Inland Wetland and Watercourse Commission
40 Old Farms Road, Willington, CT ~06279
October 24, 2016
Meeting Minutes
Members Present:
Dave Schreiber – Chairman
Mark Drobney
Tess Gutowski
Patrick Lord
Members Absent:
Also Present:
Susan Yorgensen
Regular Meeting
D. Schreiber called the meeting to order at 7:30.
Regular Meeting
W2016-24 Application for Timber Harvest at 29 Mason Road (Map 16 Lot 6 Zone R80) Owner: John Blessington Applicant: Hull Forest Products, Inc. (Received October 24, 2016 Public Hearing or decision by December 12, 2016)
Brennan Sheahan of Hull Forest Products was present. He said they are not crossing wetlands; they are doing the timber harvest in the upland soil. He said it will be a selective cut; 16 inches in diameter and larger. He said there is a seasonal drainage on the southwestern area of the property and they are not crossing it. Mr. Sheahan said there is steep ground with run off into the base of the steep slope and they were able to navigate around and it will not be impacted.
T. Gutowski asked how far back the wetlands that were delineated are and Mr. Sheahan said 50 feet. Mr. Sheahan added that it is not a clear cut and no stumps will be removed from the property. Mr. Sheahan said they will use the existing woods road and 2 new temporary trails and it will be done this winter. T. Gutowski asked how the wetlands were delineated and Mr. Sheahan said by set field walking and the wetlands are also delineated by the ponding.
T. Gutowksi asked if it was under a Forestry Management Plan and Mr. Sheahan said no. He added that there is evidence of harvesting in the past. T. Gutowski asked S. Yorgensen if she could take a look at the site if the Commission delegated it to her and she said yes.
P. Lord asked if it will be a selective cut throughout the entire parcel and Mr. Sheahan said except for the delineated wetlands and drainage area. Mr. Sheahan said there will be no construction of roads; they will use forestry equipment and drive in and out. Mr. Sheahan said there are 68 acres of property and 58 acres of forest; 2300 board feet per acre.
T. Gutowski asked if the applicant was doing a buffer with the neighbors and Mr. Sheahan said no. He said the wetland area is flagged with blue ribbon and there will be restoration activity on the slopes and landing area wherever necessary. S. Yorgensen asked the length of time for the harvest and Mr. Sheahan said 2 months. T. Gutowski said she has concerns about the vernal pools in March and Mr. Brennan said they will be done by then.
D. Schreiber motioned to remand W2016-24 to staff. All Commission members in favor.
W2016-25 Application for a Timber Harvest at 229 Village Hill Road (Map 14 Lots 8 & 9 Zone R80) Owner: Schofield Farms Limited Partnership Applicant: Hull Forest Products Inc. (Received October 24, 2016 Public Hearing or decision by December 12, 2016)
Mike Bartlett was present and went over the plans. He said they will be in the upland area. They will do some thinning and the trees are marked. Mr. Bartlett said it is flat ground with minor slopes and they will use a forwarder. He said they are working 30 acres and the bulk of the harvest is between the field and the road; they will not cross any wetlands. S. Yorgensen asked how close to the wetlands and Mr. Bartlett said 200 feet. T. Gutowski asked if they have a Forestry Management Plan and Mr. Bartlett said no.
T. Gutowski asked if Mr. Bartlett was the subcontractor and Mr. Bartlett said he is the Forester and he will be on site to monitor the harvest.
T. Motioned to remand W2016-25 to Staff. All Commission members in favor.
W2016-26 Application for a Timber Harvest at 162 Village Hill Road (Map 47 Lot 36 Zone R80) Owner: Joseph Halchek/Ryan Danser Applicant: Ben Landry (Received October 24, 2016 Public Hearing or decision by December 12, 2016)
Ben Landry of Landry Timber was present. He said they are looking to do a harvest of 20 or so acres on a 30 acre parcel. He said there is one area of drainage in the back across a skid trail from a historical harvest in the past. He said they will have 3 pieces of equipment and they are not dealing with any wetlands. Mr. Landry said the area that is wettest is soft wood and they will be avoiding it.
Mr. Landry said the harvest should take about a week and a half and they are looking at December and January. D. Schreiber asked how they propose to protect the wetlands and Mr. Landry said they will use corduroy with trees which will go over both sides and prevents any damage approaching and exiting the crossing. He said the equipment will go over the wood only to access a small area and will be removed when they are done; they should be in and out quickly.
T. Gutowski asked about the crossing and Mr. Landry said, on the abutters property there is a small pond with seasonal drainage. He said the water levels are very low this year and the last time he was on the property it was dry.
Mr. Landry said the boundaries are marked but the cutting area and trees within the boundaries are not marked. T. Gutowski asked about the cut and Mr. Landry said it is not a clear cut but they are aggressively going after all the trees of value as the owner is in financial difficulty.
T. Gutowski asked if the property was level and Mr. Landry said fairly level with a slope on one side but he would skid around it. He said he is hoping to take 50,000 board feet out. T. Gutowski asked if it had been logged before and Mr. Landry said he believes so.
The Commission would like to conduct a site walk.
Ray Crossen, an abutting neighbor that owns 100 acres, expressed his concern. He said the applicant said the parcel is not steep gradient but it is. He said the area they are going to log drains down to his lake and brook and he is concerned about poisons brought onto the property. Mr. Crossen added that this has been an ongoing issue for 30 years. He said the parcel is in probate right now and the owner is a minor. He questioned whether or not this is a valid application.
The Commission said they would like guidance from their Attorney and scheduled a site walk for November 19th.
Correspondence
- The Habitat Newsletter – Spring 2016 and Summer 2016 Edition
- Letter from DEEP to Martin & Isabel Drobney regarding a dam inspection
- Letter from DEEP to Mollie & Klaus Schleehauf regarding a dam inspection
- Letter from DEEP to Mark Ehret regarding a dam inspection
- Letter from DEEP to TravelCenters regarding the SLERA work plan
Staff Report and Discussion
Discussion was held on Forestry Regulations and Land Acquisition.
Minutes
P. Lord motioned to approve the minutes of May 9, 2016. T, Gutowski motioned to approve the minutes. All in favor. Motion carried.
Respectfully Submitted,
Michele Manas
Michele Manas
Recording Clerk
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