking how it's going to13 affect the community and that's why everyone's here.14 Thank you.15 THE WITNESS: As far as I know the red is16 the limit of disturbance, which means there's no forest17 area. Can't put back forest, it's not possible. You18 can plant trees, you can make a plantation, you can19 plant shrubs, you can do whatever, you can't make a20 forest. That soils thousands of years old and we don't21 know how to put it back.22 THE PUBLIC: Eric Henry.23 So the 300 foot border, that's an estimate,24 right?25 48 THE WITNESS: Yeah. That's the estimate1 that's used for this type of forest in the issue of2 forest fragmentation and forest interior and that whole3 science of fragmentation.4 THE PUBLIC: Okay.5 So in theory it could be more than 300 feet?6 THE WITNESS: Well --7 THE PUBLIC: I mean, if it's an estimate.8 THE WITNESS: It could be an estimate used,9 that's not what evidence shows. You go to the forest,10 once you get 300 feet from the edge you start seeing11 typical interior forest conditions. That's how we come12 up with that number, surveying forest after forest,13 after forest.14 THE PUBLIC: But in theory it could be a15 little more, it could be a little less?16 THE WITNESS: Yes.17 THE PUBLIC: If it's a little bit more how18 much do we have left, like 99 acres?19 THE WITNESS: Let's suppose this was some20 type of other kind of forest, perhaps the Olympic Rain21 Forest on the West Coast where the number that you would22 use is much bigger, so then you would say, when you have23 a patch of forest this size there's no core forest24 because nowhere are you far enough from the edge. If25