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

7 of 48 sheets Page 25 to 28 of 116 05/12/2025 02:23:28 PM 25 vernal ponds for developers.1 But use the 300 foot as sort of a conservative2 Q. measure?3 Well, 300 foot is what it should be for this4 A. forest type. If we were in the Pine Barrens of New5 Jersey, the forest ecology is very different and the6 buffer would be much less. Might only be 100 feet,7 because it's already a sunny, dry forest, it doesn't8 have that, that shady, cool canopy. It's not cool and9 green shade, to quote the John Denver song. So, if you10 have an open savanna where wildfires are and trees are11 far apart then you don't really get edge of grass.12 So that was my last question in terms of the13 Q. canopy. You mentioned earlier the canopy helps protect14 the core?15 Canopy creates --16 A. Could you explain that process?17 Q. Canopy creates the forest environment that the18 A. core forest species evolve in and that canopy has been19 here for thousands of years and now there's so little20 left and that's the point trying to protect those places21 where we still have canopy forest.22 Thank you.23 Q. MR. AFRAN: That covers my questions24 directly for the witness, Mr. Chairman.25 26 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Thank you.1 Mayor McCartney, do you have a question of Mr.2 DeVito on his testimony?3 MAYOR McCARTNEY: Thank you, Chairman.4 Good evening. So in the testimony that we have5 heard so far I understand the proposed application is6 120 acres, 25 of that is steep slope and 61 is7 developable and the testimony we heard was that they8 were going to disturb 27.9. By looking at that stark9 red blotch is what you're calling proposed -- the10 proposed development area. That to me looks like a lot11 more than 27.9 acres. So I guess I feel a little --12 THE WITNESS: So the table there shows that13 the existing forest area is 1.3 and the post development14 forest area is 114. That comes out to be 29 acres. So15 the red is 29 acres. That's all done with GIS computer16 measuring. It's accurate. So that red blotch is 2917 acres. The problem is that by developing 29 acres you18 lose core forest conditions on 49 acres because of that19 300 foot. The development takes up 29 acres and then20 the 300 feet around the development takes another 2021 acres out of what we need for core forest conditions.22 MAYOR McCARTNEY: Thank you.23 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Mr. Klein, do you have any24 questions for Mr. DeVito on his

d the development takes another 2021 acres out of what we need for core forest conditions.22 MAYOR McCARTNEY: Thank you.23 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Mr. Klein, do you have any24 questions for Mr. DeVito on his testimony?25 27 MR. KLEIN: Sure.1 So to follow-up on that. So the red area, does2 that include, I believe there's going to be some3 landscaping added?4 THE WITNESS: Landscape is irrelevant. The5 forest -- you want to have core forest. You need6 undisturbed forest 300 feet away from any disturbance.7 Landscaping is completely irrelevant.8 MR. KLEIN: You can't plant back?9 THE WITNESS: You can't plant forest. Once10 you disturb the forest it's gone.11 MR. KLEIN: Not forest edge. You're12 measuring 300 feet from the edge of the red. Should you13 go in a little bit because there's, I don't know, like14 let's say 50 feet of landscaping?15 THE WITNESS: No, because that's not going to16 create any kind of canopy. It's just going to be17 scattered plants and that's just --18 MR. KLEIN: And that's not an edge?19 THE WITNESS: Well that's, no, I'm talking20 about the edge of the actual forest. Landscaping is no21 different -- whatever you do for a landscaping is no22 different than somebody's lawn or somebody's shrubs or23 that's just development. That doesn't count toward any24 forest conditions.25 28 MR. AFRAN: I think there might some1 confusion with the word edge. The word edge refers to a2 forest but not the area of development?3 MR. KLEIN: Correct. But 300 feet in from4 the edge of the mature forest is where the core starts?5 THE WITNESS: That's right.6 MR. KLEIN: If you were to disturb something7 within the core you couldn't, you couldn't -- you can't8 replant within the 300 foot edge to create more edge?9 THE WITNESS: So --10 MR. KLEIN: Enhance the edge.11 THE WITNESS: So one way to enhance it, it12 might be possible to enhance an edge to some kind of13 degree by planting, for example, evergreens that keep14 sunlight out, you know, out of the forest. But that15 doesn't do anything for the crows, the Blue Jays, the16 squirrels, all the predators, all the weeds that are17 going to come from people's yards. So you might be able18 to mitigate that problem of extra sunlight and extra19 wind a little bit but, plus you would have to plant --20 in order to do that and not let those processes begin,21 you would have to plant, you know, Norway spruces that22 are already 40

ht and extra19 wind a little bit but, plus you would have to plant --20 in order to do that and not let those processes begin,21 you would have to plant, you know, Norway spruces that22 are already 40 or 50 feet tall which you can't do. If23 you plant something that's six feet tall it's doing24 nothing.25