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

05/12/2025 02:23:28 PM Page 13 to 16 of 116 4 of 48 sheets 13 Horned Owls and Hawks, that do really well in the core1 forest where it's more shaded and, and not as much2 sunlight and the animals aren't used to being in there3 so they don't know the terrain as well so it's unsafe4 for them. Whereas they do great around the edges. And5 so once you start to cut up a forest and create an6 additional edge these creatures get access to the middle7 of the forest and they do a great deal of damage to the8 processes that goes on the inside of the forest.9 So now the yellow line here is the parcel that's10 in question, and this picture shows the current forest11 interior that's on that parcel where the forest process12 is still much as they were 300 or 400 years ago when the13 whole place was forest, right. And as development has14 encroached, this forest patch has become isolated and15 then the edge habitat is diminished and the core forest16 species where you have this area, core interior area no17 longer utilizes where their population can be sustained.18 The green area is a population surplus area where19 critters are successful, they produce young, they have20 an abundance of offspring and the gray area that's not21 colored in green is a population sink, where critters22 who -- it looks like forest, they settle there, they try23 to go through their life history but they don't24 generally do very well, so it's called population sink25 14 where, that's where the core forest creatures go to die.1 They're not successful.2 Where on here do you see, please clarify where is3 Q. the population sink depicted here or where do you4 identify it on this slide?5 So the population sink is everything that's not6 A. colored in, right. It's the area that's not green7 crosshatched, that's where core forest species fail in8 having successful reproduction and maintaining their9 population.10 Is the population sink analogues to the word edge11 Q. in your usage?12 Well, the edge is the place and the population13 A. sink is what happens. That's why we use the word sink,14 it's like going down the drain.15 Thank you.16 Q. For the record, this is the slide, we all see it17 but just for the record, this is slide with the solid18 yellow outlined rectangular forest.19 So these are some of the species you would expect20 A. in the core forest. Of course I haven't surveyed this21 forest, you

record, this is slide with the solid18 yellow outlined rectangular forest.19 So these are some of the species you would expect20 A. in the core forest. Of course I haven't surveyed this21 forest, you know, I've been brought in on this, I didn't22 have permission to go into that forest, not only that it23 was the wrong time of the year but these are the species24 that you would expect in the forest and they are species25 15 of special concern in New Jersey. Now, they have no1 regulatory protection, but I'm just pointing it out2 that, you know, if you're interested in protecting3 forest processes, if you're interested in protecting the4 integrity, the biodiversity in your community, these are5 the kinds of species that you can be concerned about.6 Box turtles and Wood Thrush are on the top. Box --7 obviously the Box turtle on the left, Wood Thrush on the8 right and the smooth green snake is a species that you9 would expect in the core forest. And probably, you10 know, after another few weeks go by you'd be able to go11 there, these animals would be out of hibernation or back12 from the tropics where they migrate and you would find13 these species in the core forest.14 For the record, this is a slide headed, New15 Q. Jersey Species of Special Concern with three animals16 depicted.17 So this slide shows the proposed development18 A. superimposed on to the aerial photograph in red. You19 can see that much of that development envelope is within20 the existing, what's now existing and functioning as21 core forest and if you were to put a 300 -- so now once22 we see where the development will occur and forest would23 be cleared and turned into an urban landscape or24 suburban landscape, then we have to go ahead and put a25 16 300-foot line around that red patch because then over1 time everything within 300 feet of that development will2 start to begin to act as an edge and after a few years3 all interior forest function will be lost. So we put4 that 300-foot line -- we put that 300-foot line, thank5 you for zooming in. Then you can see that in addition6 to the forest that's completely obliterated by the7 development there's also an impact to the rest of the8 green core forest everywhere within 300 feet of that9 development is no longer acting as core forest, it's10 acting as edge.11 And so if you then look at the next slide, now I12 have colored in the core, the

ore forest everywhere within 300 feet of that9 development is no longer acting as core forest, it's10 acting as edge.11 And so if you then look at the next slide, now I12 have colored in the core, the remaining core forest.13 This is the forest that remains that's more than 30014 feet from any development. Any urban or suburban15 development and it's the two areas that are outlined in16 that magenta color and that totals nine acres.17 Let me clarify, you have two areas that comprise18 Q. a total combined of nine acres?19 That's right.20 A. So now you're testifying that would be the21 Q. remaining core forest after the project is built?22 That's right.23 A. Now, can you go to --24 Q. Now, that doesn't happen immediately, that takes25 A.