Download - Updated Restoration Plan and Letter to the Commssion · 2017-08-24 · Zodiac Ecological, LLC 30 Pleasant Street, Andover, Massachusetts 01810 t: 617.240.2865 e: [email protected]

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Zodiac Ecological, LLC 30 Pleasant Street, Andover, Massachusetts 01810

t: 617.240.2865 e: [email protected] !

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16!August!2017!

Robert!Masys!RAM!Engineering!160!Main!Street!Haverhill,!MA!01830!!RE:$$ Revised$Wetland$Restoration$Plan$

309$South$Main$Street,$Haverhill,$MA$$

Dear!Bob,!

In!response!to!the!letter!dated!August!10,!2017!from!Haverhill’s!Environmental!Health!Technician,! Robert! E.!Moore,! Jr.,! I! have! prepared! a! revised!Wetland! Restoration! Plan!and!narrative!that!seeks!provides!a!detailed,!stepwise!series!of!actions!that!are!required!to! address! disturbance! to! the! wetland! and! buffer! zone! areas! on! the! property.! The!following! details! important! updates! and! revisions! to! fulfill! the! Conservation!Commission’s!request!for!additional!information.!

Overview!of!Comments!Associated!with!Restoration!

1)! As! detailed! in! the! Enforcement! Order,! the! Applicant! must! “continue! to! maintain!effective!erosion!control!devices!to!protect!the!resource!area!and!No!Disturbance!Zone”!and! to,! “by!August!31,!2017,! seed!all! areas!of!disturbed!100’!–!buffer! zone,!under! the!direction! of! your!wetlands! consultant,! to! establish! vegetative! stabilization! during! the!fall!growing!season.”!

The! Applicant! has! maintained! erosion! control! structures! and! has! been! provided! a!source! for! suitable! native! seed!mix! to! stabilize! the! upland! buffer! zone! (New!England!Wildflower!upland!seed!mix).!The!wetland!ground!cover!has!recovered!fully!on!its’!own!and!seeding!that!portion!of!the!site!is!not!presently!required!for!soil!stabilization.!That!said,!a!wetland!seed!mix!should!to!be!sewn!during!the!wetland!restoration!activities!to!guarantee!a!robust,!native!seed!bank!for!next!growing!season!(see!page!6).!

2)!!From!Mr.!Moore’s!August!3,!2107!Staff!Meeting!Notes:!

• A!more!robust,! final!plan!should!be!submitted!to!demonstrate!conformity!with!the!2002!MA!Inland!Wetland!Replication!Guidelines.!

• The!proposed!planting!densities!are!light!in!comparison!to!the!Commonwealth’s!design! guidelines.! The! final! plan! should! be! tailored! towards! the!Commonwealth’s!densities.!

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!• A!wildlife!habitat!section!should!particularly!be!added.!This!section!should!touch!

upon!the!criteria!outlined!in!the!Guidelines,!such!as!food,!shelter,!breeding…!• The!preliminary!plan!does!not!address!restoration/stabilization!of!the!25’a100’!

reach!of!the!buffer!zone.!

The!updated!Wetland!Restoration!Plan!provided!herein!has!been!designed!to!conform!with!the!2002!MA!Inland!Wetland!Replication!Guidelines!to!the!extent!practicable.!It!is!important! to! note,! the!Guidelines!were! specifically! developed! for!wetland! replication.!That! is,! creation! of! a! new! wetland! area! by! preparing! an! upland! or! marginal! site! to!replace! wetland! functions! and! values! lost! elsewhere.! In! contrast,! in! this! case,! the!Applicant! seeks! to! restore! an! existing,! hydrologicallyastable! wetland! by! reaplanting!vegetation!and!reaestablishing!wildlife!habitat! lost!through!cutting!and!disturbance.!In!preparing! this! Plan,! additional! plantings! have! been! suggested! aboveaandabeyond! the!quantities!originally!scoped!in!the!preliminary!wetland!restoration!plan,!particularly!in!the! shrub! layer! to! provide! more! immediate! shading,! cover,! and! evapotranspiration!functions.! The! Narrative! (beginning! on! page! 6)! now! includes! a! section! on! wildlife!habitat!and!functions,!as!well!as!restoration!actions!designed!to!accommodate!functions!lost.!!Since!the!Applicant!seeks!to!propose!work!within!the!100’!buffer!zone!(outside!of!the! 25’! No! Disturbance! zone,! restoration! plantings! within! the! 25’a100’areach! will! be!limited!to!native!ground!cover!plantings!aimed!at!rapid!and!effective!soil!stabilization!along!the!slope!rather!than!woody!plantings.!

3)!!From!Mr.!Moore’s!August!9,!2017!eamail!to!Dr.!Moore:!

• Specify!planting!sizes.!• Provide!a!watering!plan.!• [Paraphrased]! What! additional! restoration! measures! could! be! included! to!

address!potential!impacts!to!processes!such!as!evapotranspiration?!• Addition! of! woody! debris,! hummocks,! and! ephemeral! pools! should! be!

considered,!and!if!the!latter,!additional!soils!information!should!be!added.!

The!revised!Wetland!Restoration!Plan!and!Narrative!now!include!planting!numbers!and!sizes,! a! watering! plan,! and! text! detailing! steps! to! restore! or! enhance! wetland! and!wildlife!habitat!functions!and!values!(pages!5a8).!

Wetland!Description!

Review! of! available! aerial! imagery! (source:! Google! Earth™)! provided! little! value! in!determining! the! composition! or! boundary! of! the! historic! vegetated! wetland! (Figure!1a+b)! versus! its! present,! disturbed! condition! (Figures! 2a5).! However,! these! images!supported!the!fieldadetermination!that!a!portion!of!the!site!had!been!a!forested!wetland!due!to!the!observation!of!many!remaining!stumps,!determined!to!be!red!maple!(Acer00

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rubrum)!within!the!impacted!area!while!red!oak!(Quercus0rubrum)!occurred!outside!the!wetland! boundary.! Historic! aerials! between! 1992! through! 1995,! curiously,! seem! to!show!the!area!to!be!open!and!unforested;!however!the!red!maples!recently!cut! in!this!area!could!easily!established!in!the!20+!years!since!these!historic!images!where!taken.!The!wetland! itself! remains!a! topographic!depression!surrounded!by!rather!significant!elevation! along! its! southern! borders! that! surely! helps! to! maintain! its! hydrologic!condition! through! surface! runoff! through! much! of! the! year,! but! soil! inspection! also!suggest!potentially!significant!ground!water!connectivity!and!highly!permeable,!sandy!soils!(Figures!6a7).!0

!Figures!1a+b:!Aerial! imagery! from!summer!2016!and!winter!2013!(source:!Google!Earth™)!showing!the!density!of! forested!canopy!(a)!and!the!number!of!individual!standing!trees!that!contribute!to!that!density!(b).!

Classified! as! a! bordering! vegetated!wetland! (BVW),! the! 10,293! s.f.! area! drains! to! the!southeast!corner!of!the!parcel!through!an!offasite!culvert!recently!installed!by!the!City!that! runs! under! Chadwick! Street! and! ultimately! connects! to! the! Merrimack! River.!During! the! site! visits,! standing! water! was! observed! throughout! much! of! the! area! in!question,! and! other! evidence! of! hydrology! (e.g.,! water! marks,! stained! leaves,! and!surficial!drainage!patterns)!were!also!observed.!While! all!woody!vegetation!had!been!removed,!remaining!stumps!provided!evidence!of!red!maple!and!red!oak!as!noted!above,!plus!Norway!maple! (Acer0platanoides)! and! box! elder! (A.0negundo).! In! the! shrub! layer!small! diameter! stumps! of! what! was! likely! buckthorn! (Frangula0 alnus)! or! possibly!speckled! alder! (Alnus0 serulata)! and! dogwood! (Cornus0 amomum)! were! noted,!particularly! in! the! wetter! areas.! Clear! evidence! of! invasive! tartarian! honeysuckle!(Lonicera0tartarica),!poison!ivy!(Rhus0radicans),!and!Pachysandra!(Pachysandra!sp.)!still!remains.!!Finally,!some!scattered!herbaceous!ground!cover!remained,!likely!germinating!since! the! alteration.! These! species! include! jewelweed! (Impatiens0 capensis),! sensitive!fern! (Onoclea0sensibilis),! and!Canada!mayflower! (Maianthemum0canadensis),! the! latter!near!the!upland!edge.!It!is!difficult!to!assess!how!diverse!the!site!might!have!been,!but!the!dense!forested!canopy!suggests!that!what!shrub!or!ground!cover!existed!was!likely!to!have!been!only!moderately!dense,!if!not!sparse,!similar!to!that!remaining!in!unaltered,!adjacent!areas!off!site.!

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Figures!2! and!3:!Existing! conditions! viewed! in!opposing!directions.!Note! location!of! parking! area! and! church!on!Chadwick!Street!adjacent!to!northeast!property!boundary!of!the!subject!parcel.!Photos!dated:!April!24,!2017.!

!Figures!4!and!5:!Cut!stumps!looking!south!(left)!and!disturbed!soils!looking!northanortheast!(right).!

!Figures!6!and!7:!Examples!of!sandy!soils!of!the!upland!condition!(left)!and!the!depleted!matrix!of!the!wetland!condition!(right).!Photo!dates:!April!20,!2017.!

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Wetland!Functions!and!Values!

Despite!the!alteration!of!vegetation!and!soil!surface,!the!BVW!still!maintains!some!of!its!original!wetland!functions!and!values!including!protection!of!public!and!private!water!supply,! flood!control!and!storm!damage!prevention,!prevention!of!pollution,!and!even!some!limited!wildlife!habitat!(the!latter!due!to!natural!reacolonization!of!ground!cover!and! some! shrub! species).! ! The! topography! of! the!wetland! and!No!Disturbance! zones!have!not!been!altered,!nor!has!the!hydrology!of!the!site!overall.!It!still!remains!a!conduit!for!surface!runoff!and!ground!water!movement,!albeit!is!quite!possible!that!patterns!of!flooding!and!drying!may!have!been!altered!by!removal!of!mature!trees!and!some!shrub!cover! –! thereby! affecting! evapotranspiration! and!water! uptake! from! roots,! etc.!While!there!is!no!question!that!actions!taken!at!the!site!created!a!significant!disturbance,!the!fact!that!the!hydrology!remains!in!place!will!greatly!benefit!the!likelihood!for!success!in!restoration!planting!and!site!enhancements.!!!

Wildlife!Habitat!Considerations!

Based!on!site!evidence!and!the!adjacent!plant!communities!that!were!not!disturbed,!it!is!likely!the!altered!BVW!and!buffer!zone!areas!provided!moderate!wildlife!habitat!value!for!arboreal,!fossorial!and!subafossorial!animals.!To!restore!the!habitat!potential!of!the!site,!restoration!of!a!plant!community!may!not!be!enough.!As!suggested!in!Mr.!Moore’s!comments,!provision!should!be!made!to!encourage!wildlife!to!recolonize!the!disturbed!area.!Actions!such!as!placement!of!woody!debris,!selection!of!plant!stock!with!particular!value! to! wildlife! for! food/shelter,! and! even! creation! of! microtopography! could! be!included! in! restoration! plans.! Recalling! the! site! conditions,! one!may! note! that!woody!debris!have!been!left!in!the!disturbance!area!and!perhaps!should!be!left!in!place,!while!shallow! ephemeral! pools! were! unintentionally! created! within! the! wetland! in! cases!where! trees! were! removed! with! their! stump! and! roots.! Reagrading! these! soil!disturbances! may! forfeit! wildlife! habitat! benefits! microtopography! often! creates.!However,! placement! of! addition! features! such! as! scattered! rock! and! stone! ‘piles’! are!often!beneficial!to!a!wide!variety!of!wildlife!species!likely!to!utilize!the!site!and!should!be!part!of!the!restoration!plan.! !

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Wetland!Restoration!Plan!Narrative!

As! detailed! in!my! June! 22,! 2017! letter,! it! is! difficult! to! determine! how!many!mature!trees!were!cut!as!a!result!of!the!site!disturbance!since!there!was!evidence!that!at!least!some! stumps! were! removed! from! the! soil.! That! said,! over! 15! red! maple! stumps! of!varying!size!were!noted!remaining!within!the!wetland!area.!It!is!likely,!based!on!Figures!1a2,!that!there!were!considerably!more!mature!trees!in!this!system,!including!red!maple!and! possibly! box! elder! on! the! periphery! or! dryer! portions! of! the! wetland.! Basing! a!restoration! spacing! of! a! typical! mature! crown! of! 25’,! it! is! possible! to! establish!restoration!planting!of!~!25!red!maples,!or!substitute!with!a!majority!of!red!maples!(75a80%)!and!smaller!proportion!(20a25%)!of!box!elder!depending!upon!availability.!While!the!Guidelines!suggest!a!planting!specification!of!10a15’!on!center!for!canopy!species!in!a!wetland! replication! site! (i.e.,! site!where!hydrology! is!being! created! to!accommodate!development!of!a!wetland),!planting!20a25’!on!center!should!be!perfectly!adequate!for!restoring!plants! to! this! existing,! hydrologically! stable!wetland!area.! Furthermore,! this!spacing!appears!to!represent!a!greater!than!1:1!ratio!of!trees!lost!to!trees!reaplanted.!!

Similar! to! the! wetland,! the! upland! noadisturbance! zone! was! largely! stumped! and!grubbed,! with! only! scattered! cut! stumps! remaining.! That! said,! it! is! appropriate! to!assume! from! the! recent! aerial! imagery! that! this! area!was!moderately! vegetated!with!mature! trees.! Accordingly,! the! area! should! be! planted! with! ~! 8a12! native! trees! that!reflect!the!forest!community!and!plant!density!remaining!in!adjacent!lots,!which!would!have!included!red!oak!and!Norway!maple.!However,!since!Norway!maple!is!considered!by!many!to!have!invasive!tendencies,!other!native!upland!tree!species!such!as!American!beech! (Fagus0 grandifolia)! or! yellow! birch! (Betula0 alleghaniensis)! might! be! a! suitable!alternative.!Restoration!stock!should!be!at!least!1”!caliper!(>8’!tall)!and!may!be!as!large!as!2.5”!caliper!(~15’!tall)!as!this!size!range!establishes!well!and!grows!quickly!(personal0communication0w/0Pierson0Nurseries).!

Beneath! this! restoration! canopy,! a! host! of! native! facultative!wetland! shrubs! could! be!established! along! an! elevation/hydrology! gradient! with!more! obligate,! flood! tolerant!species! in! the! lower,!wetter! conditions! of! the! northeast! corner! of! the!wetland,!while!facultative!wetland! shrubs!would! be! better! suited! at! the!western! and! north!western!portion!of!the!wetland.!All!species!selected!should!have!high!wildlife!habitat!value,!such!as!food!sources!or!provision!of!cover!for!foraging,!nesting,!breeding,!etc.!In!response!to!Mr.!Moore’s!suggestions,!and!the!Guidelines,!the!total!number!of!shrub!layer!plantings!has! been! increased.! Suitable! species! for! the! wetter,! seasonally! flooded! areas! may!include! a! mix! of! ~15! dogwood,! speckled! alder,! and! highbush! blueberry! (Vaccinium0corymbosum).! In! less! flooded! areas,! ~15! species! such! as! winterberry! holly! (Ilex0verticillata)!and!northern!arrowwood!(Viburnum0dentatum)!would!be!well!suited.!These!shrubs!were!based!on!a!planting!specification!of!5’!on!center,!which!is!nearly!2x!the!!

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density!suggested!by!the!Guidelines!which!suggest!8a10’!on!center.!Accordingly,!shrub!plantings! will! create! a! dense! vegetative! cover! of! 30! individual! plants! to! provide!immediate!shade,!cover,!food!source!and!other!wildlife!habitat!benefits!while!hastening!water! uptake! and! evapotranspiration! in! the! near! term! as! canopy! species! grow! to!maturity.! Along! the! upland! edge! within! the! 25’! No! Disturbance! zone,! witch! hazel!(Hammemelis0virginiana)!might!do!particularly!well!given!the!moderately!dense!canopy!sought! by! the! restoration! goals.! Again,! around! 10! shrubs! approximate! the! original!density! based! on! site! data! collected.! Shrub! stock! should! be! 18a24”! individuals! and!should!be!planted!in!clusters!and!patches!to!mimic!natural!communities.!

!Figures! 8! and! 9:! Evidence! of! significant! natural! revegetation! of! herbaceous! cover! within! the! disturbance! area! (left)! and!siltation!fence!installed!by!Applicant!(right).!Photos!dated!20!June!2017.!

Since!ground!cover!has!recovered!throughout!the!disturbed!area,!it!may!be!unnecessary!to!formally!replant!herbaceous!species!that!clearly!remain!viable!in!the!seed!bank!of!the!system,!disturbed!or!otherwise.!Considerable!regrowth!of!herbaceous!cover!was!noted!in! late! June! 2017! (Figures! 8a9)! and! that! ground! cover! has! continued! to! expand!throughout! the!wetland!and! upland! areas.! That! said,! it! is! recommend! that! a!wetland!seed! mix! be! sewn! during! the! restoration! planting! effort! (e.g.,! New! England!Wetland!Plants,!Inc.:!WetMix)!to!insure!further!restoration!of!native!ground!cover!in!addition!to!that!which!has!recolonized!naturally.!Appendix!A!shows!the!final!restoration!plan!and!planting!guidance,!including!plant!quantities!and!stock!size!as!a!guideline!for!achieving!restoration!success.!!

Watering$Plan$and$Restoration$Monitoring$

To! insure!restoration!success,!stock!selected! for!restoration!must!be! from!a!reputable!Vendor!and!installed!by!a!licensed!Contractor.!From!prior!restoration!work!in!Haverhill,!I! can! provide! names! of! at! least! three! such! Vendors! and! Contractors! who! would! be!capable! and! suitable.! Once! the! Vendor! and! Contractor! have! been! selected! and!recommended!stock!procured,!I!will!coordinate!with!the!Contractor!and!be!present!!

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!during!the!installation!of!plant!materials!at!the!aboveareferenced!site.!Wetland!planting!will! not! require! watering! due! to! existing! hydrology! and! the! fact! that! they! will! be!planned!for!fall!installation.!Plantings!within!the!25’!No!Disturbance!zone!would!benefit!from!watering!at!least!1a2x!per!week!for!2a3!weeks!following!planting.!Since!this!area!is!in!close!proximity!to!the!existing!building,!it!may!be!most!economical/practical!for!the!Applicant! to!handle!watering!plan! stock! in! the!upland!directly,! rather! than! to! require!the!Contractor! to!return!to! the!site!repeatedly!but! I! leave!that! to! the!Commission!and!the!Applicant!to!discuss.!Finally,!I!will!initiate!a!siteamonitoring!plan!that!will!consist!of!the!following:!

!• Planting! locations!will! be! staked! or! flagged! in! the! field! prior! to! installation! to!

allow!the!Conservation!to!review!and!approve!locations!prior!to!site!work;!• Site! conditions! will! be! photoadocumented! before! and! after! plant! installation!

from!at!least!four!(4)!fixed!locations;!• The!total!number!and!species!of!each!plant!installed!will!be!field!verified!on!the!

day(s)!of!installation;!• The!approximate!location!of!each!planting!will!be!confirmed!in!reference!to!the!

suggested!locations!on!the!Restoration!Mitigation!Plan!(attached);!• Shortaterm! site! assessment! will! be! conducted! at! suitable! intervals! the! first!

growing!season!after!planting!to!assess!site!condition,!survivorship,!etc.;!• Recommendations!for!stock!replacement!will!be!provided!in!written!form!to!the!

Commission!in!the!event!of!plant!loss!after!the!first!growing!season;!!• As!required!by!Wetlands!Protection!Act!and! further!detailed! in! the!Guidelines,!

assessment! of! plant! survivorship,! vigor! and/or! growth! metrics! will! be!conducted! for! two!years! from!project! start! and! results!will!be! compiled! into!a!concise!monitoring!report.!Data!Sheets!from!the!Guidelines!(Appendix!4,!pp.!30a33)!will!be!used!to!document!restoration!progress.!At!least!75%!cover!must!be!maintained!to!demonstrate!compliance.!!

Should!it!be!required,!I!will!communicate!results!of!each!monitoring!event!through!a!concise!communication!to!the!Conservation!Commission!(e.g.,!eamail!or!phone!call).!However,! should! there! be! need! for! stock! replacement! or! other! forms! of! adaptive!management,!these!suggestions!will!be!communicated!to!the!Commission!via!eamail!and!copied!to!the!project!team.!!! !

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!Thank!you! for! the!opportunity! to!provide!a! response! to!Mr.!Moore’s! letter! and! to!incorporate!those!comments!and!suggestions!into!the!revised!Wetland!Restoration!Plan.! I! look! forward! to!working!with! the!Applicant,! the!Conservation!Commission!and! the! project! team! to! insure! a! successful! wetland! and! noadisturbance! zone!restoration!within!the!project!area.!!Sincerely,!!!!Gregg!E.!Moore,!Ph.D.!Zodiac'Ecological,'LLC'!Attachments!!cc:! Patrick!Driscoll!! Donald!Borenstein,!Johnson!and!Borenstein,!LLC!

Robert!Moore,!City!of!Haverhill!

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Appendix$A:$Revised$Wetland$Restoration$Plan$

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Key$

Key$$

Canopy$$

(All$1”/2.5”$caliper)$

$

Red$maple$(13)$

$

$

Box$elder$(12)$

$

$

Red$Oak$(8*)$

$

Shrubs$

(All$18”/24”$tall)$

$

Dogwood$(5)$$

$

Speckled$alder$(5)$

$

Blueberry$(5)$

$

Arrowwood$(8)$

$

Winterberry$(7)$

$

Witch$hazel$(10)$

$

_________$

*$subsPtute$with$beech$

or$yellow$birch$

**$WetMix$within$BVW$

***$UplandMix$within$

$$$$$$$$25’$/100’$buffer$zone$

Wetland$and$No-Disturbance$Zone$Restora7on$Plan$309$South$Main$Street,$Haverhill,$MA$

Prepared'by:'Gregg$E.$Moore,$Ph.D.$

Zodiac$Ecological,$LLC$

Revised'24Aug2017'

N$