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

05/12/2025 02:23:28 PM Page 29 to 32 of 116 8 of 48 sheets 29 MR. KLEIN: Until they mature.1 THE WITNESS: Until it grows. By that time2 this is already over with.3 MR. KLEIN: Does the building itself create4 any kind of barrier for wind and weather to protect it?5 THE WITNESS: Well I, I would imagine a6 building smack up against the forest would, depending on7 which way the wind blows would occasionally be helpful.8 But, you know, there are so many aspects of this, in9 terms of all the critters that are coming to that10 building because of the fact that people, you know,11 crows, squirrels, raccoons, they come to the building12 because people are there and then they go into the13 forest and eat all the bird eggs and all the other core14 forest species.15 MR. KLEIN: So if -- so just in general, if16 a forest is only 600 feet deep it's not really a forest?17 THE WITNESS: That's right. Absolutely.18 That's exactly right. If you have a forest that's 60019 by 600 by 600, there's no forest there at all. You're20 going to get nothing but common edge species that live21 with people. All the things that live in everybody's22 backyard.23 MR. KLEIN: So if you expanded that zero24 forest into ten acres, is that a forest?25 30 THE WITNESS: So --1 MR. KLEIN: In other words, whatever the2 math is for --3 THE WITNESS: So if you have a forest that's4 600 feet square, there's no core forest. If you add 1005 feet all the way around on every side, now you have a6 little bit of core forest. I couldn't tell you the7 exact amount, but until you get to be 40, 50, 100 acres8 of core forest, it's not big enough for the core forest9 species to live.10 MR. KLEIN: So what's the smallest core11 forest?12 THE WITNESS: I would say if you have 5013 acres of core forest then you have a forest where forest14 interior species can survive. Box turtles, Wood15 Thrushes, smooth green snakes, worm-eating warblers,16 other birds, all sorts of butterflies and salamanders17 that need core forests. You have hundreds of species.18 MR. KLEIN: So that's a 50 acre plot of land19 with a 300 foot buffer?20 THE WITNESS: Of forest around.21 MR. KLEIN: Around.22 THE WITNESS: Right. That's very rare in23 this part of the world and that's what we have here.24 So let's clarify, if I can. What is the existing25 Q. 31 forest in the terms of acreage as it stands now?1 58 acres.2 A. So basically in answer to Mr.

part of the world and that's what we have here.24 So let's clarify, if I can. What is the existing25 Q. 31 forest in the terms of acreage as it stands now?1 58 acres.2 A. So basically in answer to Mr. Klein's question,3 Q. basically we have the smallest core forest now?4 That's right. And, you know, that's why it's so5 A. rare in this part of the world. There's almost no6 patches this big that's left. Now, you do have some7 bigger patches in the wetlands, you know, along the8 Passaic River, East Orange Water Reserve, that kind of9 place, but those are mostly wetland forests, different10 habitat, different species for the most part.11 MR. AFRAN: I didn't mean to interrupt, I'm12 sorry.13 MR. KLEIN: That's fine.14 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Mr. Wilkes, any questions15 for Mr. DeVito on his testimony?16 MR. WILKES: No additional questions. No.17 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Mr. Alper, do you have any18 questions?19 MR. ALPER: Sure.20 Dr. DeVito, I think you covered some of this,21 does deer fencing protect at all from the edge, does it22 make it a harder for the edge predators or are they23 small enough to slip in?24 THE WITNESS: They climb and, yeah, they25 32 just, you know, they either fly or climb. I mean, a1 raccoon might have a little trouble but the first branch2 that falls up against the fence that doesn't get swept3 away, you know, the next day, the raccoons are going to4 be in there because raccoons are looking at the forest5 going, I got to get in there.6 MR. ALPER: Do you have an opinion on7 whether or not this forest is healthy?8 THE WITNESS: I can only see the forest from9 the edges since I'm in the streets and people's10 backyards and all that sort of thing. The canopies11 intact, that's the most important thing. I mean,12 healthy is a terrible word for a forest, that's a human13 word, people are healthy. A forest is a dynamic system,14 trees live, they die, they fall, they regenerate. Now,15 everywhere in New Jersey there's a bit of a problem with16 deer, right. So, you know, you want to do things that17 might promote native tree regeneration, but most of the18 trees in this forest can live for 350 years. It's only19 120 years old. So you got a long time to fix those20 other problems. You know, hopefully the science and21 restoration ecology is working on being able to fix22 those things long before our time runs out.23 MR. ALPER: Is there anything you

o fix those20 other problems. You know, hopefully the science and21 restoration ecology is working on being able to fix22 those things long before our time runs out.23 MR. ALPER: Is there anything you would24 recommend that could ameliorate any of the problems25