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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2019-11-25_Public Hearing Agenda Package_Forest Heights Community School @ 7PM MUNICIPALITY OF THE DISTRICT OF CHESTER A G E N D A PUBLIC HEARING Consideration of the new Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law. 25 November 2019, 7:00 p.m. Cafeteria, Forest Heights Community School, 847 Highway 12, Chester Basin, NS 1. CALL TO ORDER (CHAIR) a. The Agenda b. General Rules of Conduct c. Council’s decision governed by Chester Municipal Planning Strategy 2. COMMENTS BY MUNICIPAL SOLICITOR 3. OVERVIEW BY PLANNER a. Location and nature of proposal b. Overview of the new Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law c. Recommendations i. That Council give 2nd Reading and vote to adopt the new planning documents. 4. PRESENTATION BY DEVELOPER a. Not Applicable 5. COMMENTS BY THE PUBLIC ON THE PROPOSAL a. In Favour b. Opposed c. Any other comments 6. CLOSING REMARKS (CHAIR) 7. DECISION OF COUNCIL / DEFERMENT OF DECISION REQUEST FOR DECISION Prepared By: Garth Sturtevant Date October 18, 2019 Reviewed By: Date Authorized By: Date CURRENT SITUATION Following a meeting of the Citizen’s Planning Advisory Committee (CPAC) and Council held on October 7, 2019, the final draft of the new Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law are complete and have received a positive recommendation from CPAC. The next step in the approval process is to bring the final draft documents to Council. If satisfied with the documents, Council may give 1st reading and set a date for a Public Hearing. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommend Option 1: that Municipal Council give 1st reading to the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law and further to set a date for a Public Hearing for December 5th, 2019; BACKGROUND Officially initiated in 2014, the reVISION Plan Review has resulted in the creation of a final draft of a new Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law. Over the past five years, Municipal staff have worked in close collaboration with the Citizen’s Planning Advisory Committee and conducted several rounds of public engagement to solicit ideas and feedback from members of the public. This information was then used to form the foundation of the new planning documents. The purpose behind the reVISION Plan Review is to update our current Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law which were adopted in 1997. The new planning documents will establish a comprehensive plan for how and where development can and should occur, what types of protections are needed, and what current or potential land uses require additional controls. The Plan - Vision, Goals and Objectives: The Municipal Planning Strategy outlines a Vision, Goals and Objectives for the Municipality. These are explored and realized through the policy statements contained within the Municipal Planning Strategy. The Land Use By-law then establishes regulations which will implement and achieve the objectives of the policy statements from the Municipal Planning Strategy. The Vision established within the Municipal Planning Strategy is: “The Municipality of the District of Chester will be a self-sufficient and resilient Municipality, built on the foundation of the character of each of our unique communities. Our communities will work together to provide economic opportunities and a balanced lifestyle for all.” REPORT TO: Municipal Council SUBMITTED BY: Community Development Department DATE: October 24, 2019 SUBJECT: New Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law (1st Reading) ORIGIN: Recommendation by Citizen’s Planning Advisory Committee 2 Request For Decision/Direction This Vision led to the creation of a set of shared Goals and accompanying objectives which are intended to realize a Municipality that: · Safeguards its natural environment; · Celebrates its character and heritage; · Builds a strong economy; · Offers appropriate housing choices; and · Enjoys good social and physical health. The Municipal Planning Strategy divides the Municipality into six different Character Areas (see Generalized Future Land Use Map, Schedule A of the Municipal Planning Strategy): · Rural Area · Settlement Area · Hamlet Area · Village Area · Industrial and Business Area · Environmental Protection Area Each Character Area contains one or more zones, described in the Municipal Planning Strategy and implemented in the Land Use By-law (see Zoning Map, Schedule A of the Land Use By-law). The Land Use By-law lists the permitted and prohibited land use activities and the various approval processes required for each zone. Achieving the Vision, Goals and Objectives: The new planning documents achieve the Vision outlined in the Planning Strategy through a variety of mechanisms and controls. Safeguards its natural environment - Environmental protections are greatly increased in the new documents, including the introduction of a 20m Lakefront Overlay buffer around identified lakes, a 20m setback from wetlands, waterbodies and watercourses when a Development Permit is required and more stringent environmental protections including retention of natural vegetation for larger developments that require a Development Agreement. Celebrates its character and heritage – The identification and description of Character Areas, described in the Municipal Planning Strategy is an acknowledgement and appreciation for the significant differences in land use, history, development and occupation of various parts of the Municipality. While the Municipality has a separate Heritage Property By-law, the adoption of the new Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law will establish regulations for the way new development occurs and serves to protect historical development patterns and densities. Builds a strong economy – The new planning documents support a variety of economic opportunities. In many parts of the Municipality, zoning will allow a mix of land uses and is not designated for solely residential, commercial 3 Request For Decision/Direction or industrial development. This approach is in keeping with the historic development patterns of the Municipality and provides opportunity for residents to operate a business on the same property as their home. The new documents also provide an area for development of Heavy Industrial uses. Offers appropriate housing choices – Implementing and enforcing proactive planning and development controls will encourage responsible and compatible development with a variety of housing types. This helps to ensure that adequate and affordable housing is available for all residents. The new planning documents are supportive of multi-unit dwellings in most zones, which draws upon the well-established practice of encouraging affordability by permitting higher density of units on a given lot. Enjoys good social and physical health – The new planning documents outline the concept of a “Livable Community”. Livable Communities include open spaces and access to the natural environment, healthy transportation options, affordable and adequate housing options, access to community and public facilities and are designed in a manner that allows for community connection and interactions between residents. reVISION Timeline: The following outlines the various stages and work completed as part of the reVISION Plan Review:  2014 - Background Reports and Project Scoping (COMPLETE) Scoping of Project Engagement Plan Preparation of Technical Reports Set-up new Citizens Planning Advisory Committee (CPAC) to oversee Plan Review  Winter and Spring 2015 – Visioning (COMPLETE) Visioning workshops in all 7 districts Focus groups on targeted topics Surveys conducted  Summer and Fall 2015 - Vision Check-In (COMPLETE) Drafting goals and vision with CPAC Second round of public engagement Draft Structure for plan Pop-Up Sessions at events around MODC Meeting-in-a-box  Winter 2016 - Policy Direction (COMPLETE) Work with CPAC to review background document and community input to determine policy direction  Spring and Summer 2016 - Community Engagement (COMPLETE) Second round of public engagement continues Chester Village Engagement Sessions (Architectural Controls) Pop-Up Sessions at events around MODC 4 Request For Decision/Direction  Fall 2016 and Winter 2017 - Document Drafting (COMPLETE) Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law drafting under CPAC direction Rescoping removes Chester Village Planning documents from current phase  2017 – Document Drafting (COMPLETE) Municipal Planning Strategy completed Land Use By-law drafted  Spring 2018 - Community Consultations and Public Engagement (COMPLETE) Joint Session with CPAC, Village Area Advisory Committee, Municipal Area Advisory Committee Newsletter distributed Voices and Choices website launched Hold 2 community engagement sessions in each district Newsletter distributed to all households  Summer 2018 - Finalize Documents (COMPLETE) Review community input and review with Council and CPAC Make any necessary changes to documents Finalize documents in preparation for public hearing  Fall 2019 - Recommendation & Adoption of New Planning Documents (IN PROGRESS) CPAC makes recommendation to Council for adoption of documents Council conducts First Reading Public Notification of Public Hearing Public Hearing and Council vote to adopt the new planning documents Overview of Public Engagement to Date: During the reVISION process, Municipal Council sought to engage members of the public through a wide variety of methods. Council sought input and ideas from as many members of the public as possible. Municipal staff conducted three rounds of formal public engagement in addition to responding to phone calls, emails and in person inquiries over the past five years. The first and second rounds of public engagement occurred in 2014 and 2015 and helped to inform the Vision, Goals and Objectives of the new Municipal Planning Strategy. Staff and CPAC, with occasional check-in sessions with Council, used this information to create the new planning documents. The Third round of public engagement began in 2018 and consisted of a series of 14 public meetings, at which staff presented the draft of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law to the public. Two meetings were scheduled in each Council District. Each meeting date included an afternoon open house session. This was followed by an evening session including an open house and town hall style question and answer period. Staff recorded comments and discussions and collected written comments provided by attendees. Following the 14 public meetings, staff prepared an extensive report to Council. This report provided information on the process to date, the methods of engagement used and presented Council with the public comments and suggestions for changes to the draft documents. Staff received direction on some 5 Request For Decision/Direction specific areas of the plan to alter, such as removing new regulations proposed for Farm Animals. Staff then updated the draft documents with the direction received from Council. In the fall of 2018, staff held a joint session with CPAC and Council to review a list of outstanding items and receive further direction to alter the draft documents. The reVISION project was placed on hold for the summer of 2019, pending the review and approval of several other planning applications. In late summer 2019, staff made the final changes to the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law which resulted in the final draft of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law. Staff presented the final draft to CPAC and Council at a joint session held on October 7th, 2019. CPAC made a motion providing a positive recommendation that Council adopt the draft documents as presented. Next Steps: The graphic below outlines the approval process for the new planning documents. If Council opts to give 1st Reading to the documents, a date for a Public Hearing should be set and advertised. Current Stage Incomplete Complete CPAC/Council: POSITIVE RECOMMENDATI ON from CPAC; October 7th, 2019. Council (1st Reading): Council sets a date for the Public Hearing; Public Hearing Held: Council VOTES on whether to adopt the new planning documents; Date TBD (likely 5- 6 weeks after 1st Reading); Once confirmed, date of PH will be advertised. New Planning Documents In Effect: Advertisement appears in Progress Bulletin which officially confirms the documents are in EFFECT; Date TBD (Ad will be placed as soon as possible following a positive vote at PH). 6 Request For Decision/Direction OPTIONS 1. that Municipal Council give 1st reading to the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law and further to set a date for a Public Hearing for December 5th, 2019; 2. that Municipal Council defer 1st Reading of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law, with instructions as to what is required prior to bringing the documents back to Council for further consideration; 3. that Municipal Council reject the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law (no further action will be taken). ATTACHMENTS · Final Draft Municipal Planning Strategy o Schedule A – Generalized Future Land Use Map · Final Draft Municipal Land Use By-law o Schedule A – Zoning Map o Schedule B – Lakefront Overlay Hugh Harper 25 East Wind Drive and 120 South Point Rd Sherbrooke Forest New Ross/Forties October 1, 2019 Warden Allen Webber 151 King Street P.O.Box 369 Chester, NS B0J1J0 Mayor Carolyn-Bolivar Getson 210 Aberdeen Road Bridgewater, NS B4V 4G8 Dear Warden Webber and Mayor Bolivar Getson, As a property owner on Sherbrooke Lake I was very disappointed this summer, concerned and worried when an algae bloom showed up on my shore and a number of my neighbours shorelines. A number of samples were taken of this algae and submitted for analysis. I also had a representative from the department of environment come to my property and make a report. The good news I guess is that none of the algae samples contained harmful toxins…..this time. I was made aware that the algae blooms we experienced this summer can contain harmful toxins and we were advised to be observant and careful if they appeared again. My lab puppy was in the green algae when I discovered it. Thank goodness it contained no harmful toxins. As a very concerned property owner on the lake, I have attached a request for each Municipality to start drafting bylaws that will help protect our lake waters and other waterways in both municipalities. I was quite active in the past on the public access issue. I was happy that both municipalities worked together to create a public access park and two committees to oversee the development of the park and the effect it could have on Sherbrooke Lake water quality. Now I think it is important for both municipalities to work together again to put bylaws and actions that will protect our lakes and waterways for years to come. Today,I sit on the one committee that oversees the development of the park and I am a volunteer taking water samples on the lake for the Oversight Committee. I hope that one day I can look back and reflect on how both municipalities took steps to protect our lakes. As you will see in my attached paper, our lake is slowly declining in water quality. Tests from our sampling program reveal that the main body of water is still in good condition. However, the streams and rivers that supply the lake with water are experiencing higher levels of Nitrogen and Phosphorus. Nutrients probably the reason for the algae bloom outbreak this summer. I hope you will pass copies of my letter and attachments to the other Councilors and your staffs for consideration. I am sure you agree that everything we can do to protect our lake water and waterways environment is important , particularly when other factors are putting stress on our water , including global warming. Respectively submitted, Hugh Harper 1 Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP From:Hugh Harper Sent:Thursday, October 3, 2019 2:50 PM To:Revision Cc:Tina Connors Subject:issue for CPAC to consider Attachments:letter to webber and Bolivar Getson A.pdf; letter to council on bylaws copy.pdf; Algae Bloom ENS Report to August 2018.pdf; 2018_Report_Sherbrooke Lake_Water Quality.pdf Follow Up Flag:Follow up Flag Status:Flagged CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Today I delivered a letter and attachment to Warden webber and the mayor of MODL. The subject was about taking steps to prevent dangerous algae bloom occurring on our lakes and waterways.. Sherbrooke Lake experienced an extensive algae bloom this year...the first time in its history . No dangerous toxins this time thank goodness. I am attaching my letter and attachments sent to Warden webber. please have CPAC get copies and review. thanks very much, hugh harper Sent from my iPhone 1 Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP From:Hugh Harper Sent:Thursday, October 17, 2019 4:32 PM To:Tina Connors; Danielle Barkhouse; Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP; Tara Maguire Cc:McAdam, Robin; John Rapson; hugh harper; Gisela O'Brien; Bruce Matthews; Ron Renz; Alex Livingston; Trudy and Gerry; Sandra Millet'; Charles Musial; Tim Garriock; Warren Giberson; Anne Bastedo; David And Alice patrick; Alison McCallum; Janet Whelan; Barbara Mealiea; Laird Mealiea; Frederic Wien; Carol Wien; Katie Gibson; Jenna Skinner; Anne Rapson; Susan Clarke; Twyla Taylor; Tony Northey; Dave Rapson; Richard Lane; Gary Gibson; Krista McCuish; Murray Coolican; Mimi Stanfield; Robert Lowe; Sally Yardley; ; Elizabeth Cook; Barrie Clarke; Stephen Cole; ; Mike Morrison; Garth Bangay Subject:Nova Scotia Department of Environment publication Attachments:NSEnviro.pdf Follow Up Flag:Follow up Flag Status:Completed CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Hello Tina, Danielle,Garth and Tara. i am sending this attachment from the Department of Environment to you, because I think you will find it interesting. In addition, I think you will see why I am so concerned and why our municipality should be as concerned and include protection for all residents in the lake front overlay in the By law revisions. Please help keep out lake fronts safe for all! thanks hugh Sent from my iPhone 1 Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP From:Hugh Harper Sent:Thursday, October 31, 2019 11:22 AM To:Tara Maguire Cc:Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP; Tina Connors; Danielle Barkhouse; Mike Morrison; McAdam, Robin Subject:Re: Straight Pipes to waterways CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. thanks Tara, I understand that sending the email is a way of adding my recommendations to the the list to look at after the 25th. That’s all I meant by it. hugh Sent from my iPhone On Oct 31, 2019, at 10:16 AM, Tara Maguire <tmaguire@chester.ca> wrote: Hi Hugh Garth is correct that this is a provincial issue. While we can appreciate and share concerns staff cannot make changes to the documents without direction I’m from council. At this point, with documents having received first reading, council can not make changes that make substantial changes until after the public hearing. At that point any substantial changes would then necessitate going back through a first reading and second public hearing. I hope that helps to clarify. Best regards Tara <image602000.jpg> <image684001.png> Tara Maguire Director of Community Development Community Development Municipality of Chester PO Box 369 186 Central Street, Chester, NS, B0J 1J0 Office: 902-275-4132 General Inquiries: 902-275-2599 Cell: 902-277-2273 Web: www.chester.ca <image955002.png> <image532003.png> Consider the environment. Do you really need to print this email? This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the intended recipients. If you are not an intended recipient you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. E-mail 2 transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission. If verification is required please request a hard-copy version. > On Oct 31, 2019, at 10:10 AM, Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP <gsturtevant@chester.ca> wrote: > The Need for Municipal Bylaws to Protect our Lakes and Waterways Hugh Harper Four or five years ago I started taking pictures of the algae and plant life that was taking over the lake bottom off my property on Sherbrooke lake. When I bought this property in 1988 the rocks and the sand were free of any algae or plant life growth. The picture below shows what the lake bottom looked like when I started taking pictures. Summer 2019 blue green algae shows up on my shore and multiple others on Sherbrooke Lake. Department of Environment called and several samples take and tested. This time no harmful toxins found. What factors contribute to algae, blue green algae and invasive plant grown in a lake? The following quotation was taken from “Algae and Aquatic Plant Educational Manual “ Written by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority with input from Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change and other concerned Associations and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in Ontario. “Excessive Nutrient Inputs” Sometimes the increase of algae and aquatic plants come from natural factors. To grow, these organisms need sunlight and nutrients, namely nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients can be found naturally within the ecosystem and play an important role in the progression of the natural state of the waterbody. Problems of excessive growth often arise when human activity influences 2014/2015 this is what the bottom looked like. Today its worse and many rocks have a bright green slime on them and water plants that I have never seen before are now growing uncontrollably and taking over part of my beach and shore line. Most neighbours up and down the east side of the lake have the same problems. the amount of nutrients that are available in a system. These harmful nutrient inputs can come from things such as: •Pet and livestock waste running off into a nearby waterbody , carrying nutrients and bacteria •Storm water runoff, carrying excess nutrients, suspended solids and possibly pollutants into water systems. Hardened surfaces(buildings, driveways, patios, etc) also allow for increased runoff rather than infiltration of rainwater, runoff carries nutrients from the landscape into the receiving waterbody •Runoff from irrigation and rainfall, particularly lawns and fields where fertilizers or pesticides have been used •the addition of phosphorus through usage of certain soaps and laundry detergents •loss of natural vegetation along the shoreline and surrounding waterbody •Failing private stage disposal systems, permitting excess nutrients to leach into water systems •Shoreline erosion, permitting soil and nutrients trapped within it to become dispersed into the water •Lawn fertilizers of fertilizers used for agricultural crops or vegetable gardens “ So is Sherbrooke lake subject to any of the above harmful inputs. Yes! The lake and river water sampling and testing program that the Municipality of Chester and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg co-fund, (I am a volunteer in the testing program), received the annual summary report earlier this year for the sampling and testing program conducted in 2018. From this report , presented to both councils by Ms Sarah MacLeod of Coastal Action and other members of the Sherbrooke Lake Stewardship committee ,the following statement was made: “the tributaries feeding Sherbooke Lake have higher nutrient concentrations than the lake; however, rainfall sampling observed the highest peaks of nutrients, suggesting nutrients and fertilizers are flushed off land and into the water during storms…….Nutrients inputs from human activities should be minimized as much as possible” What about other lakes in Nova Scotia and Lunenburg county? Thanks to Hugh Mackay our MLA and Geraldine in his office I was able to get some statistic on how many algae blooms are occurring in our lakes from Nova Scotia Department of the Environment. I was hoping to get numbers on 2019, but they aren’t available yet. I did however get a summary for 2018. It is disturbing and I have attached it. As you will note from this report, 2018 had 8 reported incidents, the highest number in eight years. The majority of reported incidents in the eight years were in the southern half of Nova Scotia. Lunenburg county had the second most number of reported incidents , behind Halifax county. Given the facts that our lakes are increasingly in danger of experiencing increased incidents of blue green algae blooms and the likelihood that some will contain dangerous toxins. Toxins that can affect the health of adults, children and pets. I am requesting that both Municipalities start drafting bylaws that will help slow down the growth patterns of algae. I believe the points brought out by the excerpt above, “Algae and Aquatic Plant Educational Manual” prepared by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority can point the way in determining what bylaws to draft. Respectfully submitted by Hugh Harper. 25 East Wind Drive, Chester and 120 South Point Road, Sherbrooke Forest on Sherbrooke Lake. Don’t we always want our children and grandkids to enjoy our lakes for a long long time? 1 Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP From:Hugh Harper Sent:Friday, November 1, 2019 8:24 AM To:Allen Webber; Tara Maguire; Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP Subject:landscaping at waters edge Attachments:Resource004159_Rep5940.pdf Follow Up Flag:Follow up Flag Status:Flagged CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Good morning, Given Warden Webber expressed interest in educating lake front residents on ways to reduce harmful runoff into our lakes, I found the attached manual. I think you will find it informative and useful in creating material for the education process. thanks hugh Sent from my iPhone 1 Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP From:Celeste Colford Sent:Thursday, October 10, 2019 1:32 PM To:Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP Subject:Fwd: Change to Single Unit Residential Zone - New Municipal Planning Documents Follow Up Flag:Follow up Flag Status:Completed CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: From: Buzz Smith Date: October 10, 2019 at 13:29:49 ADT To: Celeste Colford Subject: Re: Change to Single Unit Residential Zone - New Municipal Planning Documents Hi Garth As u would expect MIOA agrees with the new wording concerning outdoor wood furnaces. While I have your attention, I have a question concerning non conforming use. Since the current By-Law was implemented in 1997, a 6-month time period applied after a non conforming usage ceased then so did the right to restart that activity. My understanding is this comes from the Municipal Services Act. Will this still be the case under the revised By-Law, and, if not, why not. Thanks, Buzz Smith Sent from my iPad On Oct 10, 2019, at 1:15 PM, Celeste Colford wrote: Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: From: "Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP" <gsturtevant@chester.ca> Date: October 10, 2019 at 12:14:19 ADT To: "Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP" <gsturtevant@chester.ca> Cc: Tara Maguire <tmaguire@chester.ca>, Heather Archibald <harchibald@chester.ca>, Emily Statton <estatton@chester.ca> Subject: Change to Single Unit Residential Zone - New Municipal Planning Documents 2 Good Afternoon, You are being contacted because you have previously corresponded with myself or have been identified as an Agent or representative of a Property or Home Owner’s Association within the Municipality within an area that is or will be zoned Single Unit Residential under the new Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law (draft zoning map: https://modc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=c4fe 9ff1aad34937a27665db7d12043a). Many of you have likely corresponded with me previously regarding proposed regulations for Recreational Vehicles within the Single Unit Zone. As staff and Council work to finalize the new Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law prior to adoption, staff received direction to make a change to the Single Unit Residential Zone. This change was requested on behalf of the Marvin’s Island HOA and Council requested that staff contact other Associations within the Single Unit Residential Zone to inform them of the change and gather feedback. The change has been made to the draft documents and will not be removed without further direction from Council. Before the documents are adopted at a Public Hearing, Council asked staff to reach out to the other Single Unit Residential zoned areas to determine if there are any significant concerns with the proposed change. The change proposed would prohibit the use of Outdoor Wood Furnaces (see proposed text and example image below) within the Single Unit Residential Zone. Please note, this only affects Outdoor Wood Furnaces and does not prevent a traditional indoor wood furnace, wood fireplace, pellet stove or outdoor fire pit (campfires). Prior to this change, outdoor wood furnaces were permitted subject to setbacks and other requirements within the Land Use By-law. The request from the Marvin’s Island HOA was that an outright ban be implemented. The reasoning for this request is that Outdoor Wood Furnaces have high potential to create nuisance, health concerns and fire hazards and are not in keeping with the general character and nature of the Single Unit Residential Zone. I would be grateful if you could share this information with others in your association and please respond if you have concerns or if you support this change. I would appreciate receiving responses as soon as possible. I understand it is unlikely that this could be discussed and voted on at a formal association meeting. Council’s intent is to get the word out and receive responses from individual property owners, or from a representative on behalf of the association. If you or any members have any specific questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out by email or phone (902-275-2599) and I am happy to provide additional information or answer any questions. Yours Truly, Garth Sturtevant 3 <image003.png> Figure 1 - excerpt from Land Use By-law prohibiting Outdoor Wood Furnaces in SU Zone <image001.jpg>Figure 2 - Example of an Outdoor Wood Furnace <image616000.jpg><image586001.png> Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP Senior Planner Community Development Municipality of Chester PO Box 369 186 Central Street, Chester, NS, B0J 1J0 Office: 902-275-4135 General Inquiries: 902-275-2599 Web: www.chester.ca <image771002.png> <image553003.png> Consider the environment. Do you really need to print this email? This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the intended recipients. If you are not an intended recipient you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission. If verification is required please request a hard-copy version. 1 Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP From:Tina Connors Sent:Friday, October 11, 2019 12:00 PM To:Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP Cc:Dave Rapson; Hugh Harper; Tara Maguire Subject:Re: Farmland runoff into rivers and streams Hi to everyone, Garth, I thank you very much for this. It absolutely goes to the question, of Dave’s. And thank you too for the offer, of always, “if there are further questions”. Happy Thanksgiving to you all, Tina C. TINA CONNORS District #6 New Ross Office: 902-679-4461 Cell: 902-277-1095 Consider the environment. Do you really need to print this email? On Oct 11, 2019, at 10:36 AM, Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP <gsturtevant@chester.ca> wrote: Good Morning Dave, I am not intending to answer on behalf of Councillor Connors, however, in reading your email it did occur to me that reviewing some of the public submissions and comments received in response to the draft documents might assist your understanding of the process that has led to the current documents and level of regulations proposed. The series of public meetings held in 2018 took place following the competition of a draft of the new MPS & LUB. The draft documents were outlined and a question and answer period was held in addition to one-on-one conversations. Staff collected comment sheets and written submissions at these sessions which were presented to Council as part of the 3rd Round Engagement Report. This report is available for download from Voices & Choices (https://www.voicesandchoices.ca/revision/documents). If you follow the link and select the first document “Third Round Public Engagement Report to Council - 2018-07-25 (115 MB) (pdf)” you should be able to download the report. Unfortunately the file is too large to attach directly to this email. I encourage you to review the 200+ pages of written comments which follow the report, to get an appreciation for the wide variety of questions, concerns and opinions expressed to Council regarding the draft planning documents. This may help your understanding of the conflicting views and issues that Council and staff are working to balance and respect through implementation of the new documents. I trust this is helpful, but please do let me know if you have any trouble accessing the document or further questions. Sincerely, Garth Sturtevant GARTH STURTEVANT, MCIP, LPP Senior Planner Office: 902-275-4135 2 <image619000.png> Consider the environment. Do you really need to print this email? From: Dave Rapson Sent: Thursday, October 10, 2019 11:22 PM To: Tina Connors <tconnors@chester.ca> Cc: Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP <gsturtevant@chester.ca>; Hugh Harper ; Tara Maguire <tmaguire@chester.ca> Subject: Re: Farmland runoff into rivers and streams CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Hi Tina, Yes, I understand that there must be other reasons/interests that are leading to these water contamination prevention measures not being part of the plan. Can you please explain to me what they are in this case? Thanks. Dave On Thu, Oct 10, 2019 at 12:34 PM Tina Connors <tconnors@chester.ca> wrote: Good Thursday afternoon Dave, RE: Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use By-law (LUB); * * Status: Draft Documents recommended for Adoption. Thank you for your submission. At this time all submissions are being collected and will be included as part of the Public Hearing package. As you are aware, at a Joint Meeting of the Citizens Planning Advisory Committee (CPAC) - an advisory committee of volunteer citizens overseeing the Plan Review - and Council, held on October 7, 2019, a final draft of the documents was received. At this meeting, CPAC recommended that Council adopt the Draft Planning Documents, and following this, the process/ timeline is as follows: * Council gives 1st Reading, which is scheduled for October 24 (finalized earlier today). * The Public Hearing serves as 2nd Reading of the draft documents, following which Council may vote to adopt the documents. A date for the Public Hearing has not yet been set, but will be confirmed at 1st Reading and advertised well in advance of the Public Hearing. Discussions to date have indicated that the date for the Public Hearing will be scheduled for between 5 - 6 weeks following 1st Reading. In addition to all submissions being collected, as part of the official Public Hearing package, there is opportunity at the Public Hearing to hear directly from members of the public. It is important to note that the Municipal Planning Strategy is a living document, and as such, moving forward amendments can be considered. I am sure you can imagine all of the interest, public input, comments, and suggestions into the entirety of the Plan Review, since 2014. An objective for all involved has been to produce a document that is a balance of all interests, concerns, and opportunities. Take good care, Tina C. 3 <image002.jpg><image003.png> Tina Connors District #6 New Ross Council Municipality of Chester PO Box 369 151 King Street, Chester, NS, B0J 1J0 Office: 902-679-4461 General Inquiries: 902-275-3554 Cell: 902-277-1095 Web: www.chester.ca <image004.png> <image005.png> Consider the environment. Do you really need to print this email? This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the intended recipients. If you are not an intended recipient you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission. If verification is required please request a hard-copy version. On Oct 7, 2019, at 8:53 PM, Dave Rapson wrote: CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Tina and All, I'm told that the bylaws passed recently and that they are woefully insufficient if our goal is to prevent runoff from contaminating our lakes. The risk to human health from algae blooms is real and there needs to be action taken to reduce it. We're already seeing these algae blooms in Sherbrooke Lake, like the one many people documented to your offices earlier this summer. Thank goodness there were no harmful toxins this time. Is there reason to be optimistic that the bylaws that just passed will help the situation going forward? I'm no expert, but I'm told that's unlikely. Common sense solutions have not been implemented. We need (at least) vegetative barriers to prevent fertilizer run-off on any land bordering lakes and waterways. This includes cottages, residences, businesses, and farms. Perhaps there are best practices from other jurisdictions that have taken this issue seriously that we can learn from as well. I appreciate that you were responsive to my emails this summer, but this issue doesn't seem to be taken seriously at the moment. Please let me know if I'm misunderstanding the situation. If there are toxins in the next bloom as a result of inaction, that would be a real tragedy, and you and your associates on the council are in a position to prevent that. 4 best, Dave Rapson 206 Middle Fork Rd., New Ross On Tue, Aug 20, 2019 at 4:39 AM Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP <gsturtevant@chester.ca> wrote: Hi Dave, Happy to point out a few sections within the draft Planning Strategy and Land Use By- law. In the MPS I would direct you to Section 6 Environmental Safeguards. This will have the bulk of the policy discussion around water quality protection. In the LUB: · I would suggest you review the definitions section as this provides detail on the rest of the document and how certain words are interpreted · Section 3.4 - Overlay · Section 3.5 - Watercourses, waterbodies and wetlands · Section 4.3 - Agricultural uses · Section 4.13 - Non-conforming structures and the ability to rebuild or repair · Section 4.23 - Stormwater Standard · Section 4.27 - Vehicles and storage · Section 4.28 - Watercourses, waterbodies and wetlands Please note this is not an exhaustive list, the nature of these documents requires references to other sections and the regulations that apply may vary depending on the zone and the proposed use. As an example, despite Section 4.3, there are regulations within the Settlement Residential One and Two zones relating to farm animals (this is a carry-over from the existing documents). If you have any questions, please let me know. Thank you, Garth 5 <image923000.jpg><image983001.png> Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP Senior Planner Community Development Municipality of Chester PO Box 369 186 Central Street, Chester, NS, B0J 1J0 Office: 902-275-4135 General Inquiries: 902-275-2599 Web: www.chester.ca <image929002.png> <image737003.png> Consider the environment. Do you really need to print this email? This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the intended recipients. If you are not an intended recipient you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission. If verification is required please request a hard-copy version. From: Dave Rapson Sent: Sunday, August 18, 2019 11:40 AM To: Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP <gsturtevant@chester.ca> Cc: Tina Connors <tconnors@chester.ca>; Tara Maguire <tmaguire@chester.ca> Subject: Re: Farmland runoff into rivers and streams CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Thanks, Tina. And thank you as well, Garth, for your detailed email. It sounds like we're a few months away from these being passed, with some uncertainty as well. That's good to know. I looked at the two documents that you attached, Garth, and they're close to 250 pages combined. Could you please direct me to the sections that intend to address farmland runoff and lake water quality? I'd like to understand what's being proposed here. Best, 6 Dave On Thu, Aug 15, 2019 at 1:11 PM Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP <gsturtevant@chester.ca> wrote: Good Afternoon Dave, As Tina mentioned I have attached the publicly available draft of the new Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law. I will note that this version, made public in 2018 has had some changes as staff and legal council have continued to revise the documents. An up to date draft will be released prior to Council adoption (discussed later in timeline). The maps that accompany the MPS & LUB are very large and are not be possible to attach via email. We have a project website Voices & Choices (https://www.voicesandchoices.ca/revision), from which you can download the draft documents as well as the corresponding maps directly from the following link: https://www.voicesandchoices.ca/revision/documents The site also has other information and report on the reVISION process. The timeline for completing the reVISION work is tentative, however, I am currently working on finalizing changes to the draft documents to produce a final draft. This final draft will be presented to the Citizen’s Planning Advisory Committee (CPAC), which has been overseeing and guiding the reVISION process since 2014. If CPAC is satisfied with the final draft they may make a recommendation to Council to adopt the draft documents. I expect this meeting with CPAC to occur in September or October of this year. Once a final draft has received positive recommendation from CPAC, the intent is to make this final draft available to the public for review and comment for a period of time. Council will then receive the draft documents and if satisfied, give 1st reading and schedule a date for a Public Hearing. At the Public Hearing Council will receive any submissions in writing or comments from members of the Public before taking a final vote to either adopt or reject the draft documents. Following Council’s adoption, there is a Provincial requirement of a Ministerial review, which can take upwards of 90 days. Once the review is complete, we will place an advertisement in the newspaper to advise that the draft documents have been approved and are now in effect. As you can appreciate, this leaves opportunity for delay and therefore is tricky to predict exactly when a particular step will occur. With that in mind, I would anticipate late 2019 or early 2020 for the draft documents to become effective. In response to your questions on the Ad Hoc Agricultural advisory Committee I can offer the following: 1. No specific timeline was set by Council, however, the intent is to complete the reVISION process and have the draft documents adopted and in effect 7 before forming the Committee. The first step will be for staff to present Terms of Reference to Council to govern the Committee; 2. I cannot answer this questions as it will vary greatly by Committee and topic; 3. Amending planning documents from the time of an application or proposal by Council typically takes between 4-6 months depending on the nature of the amendments and the level and extent of public consultation involved; 4. I am not sure I completely understand this question, if an amendment to a planning document follows the approval process and receives a favourable vote at a Public Hearing from Council, we send a copy of the amendment to the Province for Ministerial review. Once we receive confirmation that the review is complete or is not required, we place an advertisement in the newspaper to advise that the amendment are now in effect. I hope you find this to be helpful, but please do let me know if you have any additional questions. Sincerely, Garth Sturtevant <image002.jpg><image003.png> Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP Senior Planner Community Development Municipality of Chester PO Box 369 186 Central Street, Chester, NS, B0J 1J0 Office: 902-275-4135 General Inquiries: 902-275-2599 Web: www.chester.ca <image004.png> <image005.png> Consider the environment. Do you really need to print this email? This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the intended recipients. If you are not an intended recipient you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the 8 contents of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission. If verification is required please request a hard-copy version. From: Tina Connors <tconnors@chester.ca> Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2019 10:16 AM To: Dave Rapson Cc: Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP <gsturtevant@chester.ca>; Subject: Re: Farmland runoff into rivers and streams Hello everyone & Happy Thursday, Dave, no need to thank me for my patience, as it is important always to clarify, and share info/ documents, background details, et cetera as appropriate in whatever matter or subject is in play, and in this case, Plan Review. I had opportunity to speak with Garth on your email yesterday, as there was a Public Hearing on a development in Hubbards-Mill Cove that he and Council were of course “involved”. Garth will get a few notes, and with the documents themselves or a link to the Draft Docs, get back to you Dave. I am thrilled with this offer, and thanked him yesterday, and am thanking him now! It’s very detailed, very time and steps & phases specific, so to walk you through kind of where we started and where we are now is good for you to know. I would go as far as suggesting to you to share the same in any communications you have with fellow property owners, residents, businesses of the Municipality... all engaged that want to be engaged is important, including being on the same page. I believe there are some things you are asking that we just wouldn’t have an answer, as they would be out of our control, but again Garth will touch on in his reply. I indicated to Garth to take the time he needs to get to this in and amongst the other things he has on, e.g. coming out of the Public Hearing yesterday there’s ‘stuff’ there requiring asap attention! Take care all, & maybe we’ll see you over the next couple of days @ the New Ross Community Fair! Tina C. 9 TINA CONNORS District #6 New Ross Office: 902-679-4461 Cell: 902-277-1095 <image006.png> Consider the environment. Do you really need to print this email? On Aug 13, 2019, at 4:47 PM, Dave Rapso wrote: CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Hi Tina, Thanks for your reply. Hugh does keep us in the loop, but I'm also not perfect at keeping up with my emails. Could you please forward the material that you referenced below (Municipal Plan and Land Use By-law Review)? I'm also interested in the timeline for the review and implementation of the new farm animal regulations. Specifically: 1. When will the ad hoc committee be formed? 2. How long does it take for an ad hoc committee to produce recommendations? 3. At that point, how long does it take for recommendations to be incorporated as a formal amendment to the planning documents? 4. Finally, conditional on being accepted as a formal amendment, do the amendments become active immediately/automatically, or is "planning" something that requires further action? Thank you for your patience, Tina. I suspect these questions reveal my ignorance of the process. It's just such an important topic, and I want to understand what's happening to improve the situation, and when. With appreciation, Dave On Fri, Aug 2, 2019 at 4:33 PM Tina Connors <tconnors@chester.ca> wrote: 10 Good afternoon Mr. Rapson, c.c. Hugh Harper; Garth Sturtevant I appreciate receiving your email, noting your concerns RE: water quality. You will see that I am including Hugh Harper (someone you know as a fellow member of your Homeowners Assoc) and Garth Sturtevant, Senior Planner, Municipality of Chester (MOC) (also familiar to you possibly in all of the email correspondence sharing). Algae bloom is a huge concern for sure, for many in many areas. Certainly there has been a no. of news stories lately on both rivers and lakes, including just today with Miners Marsh in Kentville and the possibility of algae bloom (that bloom may even be linked to/ caused from ducks and geese droppings). RE: Farm animals, farm activity, waterways, land-use, fencing/ set- backs, et cetera. I will refer to the Municipal Plan and Land Use By- law Review, here in MOC. Mr. Harper as President of your Assoc has kept you in the loop on the progression of the Review, including the fact that the Farm Animal Regulations have been broken out or separated from the Plan Review, to which an Ad Hoc Committee will be formed to deliberate and present revised regulations/ recommendations to Council / Council-and-Planning Committee, of which will be considered as an Amendment to the Planning Documents. Thank you Mr. Rapson for your care, and to everyone... have a great rest of Friday and weekend ahead! Sincerely, Tina C. <image590000.jpg><image956001.png> Tina Connors District #6 New Ross Council 11 Municipality of Chester PO Box 369 151 King Street, Chester, NS, B0J 1J0 Office: 902-679-4461 General Inquiries: 902-275-3554 Cell: 902-277-1095 Web: www.chester.ca <image905002.png> <image629003.png> Consider the environment. Do you really need to print this email? This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the intended recipients. If you are not an intended recipient you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission. If verification is required please request a hard-copy version. On Aug 2, 2019, at 10:52 AM, Dave Rapson wrote: CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Tina, You don't know me yet, but I'm a homeowner on Sherbrooke Lake. We've been experiencing an increasing number of algae blooms in recent years, and while the water quality is ok at the moment, there is a growing risk of contamination that could affect human health or the lake ecosystem. These bad outcomes are preventable. I'm writing to ask whether you're aware of the dangers of allowing farm activity to contaminate rivers and streams. Perhaps this is already an issue on your radar, which would be great. If so, can you please share an update on what is being done to keep farm animals out of rivers and streams, and any measures being taken to keep fertilizer and animal waste from washing into waterways? 12 If this is an issue that hasn't yet become a priority for you, I strongly advocate that you take a look at it. It would be very helpful to have bylaws requiring fencing along waterways (to prevent animal access), and things like setbacks or vegetative berms to minimize runoff from other farm activity. I know that I'm not the only constituent who's concerned about these aspects of shared land use. If you have any advice about how we can elevate these concerns in a way that successfully induces the appropriate preventative measures to be taken, that would be very helpful. Of course, any action that you can take in your capacity as Councillor would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for all that you do to protect our natural habitats on behalf of all of us. Best, David Rapson 206 Middlefork Road New Ross, NS 1 Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP From:McAdam, Robin Sent:Wednesday, October 23, 2019 2:15 PM To:Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP Cc:Mike Morrison; Chad Haughn; Garth Bangay Subject:Quick question about Buffers Follow Up Flag:Follow up Flag Status:Flagged CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Hi Garth: Congratulations on shepherding the Municipal Plan review through the extensive stakeholder process. The draft document is very impressive! I am a member of the Sherbrooke Lake Water Quality advisory committee. You will be aware that our committee has made a submission to Council proposing lakefront buffers be put in place that would restrict the removal of natural vegetation. Our committee is planning another presentation in that regard – and it is in that context that I need clarification on one item: I note that Policy G 18 of the Draft Plan gives Council the right to establish buffers and specifically control the addition or removal of vegetation. It says: “in connection with a development Council may regulate or require the planting or retention of trees, and vegetation for the purpose of landscaping, buffering, sedimentation or erosion control” So my question is: if the plan is adopted with Policy G 18 in place as currently worded, whether our committee simply needs to appeal to Council in the normal course of business (versus during the Plan revision process) for the desired lakefront buffer to be implemented? IE – is it the case that we don’t need to intervene in the Plan process to achieve our objective? And as a technical clarification – does “in connection with a development” mean all buildings such as cottages – or some subset of buildings that would not include cottages? Thank You!!! Robin McAdam And please don’t hesitate to call me if this question is better addressed with a conversation vs email! Canada Anti-Spam Law Notice – To stop receiving commercial electronic messages from us, please forward this email to Confidentiality Notice - The email communication is considered confidential and is intended only for the recipient(s). If you received this email in error, please contact the sender and delete the email. Unauthorized disclosure or copying of this email is prohibited. 1 Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP From:D.S. Sent:Friday, October 25, 2019 12:36 PM To:Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP Cc:Tara Maguire; Pam Myra Subject:Re: Voices and choises CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Thanks for the update. Like me, most people do not want to talk to the experts direct ,but could use some additional info when it comes what is happening to their properties. It seems there might be big changes to rural areas, which I would hope could be brought on gradually over the years if is even needed at all. I personally have not heard of complaints from rural people and would think that the bylaws are fine the way they are. I don't believe the South Shore is growing that fast, and would even say that making it harder for the property owners might make them want to get out or push them further back into the woods. I have a rural property, and I am only giving my opinion. Thanks for listening Garth. Danny On Fri, Oct 25, 2019 at 8:48 AM Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP <gsturtevant@chester.ca> wrote: Good Morning Danny, Thinking about your request a bit further last evening and I wanted to offer some additional information. We are in the process of preparing and ordering a pamphlet/newsletter which will provide some very high level overview of the new documents. This Newsletter is going to be mailed to every resident of the Municipality, specifically to do as you have requested and summarize for those who are not online or coming out to meetings. If you are familiar with the quarterly Municipal Insight Newsletters, this will appear similar but focus solely on the new planning documents. We expect that the newsletters should reach peoples mail boxes sometime during the first week of November. I am still more than happy to schedule a phone call with you to discuss any specific parts of the plan, but did want to advise you to watch out for the Newsletter. Best Regards, Garth 2 Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP Senior Planner Community Development Municipality of Chester PO Box 369 186 Central Street, Chester, NS, B0J 1J0 Office: 902-275-4135 General Inquiries: 902-275-2599 Web: www.chester.ca Consider the environment. Do you really need to print this email? This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the intended recipients. If you are not an intended recipient you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission. If verification is required please request a hard-copy version. From: Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2019 3:26 PM To: D.S. Cc: Tara Maguire <tmaguire@chester.ca>; Pam Myra <pmyra@chester.ca> Subject: RE: Voices and choises Hi Danny, Perhaps you would like to speak on the phone and this could help your understanding of the changes. It really is challenging to summarize several hundred pages without a specific location, property or use to comment on. The nature of planning and zoning is that different areas fall under different zones and have differing regulations. Any statements regarding the degree or level of changes between your current zoning and the new plan would be subjective on my part. I do want to assist you in understanding the documents and changes, but again, there is no way to provide a complete overview of how this will change or affect every property in the Municipality. That is why the documents are as lengthy as they are. If you would like to give me a call (902-275-2599) or have me call you, I am happy to do so. 3 Best, Garth Sturtevant From: D.S. Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2019 4:00 PM To: Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP <gsturtevant@chester.ca> Subject: Re: Voices and choises CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Thanks for getting back to me Garth. I have a couple properties around ,but I am thinking of the average property owner ,who might not have internet or want to go to meetings. For instance, an older person listening to CKBW or seeing highlights in the local paper could breath easier knowing things are not being turned upside down. Many people think their lives are overregulated by government and maybe are a bit paranoid because of past events such as the whole ''Town vs Village'' mess a decade ago. All that accomplished was to put our taxes up. What I read of the document so far sounds like you ''might'' be going with the ''laws of the land'', but doesn't really say what the changes are. As this is a rural area, I am not sure if ''too much change'' is needed. Can things be clarified as to what the ''code'' changes will be concerning new construction around boundary lines, number of farm animals etc and if all of the remainder of the municipality is affected by this. Thanks On Wed, Oct 23, 2019 at 2:55 PM Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP <gsturtevant@chester.ca> wrote: Hi Danny, You can certainly look at the information posted to our project website https://www.voicesandchoices.ca/revision, this includes some background information on the process and the objectives of the new planning documents. If you look in the “Document Library” you can find some shorter summary documents, however, these may be slightly out of date as we have continually been making changes to the draft documents over the past 5 years. It sounds like you are specifically wondering how the new regulations might affect your property. The best way to get this information, other than directly from the documents, is to get in touch with myself or our Development Officer, Heather Archibald. We can discuss your property and advise you of the potential impacts of new regulations that may affect you. If you would like to follow-up, please give our office a call at 902-275-2599. 4 Sincerely, Garth Sturtevant Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP Senior Planner Community Development Municipality of Chester PO Box 369 186 Central Street, Chester, NS, B0J 1J0 Office: 902-275-4135 General Inquiries: 902-275-2599 Web: www.chester.ca Consider the environment. Do you really need to print this email? This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the intended recipients. If you are not an intended recipient you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission. If verification is required please request a hard-copy version. From: Pam Myra <pmyra@chester.ca> Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2019 12:57 PM To: D.S. Cc: Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP <gsturtevant@chester.ca> Subject: RE: Voices and choises Good afternoon, 5 If you are referring to the Plan Review documents, I agree - they are definitely huge. It might be best to contact Garth Sturtevant, Senior Planner, at gsturtevant@chester.ca or (902) 275-2599. Garth has worked with the committee to develop the document and can answer any specific questions directly. Pam PAM MYRA Municipal Clerk/Director of Quality Management Office: 902-275-4109 Cell: 902-277-1872 Consider the environment. Do you really need to print this email? From: D.S. Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2019 10:24 AM To: Pam Myra <pmyra@chester.ca> Subject: Voices and choises CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Looks like it could take awhile to go through all of this. Do you have any shorter versions or highlights or a better way to let the average Joe know what will happen with their properties in the future? Thanks Danny 1 Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP From:Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP Sent:Tuesday, October 29, 2019 2:28 PM To:Charles Langille Subject:RE: Mixed Use Zone, Copy of Land Use By-law & Permit Fee Question Good Afternoon Charles, The following link to our project website (https://www.voicesandchoices.ca/revision) will provide information on the process to date, future steps and the upcoming Public Hearing. You can also download copies of the Final Draft documents and corresponding maps. If you have any trouble accessing the documents, or have any specific questions, please do let me know. Best, Garth Sturtevant From: Charles Langille Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2019 2:01 PM To: Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP <gsturtevant@chester.ca> Subject: RE: Mixed Use Zone, Copy of Land Use By-law & Permit Fee Question CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Garth can you send me any recent updates as to where this bylaw change procedure is in the process and as well the link to the most recent bylaw changes or document. Charles Langille From: Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP [mailto:gsturtevant@chester.ca] Sent: May-01-18 4:38 PM To: Charles Langille Cc: Tara Maguire Subject: RE: Mixed Use Zone, Copy of Land Use By-law & Permit Fee Question Hi Charles, The meeting at Bonny Lea Farms was well attended as most of the first seven meetings have been. We heard some similar concerns relating primarily to the proposed regulations for Farm Animals in the Mixed Use and General Basic Zones. Some suggestions were made on ways to correct or improve the proposed regulations and these comments and questions were captured through note taking and comment sheets. This feedback will be consolidated and presented along with a report on the public engagement process to the Citizens Planning Advisory Committee which is tasked with overseeing the Plan Review. With that being said, I will try to answer your questions as best I can: 2 1. In short no, while I completely agree that the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law are large and complex documents, the nature of this kind of long term planning often necessitates a large document. While the Municipality can and does have some single issue By-laws (ie. Dog By-law), the Land Use By-law covers a wide range of topics and areas which all fall under the authority given to Municipalities under Section 8 & 9 of the Municipal Government Act. While we have tried to reduce the amount of references and page flipping required to read the documents, there is some referencing of other sections that is all but impossible to eliminate. This is another reason that the document is being presented as, and will be voted on as a whole. This is traditionally how new Planning Documents are adopted in other municipalities as well. With all of the foregoing, your point is duly noted and that is a part of the reason that we are promoting the Open House segment of the meetings or to directly contact staff. A few minutes discussion of one-on-one time often allows us to walk someone through any questions and to find the information relevant to them. Additionally, our handouts that we have prepared and have available online or at the public meetings are intended to condense sections of the By-law and allow for a snapshot of the regulations for a particular property. 2. Yes, we do track complaints of all types. The complaints are then categorized, and Land Use violations are separated out and the Development Officer is responsible for enforcing the Land Use By-law. We do have other staff who handle complaints outside of the Land Use By-law. 3. The best that I could come up with on short notice is for the 2017/2018 fiscal year is that, as of Nov 30th 2017 the actual revenue for planning approvals collected is $9,960. The amount budgeted for 2017/2018 is $12,790. PLEASE NOTE, this includes all planning approvals, which includes Site Plan Approval and Development Agreements, which have a substantially higher application fees. Development permits are $40 if the construction value is below $5000 or $60 if the construction value is above $5000. Site Plan Approvals require a $75 application fee and Development Agreements require a $500 application fee. 4. Certainly, the intent is NOT to prohibit off building solar panels, whether or not there is a main building on the lot (that is to say, you are permitted to have off-building solar, whether or not there is a building on the lot). We have heard that this section is causing some confusion, so we will be bringing this forward to the Committee to clarify the language. The intent is that on-building solar panels will not require a Development Permit while off- building solar arrays are allowed but do require a development permit. The reasoning being that off-building arrays are similar to any other accessory structure and therefore are subject to yard setback etc. 5. The approval process for adopting the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law is by a Council vote at a duly advertised Public Hearing. Once we finish this round of 14 public meetings, we will be preparing a report and attaching all of the written submissions we have received. The report will go to the Citizens Planning Advisory Committee which was formed to oversee this process and they will have an opportunity to make changes to the documents based on the public comments. Once the Committee is satisfied, the documents with any changes will go to Council. If Council is satisfied, they can give the documents 1st reading at a regular Council meeting. Council at this time would also set a date for the Public Hearing. The Public Hearing is advertised in the newspaper and anyone may appear and will have time to speak or present to Council, before Council votes to adopt the documents. 6. In response to your question on renewable energy initiatives, two that come to mind are the Kaizer Meadow wind turbine. This is owned by the Municipality and was constructed through the Community Feed In Tariff program, offered by the Provincial government. Currently the Municipality is working on a project called the PACE By-law. When put into effect this will offer low interest loans to residents which can be paid back through tax bills to provide assistance and incentive to install energy upgrades. If you would like more information on this project, I would suggest contacting Jonathan Meakin, Strategic Initiatives Coordinator, by phone 902-275- 3554 or email: jmeakin@chester.ca Hopefully that helps to provide some clarity, but if you have any follow-up questions don’t hesitate to let me know. All the best, Garth 3 Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP Planner Community Development Municipality of Chester PO Box 369 186 Central Street, Chester, NS, B0J 1J0 Tel: 902-275-2599 Fax: 902-275-2598 Web: www.chester.ca Consider the environment. Do you really need to print this email? This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the intended recipients. If you are not an intended recipient you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission. If verification is required please request a hard-copy version. From: Charles Langille Sent: Tuesday, May 1, 2018 11:19 AM To: Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP <gsturtevant@chester.ca> Subject: RE: Mixed Use Zone, Copy of Land Use By-law & Permit Fee Question Hi Garth How’d the meeting go yesterday. 1. That main document is huge – Have you guys considered a phased in approach to these changes – rather than a waterfall implementation? 2. Do you guys track complaints wrt land-use issues currently? 3. What is the current revenue from the permits?( maybe you don’t track this as you said it was going into a general revenues. 4. Can you clarify 4.3.2 d; It seems to say that OFF building solar collectors would not be allowed on my property – since I have a main building. 5. What is the approval process - Do we get to vote on this at the individual meeting or is our elected councillors who have decision rights on this? 6. In the past 15 years has there any renewable energy initiatives that were targeted towards the individual rate payers. I am asking this because other districts other than HRM ( to my knowledge) are starting to incent & promote the Solar City concepts that HRM have in place. I doubt that the incremental permit revenue would fund any serious initiative Chester may put forward. Charles 4 From: Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP [mailto:gsturtevant@chester.ca] Sent: April-30-18 11:18 AM To: Cc: Tara Maguire Subject: Mixed Use Zone, Copy of Land Use By-law & Permit Fee Question Hi Charles, As discussed on the phone, please find attached some information on the proposed Mixed Use (MU) Zone, which your property at 65 Simms Ave. falls under. The first attachment is a summary sheet for the Mixed Use Zone, the second is a list of the General Provisions, which affect all zones. Finally I have attached the complete Land Use By-law. In particular, you may want to look at Section 4.3 (pg 28) for info on Electrical Generation Facilities. The Mixed Use Zone is found at Section 6.5 (pg 55). I also had a chance to quickly speak with my Director about your question on the permit fees and what is planned for the potential increase. Currently permit fees are allocated to General Revenue and are used to cover operating costs. At the moment there is no change proposed so the fees will continue to be used to cover operating costs. With that being said, as we discussed, if there turns out to be a substantial increase in this revenue, Council could have a discussion on where to allocate those funds or whether to alter the fee policy. At this time, none of those discussions have taken place, and depending what changes are made to the draft Land Use By-law, the increase in permits may or may not be significant. If you have suggestions or proposals for how any increase in funds should be used (solar incentive?), feel free to send them to me or through our other feedback forums. One last item I will mention, is that we have setup a project website for the reVISION Plan Review project (www.voicesandchoices.ca). On this site you can download copies of all of the handout materials, the complete documents as well as ask questions and leave comments. If you have any other questions once you have a chance to review the documents, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Sincerely, Garth Sturtevant Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP Planner Community Development Municipality of Chester PO Box 369 186 Central Street, Chester, NS, B0J 1J0 Tel: 902-275-2599 Fax: 902-275-2598 Web: www.chester.ca Consider the environment. Do you really need to print this email? This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the intended recipients. If you are not an intended recipient you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. E-mail 5 transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission. If verification is required please request a hard-copy version. 1 From: Garth Bangay Sent: October 18, 2019 4:24 PM To: Chad Haughn <chaughn@chester.ca> Cc: Robin McAdam Mike Morrison Blake McDonald Ken Ruth Subject: Fw: MODC Draft Land-Use Plan - Recommendations On Thursday, September 26, 2019, 10:09 AM, Blake McDonald wrote: Dear Warden Webber and Council: In April of 2017 the Municipality of the District of Chester and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg moved forward to establish the Sherbrooke Lake Stewardship Committee. The terms of reference approved by the two Councils asked the Committee to design and implement a water quality monitoring program to establish a baseline to aid in evidence-based decisions concerning the development of public access to the lake. The Committee was also asked “to compile information about water quality monitoring and protection programs for MODL and MODC and their residents” and “to engage in public education activities to educate residents and visitors about water stewardship and conservation, water quality, boating safety, healthy shoreline practices, and habitat restoration”. In the spirit of this direction from both Councils, the Committee has reviewed with MODC planners the draft land use plan for MODC and would like to offer our thoughts with respect to those aspects that will have a direct bearing on lake water quality not only in Sherbrooke Lake but also more generally throughout MODC. We would first like to note our concern that the land use plan does not adequately include requirements for the maintenance of natural vegetative buffers along lake shorelines. 2 Natural vegetative buffers are crucial for the protection of water courses or shorelines. When natural vegetative buffers are used they play a significant role in reducing sediment or contaminant transport into watercourses. In recent months, there have been a number of lakes in the province including Sherbrooke Lake that have had algal blooms. While algal bloom can be part of natural biological processes in a lake, the impacts can be significantly reduced when natural vegetative buffers are used. In 2012 the Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs commissioned a report on the current practice and use of setbacks and natural vegetative buffers in Nova Scotia1. In that report, it confirmed that the use of natural vegetative buffers are a simple, low cost and effective planning tool for municipalities to control pollution from overland runoff, storm events, and protection of terrestrial and aquatic habitat. The 2012 report states that Queen’s county and HRM have already established natural vegetative buffers from all watercourses and coastal shoreline of 15.24 m and 20 m respectively. Several members of the committee have expressed their concerns with current development on the lake including the removal of vegetation (i.e. trees, shrubs, and natural vegetation), and the construction of structures in or on the shoreline on properties across the lake that can and will have an impact on the water quality of the lake. Without effective planning tools such as the use of natural vegetative buffers, the quality of the lake will be negatively impacted by future development. It is important that the Council of MODC consider minimum requirements that will include natural vegetative buffers such that Sherbrooke Lake can be enjoyed by generations to come. Section 4.28.1 of the proposed Land Use By-law includes: Lakefront Overlay · all developments within an area that is covered by the Lakefront Overlay (Schedule "B") shall require a development permit. Main buildings are not permitted within the area covered by the Lakefront Overlay. For greater clarity this covers lands within twenty (20)m of the ordinary high water mark of any water body identified on Schedule "B“; · minimum yard requirements shall not apply to small accessory structures, fire-fighting impoundments and structures related to water systems, or where otherwise permitted in this By-law; · impermeable surfaces within the Lakefront Overlay shall not exceed 25% of the total area of the lot including buildings and hard-surface landscaping. While the Lakefront Overlay is an improvement from the status quo, without provisions related to natural vegetative buffers of 20 m on all lots including single unit dwellings, the by-law will simply not assist in maintaining or improving the water quality of the lake. The Sherbrooke Lake Stewardship Committee is recommending at minimum, that the Lakefront Overlay zone prohibit the clearing of land right down to the water’s edge by maintaining at least 50% of natural vegetation for all lots including single dwelling units. Our committee’s second recommendation, which we direct to both MODC and MODL, is that additional education efforts be undertaken to reach watershed stakeholders, noting the steps that can be taken to protect the quality of all lakes and watercourses in both municipalities. We note that while bylaws are important and we strongly support them, they are not the only action required to protect waterbodies, as there are few resources available for enforcement of bylaws. We understand that enforcement is generally triggered by complaints. This has at least two challenges. Neighbours are generally disinclined to complain about each other. Further, it can be difficult to know of bylaw infractions. Consequently, bylaws alone, may not result in the changes necessary to preserve water quality. Education efforts should also play a significant role. Our committee has been working on this, incorporating educational messages in the water quality summary report and could expand its efforts, working 3 with the communication staffs of the municipalities. Property owners abutting waterbodies and watercourses, should understand the importance of initiatives such as: · Maintaining natural vegetative buffers as recommended above, because of the role those buffers play in minimizing run-off · Not using fertilizers near water bodies or watercourses as these fertilizers run into the adjacent water bodies · Keeping pet and farm animal waste out of waterbodies and watercourses · Using readily biodegradable soaps, shampoos and detergents when there is a risk of those entering waterbodies or watercourses · Ensuring septic systems operate effectively The Sherbrooke Lake Stewardship Committee encourages the MODC to include natural vegetative buffers in the new land-use by-laws. MODC has an opportunity to be a leader in land and watercourse protection and management and we encourage MODC to set the standard high for municipalities undergoing this process across Nova Scotia. Sincerely, Sherbrooke Lake Stewardship Committee Members 1 Rideout, Emily. (2012) Setbacks and Vegetative Buffers in Nova Scotia: A review and analysis current practice and management options. Prepared for Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs, May 2012. 1 Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP From:Brenda Mulrooney Sent:Tuesday, November 12, 2019 12:19 PM To:Revision Subject:What isn't included in the plan Follow Up Flag:Follow up Flag Status:Completed CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. To the panel of this study and initiative, I have not been to any of the last meetings on the revision initiative, but I will comment on the issue of not regulating short term rentals. There are pros and cons to this topic as I am sure you are well aware, but I tend to think they may be leaning toward added accommodation, and added income for some of our residents as well as an avenue to have visitors come and enjoy our municipality on the pros side. On the cons side, I am sure some of the topics of added noise from vacationers in working or elderly residential neighbourhoods and the lose of income to tax paying commercial enterprises has been mentioned, or at least I would think they have. My other and greatest concern is not only the fact that residential homes are now being purchased strictly for the use of short term rental, taking away in some cases lower cost housing as well as full time housing. With the lose of full time residents you are losing community. The short term week or week-ender tentant, arrives, goes to the grocery or chooses to eat a couple of meals out ( yes a plus for those businesses) BUT they do not participate in the community, they are not here 12 to 6 months of the year purchasing from the businesses and supporting our organizations and weekly the are a parade of strangers. The neighbourhood watch type programs and neighbours looking out for each other gets eroded. They could be someone coming in and casing a neighbourhood or cleaning out a house, no one knows, and after awhile neighbours if there are any become used to different faces and don't pay attention anymore. This has become a HUGE problem in many sought after areas, where they have now put in conditions such as property owner must live in residence or they put a time of minimum rental that is reasonable in curbing the weekly and or weekender. In others they have forbidden it totally. I just wanted to express my concerns and let them be known to your panel. I would also hope that there are no members on this board that are in this industry that are allowed to vote on that issue. This is certainly not any personal attack on anyone, it however is a large concern to many who won't come forward. Best Regards, Brenda Mulrooney Sent from my iPad 1 Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP From:MacKay, Darlene Sent:Friday, October 4, 2019 11:11 AM To:Garth Sturtevant, MCIP, LPP; '; Revision Subject:FW: Hamlet zone CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Further to my phone conversation with Planner, Garth Sturtevan,t on Oct 4, 2019, I understand the farm animal bylaw has been tabled until a later date after a committee is developed. I have 3 horses on my property. I still want to address the boundaries of Hamlet Zone being started at Vaughan River. I still have no street light coverage in my area (6664 Highway 3 beside sewer treatment plant) and I understand my property will be treated the same as “downtown” Western Shore which has street light coverage. I understand I am one of very few properties being affected in our sparse location from Vaughan River to New Hope Pentecostal Church where street lights begin. I want to be treated the same as all residents of Hamlet Zone and feel I should have street lights coverage if I am deemed to be Hamlet Zone. I am asking that you please revisit the Hamlet Zone boundary or provide street light coverage in my area. What a joy it would be to have street lights in our dark remote area! Thank you for your time. Unfortunately I am not able to attend Monday meeting as I am in Berwick training that day. From: MacKay, Darlene Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2018 1:43 PM To: 'revision@chester.ca' <revision@chester.ca> Subject: Hamlet zone Further to my phone inquiry on April 3, 2018 and proposed zone changes for Western Shore I would like to express my concern with upcoming proposed boundary changes. I reside at 6664 Highway 3 (my property boarders the sewer treatment plant) in Western Shore and I have two cemeteries behind me and a corner house lot beside me that borders Vaughan Road and Highway #3 (house # 6656). Across from my house is a rock/ gravel quarry on Seaview Drive operated by Monty Dorey’s excavation business with noisy dump trucks, heavy machinery and gravel slinger . I live outside of Western Shore central area and there are NO vacant land lots that anyone can move into or purchase for animals. Honestly very few people would want to live next to sewer treatment plant . My municipal taxes are capped due to location and environmental issues including smell in humid weather, excess rodent animals, large vehicle traffic to plant causing noise, etc. The property across from sewer treatment plant on Highway 3 #6685 has been vacant for over 2 years. I live outside street light area for Western Shore and was told population was too sparse in my location for community street lights when I inquired. As part of new upcoming proposed boundary revision, I was told everything from Vaughan River toward Western Shore was included in new “hamlet zone” density area. I strongly oppose this boundary relocation and believe I am more appropriate for MU (multi-use) . I don’t have the benefits shared by Western Shore such as community street lights. I think it would be more appropriate to look at “hamlet” area boundary starting at New Hope Pentecostal Church where street lights begin. I was also advised of 6 month animal vacancy rule which applies in hamlet zone. I lost my first horse (which I owned less than a year) in Nov 2015 due to EEE virus spread by mosquitoes likely hatching from swamp area around treatment plant and was devastated. I do not believe that a 6 month rule can be applied in case of animal death. It takes time to 2 grieve loss of beloved pet similar to losing a loved one and the process is different time frame for everyone. Some may grieve for months and others it may take a year or more. Placing a required time limit is taking the human aspect away from emotion ! How can we be so insensitive?! What happens in case of house fire and loss of property or buildings requiring rebuild time? Do you again only allow 6 months? Everyone knows construction and contractors take time, so how can you limit it to only 6 months! I truly hope this never happens to anyone but it is possible!!! I submit this in hopes you will do what is humanly right! You cannot take away the humanity in each and every one of us including yourselves. How would you feel if it was you? CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE - The information contained in this e-mail may be confidential, privileged, or otherwise protected from disclosure. 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November 12, 2019 To: Warden and Council From: Lorne Pike Municipality of Chester 13 Royal Masts Way Bedford N.S. This submission is made to form part of the Public Hearing package at the November 25th meeting in regards to the Municipal Planning Strategy. We are part time residents of the Municipality of Chester owning a cottage property at 218 Stonebroke Road, New Russell. This is part of the Clearwater Hills Cottage Subdivision. We use our cottage all year round, so we are more than seasonal residents. The Warden, councilors, the CAO and the municipal planning department are aware of the Recreational Vehicle (RV) park currently under development in our subdivision. Approximately sixteen RV pads have been constructed on land that was originally set aside by the developer for two purposes: First, a private road to access cottage lots, and second, access to both lakes over right-of-ways. An additional roadway has been partially cleared and we anticipate future RV pads will be added if this development is not challenged. This RV development in no way compares to the many RV campgrounds situated throughout the province. They are single, stand alone developments. They attract like minded RV owners. They provide water and sewer hookups, electricity, recreational halls, canteen and swimming pools. None of these amenities will be available in this haphazard development. The purpose of this submission is to bring this matter to your attention and incorporate the planning strategies in your final document. We understand that there are currently no bylaws to prohibit this development. It is the mandate of municipal governments to modernize bylaws so they allow responsible development where warranted and to protect existing landowners when the development will have a negative impact on the quiet enjoyment of their property. Our cottage is thirty-five years old. We never anticipated that there would be four RV's in our view, 150 feet from our cottage deck. I understand that bylaws evolve and are enacted usually to correct some negative result which people living in a municipality find offensive No one could have foreseen that someone would place RV pads in this configuration on such small strips of land. Individual cottage properties and RV parks should not be allowed to co-exist in the same subdivision. They are not compatible. On behalf of all of the cottage owners in Clearwater Hills subdivision, we never anticipated this intrusion when we built or purchased our cottage lots. As taxpayers, we have an investment in our cottage and in the Municipality of Chester. We believe that the property being developed as an RV park was abandoned by Merritt developments some thirty-five years ago as it retained little development value. For this reason, we have concerns that no municipal property tax has been collected on the lands which will be used as an RV park. Therefore, we respectively request that this type of development be added for consideration in the Municipal Planning Strategy document currently under review. We request bylaw revision to remedy the development of an RV park in the Clearwater Hills Cottage Subdivision. Thank you for the opportunity to make this presentation in writing. November 18, 2019 Warden Allen Webber and Councillors Municipality of Chester 151 King Street PO Box 369 Chester, NS B0J 1J0 By email: pmyra@chester.ca RE: The Draft Municipal Land Use By-law of the Municipality of Chester Dear Warden and Councillors: We own a cottage on a lot in the Clearwater Hills Subdivision off of New Russell Road, near New Ross. Contrary to logic and the common sense understanding of the Plan of Subdivision and contrary to 40 years of understanding by the cottage owners in this Subdivision, the relatively new owner of the private Clearwater Road and 4 lake access rights of way has begun to clear land on this private road and some of the rights of way for RV pads. Over twenty have been cleared with rumours of a much higher number being planned. We were told by Municipal staff that the existing Municipal Land Use By-law does not disallow such an illogical change and it appears the new draft does not address this issue. There is also an acute environmental issue which the draft By-law does not address as it now stands: one of the two lakes in the Clearwater Lake Subdivision is only 4 to 6 feet deep throughout and cannot stand the impact of a potentially massive increase in people using the lake, such as may occur if the RV park is developed. We speak only for ourselves in this submission but our deep concern about these circumstances is shared by most other cottage owners. We implore you to make a simple change to the draft Municipal Land Use By-law to prevent the development of RV pads on private roads and on lake access rights of way. Recommendation: We recommend that the draft Municipal Land Use By-law of the Municipality of Chester be amended before it is adopted by adding to the General Provisions a new subsection 4.7 immediately after subsection 4.6, Lakefront Overlay and that all later subsections under Section 4 General Provisions be re-numbered to accommodate this change: 4.7 Private roads and rights of way: 4.7.1 There shall be no development of any kind on any private road that is shown on an approved plan of subdivision except for construction of a road and provision of utilities such as power and telephone lines along that road. 4.7.2 There shall be no development of any kind on a right of way that is shown on an approved plan of subdivision where such right of way is intended to provide access to a water body or a recreational asset, except that facilities to allow access to the water as intended by the right of way, such as a path or a road and boat ramp or a dock will be allowed as of right. Seasonal Residential Zone We believe that the Municipality should adopt a Seasonal Residential Zone similar to the one in the Municipality of the County of Kings that could begin to appropriately deal with the issue of carrying capacity of a lake. But even such a zone would have to be strengthened by the addition of the 2 simple changes we recommend above. We believe introducing such a zone at this stage in the adoption of the new Municipal Land Use By-law is likely too complex but we recommend that this concept be explored and acted on in the coming year. In contrast, we believe the change recommended above, adding a new Subsection 4.7, is simple enough to warrant your action now before the new Municipal Land Use By-law is approved. Why so late in the process? We were not aware of the Municipal Development Plan review until we were confronted by the changes happening in our subdivision. We recognize we are coming late to the process which is why we have limited our request to a very simple change rather than proposing the more comprehensive Seasonal Residential Zone which we now understand would be the best way to approach the problems in our subdivision and with our lake. Respectfully submitted Brian Gifford and Lee Seymour Owners of a cottage lot and cottage located at 167 Stonebroke Road, New Russell in the Clearwater Hills Subdivision Coastal Action l 37 Tannery Road l Lunenburg, Nova Scotia l B0J 2C0 l phone (902) 634-9977 l www.coastalaction.org Sherbrooke Lake’s 2018 Water Quality Report Sherbrooke Lake is the largest waterbody in the LaHave River watershed. It covers 16.94 km2, has a drainage basin of 285 km2, and is fed by 14 inlet streams. Sherbrooke Lake’s drainage basin is used for forestry, silviculture, and agriculture, with cottage development and rural communities concentrated around the lake. Sherbrooke Lake Sampling A group of trained volunteers, comprised of property-owners around the lake, take field measurements and water samples each month, from May-October. Water samples are collected from lake and stream sites and tested for total suspended solids, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, fecal coliform, hydrocarbons, and chlorophyll A. Four streams are monitored bimonthly, while seven streams around the lake are tested after a large rain event to monitor for water quality changes related to high runoff events. Bottom sediment samples are also collected at two lake sites and one river site, to assess the long-term accumulation of nutrients and metals which can also influence the lake’s water chemistry. How is Sherbrooke Lake’s Water Quality? Bacteria : All lake sites are consistently below Health Canada’s 400 CFU/100 mL recreational limits for fecal coliform – the highest lake concentration was 20 CFU/100 mL, well below the threshold. All streams have also never exceeded Health Canada guidelines; however, bacteria concentrations did rise close to the threshold after rainfall events (350 CFU/100 mL was recorded at Butler Lake Brook, and 320 CFU/100 mL at Zwicker Brook, both after more than 30 mm of rain). It appears rain is flushing bacteria into rivers from surrounding surfaces. Although it does not appear to affect the lake quality, swimming in rivers after a rainfall event should be avoided. Water from the lake and the rivers should always be treated prior to consumption (i.e. bathing, washing, drinking). Algal Blooms : Algal blooms are a part of the natural cycle in lakes but can be enhanced in size and frequency if there are pollution sources adding extra nutrients into the environment. In balanced environments, algae and other organisms’ growth is limited by the amount of nutrients available; however, if nutrients become available (both naturally through fall and spring turnover and sediment resuspension of nutrients, or human-caused pollution), algae can spread. Not all plumes are algae (pollen from pine trees can form films in the water), and not all algae are toxic; however, only a water quality test can confirm the presence/ absence of toxic algae species. No algal bloom was detected in Sherbrooke Lake during 2018; however, there is always the possibility for blooms in the future. 1 Monitoring of Sherbrooke Lake is led by the Sherbrooke Lake Stewardship Committee, a group comprised of five citizen representatives appointed by the Municipality of Chester, and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. The group receives technical support from Coastal Action, which is also leading the related LaHave River watershed study which includes monitoring of water quality at one tributary to the lake and downstream of the lake’s output since 2007. In 2018, the cost of the Sherbrooke Lake water quality survey was $22,000.00, primarily for laboratory analyses of the water samples. Both municipalities share this funding in support of the program to provide public access to Sherbrooke Lake. Sherbrooke Lake Stewardship Figure 1: Sampling sites for the 2018 Sherbrooke Lake water quality program. Coastal Action l 37 Tannery Road l Lunenburg, Nova Scotia l B0J 2C0 l phone (902) 634-9977 l www.coastalaction.org 2 Overall the 2018 sampling program indicated that Sherbrooke Lake is healthy but shows that human activity has already impacted the lake. The current lake water quality remains vulnerable to the addition of nutrients and fecal bacteria from its tributaries and increased shoreline development and use. A more detailed report on the 2018 sampling program is available upon request or online from the Municipality of Chester and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. • chester.ca/recreation-parks/sherbrooke-lake-park • modl.ca/sherbrookelake Nutrients : The tributaries feeding Sherbrooke Lake have higher nutrient concentrations than the lake; however, rainfall sampling observed the highest peaks of nutrients, suggesting nutrients and fertilizers are flushed off land and into the water during storms. Currently Sherbrooke lake’s nutrient status is at the low end for freshwater lakes. This is encouraging news, but only through continued vigilance will that situation continue in the face of increasing development and alteration of the lake shoreline and watershed. Nutrient inputs from human activities should be minimized as much as possible. Hydrocarbons : Throughout the entire 2018 program, no site has had detectable concentrations of hydrocarbons (carbon compounds found in petroleum and natural gas). Other Concerns : Two other conditions in the lake are of concern: first, the low oxygen conditions that occur in deep bottom waters during the summer and the implications this holds for organisms and potential nutrient re-release from bottom sediments and second, the elevated levels of mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and lead in lake sediments and the implications for uptake by aquatic biota, including fish. Figure 2: Algal bloom washing ashore a lake’s beach. Smspsy/Shutterstock.com. To Reduce Nutrients and Algal Blooms: When mowing your lawn, or harvesting crops, leave a buffer zone (known as a ‘riparian zone’) along the edge of all waterbodies. This zone will help protect the water against erosion, and filter runoff pollutants and excess nutrients! Be mindful when buying dish soaps – some contain phosphorus which can promote algal blooms. Do not fertilize your lawns, as those nutrients will be washed into nearby streams and into Sherbrooke Lake. If an algal bloom occurs, inform your homeowners association president so the situation can be assessed; remember, if toxic algae are present, their toxins can last several weeks after the bloom disappears, so be careful around the water and rinse off after contact (including pets!). To Reduce Fecal Bacteria: No one should discharge their sewage or grey water through a straight pipe to the lake or its tributaries. A properly designed and maintained septic tank or approved composting system are the only effective ways which can properly treat domestic waste (See Nova Scotia Environment for further information). Maintain and pump your septic system regularly, keep livestock out of the water by providing them with alternative watering sources, and pick up your dog’s waste. To Reduce Hydrocarbons: Don’t let your boat’s motor idle – turn it off when not in use. Be cautious with fuels and chemicals used around the house, car, and boat; be careful not to spill, and to clean up and dispose of waste properly if a spill occurs. To help protect the Sherbrooke Lake, and all other water bodies, it is important to remember that you have an impact on the environment! How Can You Help? Figure 3: A YSI sonde with built-in sensors used by Sherbrooke Lake volunteers to monitor the physical properties of the water. Figure 4: A secchi disk, which is used by Sherbrooke Lake volunteers to determine the clarity of the water. Coastal Action is a community-based charitable organization with a mandate to address environmental concerns along the South Shore of Nova Scotia. Coastal Action’s mission is to restore and protect the environment through research, education, and action. SNAP/ATS Recorded suspected BGA Complaints 2011 - 2018 Data was taken from a review on suspected blue-green algae complaints logged by ICE inspectors between 2011 – August 2018. Only those complaints with sufficient detail and description to suspect the presence of algae, whether green or blue-green, are represented. There was no indication that sampling was conducted at any of these sites and no results reported in the inspection reports. It’s important to note that SNAP/ATS is a complaint-handling tracking tool and not intended to be used a water quality monitoring tool for the prevalence of blooms across NS. It is also important to note that this data only represents blooms that were reported to the Department’s Regional Office. A summary of information is depicted below: Year Number of Lakes Reported 2011 2 2012 4 2013 3 2014 4 2015 1 2016 5 2017 2 2018 8 Lake Number of Times Reported Year Lake Reported Armstrong Lake 1 2011 Lake Vaughn Big Mush-a-mush 1 2011 Lake Fanning Black Rive 1 2012 Germain Lake Branch Lake 1 2012 Powder Mill Lake Fish Lake 1 2012 Grand Lake Fox Point Lake 1 2012 Lochaber Lake Germain Lake 1 2013 Lumsden Pond Gibson's Lake 1 2013 Lake Banook Grand Lake 1 2013 Raynards Lake Hill Provincial Park 1 2014 Branch Lake Hubley Mill Lake 1 2014 Fox Point Lake Joshua Lake 1 2014 Lochaber Lake Lake Banook 1 2014 Lake Torment Lake Fanning 1 2015 Fish Lake Lake Mic Mac 1 2016 Powder Mill Lake Lake Torment 1 2016 Middle River of Pictou Lake Vaughn 1 2016 Ponhook Lake Lochaber Lake 2 2016 Lumsden Pond Lumsden Pond 2 2016 Mattatal Lake Mattatal Lake 1 2017 Armstrong Lake Middle River of Pictou 1 2017 Black Rive Ponhook Lake 3 2018 Lake Mic Mac Powder Mill Lake 2 2018 Hubley Mill Lake Raynards Lake 1 2018 Gibson's Lake 2018 Joshua Lake 2018 Ponhook Lake 2018 Hill Provincial Park 2018 Ponhook Lake 2018 Big Mush-a-mush Blue-Green Algae 2011 What are blue-green algae? Blue-green algae are primitive, microscopic aquatic plants which live in fresh water, such as ponds and lakes. The scientific name for this microscopic organism is cyanobacteria. The name blue- green algae comes from the first documented case, which was blue-green in colour, but the colour can actually range from turquoise or olive-green to red. Do blue-green algae blooms occur in Nova Scotia? Blooms of cyanobacteria occur in fresh water ponds, lakes, bays and inlets all over the world. Blooms have been reported in several locations in Nova Scotia. They normally occur in the late summer and early fall, when the weather is warmest. What conditions favour algae growth? Blue-green algae are usually not visible on the surface of a water body, but when conditions are favourable, the plant can quickly reproduce to form a large mass called a bloom or pond scum. Blue-green algae thrive in areas where the water is shallow, warm, slow-moving and high in nutrients, such as phosphorous and nitrogen. The nutrient level seems to be a key factor affecting the growth rate of the blooms. Where do the nutrients come from? Phosphorus and nitrogen are naturally occurring elements which are essential to plant and animal life. Excess phosphorous and nitrogen can make their way to our water bodies leading to nutrient enrichment which can promote the growth of algae blooms. Sources of these nutrients include: • Stormwater runoff; • Agricultural runoff; • Industrial effluent; • Wastewater effluent; • Faulty septic systems; and • Household fertilizers. Controlling or eliminating the amount of additional nutrients entering fresh water bodies can help reduce the occurrence and severity of algae blooms. Should I be concerned about blue-green algae? Yes, you should be cautious, particularly during an algae bloom. Although many forms of blue green algae are relatively harmless, some forms produce toxins which may be harmful to the health of both humans and animals. The most common algal toxins are called microcystins. What are the health effects? Human health effects caused by contact with these toxins can include: • Itchy, irritated eyes and skin if you swim in contaminated water; and • If toxins are swallowed, symptoms such as headaches, fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Prolonged or high exposure, such as swallowing a large quantity of toxins, may damage the liver. Children are at greater risk, due to their lower body weight and because they generally spend more time in the water than adults and are more likely to accidentally swallow contaminated water. Can my drinking water be contaminated with toxins from blue-green algae? If drinking water is obtained from a surface water source during a blue-green algae bloom, it's possible that the water may be contaminated with toxins. Large drinking water treatment systems, such as those for municipal water supplies, generally have specialized treatment facilities capable of dealing with the effects of cyanobacteria blooms. Small, private drinking water systems with modest treatment facilities are less likely to have the specialized equipment to effectively filter and treat water during cyanobacteria blooms. It's difficult to tell if drinking water has been contaminated unless confirmed by laboratory tests for microcystin levels. Surface water is not recommended as a drinking water source unless properly filtered and disinfected and monitored for water quality. How much microcystin is allowable in drinking water? The guideline for microcystin-LR is: 0.0015mg/L according to the current Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality. How can I recognize a blue-green algae bloom? The blooms may form strings, flakes, or globules and can reach a size of several millimetres. They may look like fine grass clippings in the water or a soupy mass. The blooms may also have a distinct odour. Fresh bloom can smell like newly mown grass; older blooms may smell like garbage. What do I do if I see a bloom and suspect it might be a blue-green algae bloom? Do not swim in or drink from the water body or allow your pets or livestock to drink or swim in the water. How to reduce the health risks In the event of an algae bloom, avoid activities that increase the chance of exposure to algae toxins: • Do not drink, swim, bathe, shower or brush your teeth with the water. Do not allow children, pets and livestock to drink or swim in the water. • Do not use herbicides, copper sulphate or other algicides that may break open algae cells and release toxins into the water. • Do not boil the water. Boiling water may release more toxins into the water. • Do not cook with the water. Food may absorb toxins from the water. • You may wash dishes or other objects, as long as you rinse them with uncontaminated water and dry them thoroughly. • Do not eat the liver, kidneys and other organs of fish caught in the water body. Be cautious about eating fish caught in water where blue green algae blooms occur. • Do not water your vegetable garden with the water. If this is unavoidable, water the base of plants rather than the stem or leaves. • Do not treat the water with a disinfectant like chlorine (bleach). This may break open algae cells and release toxins into the water. • Do not rely on jug or pitcher-type filtration systems, as they do not fully protect against toxin poisoning. • Use alternative water sources, including bottled water, carted or tanked water, or call a water treatment specialist for help. For more information Contact Nova Scotia Environment at: 1-877-9ENVIRO, or 1-877-936-8476. at the Water’s Edge an ecological approach Landscaping a manual for new hampshire landowners and landscapers Unlike many garden design books that are full of glitz and glamour but sorely lacking in substance, this affordable book addresses important ecological issues and empowers readers by giving an array of workable solutions for real-world situations. ~Robin sweetser, Concord Monitor columnist, garden writer for Old Farmer’s Almanac, and NH Home Magazine Landscaping at the Water’s Edge provides hands-on tools that teach us about positive change. It’s an excellent resource for the gardener, the professional landscaper, designer, and landscape architect—to learn how to better dovetail our landscapes with those of nature. ~Jon Batson, president, nH Landscape association pictured here are the major river watersheds in new Hampshire. This guide explains how our landscaping choices impact surface and ground waters and demonstrates how, with simple observation, ecologically based design, and low impact maintenance practices, you can protect, and even improve, the quality of our water resources. No matter where you live in New Hampshire, the actions you take in your landscape can have far-reaching effects on water quality. Why? Because we are all connected to the water cycle and we all live in a watershed. a watershed is the land area that drains into a surface water body such as a lake, river, wetland or coastal estuary. Landscaping at the Water’s Edge is a valuable resource for anyone concerned with the impact of his or her actions on the environment. This book brings together the collective expertise of many UnH cooperative Extension specialists and educators and an independent landscape designer.L A N DSC A PI NG at the Wa t e r ’s E d g e: an ec o lo g i ca l a p p r oac h Landscaping/gaRdEning/EcoLogy 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This book brings together the collective expertise of many UNH Cooperative Extension special- ists and educators and an independent landscape designer. Authors include: Catherine Neal, Ph.D., Horticulture/Landscape Extension Specialist Jeff Schloss, Water Resources Extension Specialist Stan Swier, Ph.D., Entomology Extension Specialist John Roberts, Ph.D., Turfgrass Extension Specialist Margaret Hagen, Extension Educator, Hillsborough County Amy Ouellette, Extension Educator, Belknap County Sadie Puglisi, Extension Educator, Merrimack County Mary Tebo, Extension Educator, Hillsborough County Lauren Chase-Rowell, Outdoor Rooms Sustainable & Ecological Landscape Design Services, Nottingham, NH Illustrations by Lauren Chase-Rowell. Graphic design by Karen Busch Holman of East Andover, NH. Cover design for second printing by Pam Doherty. Photographs by Mary Tebo, Jeff Schloss, Cathy Neal, Stan Swier and John Roberts, UNH Coop- erative Extension. Additional photos used with permission from Dr. Dave Shetlar of Ohio State University, Lori Chase of the Cocheco River Watershed Coalition, Alix Marcoux of the Action Wakefield Watershed Alliance, Joe Homer of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Ser- vice, and University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension. Many others contributed, including Extension Educators Geoffrey Njue, Nada Haddad and Tom Buob. Extension Program Leaders Juli Brussel (Agriculture) and Brian Doyle (Water Resources) supported this project. Peg Boyles and Holly Young provided editorial and production help. Thanks to Arlene Allen, N.H. Dept. of Environmental Services, George Pellettieri, Pellettieri Associates, Lori Chase, Cocheco River Watershed Coalition, and Alyson McCann, University of Rhode Island, for their thorough manuscript reviews and constructive suggestions, and Bob Bruleigh, N.H. Dept. of Agriculture Markets and Food Division of Pesticide Control, for his help with pesticide setback distances. Many people put countless hours into the development of this manual. We appreciate your thoughtful suggestions for improving this first edition. ©2007 by University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension. This material is partially based on work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Integrated Water Quality Program, under Agreement Nos. 2003- 51130-02074 and 2004-51130-03108, through the CSREES New England Regional Water Quality Program. 3 If you were to walk along the shoreline of a lake or river, what would you find? The complexity of this question is better answered through another question: what do you want to see? Well, for most of us, we want to set our eyes upon clear, clean water that invites us to relax and enjoy the beauty before us. The water’s edge is the protective barrier that ensures a nice afternoon for boating, swimming, catching that elusive fish, or simply enjoying the beautiful view and watching for wildlife. It also ensures a healthy natural environment for wildlife. Without it, most of the good things about our lakes and rivers would diminish entirely. Most shorelines include trees, small shrubs and groundcover all designed by nature to protect our water bodies. The more natural barriers we remove, the more likely the lake or river will be negatively impacted by erosion and runoff. Eroded shorelines invite runoff carrying pesticides, chemicals, and nutrients into the water that kill fish and promote the growth of aquatic weeds. Find a waterbody with no vegetation along the shore and you will see a murky mud puddle that no longer is the ideal spot to spend your Saturday afternoon in July. Once a lake or river has been degraded, it is very difficult to restore its quality. In fact, there is a clear link between property value and water quality. When water quality is high, property values continue to increase. However, if water quality is negatively impacted, property values often go down. Therefore, your home along the lake will decrease in value once there is a decline in water quality. With a better understanding of landscaping along our water’s edge, we can protect our resources and guarantee our investments. After reading through this document, you will understand that you can have your grass and cut it too with a wonderful view, as long as you understand the need to include trees and shrubs along the shoreline as well. Deep roots along the shore make for clear, clean lakes. Remember, maintaining a healthy waterfront is critical to the ecological, economical and aesthetic investments in your property and New Hampshire’s waterbodies. Jared A. Teutsch, J.D. President New Hampshire Lakes Association Concord, N.H. FOREWORD 4 An ecological approach to your shoreland landscape will enhance the beauty and functionality of your surroundings. Whether you are a property owner or a landscape professional, the decisions you make affect water quality and the health of the entire ecosystem. This book will help you understand the basics of how watersheds and shoreland ecosystems function so you can use the strategies and techniques presented to help prevent soil erosion, nutrient and pesticide runoff, exotic plant invasions, and other detrimental processes associated with developed landscapes. Applying the principles of ecological landscaping will support wildlife and plant diversity and maintain or even improve water quality in our lakes, streams, rivers, bays and estuaries. Besides “doing the right thing,” your actions have a huge impact on human, environmental and economic health. Public health demands abundant supplies of clean drinking water and clean air to breathe, benefits that good landscaping practices help provide. The economic value of waterfront property and a significant share of the state’s tourism revenues derive from the recreational opportunities and attractive views afforded by sparkling water, and healthy, diverse communities of plants and animals. In 2002 the New Hampshire Lakes Association estimated the economic impact associated with our lakes, rivers, bays and other water bodies at $1.8 billion annually. The study considered just five major uses of surface water in New Hampshire: swimming, boating, fishing, drinking water, and waterfront property taxes. Developing waterfront property is no longer simple and easy. State, federal and local agencies have enacted many restrictions, rules, laws, and permit requirements pertaining to construction and landscaping near the water. Although we have referred to some of the key state regulations throughout the book, always make sure to check with local and state authorities before beginning any construction or making major landscape changes near the water. The objective of all these regulations is to protect the land and water from degradation so our surroundings remain clean and safe for recreation and public water supply. While most of the regulations address construction or major changes to the shoreland or adjacent property, every citizen who lives in the watershed should be concerned with the impact of his or her actions on the environment. The balance of nature is easily disrupted by humans, with far-reaching impacts on water quality, soil health and stability, animal and human health, and the living ecosystems around us. INTRODUCTION 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 ........................................................page 7 Landscaping on the Edge: Soil and Water It all starts with the soil Soil formation Soil composition Soil pH, fertility and testing Everyone lives in a watershed Water on the move Nonpoint-source pollution CHAPTER 2 .......................................................page 17 Go with the Flow: Understanding How Water Moves Onto, Through and Away from Your Site Techniques used to control runoff Following the flow Investigate the drainageways Investigate onsite runoff generation Minimize and divert runoff Structural approaches CHAPTER 3 .......................................................page 25 Vegetative Buffers What kinds of plants grow in buffer zones? CHAPTER 4 .......................................................page 31 The Landscape Design Process Ten design principles to help protect and improve your shoreland property The inventory process Creating your base plan: putting it on paper Building-footprints and utilities Physical features Weather patterns and microclimate Views With your inventory in hand Adding layers to your base plan Analyze your site: trace paper overlay #1 Add your list of needs and desires Create a functional bubble diagram: trace paper overlay #2 The final step: your conceptual plan Visual design tips Plant systems and plant selection 6 CHAPTER 5 .......................................................page 53 Planting and Maintaining the Shoreland Landscape Your starting point Starting with bare or weedy ground Starting with turf Starting with woodland Soil and site preparation Planting and after-care Pruning Watering Mulching Fertilizing Managing weeds and other pests CHAPTER 6 .......................................................page 61 Environmentally Friendly Lawn Care Selecting grass varieties Caring for your shorefront lawn Fertilizing Mowing Irrigating Dethatching and aerifying Turf Pest Management Controlling weeds Preventing and controlling disease Dealing with lawn insects APPENDIX A ....................................................page 73 State Regulatory Agencies and Selected Shoreland Rule Summaries APPENDIX B .....................................................page 77 Additional Resources APPENDIX C .....................................................page 80 Recommended Plant Lists 7 CHAPTER 1 Well-landscaped yards add value and character to our homes and properties. Our yards don’t have to be professionally designed or elaborate for us to take pride in them. Every tree, shrub, and plant has a special meaning to us and we get great joy from tending to it and watching it bloom and grow. But a well-landscaped yard offers benefits beyond personal enjoyment. Carefully designed and well-maintained, a home landscape also benefits the environment by creating wildlife habitats, reducing erosion and runoff, and filtering water. Conversely, a poor landscape design and poor maintenance practices can degrade our environment, leading to water pollution, soil erosion, and habitat destruction. We produced this book to help landscapers and property owners living along New Hampshire’s lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams make decisions about landscape design and maintenance that will reduce pollution and environmental degradation. Each chapter addresses a different aspect of environmentally friendly landscaping. If read from start to finish, this book will guide you through all the steps of creating and maintaining an environmentally-friendly landscape. But each chapter is designed to stand alone, so those with established landscapes can refer to the appropriate section when considering renovations or new maintenance plans. It all starts with the soil Healthy soil is the foundation of any productive landscape planting. Good-quality soil holds water but drains well, is well-aerated, and is fertile enough to support plant growth. Soil serves many functions in a landscape. Most importantly, it provides a medium for the exchange of water, nutrients and air among plants, the earth, and the atmosphere. Soil anchors plants to the ground and filters out many pollutants before they reach ground or surface water. Soil formation Soil is formed by the weathering of parent rock material over millions of years plus the decomposition of organic material. Five main factors influence soil formation: climate, living organisms, topography, parent material and time. Climate plays a primary role in soil formation. Soils in warmer regions form more quickly than those in cooler places, because high temperature accelerates chemical reactions that break down rocks. Rainfall also weathers rocks, so soils form faster in regions with substantial rainfall. Landscaping on the Edge: Soil and Water 8 Living organisms also play an important role in soil formation. Microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria decompose organic matter and recycle nutrients. Earthworms and burrowing animals aerate the soil by tunneling and break down organic matter as it passes through their digestive systems. Topography of land also affects soil formation. A soil’s composition is influenced by its location relative to the shape and slope of land around it. Soil located at the bottom of a slope tends to accumulate in deeper layers and to be more nutrient-rich than at the top of a slope, where soil is more prone to erosion. Parent material is weathered bedrock in soil. Residual parent material is formed from rock native to the site, which may be buried under layers of soil or exposed as ledge. Transported parent material is weathered bedrock that has been carried by wind, water, gravity or ice to a different location where soil was being formed. Granite is a common type of bedrock found in the Northeast. The time it takes for a soil to form depends on the four previous factors and their interactions with one another. Soil forms more quickly in tropical regions, where temperatures are warmer and rainfall is more plentiful than in colder northern regions. Soil composition Soil is composed of four types of matter. The solid components are minerals and organic matter. Spaces filled with water and air make up the rest (Figure 1-1). Minerals derived from weathering rocks make up the greatest percentage of any soil, 45 to 50 percent by volume. Sand (the largest particles), silt (medium-sized particles) and clay (the smallest particles) are called soil separates and are formed from minerals in weathered rock. As noted above, the mix of these soil separates determines the texture of a soil. Sand, silt and clay consist primarily of the elements silicon, oxygen, aluminum, and can contain Soil texture refers to the proportion of sand (the largest soil particles), silt (particles of intermediate size) and clay (the smallest particles) in a soil. Coarse-textured soil is gravelly or sandy, soil with an intermediate texture is called “loamy,” and fine-textured soil is “clayey.” Sandy loam, a texture desirable for horticulture, is made of about equal parts of sand, silt and clay. Our Northeastern soils can vary a great deal from one location to the next. This is due to glacial movement of parent material. Since sandy loam is made up of a mixture of particle sizes, it holds enough water for plants but still drains well. Soil tilth is a term used to describe the porosity and aeration of soil. A soil with good tilth allows water to enter easily, stores water, and drains well. It has plenty of air space for exchange of gases among plant roots, microorganisms and the atmosphere, and it provides space for plant roots to grow. A soil with excellent tilth is very permeable, so it won’t contribute much to runoff. Soil aggregates are clumps of minerals and organic matter bound together by humus, fully-decomposed organic matter that stores nutrients for slow release to plants. Soil with good aggregation has small and large pore spaces between the clumps for air and water to move through. To preserve aggregates in soil, landscapers should cover the soil surface with plants or mulch and avoid practices that compact soil. Soil compaction occurs when soil aggregates are squeezed together by heavy equipment use (such as tractors, mower, and vehicles) and/or repeated foot traffic. When soils become compacted they are not permeable and drainage is impeded. Compacted soils can be as impermeable as cement and can contribute greatly to runoff volume. Soil structure refers to the way soil particles are held together. Structure is important because it affects infiltration of water and root penetration. Structure depends on the soil-forming factors discussed earlier. Classes of soil structure include granular, blocky and platy. Physical Characteristics of Soil 9 substantial amounts of potassium, iron, calcium or magnesium, plus very small portions of other elements. Sandy soils don’t retain much water because the large spaces between the particles allow for water to move through easily. The smaller particle sizes of clay and silt fit together so tightly water cannot easily flow through the fine spaces between them. Clayey and silty soils retain ample amounts of water, or in some instances such as in heavily compacted soils, are nearly impervious to water infiltration. Organic matter makes up a small proportion of any soil, typically between one and five percent, but it contributes some of the most important qualities to a healthy soil and plant system. Organic matter is dead and decaying plant and animal matter. Animal manures and compost are good sources of organic matter used in gardens and on crop land. Cover crops such as rye and clover will increase organic matter when incorporated into the soil. Gradually decomposing organic mulches such as straw, leaves, or shredded bark add organic matter to soil, while shading and protecting the soil surface from erosion. Adding organic matter to soil improves its water-holding capacity, promotes a diverse population of beneficial soil organisms and provides a source of plant nutrients. Soils rich in organic matter can absorb and hold more water, reducing the amount of runoff and leaching. Soil water, about 25 percent of an average soil’s volume, is a solution of water, microorganisms, and dissolved nutrients from minerals and decayed organic matter. Plant roots absorb water and nutrients from the soil solution. Soil air, which ideally occupies another 25 percent of a soil’s volume, provides a place for gas exchange for the organisms that live in the soil. Plant roots, microbes and other soil organisms all use oxygen and release carbon dioxide during the essential process of respiration. When soils are saturated, the air spaces are filled with water instead, so respiration rates are reduced. Soil pH, fertility and testing Soil pH is a measure of soil acidity or alkalinity, measured on a scale from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Acidic soil has pH less than 7 and alkaline soil has pH above 7. Soil pH is influenced by parent material, crop management practices, organic matter and water source, including acid rain. Many of our Northeastern soils are acidic and require limestone or small amounts of wood ash to raise pH to a level where nutrients become available to plants. Most landscape plants grow best in a slightly acidic range of 6.2 to 6.8. Some common exceptions include rhododendron, azalea, holly and blueberry, all of which need a more acidic soil. You can use Figure 1-1. About one-half the volume of a good soil is solid particles (mineral and organic matter) and the other half equal portions of water and air space. 10 elemental sulfur or iron sulfate to lower pH. The most important things to remember about pH management are: • Test your pH once every 2-3 years. • Apply limestone or sulfur only when soil test results indicate a need for it. • Apply limestone, wood ash, or sulfur at the recommended rate based on a soil analysis. Soil contributes plant nutrients. A plant requires 18 nutrients to grow normally and complete its life cycle. Plants need large amounts of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. They get carbon and oxygen from air and hydrogen from water. The nutrients you hear most about, because they are commonly applied as fertilizers, are the macronutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. You will see them listed as “N-P-K” or simply as a ratio such as 10-5-10, 5-3-4, etc. on bags of commercial fertilizer. Calcium and magnesium are usually adequately supplied by the soil or by additions of liming materials if needed. Sulfur, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, boron, molybdenum, chlorine, cobalt and nickel are also usually present in adequate amounts in the soil if the pH is adjusted to the proper range. Excess amounts of these micronutrients can be toxic to plants. Building organic matter in soil is the best way to supply and retain many of the nutrients essential to plants. Managing soil fertility and pH begins with soil testing. Healthy landscape plantings depend on high-quality soil. Home landscapers and professional landscape managers can measure soil fertility by testing for plant nutrients, soil pH and organic matter. University and commercial soil testing laboratories produce more accurate results and provide localized recommendations, so are generally more useful than do-it-yourself kits purchased in retail stores. More information on UNH testing services can be found through the UNH Cooperative Extension website, where fact sheets are also available to help you understand your soil test results (Appendix B). Soil testing is important because over-application of fertilizer, manure and compost may contaminate surface water and groundwater as excess nutrients run off or leach. Conversely, nutrient-deficient soils may produce weak, unattractive plants susceptible to damage from disease and environmental stress. A soil test may save a landscaper or homeowner a great deal of money either by avoiding the cost of fertilizer when enough nutrients are already present, or by investing in the long- term health of plants by fertilizing appropriately when soil nutrients are lacking. You may find your soil already has adequate levels of nutrients from organic matter and minerals. As long as the pH is adjusted for optimal growth of the plants you want to grow, you may not need fertilizers. Unless your soil is high in organic matter, however, nitrogen is likely to be recommended for quick growth or green grass. Everyone lives in a watershed Even the largest landscaped area seems small in comparison to the whole environment, so it may seem absurd that one tiny yard could have any impact on the environment at large. But it does. You don’t have to have a three-acre garden or a scenic view of a lake to have a big impact on water quality. Each one of us affects the quality of water in the lakes, rivers, streams and coastal 11 drainages in New Hampshire and even New England. That’s because each of us lives in a watershed. A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water. Watersheds can be very small, for example, a neighborhood that drains into a local stream. Or they can be very large, stretching across miles of land, encompassing many smaller watersheds and many small or large tributaries. The Gulf of Maine watershed, for example, includes large areas of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, encompassing more than 69,000 square miles of land through a network of streams, lakes, rivers, wetlands and other channels. With our steep terrain and rocky soils, most New Hampshire watersheds are very small and encompass less than three square miles. But these smaller watersheds come together to form nine major river watersheds (Figure 1-2). So, decisions about how we manage the landscapes around our homes can end up having a huge impact, not only on the quality of water in our local streams and ponds, but even in more-distant rivers, lakes and estuaries. Water on the move Water travels through a watershed in two ways, across the surface and down through the ground. As water traveling on the surface moves along, following the path of least resistance, it passes across various types of land. In a state as geographically diverse as New Hampshire, a drop of water might travel across your driveway and neighborhood roads, through a wooded area and into an open field. Unless it infiltrates down into the ground, gets intercepted by a plant or evaporates into the atmosphere, the drop will end up in a lake, pond, stream, wetland or estuary. As water travels downhill, it picks up small particles and soluble materials and carries them along to the water body at the end of its journey. It might pick up pesticides or fertilizers from a backyard garden, and salts and oils from a driveway or patio area. In times of heavy rain, fast- moving water picks up soil and deposits it directly into the water body. Soils and sediments carry nutrients, pesticides and other chemicals, and naturally occurring minerals into surface waters. The flow of water and materials from a given location across the soil surface and into surface water is called runoff (Figure 1-3). The potential for runoff increases as the slope of the land increases. Runoff also increases as the permeability of the land decreases. Permeability is a measure of the ease with which water or air penetrates and moves through the soil. For example, a paved, impermeable driveway has a greater potential for runoff than a gravel, permeable, driveway. The permeability of a soil greatly depends on the physical characteristics of the Figure 1-2. New Hampshire’s nine major watersheds. 12 soil, namely soil texture, soil tilth, soil aggregation and soil structure. Water not carried on the surface by runoff infiltrates and drains downward through the ground. Once below the surface, water not taken up by plant roots drains down beyond the plant root zone where it eventually collects within the semi-permeable layers of rock. The amount of water that travels downward and the speed at which it travels greatly depend on the texture and structure of the soil layers the water travels through. The process by which water carries soluble fertilizers, pesticides, detergents, and other household materials downward below the root zone of plants is called leaching. Materials that leach through the soil profile may reach groundwater. However, the soil acts as a tremendous filter and many potential contaminants will be adsorbed to soil particles or broken down by soil microbes along the way, preventing them from reaching groundwater. When groundwater feeds into lakes and streams, any remaining contaminants may affect the surface waters. If you dig down into native soil you’ll notice it is composed of different layers that vary in their color, texture, tilth, aggregation, and structure. These different layers (horizons) make up the soil profile. The top layer of the soil is usually very permeable, allowing easy infiltration of water. Construction of houses, roads, parking lots and other buildings usually disturbs the natural soil profile, as topsoil is often removed and/or fill soils brought in from other locations. Soils are often compacted by vehicles and machinery. All these factors can significantly alter the original soil characteristics. The uppermost layer of soil is called the unsaturated zone because water rarely collects there, instead, either flowing downward or getting absorbed by plant roots (Figure 1-4). Deeper into the soil profile you’ll find layers of sand, gravel, and fractured bedrock. These materials aren’t as permeable as the soil layers above them, and water has a harder time moving through and around them. These deeper layers are known collectively as the saturated zone, because water collects in cracks and large spaces between the rock materials. Water held in these semi-permeable layers is called groundwater. Figure 1-3. Pathways by which water moves from the soil surface. A soil profile shows differences in color due to organic matter content and mineral make-up. Most root growth is in the top foot of soil. ‘A’ Horizon, top layer of soil with darkest color and high organic matter content. ‘B’ Horizon,next layer of soil with intermediate color. ‘C’ Horizon, underlying parent material with light color. ‘O’ Horizon, surface layer of organic matter. 13PrecipitationSurface waterGroundwaterFractured bedrockSaturated zoneUnsaturated zoneWater tableLand surfaceTranspirationImpermeable rock layersNote: subsurface drawing not to scaleUnconfined acquiferConfined acquiferRechargeFigure 1-4. Groundwater is recharged by precipitation that infiltrates through the layers of soil in the unsaturated zone and into the underlying aquifer. Wetlands and well-drained soils are particularly important for recharge to occur. 14 Groundwater is water that fell as precipitation, infiltrated into the soil and was not taken up by plants. It may take rain water decades or centuries to reach and recharge the deep groundwater accumulations we call aquifers. The line where the unsaturated zone meets the saturated zone is known as the water table. In times of high precipitation or snowmelt, the water table may rise close to the surface of the land. In times of drought, when there is not much groundwater present, the water table can lie deep below the surface. Where the water table is naturally high, or after a time of heavy precipitation, the groundwater level rises closer to the surface of the land and feeds into a lake, pond or stream. If the groundwater level breaks the surface it is called a “spring” or a “seep.” Surface waters are termed “spring fed” when groundwater is the sole source of water. Some lakes and ponds, called seepage lakes, are fed solely by groundwater. However, most lakes and ponds in New Hampshire also receive surface runoff from tributary streams and surrounding lands. The main factors that determine the amount of surface water runoff that reaches our lakes and streams are the soil composition, topography, the extent of impervious surfaces, and the amount and type of vegetation that the runoff water encounters along the way. The next chapter offers detailed information to help you inventory and manage water flows on your property. Plant cover Plants intercept and slow the speed of water as it travels across the soil surface, allowing more of it to infiltrate into the soil. Plant roots absorb water but use only a little of it for their own needs, releasing the rest through their leaves as water vapor, a process called transpiration. The more plants growing in an area, the greater the volume of water that is slowed down and captured, reducing the amount that drains all the way through the soil or continues on as surface runoff. We’ll talk more about the importance of plant cover in the following chapters. • Agricultural fertilizers and livestock manure • Municipal sewage treatment plants • Individual septic treatment systems • Decaying plant material including yard waste • Runoff from urban areas and construction sites • Stream-bank erosion • Wildlife and domestic pets Contributing Sources of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Surface Water The right side of this pond has become enriched by nutrients in runoff from nearby farm fields, causing algae to proliferate and turn the water green. The left section of the pond is isolated from the runoff by a small dam. 15 Nonpoint-source pollution Nonpoint-source pollution occurs when water running over land or though the ground picks up pollutants and deposits them in surface water or groundwater. Nutrients, petroleum products, industrial chemicals, pesticides, sediments, salts and animal waste are all examples of materials that can potentially degrade ground- and surface-water quality through runoff, leaching and soil erosion. Nutrients Nutrients serve the same purpose in a lake or a pond as they do in our landscapes: they help plants grow. The two main nutrients of concern to landscape managers are nitrogen and phosphorus. New Hampshire’s Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act prohibits the use of fertilizers within 25 feet of a shoreline’s reference line (high water mark) and restricts the type of fertilizer that can be applied beyond this zone. Only low-phosphate, slow-release nitrogen fertilizers may be used beyond 25 feet within the waterfront buffer (Appendix A). Nitrogen (N) is an element essential for plant growth that landscapers must manage carefully. A few plants can convert nitrogen from the air into a form plants can use. For most plants, however, the relatively small amount of available N in the soil limits growth and applying nitrogen results in increased growth and greener leaves. It is the nutrient we apply in greatest amounts to our lawns, landscapes and gardens. Excess N can present problems for nearby water bodies. Plants primarily take up nitrogen in the form of nitrate and, to a lesser extent, ammonium. In a warm, healthy soil microbes quickly convert ammonium N to nitrate N. Nitrate is highly water soluble and what plants or microbes don’t capture can leach into groundwater following heavy rain or irrigation. We apply nitrogen to our landscapes in many different forms, including synthetic fertilizers, compost, animal manures, and other organic amendments. Fertilizer bags are labeled with the form of nitrogen the product contains. Some forms of fertilizer, such as organic fertilizers and slow-release synthetic fertilizers, are less water soluble and therefore less likely to leach. However, all types of nitrogen fertilizer have the potential to leach into groundwater and/or run off into surface waters. Organic materials such as pet and livestock wastes, and septic system drainages and overflows, contribute nitrogen to the soil and water as well. Nitrogen that reaches drinking water sources poses a threat to drinking water quality and human health. EPA regulations deem water unsafe to drink when nitrates exceed 10 parts per million (ppm). The greatest concern for nitrogen pollution in New Hampshire surface waters is in estuaries and salt marshes. There plants thrive on nitrogen fertilization, which promotes excessive growth. Excess nutrients in these aquatic systems allow plants that typically wouldn’t survive in the environment to grow and flourish, creating a habitat that disrupts the natural ecosystem and creates a less advantageous environment for native plant and animal species. Phosphorus is the main nutrient of concern in freshwater bodies. Many soils are naturally high in phosphorus and human activities can overload soils with more of this nutrient than plants can use. Septic flows, runoff from stored animal manure, use of high-phosphorus commercial fertilizer, and repeated compost applications all contribute to excess high phosphorus levels. Although phosphorus doesn’t readily leach through the soil profile as nitrogen does, nonpoint source phosphorus pollution may occur in surface waters as the mineral attaches to soil particles and is delivered into surface waters via runoff and erosion. 16 Too much phosphorus can cause excessive growth of algae and may stimulate growth of unwanted aquatic weeds. When weeds and algae die, their decomposition depletes oxygen, killing fish and other aquatic organisms. Lakes and ponds naturally, but very slowly, fill in with vegetation until they become bogs and marshes. A lake that continues to grow vegetation past this point may eventually disappear and becomes land. This slowly occurring natural process is called eutrophication. Increasing the nutrient levels of a lake or other body of water by human activities may greatly accelerate this process, resulting in what is termed “cultural eutrophication.” You can see evidence of cultural eutrophication in many small ponds and sections of lakes around New Hampshire. Water bodies going through the late stages of eutrophication may be green with algae or choked with aquatic weeds. Pesticides: a special concern on waterfront properties Pesticides are chemical or biological agents, substances, or mixtures of substances intended for preventing, controlling, destroying or repelling insects, rodents, fungi, weeds, mollusks, algae and other organisms considered to be pests. Plant regulators, defoliants and desiccants are also regulated under federal and state pesticide laws. Most insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides not absorbed by plants will break down into harmless compounds and elements through the action of sunlight, microbial activity, and other forms of natural degradation. However, some pesticides break down faster and more easily than others, and some pesticides can leach into the soil or be carried away by runoff before they can break down, especially if heavy rainfall occurs shortly after application. Pesticides can also end up in surface water because of misapplication, drift, and spills. Leaves from plants or grass sprayed with pesticides may blow into surface water before the pesticides have degraded. Pesticides that persist in the soil can make their way into water by runoff and erosion. Very small amounts of some pesticides can have significant impacts on water quality, as many microscopic animals important to the aquatic food chain, such insect larvae, are highly susceptible to even very low concentrations. Loss of these organisms can affect the efficient cycling of nutrients throughout the system and threaten the health of fish and other organisms. The New Hampshire Division of Pesticide Control prohibits applying pesticides within 25 feet of the shoreland reference line, as well as storing, mixing or loading pesticides within 75 feet of the reference line. In the watershed of a public water supply, you cannot apply pesticides within 250 feet of the reference line on land within five miles of the water supply intake. You may request an exception to these distances from the Division of Pesticide Control through a Special Permit application. More information on setback distances from surface waters and other pesticide rules can be found in Appendix A, along with contact information for the Division. When applying fertilizers or pesticides on your property, always consider the environment around you and think about where your products may end up. Landscapers or pest control companies must be licensed with the New Hampshire Division of Pesticide Control to apply any pesticide on your property, including organic or nontoxic pest-control products. 17 CHAPTER 2 Go with the Flow: Understanding How Water Moves Onto, Through and Away from Your Site Controlling water runoff should be a major objective of any shoreland landscape design. As water collects and flows through channels, it gathers energy for its erosive force. The faster water flows, the greater the particle size and quantity of pollutants it can carry along to the receiving water body (pond, lake, stream, river, wetland or coastal water). As noted earlier, modifying the landscape with any type of development has the potential to degrade soil and water, resulting in changes in water flow, nutrient- and pollutant-loading, and groundwater recharge. However, if you start with a plan that takes into consideration the specific water runoff situation on your site, your new landscape could even improve the quality of the water coming off it. This chapter will guide you through the process of assessing your current runoff situation and offer various strategies you can use to minimize the runoff from your site. Combining these approaches with appropriate choices of plants and horticultural products are the keys to ensuring a healthy shoreland environment. • Detention - holding back or “ponding” a volume of water to slow the speed of its outflow. In some cases water detention may also allow for infiltration and/or evaporation to reduce the final outflow volume. • Diversion - preventing water from traveling over the area of concern, thereby reducing surface runoff and minimizing the potential for erosion and the transport of nonpoint source pollutants. • Flow spreading - allowing a concentrated flow to spread out over a wide, gently sloped area to reduce the water velocity and encourage infiltration. • Infiltration - allowing water to percolate into the ground rather than running across the surface. • Plant absorption and transpiration – the movement of water from the soil into plant roots, up through the stems and leaves and the release of water vapor through the stomates to the atmosphere (Figure 2-1). Figure 2-1. Plants are an integral part of the water cycle. Water that infiltrates into the soil can be absorbed by roots and released through the leaves as water vapor, a process called transpiration. Some water also evaporates from the soil and leaf surfaces. Common runoff control strategies Transpiration Evaporation Infiltration Root Absorption 18 Techniques used to control runoff Berm - A stabilized mound of dirt or stone to create a diversion and/or redirect water flow. Check dam - A small mound of stabilized dirt or stone that breaks up the flow of water in a drainage ditch or trench to slow down velocity and allow for the settling of heavier materials. Cut-in (or Cut-out) - A small trench that diverts water out of an existing channel, to be treated/infiltrated to prevent a significant volume of water from accumulating as it runs down a driveway, walkway or path. Multiple cut-ins may be required for long distances or high slopes. Infiltration trench - A dug-in trench commonly used for roof runoff that allows for storage of runoff and encourages infiltration into the ground. Plunge pool - A dug-in hole stabilized by stone, typically placed in a drainage ditch or trench. This allows water to fall below the level of the surface to slow the runoff velocity and capture heavy particles. These are often constructed in a series along a sloped route. Rain garden - A shallow infiltration basin planted with water tolerant plant species, designed to capture concentrated runoff. Rain gardens are designed to pond water for just few hours at a time, allowing it to be taken up and transpired by plants or infiltrate into the ground. Swale - A stabilized trench that can act to store water (detention), sometimes also engineered to enhance infiltration. Vegetative buffer - A relatively flat area stabilized with vegetation that allows water flow to spread out, slow down, infiltrate and be filtered by the soil, and/or be intercepted and transpired by plants. Waterbar - A diversion device that diagonally crosses a sloped trail, path or road to capture and divert runoff to the side. Commonly made of a log, a stone, a small, reinforced drainage channel, or a partially buried flexible material, a waterbar is most useful for small contributing areas (watersheds less than one acre) that receive foot and vehicle traffic. Waterbars are spaced according to the slope of the land.A swale constructed along this roadway captures road runoff and prevents it from entering the lake, which is to the left. An infiltration trench was constructed to catch roof runoff at this lakeside home. A plunge pool is an area where water is collected and allowed to infiltrate. Waterbars along the path slow flow and divert runoff into the vegetated area. 19 Following the flow Paying attention to how water flows (or will flow) into, over and through your site before, during and after development or landscaping, is critical in determining current and potential negative impacts. Some questions you’ll want to answer before proceeding: • What is the extent of lands and roads above the site that contribute runoff water, and where does the runoff enter your property? • Where are the impervious areas (paved driveways and walkways, roofs, patios, compacted soils, etc.) and piped source (sump, gutters, etc.) from which you generate runoff? • Where does that water, along with any additional runoff generated in your new design, run over your site? Is it treated by vegetation, infiltrated or does it accumulate? • Where will that water then flow off your site? Does it enter the water body directly? • Most importantly, how might you modify your design to take advantage of these factors in creating diversions, detention and infiltration areas? Investigate the drainageways Since water moves downhill, you need to walk your property boundary and note where the major water flows occur after a heavy rainstorm. Does the runoff from abutting roads or a neighbor’s driveway flow onto your property? Are there any adjacent steeply sloped lands that rise above the level of your property? Are they extensive enough to contribute water flows during rains and snow melts? Make note of all of these off-site contributors to flow. Also note any occasional or perennial wet areas or streams at your property boundary that encroach on your site. Investigate onsite runoff generation Note any wet areas or seeps on your property. Now consider how your house and current landscaping features generate runoff. It is always easy to point uphill and blame runoff on other properties, but most people are surprised at how much runoff their own site creates, even in low- density development. Be aware whether you have areas that divert runoff onto neighboring properties as well. Take inventory of all paved and compacted areas, such as driveways, patios and walkways. Can you find evidence of water flow moving off these areas and heading downhill? You may see just a small area of sheet erosion, indicated by the appearance of worn-down gravelly areas with small stones and roots showing because finer soil particles have been washed away. Or you may see rills, visible channels where water has eroded away materials a fraction of an inch to a few inches deep. In the worst cases, you’ll find gullies where water flows through channels deep enough for you to step into them. The potential for erosion and runoff increases with site steepness, area of impervious surfaces, and size of contributing watershed area (land above your site). Investigate the point sources of flows on your property from culverts, drain pipes, and hoses, as well as rain gutters, sump pumps, and tile drainage outlets. These concentrate diffuse flows that need treatment and diversion to ensure they don’t contribute to runoff. If 20 the house doesn’t have gutters, look for areas where the roof design intercepts and dumps rainwater onto the property. As you develop your landscape plan (see Chapter 4), consider ways you might reduce the impacts of those flows. Account for any paths, trails and cleared areas that lead to the water. Shoreland properties almost always have pathways and cleared areas that allow runoff to flow directly into the water body. In the worst cases, a driveway at the top of the property allows water from the road above and the gutter runoff to collect and concentrate, flowing down a pathway directly into a cleared beach area and into the water, often taking a lot of sand with it. Note how the paths follow the slope of the land. Meandering paths may function to break up runoff before it concentrates, but straight downhill paths encourage flow directly to the water. Also, note the flow-contributing areas that lie above the access area or beach. Do swaths of vegetation above help break up the flow, or does the water pretty much flow straight down and onto the area below? Finally, look for areas where water tends to pond after it rains. Even flat areas may pond water if the soils don’t drain well or if there is a lot of shallow ledge or hardpan present. Be sure to keep track of these areas and prevent additional water from reaching these locations. Minimize and divert runoff Significant flows coming onto your site may create runoff and erosion problems. Your design should take into account all flows that will come in contact with your newly landscaped area, as well as those flows that may cause runoff concerns in other areas on your property (or your neighbor’s). Of all the methods that can help deal with these situations, diversion and flow-spreading are the most reliable. If you can treat all of the incoming runoff by diverting it and spreading it out over a stable vegetated area before it leaves the property, then by all means do so. However, in situations of high runoff flow coming from off-property sites such as roads, diverting some of the flow may be warranted to keep it from entering your property. The sources of offsite runoff can be diverse and you may not be able to take action without involving neighbors, road associations, and municipalities, since road-drainage diversions and treatment systems require professional design and installation. Shallow rills forming from the concrete sidewalk runoff. Evidence of sheet erosion in a lawn. Deep rill formed after sediments and sand are washed into the lake leaving heavier stones behind. 21Figure 2-2. This landscape applies many of the recommended strategies and techniques to reduce erosion and prevent runoff water from reaching the lake.Drainage ditch with check dams Rain gardenCulvertRain gutter system directs roof run off Detention poolFlow spreadingWater barsMeandering pathwayInfiltrationVegetative bufferPerched beach 22 Use what you have (or can design) to break up, slow down and spread out the flow over or into a vegetated area. The goal is to prevent offsite and onsite flows from accumulating and divert them from impervious areas. You may be able to break up the flow by using shallow channels, stone check dams, small vegetated berms, or alternating areas of low and high vegetation. Simple drainage cut-ins can break the flow and move the water from long driveways and pathways. In more challenging situations—for example, when sites are very steep or narrow— you may need to hire a professional to install a waterbar or similar diversion. If you can’t divert the flows coming onto your site and can’t find ways to prevent the flow from concentrating to a significant volume, then consider diverting the water into your existing vegetated areas, or create additional vegetated areas, to allow the water to slow down, spread out and infiltrate the ground, thus losing most of its destructive force and most of its pollutant load. For this to work, you need an adequately sized vegetated area with minimal slope. The denser the root systems of the plants in vegetated areas, the greater the volume of water the area can process. Mixed types of vegetation with different root depths will have the greatest impact, as contrasted with monocultures, which grow a single type of plant. However, any type of vegetation is better than a bare, cleared, compacted, or impervious area. The same holds true for dealing with runoff from pavement, roofs, tile drainage, sump flows, and existing drainageways: capture the water and/or divert it by any means possible (plunge pools, waterbars, berms, swales and drainage trenches) to prevent it from running directly down to the shore. Conditions such as lack of space, steep slopes, and/or proximity to the shore create special challenges to diverting the water from a rain gutter or other concentrated flow. In these situations, consider alternative controls such as rain barrels, storage cisterns and infiltration trenches. You may be able to cut down runoff generation at the source by replacing impervious areas with porous alternatives. For problematic and excessive stormwater volumes you may need to have something engineered to capture water and pump it into other areas for treatment. If you have enough space, consider installing a rain garden, a shallow, dug-in area planted with water-tolerant plant species. Rain gardens can collect a significant volume of water during a storm, allowing the water that doesn’t get used by plants to infiltrate the ground quickly and prevent it from becoming runoff. When designed and constructed correctly the surface of a well-designed rain garden will not flood, eliminating concerns about standing water. Appendix B includes resources for more information on rain garden design and appropriate plants. Properly designed pathways and trails should meander across the slope and allow each segment to throw water off the trail, rather than letting it flow in a straight path, accumulating as it moves downhill. The best trails are those that follow the ridges and contours of the property. Some low Demonstration rain garden being installed in Kingston, Rhode Island. At right, puddles remain in the road after a heavy rain but the runoff from the landscape has already infiltrated the soil in the rain garden. 23 vegetation planted at the corners of the meanders or staggered alternately on the sides of steeper pathways will help break up, capture, and slow down the flow of water as it moves downhill. To maximize water quality protection as you consider the ways you want to use and enjoy your waterfront property, the key is to remove as little vegetation as possible. For all lake shores and large rivers, the state’s Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act requires that in the “waterfront buffer” (0-50 feet from shore) natural ground cover and duff, shall remain intact. No cutting or removal of vegetation below 3 feet in height (excluding lawns) except for a footpath (6 foot maximum width) is allowed. Stumps, roots, and rocks must remain intact in and on the ground. In addition, within the waterfront buffer, tree coverage is managed with a 50-foot x 50-foot grid and point system that ensures adequate forest cover and prevents new clear cutting. Within the “natural woodland buffer” (50-150 feet from shore) there are additional protections where 25 to 50 percent of that buffer must remain undisturbed dependent on lot size (See Appendix A for more details). Plan to stabilize a major portion of the shoreline area with a good mix of plants. The more protective vegetation you remove from near the shore, the more you increase the area’s potential for transporting pollutants to the lake or stream. Removing taller plants also opens the shore area to receive more sunlight. Exposure to more sun heats up the water, making it less desirable for aquatic organisms and more conducive to submerged and emergent weed growth, including exotic invasive species. Where you locate the water access area also is important. Areas that don’t receive significant runoff from the land above make the best locations for minimizing potential impacts. Water access areas that lie directly below a runoff flow may allow the runoff to reach the water without any reduction in impact. If you have no choice of access location, try to create a diversion of the flow away from the shoreline opening and into a more vegetated area using one or more of the approaches discussed above. Note: State wetland laws forbid dumping sand or other materials on the shoreline to make a beach. Wetland permits are required for any beach construction. Sand beaches not naturally present are discouraged as they tend to get washed away. In locations where a small opening, with stable groundcover and perhaps a few flat stones or steps will not do, you can apply for a permit for a small perched beach Pathways made of pavers are semi-pervious to water. The path is not straight, so runoff is distributed into vegetated gardens where it infiltrates the ground before reaching the shore. By choosing ferns and other low-growing understory plants mixed with trees, a shoreland buffer does not need to block the view or make water access difficult. 24 located just above the shoreline. Contact the Department of Environmental Services, Wetlands Bureau, for more information (Appendix A). Structural approaches Most structural modifications for dealing with flow and runoff require professional design and installation. However, nonprofessionals might try one or more of these simpler approaches before calling in the pros: • Clear existing drainageways of accumulated materials, including loose sediments and litter, before the snow melts and the spring rains arrive. Encourage vegetative growth in these drainageways however, as the vegetation removes sediments and pollutants from the water as it passes through. • If possible, divert other flows into your existing drainageways (as long as they themselves don’t directly flow into the water body) by some shallow channeling, the use of check dams of stone or gravel, or using small berms. • Break up the water flow by alternating small berms down a sloped area, diverting water off into vegetated areas before it can accumulate in significant volume. In general, anything you can do by hand or using hand tools doesn’t require any permitting, as long as you stay at least 25 feet away from the shoreline. Any time you have to use a power tool or power equipment, or your project requires significant earth-moving within the 250 foot Shoreland Protection Zone, you probably will need a state permit, and possibly one or more local permits as well. Making a difference With the knowledge of how water flows over and currently runs off your site, you now may want to consider adding water diversions, as well as vegetative buffers and infiltration areas into your landscape designs (Chapter 4) to take advantage of the water-treatment properties of vegetation. A typical small shorefront lot on a moderate slope with conventional development (house, forest cut for lawn, paved driveway) can increase water runoff, phosphorus pollution and sediment erosion about 5 times, 7 times and 18 times respectively compared to an undisturbed, forested lot. By growing out the shoreland buffer (50 feet) and infiltrating the roof runoff using trenching or a rain garden, the impacts can be reduced down to 1.5 times the runoff, 2 times the phosphorus and less than 3 times the sediment over the undisturbed lot. This is a significant reduction by using only two of the practices discussed above. Adding practices could result in even more pollution reductions, not to mention the benefits to wildlife and shoreline integrity. The next sections discuss how to maintain and establish shoreline buffers, choosing the appropriate plant systems for low impact and low maintenance, and how to plant and maintain lawn areas in an environmentally-friendly way. 25 More and more of us are choosing to live near lakes, streams and rivers, with the expectation that our shoreline property will provide lovely views, wildlife habitat, and clean water for fishing, swimming, boating, and other recreational activities. But as development increases it can seriously affect the water quality of our lakes, rivers and streams. Visual signs of declining water quality include increased weed growth and erosion along shorelines, reduced water clarity, algal blooms, sediment deposits and altered wildlife habitat and diversity. Vegetative buffers are areas of vegetation located between the water and additions to the original property, such as buildings, driveways, patios, and lawns. Plant buffers are an important tool to help lessen the adverse affects of human activity on water quality. Composed of trees, shrubs, groundcovers and aquatic plants, buffers slow runoff and help catch nutrients, sediments and other pollutants before they can reach the water. The deep roots of trees and shrubs and the layer of leaf litter they provide act like a sponge to temporarily hold water and remove many of the contaminants. Shoreline buffers perform a number of functions that have significant economic, ecological and social value, as illustrated in Figure 3-1, including: • They provide a link between the water and the land and serve as transition zones between water and upland areas. • Dense plantings of trees and shrubs can dampen the noise from boat engines, traffic and adjacent properties. In addition, they provide privacy. • Vegetative buffers intercept raindrops and meltwater, reducing their impact on the soil. They also help slow the velocity of water running off the land, giving sediments, pollutants, and nutrients time to settle out on land before reaching the water. Suspended sediments in the water reduce the amount of sunlight that reaches submerged plants. This reduces the rate of photosynthesis and upsets the established ecology. Excessive sediments can smother life on the bottom, such as fish eggs and insects that are crucial parts of the food web. An overabundance of sediments can make the bottom mucky and the rocks slippery. Heavy deposits of sediment can create a growing area for unwanted species of rooted plants that change the composition of existing plant communities. • Vegetative buffers stabilize slopes and help protect banks from erosion. Roots hold the bank soils together and increase water infiltration. Roots and stems together protect the shore by deflecting the cutting action of currents, waves, boat wakes, wind and stormwater. CHAPTER 3 Vegetative Buffers 26 Figure 3-1. Buffers provide wildlife with food, cover and nesting areas. Birds, mammals, fish, frogs, and turtles spend much of their life cycle in or around the water. Fallen tree branches and logs provide habitat for aquatic wildlife, and plants along the water’s edge help moderate water temperatures by shading the shallow water. • In addition to holding soil in place, root systems absorb water and nutrients. Plant roots within vegetative buffers take up dissolved nutrients from fertilizers, animal waste, sewage, wastewater, and erosion and store them in their leaves, stems and roots, preventing those nutrients from reaching the water. • Vegetative buffers help manage stormwater and reduce flooding. If intercepted by a vegetative buffer, pollutants such as petroleum products, road salt, heavy metals, fertilizers and pesticides carried in stormwater may never reach open water. • Buffers slow runoff flows, allowing water to infiltrate the soil and recharge the groundwater. Water slowed by a buffer enters the stream, river, pond or lake gradually and over a longer period of time than water running off an impervious or poorly vegetated surface. • Vegetative buffer areas provide essential habitat for many species of wildlife. Nearly one-third of New Hampshire’s native wildlife depends on aquatic and wetland habitats. Birds, mammals, fish, frogs, and turtles spend some or all of their life cycle in or around the water. Fallen tree branches and logs provide habitat for fish, turtles and other aquatic wildlife. Aquatic plants and fallen debris also provide a refuge and a food source for insects, snails and other small creatures critical in the aquatic food chain. Plants along the water’s edge help moderate water temperatures by shading shallow water. This provides relief for aquatic organisms during the hot summer months. 27 • Buffer areas along the shoreline contain important nesting, hunting, feeding and perching areas for songbirds. Standing dead trees (or snags) provide nesting cavities for woodpeckers, black-capped chickadees, nuthatches, ducks and other wildlife. Trees, shrubs, vines, and other plants produce a variety of nuts, berries and seed buds for squirrels, deer, grouse, turkey, wood ducks and bears. Plants along the shoreline attract insects that serve as food for many other species. • Buffers can serve as links between shoreline properties, providing a migration corridor for a wide variety of animals. On the other hand, one benefit of vegetative buffers is that Canada geese don’t like to move through brushy areas where they feel more vulnerable to predators. They will rarely cross a buffer to reach your lawn, where their droppings are unsanitary and objectionable. • Vegetative buffers add aesthetic value. Branches of trees and shrubs can be used to frame a view. Selective removal of a few low branches can provide openings for views from your house to the water without significantly decreasing privacy. Vegetative buffers can help protect water quality, protect and provide habitat for wildlife, reduce noise, help stabilize the shoreline, reduce flood waters, moderate water temperatures and filter pollutants, nutrients and sediment. Buffers can do some or all of these things while maintaining aesthetic and recreational values. Table 3-1 suggests minimum buffer widths for water quality protection. Buffers intended for wildlife habitat should be as wide as possible. This 12-foot wide buffer is not adequate for the steeply-sloped property above it. The paved pathways provide a direct route for runoff water to enter the river. Percent Slope Width of Vegetated Area (feet) 0 – 1 % 25 >1 – 5 % 35 >5 – 9 % 50 >9 – 12% 65 >12 – 15% 75 Note: Assumes vegetated area is not in hydric soils or ledge and that the area doesn’t receive channelized flow from drainage outlets, tile drainage or gutters. For any areas bordering a shoreline, a minimum of 75 feet is recommended. Modified by the University of New Hampshire from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Serice. Table 3-1: Suggested buffer width relative to slope of land 28 What kinds of plants grow in buffer zones? Naturally occurring vegetation adjacent to water bodies includes aquatic plants, shoreline plants, plants in the lowland transition zone, and plants in the upland or woodland area. Aquatic plants can float, grow partially within the water or along the water’s edge. They include rooted pondweeds, white water lilies, water milfoils, bladderworts, duckweed, broad and narrow-leaved cattails, bulrushes, rushes, sedges, pickerelweed, arum, spatterdock and water plantain. The shoreline zone, bordering the water, often includes willows, elderberry, viburnums, dogwoods, winterberry, buttonbush, summersweet, grasses, ferns, leatherleaf, sedges, blue flag iris and marsh marigolds. These plants are adapted to consistently wet soil. The lowland transition zone begins 10 feet or more from the water. Shrubs, small trees and groundcovers that commonly grow in this area include alders, high-bush blueberry, cranberrybush viburnum, serviceberry, swamp azalea, ferns, asters, jewelweed, turtlehead and Joe-pye weed. These are plants that can tolerate occasional flooding or very wet soils. The upland zone is rarely subject to flooding. The upland zone may include lawns, meadows, gardens and landscaped areas. In the upland forested area you will find maple, birch, beech, oak, pine, hemlock, fir and/or spruce tree species. Shrubs and groundcovers will include many of those found in lowland areas and many more. The above lists include those plants commonly found around lakes and other fresh water. If your property borders an estuary or is on the coast, you will find salt-tolerant species in the aquatic, shoreline and transition zones. Woody plants in these habitats include red cedar, pitch pine, several species of oaks, Juneberry, heather, hazelnut, huckleberry, inkberry, bayberry, elderberry, grape, bearberry and various rose species. Herbaceous perennial plants, many of them non- AQUATIC ZONE Aquatic Plants Shoreline Plants Small lawn area Meadow UPLAND ZONE LOWLAND TRANSITION ZONE Figure 3-2. Vegetative buffers include many layers and species of plants adapted to each of the zones and habitats, from the aquatic environment to upland forests. SHORELINE ZONE 29 natives, that survive well in estuarine and coastal landscapes include false blue indigo, wormwood or artemisia, daylily, many grasses, sea lavender, sea oats, ornamental catmint, salvia or sage, lamb’s ears, obedient plant and Montauk daisy. Waterfront environments usually support an impressive abundance of plants, including many more native plants than we’ve listed here. Unfortunately, undesirable plants easily invade areas with disturbed shoreline. Exactly what is an invasive? It’s an opportunist, a non-native species that moves into an area and monopolizes light, moisture, nutrients, water and space to the detriment of other species. Many of these plants are exotics, introduced either intentionally or accidentally from another region or country. Exotic invasive species are able to grow rapidly, multiply and spread to unmanageable levels within a short period of time. In short, they out-compete native plants. Most invasive plants: • Lack natural predators and diseases that keep populations in check in their native habitat • Affect threatened or endangered species • Grow very rapidly • Produce copious amounts of seed with high levels of viability • Disperse seeds efficiently over long distances • Tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions • Thrive in disturbed areas • Leaf out early and keep their leaves late, shading out the native species beneath them • Decrease the diversity and populations of native plant species Some invasives reproduce both by seed and vegetatively (by roots, runners or rhizomes). When invasive plants become established in an area, they may: • Negatively impact water quality (many are aquatic weeds) • Diminish aesthetic and recreational quality of waterfront property • Require substantial effort and funds for management • Reduce animal habitat by eliminating native foods, altering cover and destroying nesting sites • Displace native plants and arrest natural succession In New Hampshire, the Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food has listed 38 invasive plants (including 14 aquatic species) and 16 insect species “deemed to present an immediate danger to the health of native species, to the environment, to commercial agricultural or forest crop production, or to human health” (RSA 430:51-57). The collection, importation, sale, propagation, transplantation or cultivation of these species is prohibited. The New Hampshire Prohibited Invasive Species plant list included here is current at the time of publication and you can check for updates with the Division of Plant Industry (Appendix A). Because areas around shorelines are heavily used and frequently degraded, they are especially vulnerable to invasion by invasive plant species. Controlling an established population of 30 invasives can be difficult and require a persistent effort. Many people want to resort to herbicides to help, but there are restrictions on their use in wetlands or near water (see Chapter 1 and Appendix A). Even where herbicides may be used, control of invasives is difficult to achieve. What can you do? The Guide to Invasive Upland Plant Species in New Hampshire (Appendix B) contains a wealth of valuable information. Learn to recognize invasive plants on your property, especially those most commonly found near water. Some of these include Oriental bittersweet, Japanese knotweed, yellow flag iris, garlic mustard, variable milfoil, fanwort, purple loosestrife and common reed. Replace invasive plants in your landscape with non- invasive alternatives. Verify that the plants you are buying for your garden aren’t invasive. Inspect newly acquired plants for undesirable insect and weed hitchhikers. After boating, clean your boat thoroughly before transporting it to a different body of water. Last and perhaps most important, protect healthy plant communities by minimizing soil disturbance. Invasives thrive in bare or tilled soils where native plants have been displaced. Acarapis woodi.....Honeybee Tracheal Mite Adelges tsugae.....Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Aeolesthes sarta.....City Longhorned Beetle Anoplophora glabripennis.....Asian Longhorned Beetle Callidellum rufipenne.....Cedar Longhorned Beetle Dendrolimus sibircus.....Siberian Silk Moth Fiorinia externa.....Elongated Hemlock Scale Hylurgus lingniperda.....Redhaired Bark Beetle Ips typographus.....European Spruce Bark Beetle Lymantria dispar.....Asian Gypsy Moth Popillia japonica.....Japanese Beetle Pyrrhalta viburni.....Viburnum Leaf Beetle Rhizotrogus majalis.....European Chafer Symantria monacha.....Nun Moth Tetropium fuscum.....Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle Varroa destructor.....Varroa Mite New Hampshire Prohibited Insect Species Ailanthus altissima.....Tree of heaven Alliaria petiolata.....Garlic mustard Acer platanoides.....Norway maple Berberis thunbergii.....Japanese barberry Berberis vulgaris.....European barberry Butomous umbellata.....Flowering rush Cabomba caroliniana.....Fanwort Celastrus orbiculatus.....Oriental bittersweet Cynanchum nigrum.....Black swallow-wort Cynanchum rossicum.....Pale swallow-wort Egeria densa.....Brazilian elodea Elaeagnus umbellata.....Autumn olive Euonymus alatus.....Burning bush Heracleum mantegazzianum.....Giant hogweed Hydrilla verticillata.....Hydrilla Hydrocharis morsus-ranae.....European frogbit Iris pseudoacorus.....Water-flag iris Ligustrum obtusifolium.....Blunt-leaved privet Lonicera bella.....Showy bush honeysuckle Lonicera japonica.....Japanese honeysuckle Lonicera morrowii.....Morrow’s honeysuckle Lonicera tatarica.....Tatarian honeysuckle Lythrum salicaria.....Purple loosestrife Myriophyllum aquaticum.....Parrot feather Myriophyllum heterophyllum.....Variable milfoil Myriophyllum spicatum.....European water-milfoil Najas minor.....European naiad Nymphoides peltata.....Yellow floating heart Phragmites australis.....Common reed Polygonum cuspidatum.....Japanese knotweed Potamogeton crispus.....Curly-leaf pondweed Rhamnus cathartica.....Common buckthorn Rhamnus frangula.....Glossy buckthorn Rosa multiflora.....Multiflora rose Trapa natans.....Water chestnut New Hampshire Prohibited Plant Species 31 CHAPTER 4 The Landscape Design Process Living along a shoreline provides wonderful opportunities to explore nature, recreate and let go of day-to-day stress, but with it comes a responsibility to protect the soil, water and wildlife that makes living there so special. Your property is part of the larger watershed. Before making any landscape changes make sure you read and understand your town or city regulations regarding shoreland protection, in addition to those within New Hampshire’s Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (Appendix A). To some degree, your property may already contain areas of aquatic, shoreline, lowland transition and upland buffers, each with its own characteristic plant communities. All these areas work together to filter and slow water movement from spring and fall rains, summer irrigation and winter snowmelt, helping to protect the quality of the water body. The first thing to consider in designing a landscape is how to protect the valuable features you already have, then move on to making improvements. For example, you may have a significant cluster of alders and winterberry shrubs along the bank of a pond and a large lawn that extends from the shoreline to your backdoor. You could shrink the size of your lawn by increasing the size of an existing shrub border, which in turn would increase filtration and absorption through the additional woody plants, while decreasing the labor and cost of maintaining a large lawn. Before you put pencil to paper, consider the following shoreland design principles. These principles not only will help protect the water body and other natural resources, they will also help you create a beautiful, low-maintenance landscape that complements the natural world around you. 1. Review the 10 design principles. 2. Take inventory: explore, get familiar with your site, have fun! 3. Create a base plan (first layer) on paper or vellum. 4. Analyze your site (second layer - Overlay #1) on trace paper. 5. Develop a list of needs and desires (add to Overlay #1). 6. Create a functional bubble diagram (third layer – Overlay #2) on trace paper. 7. Develop a conceptual plan (fourth layer) on paper or vellum. 8. Organize plant systems and itemize plant selections (add to Conceptual Plan). Steps in the Design Process 32 Ten design principles to help protect and improve your shoreland property 1. Protect and improve soil quality. Healthy soil serves as the foundation of a healthy landscape. Amend degraded soil with organic matter, and keep soil covered at all times with vegetation or mulches to reduce compaction and erosion. 2. Include as many vegetative layers as possible throughout your property: overstory and understory trees, understory shrubs and vines, herbaceous (non-woody) plants including perennials, grasses, and both woody and herbaceous groundcovers, and a diverse soil layer, that includes leaf litter, germinating seedlings and soil organic material. 3. When choosing plants, select the right plant for the right place for the right function. Pick plants hardy in your climatic zone and suited to the soils and light available at the planting site. Generous use of native plants in the landscape provides wildlife habitat and may offer your landscape better resistance to plant pests and diseases. When using non-native plants, choose disease- and insect-resistant varieties. By knowing a plant’s mature size before putting it into the landscape, you can keep your views open without the need for pruning or frame a desired view. Well-chosen, well-placed plant material can help reduce the severity of winds. 4. Use plants to reduce the force and slow the flow of water. During the growing season, layers of leaves slow the force of rainfall, breaking droplets into smaller and smaller units until they soak into the ground. Densely layered plantings collect and retain water, releasing it slowly through transpiration and evaporation. The slowing of water conserves soil by reducing the movement of soil sediments into the water body and softening the impact of water drops striking the soil surface. Strategic placement of plantings will help reduce the amount and speed at which water runs down steep inclines and off from impervious surfaces such as rooftops, asphalt driveways, walks, and patios. Figure 4-1. The natural landscape (above) includes diverse layers of vegetation and soil litter. Landscaped areas (below) also benefit from planting in layers and keeping soil covered with vegetation, leaf litter and mulch to reduce soil compaction and erosion. 33 5. Maximize the amount of vegetative buffer along shorelines. A diverse, dense, layered planting holds, protects and stabilizes the soils with thick mats of roots that penetrate the soil at different depths. One way to maximize the amount of shoreline buffer is to combine and connect your buffer with a neighbor’s buffer whenever possible. 6. Minimize areas of impermeable surface. Replacing existing asphalt or cement driveways and walkways with water-penetrating materials such as stone dust, brick, or semi- permeable pavers helps increase water infiltration and can enhance the beauty of your landscape. 7. Rethink the size of your lawn. Instead of grass, consider encouraging plant and wildlife diversity by using ground covers and vertical layers of vegetation. These rougher surfaces also slow runoff and help filter water before it reaches the water body. Keep lawn areas nearly flat to help retain water and reduce the need for irrigation. 8. Design for low inputs. Use cultural practices in place of chemical products whenever possible. For example, pruning and disposing of infected plant parts off-site to prevent the spread of disease and improve air circulation around the plants will reduce or eliminate the need for pesticides. 9. Design a low-maintenance landscape. All landscapes need some maintenance, but your design choices can help reduce the time you’ll have to spend maintaining your property (or paying someone else to do it) and provide you more time to enjoy it. Low-maintenance landscapes also limit the need for chemicals thus preventing contamination in the case of any runoff. 10. Remember, your actions on land directly affect the water body. Substances that go onto your land, no matter how far away from the shoreline, may end up in the water body. This includes detergents used in car washing, chemicals used in lawn treatments, exhaust residues or gas and oil leaks from mowers and weed-whackers and seasonal products such as winter deicers and rock salt. Reducing the use of potentially harmful inputs through practices such as using sand as a deicer, limiting use of fertilizers and pesticides, calibrating irrigation systems and installing rain shut-off devices will reduce the potential for negative impacts on the water body. Shoreland properties benefit from stabilizing and retaining soil and reducing the volume and velocity of water runoff. Minimizing soil disturbance and using vegetation as a filter are key components of waterfront landscaping. The design should consider reducing the steepness of slopes and directing drainage to flow to areas where infiltration can take place. Intermittent boulders and ornamental rocks or granite can structurally stabilize slopes, divert water flows, and look natural. If grading is necessary, you can alter subsurface drainage to improve water infiltration, but remember that graders and other heavy equipment can compact soil, reducing its absorption ability. When designing your landscape, take clues and cues from the surrounding plant communities and other natural features. Create a design that reflects the natural world around your property to ensure a strong sense of place. Avoid homogenous landscapes that have little wildlife value and could be found anywhere in the country. 34 The inventory process Whether creating a brand-new landscape or making a few changes to an existing landscape, begin by taking an inventory of what is already there. The inventory process involves making detailed observations of the site and beyond (as far as the eye can see), the natural world around you and the human uses of the property. Spend time looking closely at the land features, existing vegetation and wildlife habitat elements. Take a look at the bigger picture, the surrounding community, and think about how your yard fits in. What plant communities lived there before the land was developed? Whenever possible, inventory your site through a full year of seasons. The effort spent on this part of the design process will help you better understand the land, plants and wildlife and their relationship to the water body. A careful seasonal inventory will help you make the best decisions for a healthy, enduring landscape. Photos showing seasonal conditions are good records, useful during the design process and for permit applications. The inventory questions that follow are based on the preceding design principles. By answering all the questions, you will have considered each of the principles. Try not to get discouraged by the number of questions. Instead, work through them one at a time. Make a list of the ones you can’t answer yourself and set them aside for now. You may decide you need to consult a professional or a resource specialist later on. Protect soil quality • Are there areas of exposed soil or soil erosion on your property? Where are they and how do they relate to runoff? • Are there areas where soil has remained undisturbed for many years? These soils are likely to be in excellent physical condition and support a diverse population of organisms. Try to leave them intact and protect them during construction. • Does your soil contain enough organic matter (3 percent - 5 percent) to stay moist, cool and alive? • What do the results of your soil tests suggest about the physical, chemical and biological conditions of your soils? • Are there areas where soil has been compacted or where heavy machinery was used? Areas that should be fenced off from future automotive traffic and/or heavy equipment use? • Are there areas to store topsoil during construction projects? Can the soil be placed on a level surface and covered with a tarp to prevent runoff? • Do sources of runoff originate on or off your property? Where? When? Are there times of excess flow (heavy rainstorm) or seasonal impacts (snow melt)? • Follow the evidence of a flow after a heavy rainstorm. Consider ways to break up, slow down, and spread out the flow? Chapter 2 provides information on these techniques, which include shallow vegetated channels, stone check dams, vegetated berms or swales, drainage cuts and waterbars. 35 Include as many vegetative layers as possible throughout your property • What vegetative layers currently exist? - canopy (overstory) trees - understory trees - shrubs - herbaceous plants - ground covers - decomposing litter layer • What layers are missing? • Record the existing vegetation on the site, to the best of your ability. Include: - woody plants: trees, shrubs and vines - herbaceous (non woody) plants: wildflowers, perennials, annuals and grasses - other ground coverings such as mosses, ferns and lichens • Estimate the percentage of native plants on site. • Are there any invasive plants of any type? To what extent? • Note components that provide food, water or habitat for wildlife, such as: - water sources - bird baths - flowers, nectar - fruits, seeds - feeders - worms - insects - evergreen trees or shrubs - travel corridors and flyways - burrows, cavities - dead or partially dead trees (snags) and downed woody debris - houses/boxes - rock walls, rock piles - brush piles - tall grass meadow 36 Identify and list wildlife, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, spiders, insects and mollusks that use the site throughout the day and into the evening. Include evidence of food eaten, tracks, nests, scat, and actual sightings. Note the locations of this evidence on your property and estimate populations if possible. Also look for rare or endangered plants or animals onsite or nearby. Appendix B lists some web resources to help you with this step. Maximize the vegetative buffer along shorelines • Can you see evidence of shoreline erosion? Follow it backwards to its origin. • How deep or wide is the vegetative buffer behind the shoreline? • Estimate the percentage of your total shoreline covered by vegetation. • Which vegetative layers are present in the buffer? Which are missing? • Can you increase the depth or length of the buffer? • Can you increase the density of plants to help compensate for beach or bare shoreline? • Is part of the shoreline shaded, which is beneficial to many aquatic organisms and reduces submerged and emergent weed growth? • If you must have sand in the beach area, how will you design and construct a perched beach? Consider the size and location of your lawn • What is your idea of an ideal lawn, a single species of very green grass or a mix of species, e.g., fescues, bluegrass, rye, that includes clover or other desirable broadleaf plants? • How will you use lawn areas? • How much lawn space do you need for those activities? • Are there areas of existing lawn you can replace with layered vegetation? • Do you apply fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides or other products to the lawn? If so, list them all, along with the frequency and rates of application. • How close is the lawn to the water body? • Are there buffer areas between the lawn and the water body? Choose the right plant for the right place for the right function • Can you find site conditions (e.g., low, wet areas or excessively sandy soils) that will require plants tolerant of those specific conditions? • Can you identify plants or animals on the site that indicate wet or dry soil conditions? 37 • Are existing plants appropriately located? Do they frame desirable views? Consider plants for fall and winter interest as well as those that look good during the summer. • Are the plants in good health, structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing? Do any need to be thinned, moved or removed? You may want to seek the advice of an arborist or other landscape professional. • Which existing vegetation should be retained in your new plan? • Are there areas you’d like to have screened? Screens can block undesirable views, reduce noise and/or serve as windbreaks. • What areas of the site receive full sun, partial sun and little-to-no sun during the growing season? • What is the plant-hardiness zone (or zones) for the site? Can you locate microclimates that may deserve special consideration, e.g., areas protected from extreme temperatures or exposed to cold winter winds? • Where can you use plants strategically to intercept and slow water flow? Design a lower-maintenance landscape • What practices are currently used to maintain the landscape? • How often do you mow the lawn? How high do you set the mower? • Do existing plants need frequent pruning to contain their size? If so, can you move these plants to a location where they can grow to their natural size and shape? • Have you considered the mature size (height and width) of plants when choosing new plant material? • Can you leave herbaceous plants, such as ornamental grasses and perennials, standing during the winter months to provide winter interest and wildlife habitat? • Can you leave plant residue on the site during spring and fall clean-ups to help build soil organic matter, recycle nutrients and reduce waste? Reduce the area of impermeable surfaces • What type of materials are your driveways and walks made of? • Estimate the percentage of area covered with impervious surfaces, e.g., rooftops, asphalt, concrete, flagstone. • Do you see evidence of water flowing off these surfaces and moving downhill, such as sheet erosion, exposed roots, gullies and rills? • Can you think of ways to divert the water and slow down runoff from impervious surfaces, such as increasing vegetation, planting rain gardens, constructing swales or setting up rain barrels? • Are there places where the steepness of your site and the size of impervious areas may allow erosion and runoff? 38 • Could you replace some impervious surfaces to allow water to infiltrate the soil, while simultaneously improving the area’s aesthetic appeal? Develop awareness of how lifestyle choices influence the water body • Make a list of indoor and outdoor chemicals you currently use on site, including household, automotive and horticultural products. Consider which products you could eliminate in favor of environmentally-friendly substitutes. • Check for signs of fluid leakage from motorized vehicles or machines, such as cars, recreational vehicles, mowers, rototillers and weed-whackers. • When choosing plants, look for those varieties that are insect- and disease-resistant to reduce the need for pesticides. • Consider replacing lawn areas with groundcovers or grass mixtures that need no chemical inputs and require no or little maintenance. • Educate yourself in integrated pest management practices to manage problem insects and plant diseases. • Plan to allow leaves and grass clippings to decompose in place and recycle the nutrients where they can be used by plants, or compost them for later use as mulch. Never dump leaves or clippings in the water, where their decomposition will release nutrients to the water body. • Understand the importance of cleaning up and disposing of pet waste away from the waterfront. • Make plans to prevent and clean up any spills of gas, oil, pesticides, fertilizers, salt or other materials to keep them out of the water or the recharge area of shallow drinking- water wells. Store these materials safely, far away from the water. Use good design to stabilize both water flow and soil retention • Investigate point sources of flow such as gutters, sump pump outlets and tile drainage. Think of ways to divert these flows to filtration areas. • Identify areas with steep slopes. Are these sparsely or heavily vegetated? What types of plants can you add to help stabilize the soil? • Identify relatively flat areas. If a patio or small lawn is needed could these areas be used? Otherwise, can you create a vegetated area designed to slow water and allow infiltration, perhaps a rain garden? • Do pathways and trails meander across the slopes (following contours and ridges) versus going straight down hill? Are steep pathways terraced to reduce the slope? • Consider which practices you could use to slow down runoff on your site: - rain gardens/catch-basins 39 - strategically placed boulders or curbing to help channel runoff to vegetated areas - berming, terracing (but beware of soil compaction caused by the heavy equipment used to construct them) - mulching, leaving a thick layer of natural litter or adding a layer of organic mulch (straw, chopped leaves, shredded bark, etc.) • How large is the area cleared for water access? Can it be made smaller in favor of more vegetation? Can plants be chosen to enhance and frame views versus blocking views over time? Do any pockets of vegetation break up the flow of water heading toward the shore? When designing your landscape, take cues and clues from the surrounding plant communities and natural features • What native vegetation currently exists? • If the site’s vegetation is dominated by invasive species or cleared of vegetation, what plants may have been present in the early history of the site? Look to undisturbed pockets or undeveloped neighboring areas for evidence of native plant communities. • What plants native to New Hampshire could you plant on the site? Think about groundcovers, flowers, vines, shrubs, and trees. • How are plants arranged on your site? Do they grow in groups or clusters? (Nature doesn’t plant in rows.) • What wildlife would you like to attract to your landscape? • Are there naturally wet areas that could be preserved as bogs, vernal pools and/or rain gardens? 40 Creating your base plan: putting it on paper With the ten design principles in mind and your inventory complete, it’s time to begin the design process. You’ll need the following: • tax map • topographic map • soil survey for your area • building plans (if possible) • state-approved septic plan Figure 4-2 a. This steeply sloped lot was originally cleared for a panoramic view of the water, but now lacks privacy. The sloped turf areas are dangerous and time-consuming to mow and have limited recreational use. Without a plant canopy, seasonal interest is diminished and lacks connections for wildlife movement. The direct pathway to the shoreline involves many stairs to climb, and channels runoff water directly to the shore, carrying with it soil, nutrients, pesticides, petroleum products and other household substances. Portions of the exposed shoreline are lost to erosion each year. Figure 4-2 b. Landscape improvement begins by planting a vegetative buffer area to protect the shoreline and by allowing much of the lawn to revert to a meadow-like condition. Reducing the expanse of lawn means less maintenance and more time to enjoy the property. Native plantings restore wildlife habitat, color and seasonal interest. The terraced, stone patio replaces a deck, eliminating one long stairway. Impervious surface is reduced by shrinking the asphalt driveway. Eliminating some of the docks reduces maintenance while still allowing a very usable lakeshore. The Evolution of an Ecological Landscape Design 41 The Evolution of an Ecological Landscape Design • directional compass • 2-ft.by 3-ft. piece of paper or vellum (if purchasing, get two as you’ll need a second piece later on in the process) • drawing pencil and colored pencils or fine markers • ruler or engineer scale • trace paper • your inventory Figure 4-2 c. As aquatic and shoreline plants become established, the shore is protected against erosion. The larger lawn area is maintained for recreation, and the smaller one for relaxation. Meadows keep the view open while building diversity of habitat for wildlife. Native plantings connect the small fragmented woodlands, and pathways have been defined to create interesting strolls and maximize enjoyment of the property. The slopes are densely planted in layers to increase infiltration and protect soil from erosion. A meandering pathway follows the contour lines for a gentle approach to the water. Figure 4-2 d. The addition of more plants maximizes the protection of slopes from erosion, the amount of water that is intercepted and infiltrates into the soil, and the diversity and interest of the landscape. Cover, food and nesting sites are restored for wildlife, and a framed view of the lake creates privacy and easy access to the waterfront. 42 You don’t have to be a professional mapmaker or an artist to create your own plan. We will walk you through the process step by step. Use the scale one inch equals ten feet. Begin with a large sheet of paper and your tax map or building plans. The first steps to creating your base plan are to draw: • property lines • roads and driveways • compass points (transfer from your building plans or topographic map) • easements or setbacks Building footprints and utilities The next component of the base plan will include measuring and placing buildings, continuing to use the scale one inch equals ten feet. For this, you can use building plans or take your own measurements. Include the following additions to the base plan: Figure 4-3a. Base plan showing property lines, road and driveways, directional orientation, building footprint, other structures, physical features and soil information. 43 • the footprint (dimensions) of your building • size and placement of doors and windows, including heights of windows off the ground • floor plan of interior layout • locations of utilities, including electrical, water, gas, oil and septic. (Your septic plan, available from the state, will give you its exact location, depth and typical components, including septic tank, distribution box, leach field and location of your well.) • outbuildings and permanent structures (Once you’ve drawn the footprint of your home you may locate the outbuildings accurately by taking measurements from the corners of your home.) Physical features A topographic map can help you locate physical features, including: • Landforms such as sloped areas, ridges, flat areas, wetlands, vernal pools, shoreline and drainage swales. These features will help you begin to see how water moves across your property. In almost all cases you will see that water travels downhill toward the body of water. Also add any observations from Chapter 2’s “Following the flow.” • Water Bodies: seasonal streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, saltwater bodies • Soil Information (from your soil observations and tests, discussed in Chapter 1) - areas where soil should be protected - areas to be amended - areas to store soil during construction - areas of highly compacted soils - erosion problems - wet soils - sandy soils - areas of thin soils or exposed ledge - other • Existing plants - place existing plant materials on your map to the best of your ability. Include species, size, condition and location. Begin to reference areas of value or interest, such as a grouping of lady slippers, a snag with nesting holes or a specimen tree. Weather patterns and microclimate Now you’re ready to reference climate indicators on your base map. (See Figure 4-3b.) With big arrows, denote the following: 44 • winter and summer prevailing winds • angle of the sun throughout the day and in different seasons • screens, windbreaks, natural openings • shadiest to sunniest areas (you can use crosshatching to indicate shade) • microclimates, areas where the temperature, humidity and exposure vary from the dominant conditions enough to increase human comfort or the diversity of plantings. Views From the building’s interior, look out in all directions to help decide where to keep views open and where you need plants for screening. Elevation views from building plans may help with this task as they show first and second-story windows. With a light touch of a pencil indicate these views on the base plan. Later in the process you will refine, enhance and preserve views. With your inventory in hand Think of this stage as putting another layer of critical details on the base plan. Use a colored pencil to transcribe more findings from your inventory to the base plan: areas of erosion, lawn area needed for certain activities, buffers that can be increased, a neighbor’s garage you want to screen from view, etc. At this point the relationship between your inventory and the base plan should begin communicating with each other. Adding layers to your base plan Analyze your site: trace paper overlay #1 Now that you’ve completed your base plan, it’s time to add a layer of existing details. (See Figure 4-3c.) Place a sheet of trace paper over your base plan. Using a different-colored pencil, add in broad strokes, shading, circles, etc. to show critical uses, including: • circulation paths, the way you move through your site, including pathways to shoreline • parking and vehicular pathways • public views, areas seen by the public • front yard and backyard • service area(s), functional areas that serve needs such as storage, laundry, utility sheds, fuel delivery, etc. • access to water, such as outdoor spigots, hoses, wells and anywhere from which you draw water • flat, useable space • entertainment areas • sitting areas • quiet spaces • recreational area 45 • areas to be protected, including mature vegetation (undisturbed for 40 years or more), vernal pools, root zones of existing large trees, etc. • vegetable and flower gardens • compost bins • other Figure 4-3b. Continuation of the base plans showing existing plants, utilities, indications of wildlife, weather patterns, microclimates and views. The interior layout, or floor plan, is necessary to determine indoor and outdoor relationships of function and space. Inventory details are added. 46 Add your list of needs and desires Needs and desires depict the property owners current and intended uses of space, personal likes and critical needs, as well as wish list items. Create a list on a separate paper of things such as: • pet areas • storage and temporary parking for small boats, rafts, water toys, etc. • firewood storage • clothesline • various play areas (swings and slides, basketball backboard, badminton or volleyball field) • swimming areas • patios, and outdoor cooking area • relaxation areas such as gazebo, screen house, or deck • food gardens • flower gardens • compost bins • windbreaks, natural openings • habitat features to attract wildlife • docks and/or boat access and storage • views to be screened (for example a neighbor’s garage, a dumpster, etc.) • buffers to be increased • others With your list in hand, use a third colored pencil to locate areas for meeting your needs and desires on Overlay #1. (See Figure 4-3c.)This begins to fill in the details of how you will use your shoreland property and helps determine how indoor and outdoor functions relate to each other. For example, you might locate herb gardens and entertainment areas such as outdoor dining in close proximity to the kitchen, firewood storage close to the fireplace or woodstove, and quiet or natural areas close to the bedrooms. Next, you will need a second piece of trace paper to create a third layer. Create a functional bubble diagram: trace paper overlay #2 Take some time to take in all the information on the base plan and Overlay #1. Begin to think about grouping similar functions into units of space. For example, a vegetable garden, compost bins, access to a hose and a tool shed go together. Another grouping combines the driveway, walkway to the door, and the mud room. Each group of functions can be mapped on to the second layer of trace informal circles and shapes (bubbles). Consider the following: • front lawn/public view • screens • parking • private/quiet areas 47 • outdoor work area • entertainment/terrace/patio areas • outdoor storage area • kennel/pets/animals • play lawn/recreational space Functional bubble diagrams bring attention to the interrelationships between indoor and outdoor spaces and uses. Your entire property is a valuable living space and an extension of your home’s interior layout. Bridge together as many indoor-outdoor links as possible. In adding this layer of information you may discover valuable spaces you never before considered, such as a small pocket of unused space outside of your bedroom that could be used for a quiet sitting area. It also helps you to see functions that won’t work together. For example, as you look through the bubble diagram at the different layers, you might notice that the area outside of your kitchen where you hoped to locate a patio for cooking has underground utilities. Instead, you decide to move the patio to the area outside your dining room where there is no conflict; in the space outside the kitchen you could put in an herb garden with perennials and annuals whose shallow roots won’t interfere with the utilities. Figure 4-3c. Site analysis is a thorough gathering of information depicting current functions, uses of space and the relationships between them. Capabilities, limitations and interactng elements are recorded. 48 The final step: your conceptual plan Your conceptual plan becomes your final design. After spending time contemplating the three layers of information you have completed, transfer onto paper or vellum all the features you want to carry over onto your final design. (See Figure 4-3e.) Determine outdoor spaces you want to develop. You may want to think of them as “outdoor rooms.” Begin to place “rooms” and carve out open spaces for recreation, quiet spaces, patios, paths, utilities or other uses. Look at the interrelationships between and among all the rooms, both indoor and out. For shoreland properties it’s best to keep areas outside the “rooms” heavily vegetated. Trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses, along with built structures, can help form the “walls” to your rooms. Locate these walls or vegetated areas on your concept plan (fourth layer). Although you don’t need to designate specific plants yet, you will want to record the amount of space available for them. Figure 4-3d. In helping the design to flow, functional bubble diagrams map out indoor functions, outdoor activities and circulation patterns based on the capabilities and limitations of the site analysis. 49 You may want to try to imagine how your property looked before it was developed. Look for undisturbed patches of vegetation to help you visualize what your land might have been like and incorporate these into your outdoor walls or rooms. Existing vegetation will also provide clues later to help you determine which plants will grow well with minimum care on your site. Visual design tips • Curves replicate nature better than straight lines. Curved lines make spaces seem larger or more distant. Straight lines suggest more formality. • A small space looks more confined when its edges are obvious. Use vines or shrubs to soften the straight lines of a fence. • Sun exposure: - Full sun means more than six hours of direct sun each day - Partial sun means less than six hours of direct sun, or long periods of filtered light (dappled shade) - Shade means little or no direct sunlight and/or less than six hours of filtered light each day. • People generally like to gather in areas that provide a feeling of security, such as having a structure behind them, rather than being out in an open area with nothing around them. • Plants generally look more natural when planted in clumps of three, five or seven. Stagger centers and avoid planting in straight lines. • Cool colors (green, blue, violet) retreat visually, giving the impression of greater space. Warm colors (orange, red, yellow) seem to surge forward, making the space look smaller. When planting warm and cool colors together, use four times more cool color to balance the warm. • Views need not just be wide-open expanses overlooking large lawn areas. You can create views by framing them with vegetation, which attracts the eye and adds depth to the view. “Windows” through vegetated areas, made by selective thinning of trees or pruning of branches, provide a filtered view of the water or a land form, without decreasing privacy. • You can also frame a view to draw attention away from less attractive landscape components. Placing plants to create a framing effect can lead the eye to an attractive spot such as a single tree. Plant systems and plant selection Once you’ve formed the rooms, it’s time to select groups of plants appropriate for the site and functions designated. Plant systems, as we define them here, mean using combinations of plants that typically grow in layers and that mimic naturally occurring landscapes. Why design in plant systems rather than simply installing a few of your favorite plants here and there? Because many-layered plantings: 50 • Invite biodiversity • Increase root mass and soil stabilization • Enhance soil quality • Conserve rainfall, reduce runoff and protect water quality Figure 4-3e. The conceptual plan provides a visual overview of all the features, vegetation and actions planned to establish an ecological landscape that protects water quality, provides a diverse wildlife habitat, and is pleasing and functional for human use. Proposed garage Permeablesurface Vegetable garden and covered compost bins Existing woodlandwith understorylayers added Invasivesremoved Screen Wildlife habitat & woodland Shoreline plantings New trees and woodlands planted to frame water view Newleachfield Existingvegetation andsoil protected Stone terrace replaces steep slope protected well Wildlife habitat and woodland InvasivesremovedScreen Lowland transition buffer planting Shoreline plantings Reducedasphaltdriveway Lowland transition buffer planting Remove extra docks Meadow Meadow Road Dense plantings to catch road runoff, reduce noise, and screen Limited lawn area Reduced beach area Pathways relocated to respect slopes Meadow Small stepping stones to reduce compaction 51 • Recycle organic matter and nutrients • Enhance wildlife habitat • Resist pollution, pests and drought • Create a sense of place These biological benefits are reflected in the 10 landscape design principles. People also benefit from layered plant systems, which: • Provide shade in summer and windbreaks in winter • Can help channel snow away from walks and driveways • Reflect the character of the surrounding area • Offer year-round interest (through plant structure, fruit, bark and flowers) and sequential bloom throughout the growing season • Minimize maintenance costs and labor • Still allow you to include your favorite plants in the mix When designing plant systems for a new landscape, you’ll need to select and arrange plants depending on the shape of the area that you are working with. For instance, if you are planting alongside a shoreline or a structure such as a wall, arrange the plants in a more linear fashion, with the taller plants in the background. In a large, open area you’d put the tallest plants in the middle. In another example, you may want to open up a view to the water from certain rooms in the house. To achieve this you might choose a mixture of plant species that stay under three feet tall, while other areas will need more vertical layers of plants that include understory and overstory trees. There are many wonderful plants suitable to any region in New Hampshire. Use the plant lists in Appendix C as a reference to help you select appropriate plants for low-maintenance shoreland landscapes. It groups plants by mature size and provides additional information on plant characteristics, light and soil preferences, as well as identifying native plants and those with wildlife value. Figures 4-4 (a-d) illustrate how plants from different height categories can be combined together into attractive and functional plant systems. Use your imagination to think of additional ways that plant systems could enhance your existing landscape. For example, if you have a tree or shrub standing by itself in a lawn area, select a few ground covers, perennials or understory shrubs to complement the lone plant. 52 Black Spruce (3)Green Ash (1)Cranberrybush Viburnum(1)Sweet Azalea(2)Spicebush(2)Shadblow Serviceberry(1)Silky Dogwood(2)Figure 4-4 a-d: A view of the landscape from the water shows that plants are arranged in layers by height. Drawings b-d pull apart this overview into three layers to illustrate how plants can be selected and arranged in a pleasing and functional manner. Appendix C lists many alternative plant choices for each height category.Figure 4-4c. Large shrubs and small trees between ten and 25 feet at maturity.Figure 4-4d. A few large trees over 25 feet at maturity.Red Chokeberry (3)Bog Rosemary (10)InkBerry (2)Arrowwood Viburnum (3)Summersweet (1)Blue Flag Iris‘Ruby Spice’ Summersweet (4)Common Cattail‘Hummingbird’ Summersweet (3)‘Black Beauty’ Elderberry (1)Common Winterberry (4)Figure 4-4b. Groundcovers and shrubs under ten feet mature height.Figure 4-4a. 53 Start by choosing a small area to work on, then measure and calculate the approximate square footage of the area. Make sure you understand the existing site conditions and plant characteristics to find the right plant material for the site. Select appropriate plants to develop each layer of vegetation, including dominant canopy trees, understory trees and shrubs, herbaceous plants and groundcovers. Consider the mature size of each plant to calculate how many plants will fit into the area. For example, if you want to plant three winterberry hollies whose mature size is eight to ten feet wide, you will want to give the plants enough room to grow by planting them approximately nine feet apart. At their mature size, their branch tips will just touch each other. Begin by planting the largest plants first, trees, then large and medium shrubs, and so on. After you’ve installed the large plants, add structural elements such as boulders, stairways, patios, and fences. Complete the plant system by adding groundcovers, grasses and/or perennials that will hold the soil in place. Always provide two or three inches of mulch to cover and protect any exposed soil. As the groundcover fills in and natural leaf litter accumulates over time, you’ll eventually reach the point where you won’t need to continue adding mulch. Nature will most likely add another wonderful layer of mosses, lichens and ferns. Your starting point You can phase in your plan according to its complexity and your available budget. How you proceed will depend on what you start with: bare or weedy ground, established turfgrass, or wooded areas. Starting with bare ground Eroded areas, beach areas, and newly cleared land may be bare when you start. In this case, the essential first step is to establish a vegetative cover immediately, which will stop soil erosion, reduce runoff, and start to allow the natural soil biology to re-establish itself. You can get a quick, temporary cover with annual ryegrass seeded at a rate of ten pounds per 1,000 square feet. It will hold the soil in place through the winter, then die off the following spring. At that time you should be prepared to plant permanent vegetation. CHAPTER 5 Planting and Maintaining the Shoreland Landscape 54 You can try seeding some wildflowers or a meadow mix along with annual ryegrass or oats as a “nurse crop” to keep a cover on the soil while the wildflowers slowly germinate and fill in. Establishing a wildflower garden is very challenging and good site preparation is one key to success. Fall is the best time to seed wildflowers, since many of them need a cold period before they can germinate. Many perennial wildflowers planted from seed will not come into bloom until the third season. Unfortuunately, weed often prove much more vigorous than the wildflowers and will overgrow them unless you are very diligent. Meadows and wildflowers do require annual maintenance such as mowing in early spring. Planting live perennials from plugs, pots or as bare-root plants is usually an easier, more successful way to create a meadow look or simply add some color to the landscape, but it can be expensive to cover large areas. You can also create color points with selected ornamental grasses, shrubs, and trees. There will be large gaps at first, which need to be covered with a layer of mulch until the plant cover grows together. Starting with turf or weedy ground One way to establish a more diverse vegetative buffer in grassy areas is to simply stop mowing the grass and allow vegetation to come in naturally. This takes some time but costs nothing. Herbaceous plants will fill in quickly, followed by woody shrubs and seedling trees. Learn to identify the plants that spring up and selectively remove the invasive and undesirable species or plants coming up in undesirable spots. If you want to maintain a grassy meadow look rather than allow a gradual transition to woods, mow the area occasionally to cut back woody plants. Sometimes it is desirable to suppress established weeds and/or grass to make way for improvements. You can usually accomplish this by mowing and mulching. First, mow the area as close as possible, then cover it with an opaque material such as black plastic, commercial landscape fabric, thick cardboard, or thick layers of newspaper. Wood chips or other organic mulches aren’t as effective at killing existing plants, but covering the opaque layer with a layer of shredded bark or wood chips can make it more attractive. You can spread compost on top of level cardboard or newspaper so it will enrich the soil as the paper degrades. Leave the mulch layer in place all summer to get good weed control. September is a good time to remove the mulch and plant. Some property owners don’t have the patience to wait while a meadow grows in or to spend an entire season waiting for weeds to die. If that describes you, remove sod with a sod cutter, then prepare and plant the bare area. Killing existing turf and/or weeds with a nonselective, post-emergent herbicide is another possible strategy. If you’re considering this method, consult with a licensed commercial pesticide applicator or your county Extension educator for advice and be sure to comply with all state regulations pertaining to setbacks from surface water (Appendix A). Starting with woodland Existing natural or naturalized areas are extremely important in sustainable landscapes and should be preserved and protected. Near the water they serve as buffers, protecting the water body from accumulating silt, nutrients and other undesirable substances carried by erosion and runoff. 55 Wooded areas also provide privacy and reduce the noise from neighboring properties, roads and other access points. If your property already contains natural areas, keep them intact and consider expanding them if space allows. They should not be fertilized, sprayed, mowed, raked or disturbed, other than to remove weedy or invasive plants. The forest floor is a functional ecosystem with a balance of soil organisms, litter-dwelling insects, and groundcovers containing many delightful native plants that are easily destroyed by disturbance, so provide a few pathways for access and leave the rest untouched. It’s okay to “edit” the existing vegetation by selectively removing trees, shrubs or branches to open up desired views and/or access to the water. Selective thinning protects soil and water quality better than patch cutting. The Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act restricts the amount of vegetation that can be removed from shoreland property (Appendix A). Evaluate existing plants, deciding what to keep and what to remove, prune, or replace. You may remove dead trees and large branches selectively to improve aesthetics or to minimize fire danger, although snags left standing provide excellent wildlife habitat. Make sure to photo-document removals of dead or dying trees so you’ll have a record of compliance with state regulations. Use trees to frame views by cutting windows within the foliage or thinning to provide a filtered view of the water body, while still protecting privacy. Proceed thoughtfully over several seasons, reconsidering as the view changes from summer to winter. It’s easy to cut down a tree or branch, but impossible to put it back up! You can augment the buffer with new plants you want in the mix, but remember that the root systems of existing trees are spreading and shallow, with most located in the top several inches of soil. Rather than disturbing larger areas, do spot-planting whenever possible. Avoid breaking or cutting numerous roots from existing trees. Don’t remove old mulch, because many fine feeder roots are growing in the mulch layer. Allow the leaf litter and mulch layer to collect and break down naturally. Soil and site preparation The nutrient and lime recommendations that come with the results of your soil test are meant for more highly maintained upland areas away from water bodies. On shorefront properties, fertilizing is prohibited within 25 feet of the reference line and is restricted to the use of slow- release nitrogen and low- or no-phosphorus fertilizers beyond this while within the waterfront buffer zone (Appendix A). If adding new plants to the vegetative buffer, you should select plants that are native or adapted to exist on low nutrient levels and moist to wet soils. Lime is allowed if needed, based on the soil test and the needs of the plants you choose. Lime is most effective if mixed into the top several inches of soil, so incorporate recommended amounts when preparing the site, or add it to the backfill soil when planting individual shrubs or trees. Beyond the waterfront buffer zone, consider planting groups (or systems) of plants rather than individual plants. If the soil requires amendment, it is most efficient to prepare a plant bed where you can till in lime, an inch or two of compost, and recommended fertilizers to provide a slow- release source of nutrients. Work the amendments in to a depth of six to eight inches if possible, unless doing so rips up numerous roots from trees in the surrounding area. Adding too much compost can overload your soil with phosphorus, which, if transported into lakes and streams via runoff and erosion, contributes to water quality degradation. Use common 56 sense and avoid applying compost or manure on a steep slope or within 25 feet of the water. Don’t apply more than two inches of compost, and mix it into the soil as soon as possible to stabilize it. If planting individual trees or shrubs, follow the same restrictions as above, but outside the 25 foot zone you may apply recommended nutrients such as low-phosphorus and potassium fertilizers by mixing them thoroughly into the backfill soil. Don’t add organic amendments, such as peat moss or compost, to the backfill, because they won’t provide benefits during the short period the roots stay within the amended volume of soil. Planting and after-care Woody shrubs and trees are generally purchased in containers or as balled-and-burlapped nursery-grown plants. Perennials are readily available as container grown plants or may be mail-ordered as bare-root dormant plants. You can plant containerized plants any time the ground isn’t frozen. Bare-root plants must be planted while dormant in early spring, and balled-and-burlapped trees and shrubs are best planted early in the season or in the fall (September to early October). Evergreens such as rhododendrons and conifers should be planted early, because they are highly susceptible to winter “burn” or desiccation if roots haven’t grown out before the ground freezes, especially if they have full-sun and/or wind exposure. There are also some species of deciduous trees which have better survivability when planted in spring rather than fall: oaks, gingko, beech and birch, to name a few. Water is the single most important resource for successfully establishing new plants. Before you plant, make sure water is immediately available for the plants and for the rest of the growing season. Rake back any litter or mulch, saving it to reuse later as a mulch. Then, dig a planting hole two or three times as wide as the container or root ball, but no deeper (Figure 5-1). The bottom of the hole can be slightly narrower than the top, as most new roots will grow from the top half of the rootball and will benefit most from loosening the top several inches of soil. If you’ve tilled the entire planting bed, you can make the individual planting holes smaller. Figure 5-1. A properly-planted tree is set in a hole that is wide but no deeper than the rootball. Burlap, wire, ties and plastic are removed from the upper half of the rootball to allow unrestricted root growth. Staking is done only if necessary, and should allow the trunk to flex in the wind. The soil dam at the edge of the planting hole creates a saucer to keep water where it’s most needed. A wide layer of mulch, 2-3” deep is kept a few inches away from the trunk. Dig hole 2-3x rootball diameter Dripline Soil dam Wire and burlap removed from top half of root ball Undisturbed soil Mulch 2- 3" deep, keeping away from trunk Rootball diameter 57 If you purchased potted or container-grown plants: • Remove each plant from the container and inspect the roots. Plants should not be rootbound or have many circling roots, but chances are you’ll find some circling roots on the outer surface of the rootball. For woody plants (trees and shrubs) it is very important to correct root defects before planting. • If the circling roots are small in diameter, slice the rootball in three or four places from top to bottom with a sharp knife, slicing about an inch deep. Cut any larger circling roots with pruners, cutting back before they begin to bend. This will cause new roots to form from the cut surface and grow outwards into the new soil. • If there is a mat of roots at the bottom of the container, remove it. • Check to make sure the plant was not too deep in the container – you should be able to find the root flare (where the uppermost woody roots are attached to the trunk or stem) within an inch of the surface. If not, remove potting soil and any small roots that are above the root flare. • Rough up the surface of the rootball with your fingers and set the plant in the hole at the proper depth. Distribute the roots evenly around the plant, pulling loose roots outwards like spokes on a wheel. • Backfill with the soil you dug from the hole. Firm the soil around the roots and use water from a hose to help soil settle. • Do not put extra soil on top of the rootball. The finished soil level should be just above the root flare. Planting too deep, especially in poorly drained areas, is the cause of many plants’ demise. If you purchased balled-and-burlapped plants: • Set each plant in its hole, again making sure it’s not too deep. • Cut the straps or ties and pull back the burlap from the top of the rootball. • Probe with a screwdriver or other small object to find the uppermost roots, which should be within an inch of the surface. If there is more than an inch of soil on top of them, carefully remove it. • Raise the plant if necessary, adding soil underneath to get the correct final planting depth. If there is a wire basket or netting around the roots, cut it and remove it from the top half of the rootball so it won’t restrict the roots as they grow. • Remove as much of the burlap as possible, but more importantly, cut and remove all the rope, twine, straps or other ties wrapped across the top of the rootball and around the stem. Also remove any plastic that may have been used to package the rootball. This container-grown tree is not rootbound, but the largest circling roots should be cut or teased out when planting. Left uncorrected, circling roots may continue to grow in diameter and may girdle the trunk, causing decline and eventual death of the tree. 58 Pruning Don’t prune branches or portions of the plant top at planting time, unless you are simply removing broken or injured branches. The leaves serve as the source of energy for root establishment and growth, so leaving the shoots intact is very beneficial to the plant. A well- grown nursery plant should have good structure and need little pruning during the first few years. Train trees to have a central leader (one straight trunk). Refer to UNH Cooperative Extension fact sheets for more information on pruning evergreens, deciduous trees and shrubs (Appendix B). Watering Water slowly and deeply right after planting. For the first week after planting, water daily, then every other day for the next two weeks. After that, continue to water twice a week during the first growing season (until the ground freezes), gradually backing off to once a week in the fall. How much? An inch of water twice a week is a good guideline (a little more than half a gallon per square foot of soil surface under the dripline). For new trees, apply two to three gallons of water per inch of trunk diameter (measured at the base) each time you irrigate. Constructing a shallow, donut-shaped soil dam at the edge of the rootball allows the water to infiltrate where it can do the most good. Break down the ring in the fall so water won’t collect and freeze there during the winter. Other good irrigation aids include drip or micro-sprayer types of systems, soaker hoses, plastic tree rings or “gators,” heavy, perforated plastic containers you fill with water that drips out slowly over the rootball. You could even make your own “drip bucket” by drilling several small holes in the bottom of a five-gallon bucket and placing it over the root zone, moving it to the other side the next time you water. Trees have a long establishment period during which you won’t notice much growth. The tree needs to use its resources to grow roots out into the surrounding soil before it will put on shoot growth. Expect small trees and shrubs to take one year to establish roots. Larger trees need a year for each inch of trunk diameter when planted. For example, a three-inch-diameter tree needs three years to grow a normal root system. For this reason, it isn’t always best to buy the largest tree or shrub you can afford. This tree was planted at least six inches too deep and the straps had not been removed from the rootball. Branches at the top were dying back as a result. 59 Branch tips dying or leaves discoloring or dropping out of season are symptoms that the roots aren’t functioning well. Stress from extreme heat, cold, drought or flooding can impair the plant. During the entire establishment period, the only thing that will ensure survival is water—at least an inch a week. Don’t depend on lawn irrigation systems to provide adequate water for newly planted trees. Once established, trees and shrubs should be able to go two weeks without rain or irrigation. Most plants won’t tolerate poorly drained soils. If water stands for more than a few hours after rain or irrigation, avoid planting in that area, or choose a tolerant species such as willow or winterberry holly. Mulching Spread two to three inches of mulch over the root zone of a newly planted tree or shrub, but keep it a few inches away from the stem or trunk. Use only an inch or two of mulch on perennial beds. Because wood chips may float or be washed downslope, mulch sloping areas with shredded pine bark or other material that won’t move as easily. Mulching too deeply is a common mistake that may actually inhibit water penetration into the soil, encourage diseases and some insects, and interfere with air exchange in the soil. Mulch piled up against the stem or trunk keeps it too wet, encouraging certain insects and diseases and providing a haven for rodents who may chew the bark, especially during the winter. Staking a new tree is necessary only if you have a windy site and the tree is top-heavy. If you do stake a tree, be sure to remove the stakes and fasteners the following year. Leaving wire, plastic or other non-degradable ties around the trunk or branches will constrict and damage the wood as it grows, resulting in a stunted and disfigured tree. Fertilizing Generally, woody landscape plants need no nitrogen fertilizer during the first growing season, unlike vegetables and annual flowers, which depend on nitrogen for vigorous growth. Lime, phosphorus, and potassium—only if needed, based on a soil test—are best applied during site preparation and planting, as discussed above. Minimize all subsequent use of fertilizers on Instead of seeding grass between the new shrubs and trees, plant with a low groundcover and mulch the entire area until the bare soil is covered with vegetation. This tree on a commercial site has been properly planted and staked with flexible ties. The next step is to add mulch 2-3 inches deep over the entire bed, but keeping it away from the trunk. 60 waterfront properties, taking into consideration the soil, slope, site sensitivity, plant requirements, maintenance level, and of course, the restrictions in the Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (Appendix A). Use fertilizer conservatively on any property near a water body, basing the amounts on soil test recommendations and following best management practices to prevent spills, leaching and runoff. Fertilizers containing slow-release forms of nitrogen are less likely to result in peaks of nitrogen that are subject to leaching. One or two pounds of slow-release nitrogen per 1,000 square feet in a plant bed is generally sufficient for plant growth. The fertilizer should contain little or no phosphorus, unless specifically recommended after soil analysis. If the soil is already high in phosphorus, none will be recommended and you should look specifically for a no-phosphorus fertilizer. Whether you choose to use synthetic fertilizers or organic products is entirely up to you. Natural organics are materials that decompose slowly, releasing nutrients over a long period of time; however, the nutrients they contain aren’t always in the recommended ratio, so it is still possible to over-apply some nutrients. Heavy dependence on manures and compost to meet the nitrogen requirement will often result in overapplication of phosphorus. When using any fertilizer, even organic and slow-release products, pay particular attention to the amount of phosphorus in the product and avoid over-application. Further information on fertilizers is available on the UNH Cooperative Extension website (Appendix B). Managing weeds and other pests Once the ground is covered with plants and mulch, weeds should be a minor problem that you can deal with by hand pulling. Allow natural leaf litter to add to the mulch layer in plant beds and buffer areas. Some people prefer to collect the leaves in the fall, shred and compost them, and then reapply them as mulch the following season. Invasive plants and other particularly aggressive weeds may warrant special control measures, perhaps best provided by a licensed professional. Diseases and insects should also be minor problems if you’ve done a good job selecting and planting plants adapted to the site and resistant to pests. However, new insects and diseases may emerge to cause unanticipated threats. For example, recent outbreaks of hemlock woolly adelgid continue to threaten eastern hemlocks, and the arrival of lily leaf beetle in the state has killed many a garden lily. Use an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. Inspect plants regularly, focusing on high- value or highly visible plants. Try to identify plant pests early before they do significant damage. Whenever possible, try to give natural parasites and predators a chance to suppress them. It may require some research on the pest to determine when further control might be justified, and what control strategy, cultural, mechanical, or chemical, will work best. Can you remove the plant damage and/or pest organism by hand, by pruning, or with a jet of water? Look for cultural solutions to problems, such as adjusting irrigation schedules to minimize leaf wetness, thereby reducing leaf diseases. High-nitrogen fertilization can increase susceptibility to many insect pests, such as aphids. Only use a pesticide if the organism reaches unacceptable levels and can’t be controlled by other means—and even then, use pesticides only outside the 25-foot shoreland protection zone. Select the least toxic and most environmentally safe pesticide available for the purpose. If a plant continuously has problems, perhaps replacing it with a less problematic plant is the best strategy. 61 Most property owners appreciate a well-designed landscape that includes areas of green, open space to picnic, gather and play. Like all plant communities, lawns offer a number of environmental benefits: • They help purify water entering underground aquifers by acting as a filter to capture and break down many types of pollutants and nutrients. • With up to 90 percent of the weight of a grass plant in its roots, a healthy lawn efficiently prevents soil erosion and also helps remove soil particles from runoff water, absorbing 15 times more runoff than bare ground. • Turfgrasses absorb carbon dioxide (one of the primary gases associated with global warming) and release oxygen. A 50-foot by 50-foot lawn releases enough oxygen to meet the needs of a family of four. • An average-size lawn (10,000 square feet) has twice the cooling effect of the average-sized central air conditioning unit. • Lawns absorb and reduce noise. Designing and maintaining a lawn on a shoreland site entails some special considerations to help protect the quality of the water. The key is to use proper cultural practices so your lawn will sustain itself with a minimum amount of inputs such as fertilizers, water and pest management products. CHAPTER 6 Environmentally-Friendly Lawn Care Low maintenance construction and landscaping is preferred to a no maintenance approach such as this. The fibrous root system of turfgrass absorbs nutrients and pesticides and helps reduce soil erosion. 62 Selecting grass varieties Grasses vary in the climate they prefer, the amount of water and nutrients they need, their resistance to pests, their tolerance for shade, and the degree of wear they can withstand. Choose types of grass well adapted to your site and your needs. The correct selection of grass species and subsequent proper maintenance will improve your chances of growing a dense, healthy lawn. What do we mean by a “high quality” lawn? Generally, it is a fine-textured dark green monoculture of grass. To achieve this “green carpet” requires the correct grass choice and high maintenance levels – water, fertilizer, mowing and other cultural practices. Most people are satisfied with less perfect lawns in return for more moderate maintenance requirements – less mowing, less inputs. On shoreland properties, high quality, high maintenance lawns should be limited to small areas separated from the water by a vegetative buffer. Listed in Table 6-1 are suggestions for grass mixtures (including partial listing of varieties) recommended for use in our area. The mixtures combine the four common grass types listed here, and some contain white clover. White clover is a broadleaf legume that adds diversity and will help provide nitrogen to the grasses; it should not be used where broadleaf herbicides will be used on the lawn. Tall fescue: With very good tolerance to wear, drought, heat and water, this grass is adapted to a range of uses in various general purpose areas. Tall fescue has moderate shade tolerance and a bunch-type growth habit. It survives on low-maintenance sites. (Varieties; Silverstar, Jaguar 3, Turbo, Apache, Forte) Fine-leaf fescue: Grows well in shade or sandy soils. It has a very fine leaf blade and is a frequent component in lawn mixtures for sunny and shaded sites. Since the fescues (both fine-leaf and tall) are considered low-maintenance species, their use is especially encouraged near the waterfront. (Varieties; Berkshire, Musica, Oxford, Ambassador, Longfellow II) Perennial ryegrass: Forms a dense, medium-textured turf with moderate shade tolerance, rapid establishment, bunch-type growth habit. It is used in overseeding (seeding on top of an existing lawn) and in high traffic areas. (Varieties: Mach 1, Brightstar SLT, Pizzazz, Citation Fore, SR 4420). Kentucky bluegrass: Provides a high-quality lawn with moderate-to-high maintenance. It is slow to germinate in cool soils and requires at least four hours of full sun per day. It is often included with other grass species to produce a multipurpose lawn. The varieties listed are those which perform well under lower maintenance levels. (Varieties: Moonlight, Midnight II, Bluemax, Perfection, Quantum Leap, Tsunami). Caring for your shorefront lawn Fertilizing To maximize a lawn’s environmental benefits, it’s important to maintain soil fertility and turf health so the grasses will produce a dense mat of roots. Start by getting your soil tested to determine its nutrient status and pH value. Keep in mind that a soil test doesn’t indicate the amount of nitrogen present. Fertilizer recommendations for nitrogen are based on previous field studies and experience under local conditions. 63 Few New Hampshire soils contain enough natural nitrogen and other essential nutrients to maintain high turfgrass quality and recuperative ability throughout the growing season. Nitrogen is the nutrient most needed by turfgrasses, but the nitrate form of nitrogen is mobile in soils and can leach into groundwater, as discussed in Chapter 1. Here are a few suggestions to help prevent or reduce nitrate leaching from lawn areas: Reduce quantity of nitrogen fertilizers. Nature supplies some nitrogen via rain, snow, lightning, and the decomposition of thatch and clippings. Dutch White Clover is a legume capable of using nitrogen from the atmosphere and can provide a source of nitrogen in a lawn. For low- maintenance lawns (those receiving infrequent mowing, and little or no additional water or fertilization), these nitrogen sources alone might suffice. However high-maintenance lawns (receiving three fertilizations per year, irrigated as needed to maintain a green turf, mowed twice per week, and given additional attention) need about three pounds of added nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per year. Use slow-release nitrogen sources. There are a number of slow-release nitrogen fertilizers on the market from either natural or manufactured (synthetic) sources. Nitrogen from natural organic sources, such as composts, manures and leguminous cover crops, is converted to the nitrate form at a slower, more gradual rate than nitrogen from inorganic fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate. Synthetic organics (Nitroform, Nutralene, etc.) also Table 6-1: Suggested Grass Seed Mixes for New Hampshire Lawns Use Species Mix Seeding Rate (% by weight) (Lbs/1,000 sq/ft) Sun: Low to moderate 80% Tall Fescue 6-8 lbs maintenance 20% Kentucky bluegrass 1-2 or 50% Fine leaf fescue 20% Perennial ryegrass 4-5 20% Kentucky bluegrass 10% Dutch White Clover Sun: Moderate to high 75% Kentucky bluegrass maintenance 25% Perennial ryegrass or 3-4 Sod (90% Kentucky bluegrass, 10%Fine leaf fescue) Sun/shade: Moderate 80% Tall Fescue 6-8 maintenance 20% Kentucky bluegrass 1-2 or 33% Kentucky bluegrass 33% Perennial ryegrass 3-4 33% Fine leaf fescue Shade: 60% Fine leaf fescue (Less than 4 hours 30% Perennial ryegrass 3-4 full sun/day) 10% Dutch White Clover 64 offer a slower, more gradual release of nitrogen, similar to that of natural organic fertilizers. On the back of a fertilizer bag, slow-release nitrogen is listed as “water insoluble nitrogen.” We recommend that at least 50 percent of the nitrogen be water insoluble to protect against surges of nitrate leaching. Reduce application rates. Most fertilizer applications typically deliver one pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. An alternative to using slow-release sources that also lessens the potential for nitrate leaching involves applying between 0.25 and 0.5 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet at any one time. By applying these lower amounts more frequently, smaller amounts are available at any one time to be carried off by rain or irrigation water. This is an alternative to using slow-release sources. Don’t apply fertilizer to frozen ground or whenever the lawn isn’t actively growing. The fall fertilizer application should be made by mid-September. Calibrate spreaders. Most fertilizer bags tell you how to set your spreader to deliver the recommended amount of nutrients. If you want to double-check your spreader calibration, refer to the fact sheet “Does Your Lawn Measure Up?” (Appendix B). Fill granular fertilizer spreaders on a level hard surface, away from the water, where you can easily sweep up any spills. Return grass clippings. Don’t mow or rake clippings into street gutters or onto sidewalks and driveways where they may be carried in runoff to surface water areas. And never use stream beds or banks or surface waters as places to dispose of clippings and leaves! Leave the clippings on the lawn to decompose and recycle nutrients by using a mulching mower or a regular mower without the bag attachment. If you prefer to remove the clippings from the lawn, compost them for later use as mulch in the garden or landscape. Irrigate lightly (1/4 inch of water) when necessary to avoid water movement beyond the root zone. Deeper watering is usually recommended for most turf areas, but this lighter rate reduces the likelihood of nutrient or pesticide leaching, while still helping to promote a healthy root system. Space fertilizer applications at least 21 days apart to avoid overloading the system with excess nutrients. Never wash off fertilizer spreaders on hard surfaces such as driveways or sidewalks where the wash water may carry residues into storm sewers or nearby water. Clean the spreaders over turf. As mentioned earlier, nitrogen isn’t the only nutrient of concern in shoreline landscaping. To protect water quality, don’t add phosphorus-containing fertilizers unless a soil test indicates a phosphorus deficiency. Low- or no-phosphorus fertilizers are becoming more readily available; ask your fertilizer dealer or landscape company to use them! Mowing Most home lawns should be mowed at a height of 2 1⁄2 -3 inches every five to seven days during the growing season. In midsummer, a mowing height of three inches helps prevent drought injury. To avoid “scalping” the lawn, don’t remove more than a third of the leaf blade at one time. 65 Leave your grass clippings on the lawn to decompose and recycle nutrients and water back to the turf area. The clippings help feed soil microbes, important for maintaining a healthy soil. Irrigating Most lawns require an inch of water per week during the summer to remain green and healthy. Use a rain gauge or place a coffee can on the site being irrigated to monitor the amount of rain and irrigation water the lawn receives each week. When irrigating, use light (1/4-inch) application rates to help reduce the threat of nitrate leaching through the root zone. Sloped areas may require more frequent, but smaller, amounts of water per application as they are more vulnerable to runoff. The most efficient time to water is early morning. While evening irrigations are often more convenient for homeowners, they increase the potential for disease infection. Mid-day waterings don’t injure the grass, but they lose more water to evaporation. A professionally designed irrigation system, if operated efficiently, can save water by ensuring uniform application rates. Have maintenance performed on the irrigation system each year to fix broken heads, leaks, etc. If your system is on a timer, install a rain shut-off device to prevent it from running when not needed. Lawns go semi-dormant and turn brown during hot, dry periods of summer if they aren’t irrigated, though they generally make a full recovery once temperatures cool and the turf receives irrigation or rainfall. Dethatching and aerifying As part of the natural growth cycle, turfgrasses annually produce new roots that gradually die and are decomposed by soil bacteria to form a layer of organic matter known as thatch. Moderate thatch layers up to half an inch thick are beneficial for improving lawn quality and also serve as an effective filter for absorbing certain pesticides and nutrients. It is a common misperception that leaving clippings on the lawn contributes to excess thatch; however, that is not the case. Clippings decompose very quickly and, unless excessive, are not a problem. Thick thatch layers may build up over time on heavily fertilized and watered lawns. Excess thatch promotes shallow rooting, which makes turf more susceptible to drought and pest problems. When thatch levels exceed an inch, power rakes (dethatchers or vertical thinning machines) are effective in removing excess organic matter. Early spring or fall mechanical thinning permits turf to recover faster than summer thinning. Soils high in clay are especially vulnerable to compaction. Compaction reduces turfgrass vigor, resulting in impaired growth and increased pest pressure, as well as increasing the likelihood of nutrient and pesticide runoff. You can loosen compacted soils with aerifiers (machines that poke holes approximately three inches deep in the soil). Aerification can be done successfully anytime during the growing season, but spring aerification promotes infestation of crabgrass and other weeds germinating during that period and taking advantage of the open spots created by aerifying. 66 Seeding and sodding Whether you’re seeding a new lawn or installing sod, follow this sequence of soil preparation steps: 1. Till the soil deeply (six inches). 2. Add necessary amendments and fertilizers. 3. Grade and level for a smooth surface. 4. Remove all debris. 5. Lightly pack and moisten. Once the soil has been tilled, do the remaining preparation and seed the ground as quickly as possible. The soil is vulnerable to erosion at this point, especially on slopes or if heavy rains occur. After seeding, especially if your lawn is on a slope, apply an organic mulch (straw, paper, etc.) to the surface to reduce erosion and runoff. Apply mulch to bare ground before or if a late fall seeding hasn’t fully established itself. To hasten germination and allow time for a fibrous root system to develop, seeding should be done between August 15 and September 10. The warm soil temperatures, abundant moisture, and lack of weed competition at this time create ideal conditions for turf establishment. One advantage of sod, besides the immediate beauty of a mature lawn, is its ability to accept heavy rain without erosion and reduce the threat of runoff into lakes and streams. In addition, sod can successfully be installed from early spring to late fall, even on frozen ground. Turf Pest Management Weed control Effective weed management involves the use of recommended cultural practices, producing a dense and healthy turf that can out-compete weeds. Most weeds are opportunistic and will invade and eventually dominate areas of thin or unhealthy turf. Mechanical removal of weeds (hand-weeding) is effective in certain situations, such as on small turf areas or where weed invasion is light. Research continues to explore alternative strategies to replace conventional herbicides. Examples include the use of herbaceous groundcovers as alternatives to grass, certain cultivars of fine and course fescues, corn-gluten-meal-based products, clove oil derivatives and mixtures of acetic acid and lemon juice. Generally these alternative products (and others not mentioned) either have not provided a satisfactory degree of weed control or have other limitations that restrict their use. Manufactured herbicides generally provide excellent weed control as long as you follow label directions. While research has shown that pollution of surface and ground water from turfgrass pesticides is uncommon, herbicides do vary in their longevity and leaching potential. Herbicides that are highly water-soluble, relatively persistent, and not readily absorbed by soil have the greatest potential for leaching. 67 Leaching is only one of many considerations in selecting a pesticide. Some pesticides with low leaching potential may be highly toxic to fish and other wildlife, necessitating extra precautions when using them on shoreland properties. The label should note these precautions. Always follow setbacks and other restrictions and when applying chemicals near water or wells (Appendix A). For a list of herbicides with low leaching potential, landscape professionals can call their local UNH Cooperative Extension office. Individual landowners should call the toll-free Info Line at Extension’s Family, Home & Garden Education Center: 1-877-398-4769. Preventing and controlling disease As with weed prevention, sound cultural practices serve as the foundation of disease management. Under a balanced, low-to-moderate maintenance program, most turfgrass diseases will be held in check. This balance may become disrupted by extreme weather conditions, or improper fertilization, watering or mowing practices, as well as disease-susceptible grass varieties. In addition, soil compaction, inadequate soil preparation, poor drainage and thatch buildup also weaken the turf and provide a greater opportunity for disease invasion. Research has shown that compost has the potential to reduce the severity and incidence of a wide variety of turfgrass diseases, particularly when applied either as a topdressing, a dormant turf cover or a root zone amendment. In studies conducted at Cornell University, amending sand- based root zones with either municipal biosolids compost, brewery sludge compost, or reed sedge peat was effective in suppressing pythium root-rot disease. One of the greatest obstacles to the widespread use of compost for turfgrass disease control has been its inconsistent performance from site to site, batch to batch, and year to year. Fungicides should never be a routine part of lawn and grounds care, but sometimes disease- conducive environmental conditions overcome even the best cultural practices. If a turf sample diagnosis reveals a serious disease and the plant health specialist recommends treating with a fungicide, make sure to use one with low leaching and runoff potentials. UNH Cooperative Extension operates a Plant Diagnostic Lab that can identify problems and recommend appropriate management strategies. (Appendix B). Dealing with lawn insects Environmentally-friendly insect control on lawns relies on the principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM involves using a variety of techniques, including cultural, biological, mechanical and chemical controls to reduce pests below damaging levels with the least impact to the environment. Quick establishment of turfgrass is critical on this recreational area along a river to prevent further soil erosion and runoff. 68 The first step in IPM is proper identification of the problem. Many arthropods (insects and spiders) found in and around turf aren’t serious lawn pests. Be sure to get the organism properly identified before you decide to treat. Before deciding to use a pesticide, ask yourself: Do I know what pest I am trying to control? Are there other cultural strategies I should try first? Are the environmental risks worth it? Damaged lawns can always be reseeded or converted to ground cover or other vegetation. If you do use a pesticide, make sure to follow all label directions and comply with all applicable federal and state laws. Choose the lowest-risk treatment whenever possible. Use extreme care when applying any pesticide near water. Don’t use pesticides on steep slopes. Don’t apply pesticides to saturated soils or when heavy rain is forecast. Observe a pesticide-free buffer that extends further than the legal minimum of 50 feet from the shoreline. Although New Hampshire has no required buffer around private drinking wells, the NH Department of Environmental Services recommends maintaining a pesticide-free zone 100 feet in all directions from shallow (dug) wells. Because pesticides change from year to year, if you do decide to use a chemical control, call your UNH Cooperative Extension county educator or Extension’s toll free Info Line at our Family, Home & Garden Education Center (1-877-398-4769) for the latest recommendations for controlling your problem insect. They can also help with pest identification. Three groups of insects have the potential to cause significant harm to lawns in New Hampshire. Each is described here, along with potential control measures and the appropriate times and ways to use them. Grubs Grubs are white, C-shaped larvae that live in the soil. Grubs feed on organic matter and grass roots and can completely destroy a lawn if they are numerous. The three most important species in New Hampshire are the Japanese beetle, Oriental beetle and the European chafer. The Asiatic garden beetle grub is of lesser importance, although it’s often found in home lawns. These grubs have a one-year lifespan. They overwinter as large grubs in the soil. In April and May they rise to the surface and begin feeding. The adults emerge in June or July to lay eggs, and a new generation of larvae emerges to feed until late fall, when they go deep in the soil to overwinter. European chafer adults are brown beetles about 5/8-inch long. They fly at night and don’t feed much, so they often go undetected by homeowners. The Japanese beetle adult flies by day. Well known for its voracious appetite, it feeds on more than 300 species of plants. The adult beetle is about 1/2-inch long and metallic green with copper-colored wings. The Oriental beetle is about four-tenths of an inch long, buff colored with black markings. It flies during the day and feeds little. The Asiatic garden beetle adult is brown, about the size and shape of a coffee bean. It flies and feeds at night and hides in the soil by day. Most home lawns can tolerate about five European chafer and ten Japanese beetle or Oriental beetle grubs per square foot before they do visible damage. However, skunks and crows may tear up turf to feed on grubs and do more damage than the grubs. Moles also feed on grubs, but trying to reduce mole damage by controlling grub populations may not work, since moles also feed on other soil organisms. They especially enjoy earthworms, so moles often appear in fertile soils with high earthworm populations. We don’t suggest trying to control earthworms, of course, since they are so beneficial to the soil. 69 The Asiatic garden beetle grub is usually less damaging to lawns than the European chafer, Japanese beetle, or Oriental beetle because it is smaller, feeds deeper, and often prefers weeds. The Asiatic garden beetle adult hides during the daylight hours and emerges at night. It can be a serious pest of flowers, other ornamentals and vegetables by feeding on the leaves. It can also be a nuisance by flying into lighted areas at night. • Cultural controls for grubs: Well-watered lawns can tolerate higher grub populations, as the lawn is less likely to show drought stress from fewer roots as a result of grub feeding. It’s best to increase mowing height to three inches or more. Taller grass has a more extensive root system and can tolerate more feeding than short grass. • Mechanical control: The Japanese beetle adult is attracted to an artificial sex lure in commercially available traps. Although these traps will catch many beetles, traps placed close to ornamental shrubs will increase adult feeding damage. If you do buy traps, place them away from valuable plants. Large captures of beetles in traps do nothing to reduce turf damage from grubs. There are no traps available for the European chafer, Oriental beetle or Asiatic garden beetle. Fortunately, European chafer and Oriental beetle adults do very little feeding. • Biopesticides and biological controls: Biopesticides (biological pesticides) are reduced- risk products based on biological or naturally derived chemicals. Biological controls are living organisms used to control pests. Milky disease (Bacillus popillae), sometimes called milky spore, is a bacterium that infects and sometimes kills Japanese Turf pulled back to expose grubs. European chafer grub. Life stages of the Japanese beetle, from left to right: egg, 3 larval stages, pupa, adult. European chafer adult. 70 beetle and European chafer grubs. However, based on UNH research, milky disease doesn’t work well in New Hampshire because our spring soils are so cold. The Oriental beetle grub is not controlled by milky disease. New strains of Bacillus thuringiensis are in development that were very effective against grubs in our trials. These B.t. strains should be in the marketplace soon. Presently, the most practical biological control for grubs is nematodes, small roundworms that are parasitic on many insect larvae. These are not the same nematodes that feed on plant roots. The nematodes swim through the soil searching for the grubs. Once inside of the grub, the nematode releases bacteria which kill the grub. The nematode feeds on the dying grub and reproduces. Unfortunately, the nematode species currently available don’t overwinter well in our climate and must be reapplied every year. Based on various university studies, grub control by nematodes varies widely, from 50 percent to 90 percent. A 70 percent level of control is usually adequate for most home lawns. Nematodes are also more costly than traditional chemicals. Nematodes are most effective if you follow these procedures: 1. Buy what you need and use them that season; nematodes are living organisms and don’t store well. Store them in a refrigerator, not in the freezer or in the garage. 2. Because nematodes are killed by sunlight and heat and dry up quickly, apply them in the morning or evening. Water them into the soil with at least 1⁄4-inch of water. 3. Keep soil moist so nematodes can swim to their prey. Water the lawn well at least once weekly for four weeks after application, but don’t saturate soils. 4. Ideally, apply them in August or September, when soil temperatures are warm but not hot. 5. Once the nematodes are mixed with water, apply them immediately to the lawn. Nematodes left in a spray tank too long will die from lack of oxygen. • Synthetic chemical control: Use a chemical grub control only if the lawn has a history of grub damage or when you have confirmed large numbers of grubs are present. Most home lawns have low grub populations. Make sure you have a problem before you apply a grub control. Timing is critical for grub control. Over-wintering grubs emerge to feed in April or May. These spring grubs are large and difficult to control, even with chemicals. June through mid-August is a better time to apply chemical grub controls, because the chemical will be in the soil while the summer generation of grubs are small and easily controlled. By September and October the grubs have grown large and may cause visible lawn damage. Visible damage is first noticed as patches of dying grass that can be easily pulled up due to a lack of roots. In September it’s more difficult to get good control. By late fall, grubs have grown too large for effective chemical control. There is good news. The new synthetic chemicals are less hazardous to the environment. For example, chlorantraniliprole, when used as a turf insecticide, states on the label “when used as directed does not present a hazard to humans or domestic animals.” Asiatic garden beetle adults. The larvae are grubs similar to other beetle larvae. 71 Chinch Bugs Chinch bugs are small, sucking insects that feed on fescues, ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass. Adults are about 1/16-inch long, black with white wings. Nymphs (immatures) are much smaller and appear red. There are two generations per year in New Hampshire. Adults overwinter at the edges of lawns and emerge in May to mate and lay eggs. The nymphs feed until they mature in July. A second generation of nymphs feeds from late July through September. The most turf damage occurs in late June and early July for the first generation and in August for the second generation. The nymphs do the most damage. At first the damage appears as small patches of yellow grass; eventually the entire lawn may die. Chinch bugs prefer dry, sunny areas. Chinch bug damage is different from grub damage. Grubs sever the roots and grass can be pulled up like a rug. • Cultural Controls: Avoid drought-stressed lawns. Chinch bugs prefer dry lawns. A well-irrigated lawn rarely has chinch bug damage and can withstand any feeding damage better than a drought-stressed lawn. Fertilize sensibly, as over-fertilization will encourage chinch bugs. Check for excessive thatch and control if needed. Thatch provides a hiding place for the young nymphs. Choose endophytic ryegrass and fescue varieties that are resistant to chinch bug. Endophytes are fungi that live within the leafy portion of the turf and make the plants less attractive to chinch bugs. You don’t need to seed the entire lawn to an endophytic variety. If half the seed mix has endophytes, the lawn will have some chinch bug resistance. Kentucky Bluegrass doesn’t contain endophytes but you can include it in the mix. • Biopesticides and biological controls: Several biopesticides will help control chinch bugs, but all these products are short-lived, so you may need to apply them more than once. The fungus Beauvaria bassiana has done reasonably well in a UNH trial, providing 70 percent chinch bug control, sufficient for most home lawns. This fungus requires moisture, so the applicator must: 1. Water the turf before application. 2. Apply the fungus diluted in water. 3. Water the turf after the application. 4. Not allow the turf to dry out for two weeks. Neem oil, an extract from the neem tree from India, contains azadirachtin, a natural chemical which acts as a repellent as well as an insecticide to control insects. 72 Pyrethrum is an extract from the chrysanthemum plant from Africa. Although it is a botanical insecticide, it is still slightly toxic and should be used with caution. Insecticidal soaps and soap/neem oil combinations are also available. Sod webworms Sod webworms are caterpillars that feed on grass foliage. The caterpillars are grey/black and may grow to an inch long. The first sign of damage is small brown spots scattered throughout the lawn. You may find the caterpillar hidden in a tunnel at the center of the dead area. Birds may tear up the lawn searching for the webworms. The adults are moths about 1⁄2-inch long, tan, and fly in an erratic pattern over the lawn. There are two periods when damage occurs. Over- wintering larvae will start causing damage in late June. The offspring of these larvae will again cause damage in August. • Cultural controls: Use resistant turf varieties which contain endophytes as described under chinch bugs. • Biopesticides and biological controls: Use nematodes, neem oil, or pyrethrum as previously described. The bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis variety kurstaki is also effective. Spinosad, a chemical derived from a soil microorganism and is one of the few chemicals approved for organic food production will provide excellent control. • Synthetic chemical control: Homeowners should call UNH Cooperative Extension’s toll-free Info Line at 1-877-398-4769 for up-to-date recommendations of pesticides that will control sod webworms. Developers or commercial landscapers should call their county UNH Cooperative Extension office and ask for the agricultural resources educator. Sod webworm adult, right, and larva (caterpillar) top. 73 NH Dept of Agriculture, Markets and Food agriculture.nh.gov Division of Pesticide Control agriculture.nh.gov/divisions/pesticide_control/ 603-271-3550 Pesticide Laws and Rules nh.gov/agric/rules/index.htm Summary of Setback Distances from Wells and Surface Waters (see page 76) Division of Plant Industry agriculture.nh.gov/divisions/plant_industry/ State Entomologist 603-271-2561 Invasive Species Committee agriculture.nh.gov/divisions/plant_industry/documents/Webpage_introduction.pdf NH Department of Environmental Services des.nh.gov/ 603-271-2975 Water Division des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/index.htm 603-271-3503 Wetlands Bureau des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wetlands/index.htm 603-271-2457 Shoreland Program des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wetlands/cspa/index.htm APPENDIX A State Regulator y Agencies and Selected Shoreland Rule Summaries 74 LIMITS WITHIN THE PROTECTED SHORELAND Prohibited Uses (RSA 483-B:9, II) · Establishment/expansion of salt storage yards, auto junk yards, solid waste & hazardous waste facilities. · Use low phosphate, slow release nitrogen fertilizer from 250 feet to 25 feet. Uses Requiring State Permits · Public water supply facilities (RSA 483-B:9, III) · Public water & sewage treatment facilities (RSA 483-B:9, IV) · Public utility lines (RSA 483-B:9, IV-b) · Existing solid waste facilities (RSA 483-B:9, IV-c) · All activities regulated by the DES Wetlands Bureau per RSA 482-A (RSA 483-B:9, II(c)) Other Restricted Uses · All new lots, including those in excess of 5 acres, are subject to subdivision approval by DES. (RSA 483-B:9, V(b)(1)) · Setback requirements for all new septic systems are determined by soil characteristics. (RSA 483-B:9, V(b)(2)) · Minimum lot size in areas dependent on septic systems determined by soil type. (RSA 483-B:9, V(e)(1)) · Alteration of Terrain Permit standards reduced from 100,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet. (RSA 483-B:6, I(d)) · Total number of residential units in areas dependent on on-site sewage & septic systems, not to exceed 1 unit per 150 feet of shoreland frontage. (RSA 483-B:9, V(e)(2)) NATURAL WOODLAND BUFFER RESTRICTIONS (RSA 483-B:9, V(a)) · Where existing, a natural woodland buffer must be maintained. · Tree cutting limited to 50% of the basal area of trees, and 50% of the total number of saplings in a 20 year period. A healthy, well-distributed stand of trees, saplings, shrubs, and ground covers must be maintained. · Stumps and their root systems must remain intact in the ground within 50 feet of the reference line. 250 ft 150 ft RSA 483-B Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (CSPA) A Summary of the Standards Effective July 1, 2008, A STATE SHORELAND PERMIT is required for many construction, excavation or filling activities within the Protected Shoreland. Forest management not associated with shoreland development or land conversion and conducted in compliance with RSA 227-J:9 or under the direction of a water supplier for the purpose of managing a water supply watershed, an dagriculture conducted in accordance with best management practices as required by RSA 483-B, III is exempted from the provisions of the CSPA. Projects that receive a permit under RSA 482-A, e.g., beaches, do not require a shoreland permit. A complete list ofactivities that do not require a shoreland permit can be found in the Shoreland Administrative Rules, Env-Wq 1406. 250 feet from Reference Line—THE PROTECTED SHORELAND: Impervious Surface Area Allowance. Twenty percent of the area within the protected shoreland may be impervious surface. This may be increased up to 30 percent if there are 50 points of tree coverage in each 50 foot x 50 foot grid segment in the waterfront buffer (WB), and a storm water management plan is submitted and approved by DES. Other Restrictions: ƒ No establishment/expansion of salt storage yards, auto junk yards, solid waste and hazardous waste facilities. ƒ All new lots, including those in excess of 5 acres are subject to subdivision approval by DES. ƒ Setback requirements for all new septic systems are determined by soil characteristics. •75 feet for rivers and areas where the there is no restrictive layer within 18 inches and where the soil down gradient is not porous sand and gravel (perc>2 min.). •100 feet for soils with a restrictive layer within 18 inches of the natural soil surface. •125 feet where the soil down gradient of the leachfield is porous sand and gravel (perc rate equal to or faster than 2min/in.). ƒMinimum lot size in areas dependent on septic systems determined by soil type. ƒAlteration of Terrain Permit standards reduced from 100,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet. ƒFor new lots with on-site septic, the number of dwelling units per lot shall not exceed 1 unit per 150 feet of shoreland frontage. 150 feet from Reference Line—NATURAL WOODLAND BUFFER (NWB) RESTRICTIONS: ƒFor lots that contain ½ acre or more within the NWB, between 50 feet and 150 feet of the reference line, the vegetation within atleast 50 percent of the area, exclusive of impervious surfaces, shall be maintained in an unaltered state. ƒFor lots that contain less than ½ acre within the NWB, between 50 feet and 150 feet of the reference line, the vegetation within at least 25 percent of the area shall be maintained in an unaltered state. 50 feet from Reference Line—WATERFRONT BUFFER and PRIMARY BUILDING SETBACK: ƒEffective April 1, 2008, all primary structures must be set back at least 50 feet from the reference line. Towns may maintain orenact their own setback only if it is greater than 50 feet. ƒWithin 50 feet, a waterfront buffer must be maintained. Within the waterfront buffer, tree coverage is managed with a 50-foot x 50-foot grid and points system. Tree coverage must total 50 points in each grid. Trees and saplings may be cut as long as the sum of the scores for the remaining trees and saplings in the grid segment is at least 50 points. ƒNo natural ground cover shall be removed except for a footpath to the water that does not exceed 6 feet in width and does not concentrate stormwater or contribute to erosion. ƒNatural ground cover, including the duff layer, shall remain intact. No cutting or removal of vegetation below 3 feet in height(excluding lawns) except for the allowable footpath. Stumps, roots, and rocks must remain intact in and on the ground. ƒPesticide or herbicide applications must be by a licensed applicator only. ƒLow phosphorus, slow release nitrogen fertilizer may be used for the area that is beyond 25 feet from the reference line. No fertilizer, except limestone, shall be used between the reference line and 25 feet. REFERENCE LINE: For coastal waters it is the highest observable tide line; for rivers it is the ordinary high water mark; for natural fresh waterbodies it is the natural mean high water level; and for artificially impounded fresh waterbodies it is the elevation at the spillway crest or, if there are flowage rights, the elevation of the flowage rights. NON-CONFORMING STRUCTURES Are structures that, either individually or when viewed in combination with other structures on the property, do not conform to the provisions of the CSPA, including but not limited to the impervious surface limits of RSA 483-B:9V(g). They may be repaired, renovated, or replaced in kind using modern technologies, provided the result is a functionally equivalent use. Such repair or replacement may alter the interior design or existing foundation, but shall result in no expansion of the existing footprint except as authorized by the department pursuant to paragraph II of RSA 483-B. A SITE ASSESSMENT is required prior to executing a purchase and sale agreement for any “developed waterfront property” using a septic disposal system and which is contiguous to or within 200 feet of a great pond (a public water of more than 10 acres) as defined in RSA 4:40-a and upon which stands a structure suitable for either seasonal or year-round human occupancy. For more information, please visit the DES Shoreland Website at www.des.nh.gov/cspa 75 · The opening for building construction is limited to 25 feet outward from the building, septic system, and driveway. · The opening for accessory structures is limited to 10 feet outward from the footprint. NEW SEPTIC SYSTEM LEACHFIELD SETBACKS (RSA 483-B:9, V(b)(2)) · 125 feet where soil down gradient of leachfield is porous sand & gravel. · 100 feet where soil maps indicate presence of soils with restrictive layers within 18 inches of natural soil surface. · 75 feet where soil map indicates presence of all other soil types. · 75 feet minimum setback from rivers. PRIMARY BUILDING LINE* · Primary structure setback 50 feet from the reference line. (RSA 483-B:9, II(B)) · Fertilizer use is prohibited within 25 feet of reference line. (RSA 483-B:9, II(d)) · Accessory structure setback 20 feet from the reference line. (EnvWs 1405.04) REFERENCE LINE (RSA 483-B:4, XVII) · For coastal waters = highest observable tide line · For rivers = ordinary high water mark · For natural fresh waterbodies = natural mean high water level · For artificially impounded fresh waterbodies = water line at full pond *If a municipality establishes a shoreland setback for primary buildings, whether greater or lesser than 50 feet, that defines the Primary Building Line for that municipality. 125 ft 100 ft 75 ft 50 ft 25 ft 20 ft Graphic showing the Protected Shoreland with setbacks and areas of restricted use. 250 150 100 5050’ Primary Building Setback 0 Graphic not to scale 20’Accessory Structure Setback Reference lineSource: NH Department of Environmental Services, Water Division, Wetlands Bureau, Shoreland Program The summary and graphic presented here provide a quick reference guide to the major provisions in the CSPA but cannot cover every circumstance. Anyone doing construction, excavation, landscape modification or related work within the protected area should read New Hampshire Statutes RSA 483-b and NH Code of Administrative Rules Chapter Env-Wq 1400 and contact NH DES with any questions. RSA 483-b: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/nhtoc/nhtoc-l-483-b.htm Env-Wq 1400: http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/legal/rules/documents/env-wq1400.pdf 76 Pesticide Setback Distances from Wells and Surface Waters Source: NH Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food, Division of Pesticide Control PUBLIC WELLS Pes 502.06 Gravel Packed 4001 Non Gravel Packed 2501 ______________ PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY SURFACE WATERS Pes 502.05(a) Within Watershed—out to 5 miles 2501 ____________ SURFACE WATER (Other Than Public Water Supplies) PART Pes 1001 Surface Water4– Pes 1001.01(a) 252 Beyond 25 feet - Pes 1001.01(b) - NOT in a manner that will result in presence of pesticide within 25 feet of the REFERENCE LINE3. _______________ 1 Exceptions to these distances may be requested through a SPECIAL PERMIT. 2 EXCEPTION under 1001.02 (a) for indoor treatment (b) outdoor termite control & (c) other outdoor applications under SPECIAL PERMIT. 3 REFERENCE LINE (Pes 101.28) - For natural fresh water bodies the natural mean high water level (DES) or the high water mark; for artificially impounded fresh water bod-ies, the elevation of the top of the impoundment; for coastal waters, highest observable high tide; for rivers, ordinary high water mark. 4 See footnote 4, center section. PUBLIC WELLS Pes 805.01(b) Gravel Packed 400 Non Gravel Packed 250 ________________ SURFACE WATER Pes 805.01(c) All4 75 PRIVATE WATER WELLS Pes 805.01(c) All5 75 _________________ 4 SURFACE WATER (Pes 101.36) “means streams, brooks, creeks, rivers, lakes, ponds, wetlands and tidal waters within the jurisdiction of the state, including all streams, lakes or ponds bordering on the state, marshes, watercourses and other bodies of water, natural or artificial.” (Note in left panel the definition of REFERENCE LINE as it pertains to surface waters). 5 Note, this includes inactive wells, even if no longer connected. NOTE: All distances are expressed in FEET. STORAGE GENERAL Pes 802.03(k) Public Wells (all types) 400 Private Water Wells5 75 Surface Water (high water mark) 75 __________________ BULK STORAGE AND DISPENSING AREAS Pes 804.05(d) Public Water Wells 400 Public Surface Water Supplies (high water marks) 400 Private Water Wells 75 Other Surface Waters (high water marks) 75 5 See footnote 5, center section. APPLYING MIXING AND LOADING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Pesticide Rules and Regs are available on-line at: http://agriculture.nh.gov/rules/index.htm Maps showing locations of Public Water Supply Watersheds and intakes may be found on-line at: http://www2.des.state.nh.us/gis/onestop/ Requests for SPECIAL PERMIT applications should be made to the Division at (603) 271-3550. NOTE: YOU MUST ALWAYS MEET OR EXCEED LABEL SETBACKS 77 UNH Cooperative Extension Family, Home & Garden Education Center extension.unh.edu/FHGEC/FHGEC.htm Toll free number: 1-877-EXT-GROW (1-877-398-4769) The Family, Home & Garden Education Center at UNH Cooperative Extension in Manchester provides practical solutions to everyday questions for the citizens of New Hampshire. It is staffed by professionals and intensively trained volunteers available to answer your questions about gardens, lawns and landscapes, household food safety and food preservation, water quality, integrated pest management, tree planting and care, backyard livestock and more. The center is staffed 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and Wednesday evenings 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. County Extension Offices extension.unh.edu/Counties/Counties.htm APPENDIX B Additional Resources Merrimack 315 Daniel Webster Hwy Boscawen, NH 03303 Phone: 603-225-5505 Rockingham 113 North Road Brentwood, NH 03833-6623 Phone: 603-679-5616 Strafford 268 County Farm Road Dover, NH 03820-6015 Phone: 603-749-4445 Sullivan 24 Main Street Newport, NH 03773 Phone: 603-863-9200 Belknap Merrimack Cheshire Grafton Coos Carroll Strafford RockinghamHillsborough Sullivan Belknap Belknap County Complex 36 County Drive Laconia NH 03246-2900 Phone: 603-527-5475 Carroll 73 Main Street PO Box 1480 Conway, NH 03818 Phone: 603-447-3834 Cheshire 800 Park Avenue Keene, NH 03431 Phone: 603-352-4550 Coos 629A Main Street Lancaster, NH 03584-9612 Phone: 603-788-4961 Grafton 3855 Dartmouth College Highway, Box 5 North Haverhill, NH 03774-4936 Phone: 603-787-6844 Hillsborough 329 Mast Road Goffstown, NH 03045 Phone: 603-641-6060 .. 78 UNH Cooperative Extension Diagnostic and Testing Services For information, contact the Administrative Assistant, G28 Spaulding Hall 38 Academic Way, Durham NH 03824 Phone 603-862-3200 Fax 862-2717 Insect Identification – Arthropod Identification Center extension.unh.edu/Agric/AGPDTS/IDform.pdf Soil Testing Service extension.unh.edu/Agric/AGPDTS/SoilTest.htm UNH Plant Diagnostic Laboratory extension.unh.edu/Agric/AGPDTS/PlantH.htm Information on Specific Topics Mentioned in this Book Soils and Fertilizers Does Your Lawn Measure Up extension.unh.edu/Pubs/HGPubs/lawnmeup.pdf Fertilizing the Home Lawn extension.unh.edu/pubs/HGPubs/fertlawn.pdf Slow-Release Fertilizers for Home Gardens and Landscapes extension.unh.edu/Pubs/HGPubs/slowfert.pdf Understanding your Soil Test Results extension.unh.edu/Pubs/HGPubs/soiltest.pdf Erosion and Runoff Controls Shoreline Stabilization Handbook, Lake Champlain Basin Program and Univ. Vermont Sea Grant: nsgd.gso.uri.edu/lcsg/lcsgh04001.pdf Environmental and Conservation Fact Sheets Series, Portland Water District/Cumberland County Soil Conservation District: pwd.org/news/publications.php Rain Gardens University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension: uri.edu/ce/healthylandscapes/raingarden.htm University of Maine Extension fact sheet umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/PDFpubs/2702.pdf 79 Invasive Species Invasive Plants and Insect Species (HB1258-FN) nh.gov/agric/divisions/plant_industry/documents/hb1258_n.pdf List of Invasive Species nh.gov/agric/divisions/plant_industry/documents/list_of_invasive_species.pdf Guide to Invasive Upland Plant Species in New Hampshire nh.gov/agric/divisions/plant_industry/documents/InvasivesBooklet2005.pdf Alternatives to Invasive Landscape Plants extension.unh.edu/Pubs/HGPubs/altinvs2.pdf Identifying and Monitoring Wildlife and Native Plants Landowners’ Guide to Inventorying and Monitoring Wildlife in New Hampshire To order guide: extension.unh.edu/Forestry/Pubs/wildform.pdf To download document: extension.unh.edu/Forestry/Pubs/wilguide.pdf Rare or Endangered Plants and Wildlife N.H. Wildlife Action Plan wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/wildlife_plan.htm Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in N.H. wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Nongame/endangered_list.htm N.H. Natural Heritage Bureau dred.state.nh.us/divisions/forestandlands/bureaus/naturalheritage/index.htm Plant Selection and Maintenance The Best Plants for New Hampshire Gardens and Landscapes extension.unh.edu/Pubs/PubsAG/bestplnt.pdf Integrated Landscaping: Following Nature’s Lead https://www.events.unh.edu/RegistrationForm.pm?event_id=2703 Pruning Deciduous Shrubs in the Landscape extension.unh.edu/Pubs/HGPubs/PrunDec.pdf Pruning Evergreens in the Landscape extension.unh.edu/Pubs/HGPubs/PrunEverg.pdf Pruning Shade Trees in the Landscape extension.unh.edu/Pubs/HGPubs/prunshad.pdf 80 APPENDIX C Recommended Plant Lists Selecting Woody Plants for Shoreland Landscapes The plants listed are those that occur near water in their natural habitats. They are recommended for use in multi-layered plant systems as described and illustrated in Chapter 4. Some of these plants may be uncommon and difficult to find in a nursery, but many are readily available. Choose plants that are suitable for your site conditions, soils, sun exposure, and cold hardiness zones. For more information and for herbaceous plant recommendations, please refer to The Best Plants for New Hampshire Gardens and Landscapes, published by the New Hampshire Plant Growers Association and UNH Cooperative Extension, 2003. Height Mature USDA Cold Vegetative Wildlife Class Common Name Scientific Name Height Hardiness Zone Buffer Zone(s) Native Value Soil Sun Comments and Cultivars (cvs.) Under 3' Bog Rosemary Andromeda polifolia 1 - 2' 2 SL Y W A S PS EG, Sp, cvs. ‘Montana’, ‘Angustifolia’, ‘Compacta’, ‘Grandiflora’ Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 1' 2 UPL Y Y A S PS EG, Sp, salt tolerant, does well in very poor soils Leatherleaf Chamaedaphne calyculata 1 - 3' 2 SL Y W A PS EG, cvs. ‘Nana’, ‘Cascade’ and ‘Tiny Tim’ under 3' tall Bunchberry Cornus canadensis 6 - 9" 2 LL UPL Y Y M A PS Sh Sp, excellent groundcover Bearberry Cotoneaster Cotoneaster dammeri 12 - 18" 5 UPL WD S EG, Sp, good bankcover, very fast Rockspray Cotoneaster Cotoneaster horizontalis 2 - 3' 5 UPL WD S Sp, good bankcover Rose Daphne Daphne cneorum 6 - 12" 4 UPL M WD PS Sh EG, fragrant flowers Slender Deutzia Deutzia gracilis 2' 5 UPL WD S cv. ‘Nikko’ recommended for compact growth form Dwarf Greenstem Forsythia Forsythia viridissima ‘Bronxensis’ 1 - 2' 5 UPL S Sp, groundcover type forsythia Creeping Wintergreen Gaultheria procumbens 6" 3 LL Y M A Sh PS EG, Sp, groundcover Little Henry Sweetspire Itea virginica ‘Little Henry’ 2 - 3' 5 LL Y M S PS Sh This is a compact cv.; others are listed in 3-6' height class Sheep Laurel Kalmia angustifolia 1 - 3' 2 SL LL UPL Y A W or M PS EG, Sp, does well in poor soils, poisonous to livestock Bog Kalmia Kalmia polifolia 3' 2 SL LL Y W A 81 Vegetative Buffer Zone(s) Native &Wildlife Value Soil Sun Comments and Cultivars (cvs.) LL=Lowland transition SL=Shoreland UPL=Upland WD=well- drained W=wet (bog) A=acidic M=moist PS=partial sun S=full sun Sh=shade Sp = spreading EG=evergreen Y=Yes KEY APPENDIX C Recommended Plant Lists Selecting Woody Plants for Shoreland Landscapes The plants listed are those that occur near water in their natural habitats. They are recommended for use in multi-layered plant systems as described and illustrated in Chapter 4. Some of these plants may be uncommon and difficult to find in a nursery, but many are readily available. Choose plants that are suitable for your site conditions, soils, sun exposure, and cold hardiness zones. For more information and for herbaceous plant recommendations, please refer to The Best Plants for New Hampshire Gardens and Landscapes, published by the New Hampshire Plant Growers Association and UNH Cooperative Extension, 2003. Height Mature USDA Cold Vegetative Wildlife Class Common Name Scientific Name Height Hardiness Zone Buffer Zone(s) Native Value Soil Sun Comments and Cultivars (cvs.) Under 3' Bog Rosemary Andromeda polifolia 1 - 2' 2 SL Y W A S PS EG, Sp, cvs. ‘Montana’, ‘Angustifolia’, ‘Compacta’, ‘Grandiflora’ Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 1' 2 UPL Y Y A S PS EG, Sp, salt tolerant, does well in very poor soils Leatherleaf Chamaedaphne calyculata 1 - 3' 2 SL Y W A PS EG, cvs. ‘Nana’, ‘Cascade’ and ‘Tiny Tim’ under 3' tall Bunchberry Cornus canadensis 6 - 9" 2 LL UPL Y Y M A PS Sh Sp, excellent groundcover Bearberry Cotoneaster Cotoneaster dammeri 12 - 18" 5 UPL WD S EG, Sp, good bankcover, very fast Rockspray Cotoneaster Cotoneaster horizontalis 2 - 3' 5 UPL WD S Sp, good bankcover Rose Daphne Daphne cneorum 6 - 12" 4 UPL M WD PS Sh EG, fragrant flowers Slender Deutzia Deutzia gracilis 2' 5 UPL WD S cv. ‘Nikko’ recommended for compact growth form Dwarf Greenstem Forsythia Forsythia viridissima ‘Bronxensis’ 1 - 2' 5 UPL S Sp, groundcover type forsythia Creeping Wintergreen Gaultheria procumbens 6" 3 LL Y M A Sh PS EG, Sp, groundcover Little Henry Sweetspire Itea virginica ‘Little Henry’ 2 - 3' 5 LL Y M S PS Sh This is a compact cv.; others are listed in 3-6' height class Sheep Laurel Kalmia angustifolia 1 - 3' 2 SL LL UPL Y A W or M PS EG, Sp, does well in poor soils, poisonous to livestock Bog Kalmia Kalmia polifolia 3' 2 SL LL Y W A 82 Coast Leucothoe Leucothoe axillaris 2 - 4' 5 LL A M WD Sh EG, choose small cvs. for this size class Creeping Mahonia Mahonia repens 10 - 18" 5 UPL A M WD Sh PS EG, Sp, groundcover Paxistima Paxistima canbyi 1' 3 UPL M WD S PS EG, tolerates high pH Gro-Low Fragrant Sumac Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ 2' 3 UPL Y A WD S PS Sp, other cvs. get much larger; good fall color Lowbush Blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium 1 - 2' 2 LL UPL Y Y A Edible blueberry, does well in very poor soils American Cranberry Vaccinium macrocarpon 4 - 6" 2 SL LL Y Y M A S EG, Sp, edible cranberry Mountain Cranberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea var. minus 4 - 8" 2 LL Y Y M A S EG, Sp, edible Ligonberry 3' - 6' Regent Serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia ‘Regent’ 4 - 6' 3 LL UPL Y Y M WD A S PS Sp, edible berries; other cvs. are larger Summersweet Clethra Clethra alnifolia 3 - 8' 4 SL LL Y Y M A S PS Fragrant, salt tolerant; nice cvs. include ‘Hummingbird’, ‘Sixteen Candles’, ‘Compacta’, ‘Ruby Spice’ Sweetfern Comptonia peregrina 3 - 5' 2 UPL Y Y WD S PS Sp, does well in poor dry sandy soils Spike Winterhazel Corylopsis spicata 4 - 6' 5 UPL M WD S PS American Hazelnut Corylus americana 3 - 9' 4 UPL Y Y S PS Sp, edible nuts Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle Diervilla lonicera 3 - 5' 3 UPL Y S PS Sp, very tough plant Atlantic Leatherwood Dirca palustris 3 - 6' 3 SL LL Y W Sh Dwarf Fothergilla Fothergilla gardenii 3 - 4' 5 UPL Y M WD A S PS Excellent fall color Huckleberry Gaylussacia sp. 3 - 5' 3 UPL Y WD A PS EG, Sp, edible berries Smooth Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens 3 - 5' 3 LL UPL Y M WD S PS Sp, cvs. include ‘Annabelle’, ‘Grandiflora’, ‘White Dome’ Oakleaf Hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia 3 - 6' 5 LL M WD S PS Inkberry Ilex glabra 3 - 6' 5 LL Y Y M A S PS EG, Sp, avoid sites with winter sun wind exposure, many cvs. include ‘Compacta’, ‘Viridis’, ‘Nigra’ Height Mature USDA Cold Vegetative Wildlife Class Common Name Scientific Name Height Hardiness Zone Buffer Zone(s) Native Value Soil Sun Comments and Cultivars (cvs.) 83 Coast Leucothoe Leucothoe axillaris 2 - 4' 5 LL A M WD Sh EG, choose small cvs. for this size class Creeping Mahonia Mahonia repens 10 - 18" 5 UPL A M WD Sh PS EG, Sp, groundcover Paxistima Paxistima canbyi 1' 3 UPL M WD S PS EG, tolerates high pH Gro-Low Fragrant Sumac Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ 2' 3 UPL Y A WD S PS Sp, other cvs. get much larger; good fall color Lowbush Blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium 1 - 2' 2 LL UPL Y Y A Edible blueberry, does well in very poor soils American Cranberry Vaccinium macrocarpon 4 - 6" 2 SL LL Y Y M A S EG, Sp, edible cranberry Mountain Cranberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea var. minus 4 - 8" 2 LL Y Y M A S EG, Sp, edible Ligonberry 3' - 6' Regent Serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia ‘Regent’ 4 - 6' 3 LL UPL Y Y M WD A S PS Sp, edible berries; other cvs. are larger Summersweet Clethra Clethra alnifolia 3 - 8' 4 SL LL Y Y M A S PS Fragrant, salt tolerant; nice cvs. include ‘Hummingbird’, ‘Sixteen Candles’, ‘Compacta’, ‘Ruby Spice’ Sweetfern Comptonia peregrina 3 - 5' 2 UPL Y Y WD S PS Sp, does well in poor dry sandy soils Spike Winterhazel Corylopsis spicata 4 - 6' 5 UPL M WD S PS American Hazelnut Corylus americana 3 - 9' 4 UPL Y Y S PS Sp, edible nuts Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle Diervilla lonicera 3 - 5' 3 UPL Y S PS Sp, very tough plant Atlantic Leatherwood Dirca palustris 3 - 6' 3 SL LL Y W Sh Dwarf Fothergilla Fothergilla gardenii 3 - 4' 5 UPL Y M WD A S PS Excellent fall color Huckleberry Gaylussacia sp. 3 - 5' 3 UPL Y WD A PS EG, Sp, edible berries Smooth Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens 3 - 5' 3 LL UPL Y M WD S PS Sp, cvs. include ‘Annabelle’, ‘Grandiflora’, ‘White Dome’ Oakleaf Hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia 3 - 6' 5 LL M WD S PS Inkberry Ilex glabra 3 - 6' 5 LL Y Y M A S PS EG, Sp, avoid sites with winter sun wind exposure, many cvs. include ‘Compacta’, ‘Viridis’, ‘Nigra’ Height Mature USDA Cold Vegetative Wildlife Class Common Name Scientific Name Height Hardiness Zone Buffer Zone(s) Native Value Soil Sun Comments and Cultivars (cvs.) 84 Red Sprite Common Winterberry Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’ 3 - 5' 4 SL LL Y Y M A PS S Compact cv., others listed in 6-9' class; plant with male pollinator Virginia Sweetspire Itea virginica 3 - 5' 5 SL LL Y W or M S PS Sh Fragrant flowers; ‘Henry’s Garnet’ recommended Sweetgale Myrica gale 3 - 4' 1 SL Y Y W S Aromatic Rhodora Rhododendron canadense 3 - 4' 2 SL LL Y M A PS Sh Deciduous azalea Pinxterbloom Azalea Rhododendron periclymenoides 4 - 6' 4 UPL Y WD PS Deciduous azalea; try cvs. ‘Album’, ‘Roseum’ Meadowsweet Spirea latifolia 3 - 5' 3 LL UPL Y M WD S Sp Steeplebush Spirea tomentosa 2 - 4' 3 SL LL Y M S PS Common Snowberry Symphoricarpos albus 3 - 6' 3 SL LL Y S PS Sh Sp, fills in large areas, adaptable to many conditions 6' - 9' Red Chokeberry Aronia arbutifolia 6 - 10' 4 LL UPL Y Y S PS Sp, cv. ‘Brilliantissima’ has beautiful red fall foliage Black Chokeberry Aronia melanocarpa 5 - 10' 3 LL UPL Y Y S PS Sp, cv. ‘Autumn Magic’ has good fall color and compact form Sweetshrub Calycanthus floridus 6 - 9' 4 LL UPL S PS Fragrant, adaptable to many conditions. Silky Dogwood Cornus amomum 6 - 10' 4 SL LL Y Y M PS Red-Osier Dogwood Cornus sericea 8 - 10' 2 SL LL Y Y M S PS Sp, colorful winter twigs Large Forthergilla Fothergilla major 6 - 9' 4 SL LL UPL Y M A PS S Excellent fall color Vernal Witchhazel Hamamelis vernalis 6 - 10' 4 SL LL Y Y M S PS Sp, late winter flowers Common Winterberry Ilex verticillata 6 - 10' 3-4 SL LL Y Y M A S PS Sp, many improved cvs., plant with male pollinator Northern Bayberry Myrica pensylvanica 6 - 10' 3 FAC Y Y WD S PS Sp, salt tolerant, does well on poor soils Mountain Holly Nemopanthus mucronata 6 - 10' 4 SL Y Y M Sp, forms thickets Common Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius 5 - 10' 2 UPL Y WD S PS Tough plant; new purple-leaved cvs. popular; ‘Nanus’ is dwarf form Height Mature USDA Cold Vegetative Wildlife Class Common Name Scientific Name Height Hardiness Zone Buffer Zone(s) Native Value Soil Sun Comments and Cultivars (cvs.) 85 Red Sprite Common Winterberry Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’ 3 - 5' 4 SL LL Y Y M A PS S Compact cv., others listed in 6-9' class; plant with male pollinator Virginia Sweetspire Itea virginica 3 - 5' 5 SL LL Y W or M S PS Sh Fragrant flowers; ‘Henry’s Garnet’ recommended Sweetgale Myrica gale 3 - 4' 1 SL Y Y W S Aromatic Rhodora Rhododendron canadense 3 - 4' 2 SL LL Y M A PS Sh Deciduous azalea Pinxterbloom Azalea Rhododendron periclymenoides 4 - 6' 4 UPL Y WD PS Deciduous azalea; try cvs. ‘Album’, ‘Roseum’ Meadowsweet Spirea latifolia 3 - 5' 3 LL UPL Y M WD S Sp Steeplebush Spirea tomentosa 2 - 4' 3 SL LL Y M S PS Common Snowberry Symphoricarpos albus 3 - 6' 3 SL LL Y S PS Sh Sp, fills in large areas, adaptable to many conditions 6' - 9' Red Chokeberry Aronia arbutifolia 6 - 10' 4 LL UPL Y Y S PS Sp, cv. ‘Brilliantissima’ has beautiful red fall foliage Black Chokeberry Aronia melanocarpa 5 - 10' 3 LL UPL Y Y S PS Sp, cv. ‘Autumn Magic’ has good fall color and compact form Sweetshrub Calycanthus floridus 6 - 9' 4 LL UPL S PS Fragrant, adaptable to many conditions. Silky Dogwood Cornus amomum 6 - 10' 4 SL LL Y Y M PS Red-Osier Dogwood Cornus sericea 8 - 10' 2 SL LL Y Y M S PS Sp, colorful winter twigs Large Forthergilla Fothergilla major 6 - 9' 4 SL LL UPL Y M A PS S Excellent fall color Vernal Witchhazel Hamamelis vernalis 6 - 10' 4 SL LL Y Y M S PS Sp, late winter flowers Common Winterberry Ilex verticillata 6 - 10' 3-4 SL LL Y Y M A S PS Sp, many improved cvs., plant with male pollinator Northern Bayberry Myrica pensylvanica 6 - 10' 3 FAC Y Y WD S PS Sp, salt tolerant, does well on poor soils Mountain Holly Nemopanthus mucronata 6 - 10' 4 SL Y Y M Sp, forms thickets Common Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius 5 - 10' 2 UPL Y WD S PS Tough plant; new purple-leaved cvs. popular; ‘Nanus’ is dwarf form Height Mature USDA Cold Vegetative Wildlife Class Common Name Scientific Name Height Hardiness Zone Buffer Zone(s) Native Value Soil Sun Comments and Cultivars (cvs.) 86 Roseshell Azalea Rhododendron prinophyllum 2 - 8' 3 UPL Y PS Sh Deciduous azalea, toelrates high pH, dry open woods Pinkshell Azalea Rhododendron vaseyi 5 - 9' 4 LL M A PS Sh Deciduous azalea Swamp Azalea Rhododendron viscosum 6 - 9' 4 SL Y W PS Sh Deciduous azalea Swamp Rose Rosa palustris 6 - 8' 4 SL Y Y W S Elderberry Sambucus canadensis 6 - 12' 3 SL LL UPL Y Y S Sp, ‘Aurea’ has yellow foliage, Sambucus nigra ‘Black Beauty’ has dark foliage; edible fruit; tolerates wet or dry soils Wild Raisin Viburnum Viburnum cassinoides 6 - 10' 3 SL LL Y Y S PS Arrowwood Viburnum Viburnum dentatum 6 - 9' 2 LL UPL Y Y WD S PS Sp, many new cvs. selected for berry set and fall color 10' - 15' Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis 8 - 15' 5 SL Y Y W S PS Gray Dogwood Cornus racemosa 10 - 15' 3b SL LL Y Y M S PS Sp, fills in large areas Chinese Witchhazel Hamamelis mollis 10 - 15' 5 LL UPL S PS Fragrant, very early spring flowers; cv. ‘Pallida’ has excellent fall color Panicle Hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata 10 - 20' 3 LL UPL M WD S PS Many cvs. available including ‘Pink Diamond’ and ‘Limelight’ Spicebush Lindera benzoin 10 - 12' 4 SL LL Y Y W or M S PS Fragrant Rosebay Rhododendron Rhododendron maximum 5 - 15' 3 LL UPL Y M A WD PS Sh EG, avoid winter exposure Purpleosier Willow Salix purpurea 8 - 15' 3 SL W S PS Sp, good for bank stabilization; ‘Nana’ a compact cv. Highbush Blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum 6 - 12' 3 LL UPL Y Y M A WD S PS Edible blueberry Blackhaw Viburnum Viburnum prunifolium 12 - 15' 3 UPL Y WD S PS Good in dry soils American Cranberrybush Viburnum Virburnum trilobum 8 - 12' 2 LL UPL Y Y M WD S PS Cv. ’Wentworth’ recommended for fruits for jellies, ‘Alfredo’ for fall color and compact form Height Mature USDA Cold Vegetative Wildlife Class Common Name Scientific Name Height Hardiness Zone Buffer Zone(s) Native Value Soil Sun Comments and Cultivars (cvs.) 87 Roseshell Azalea Rhododendron prinophyllum 2 - 8' 3 UPL Y PS Sh Deciduous azalea, toelrates high pH, dry open woods Pinkshell Azalea Rhododendron vaseyi 5 - 9' 4 LL M A PS Sh Deciduous azalea Swamp Azalea Rhododendron viscosum 6 - 9' 4 SL Y W PS Sh Deciduous azalea Swamp Rose Rosa palustris 6 - 8' 4 SL Y Y W S Elderberry Sambucus canadensis 6 - 12' 3 SL LL UPL Y Y S Sp, ‘Aurea’ has yellow foliage, Sambucus nigra ‘Black Beauty’ has dark foliage; edible fruit; tolerates wet or dry soils Wild Raisin Viburnum Viburnum cassinoides 6 - 10' 3 SL LL Y Y S PS Arrowwood Viburnum Viburnum dentatum 6 - 9' 2 LL UPL Y Y WD S PS Sp, many new cvs. selected for berry set and fall color 10' - 15' Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis 8 - 15' 5 SL Y Y W S PS Gray Dogwood Cornus racemosa 10 - 15' 3b SL LL Y Y M S PS Sp, fills in large areas Chinese Witchhazel Hamamelis mollis 10 - 15' 5 LL UPL S PS Fragrant, very early spring flowers; cv. ‘Pallida’ has excellent fall color Panicle Hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata 10 - 20' 3 LL UPL M WD S PS Many cvs. available including ‘Pink Diamond’ and ‘Limelight’ Spicebush Lindera benzoin 10 - 12' 4 SL LL Y Y W or M S PS Fragrant Rosebay Rhododendron Rhododendron maximum 5 - 15' 3 LL UPL Y M A WD PS Sh EG, avoid winter exposure Purpleosier Willow Salix purpurea 8 - 15' 3 SL W S PS Sp, good for bank stabilization; ‘Nana’ a compact cv. Highbush Blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum 6 - 12' 3 LL UPL Y Y M A WD S PS Edible blueberry Blackhaw Viburnum Viburnum prunifolium 12 - 15' 3 UPL Y WD S PS Good in dry soils American Cranberrybush Viburnum Virburnum trilobum 8 - 12' 2 LL UPL Y Y M WD S PS Cv. ’Wentworth’ recommended for fruits for jellies, ‘Alfredo’ for fall color and compact form Height Mature USDA Cold Vegetative Wildlife Class Common Name Scientific Name Height Hardiness Zone Buffer Zone(s) Native Value Soil Sun Comments and Cultivars (cvs.) 88 16' - 25' Striped Maple Acer pensylvanicum 15 - 20' 3 LL UPL Y M WD PS Speckled Alder Alnus rugosa 15 - 25' 4 SL LL Y M S Downy Serviceberry Amelanchier arborea 15 - 25' 4 LL UPL Y Y M WD A S PS Shadblow Serviceberry Amelanchier canadensis 10 - 20' 3 SL LL Y Y M A S PS Sp Allegheny Serviceberry Amelanchier laevis 20 - 25' 4 SL LL Y Y M A S PS White Fringetree Chionanthus virginicus 15 - 25' 4 LL Y M PS S Silky white flowers, large blue berries Pagoda Dogwood Cornus alternifolia 15 - 25' 3 UPL Y Y M WD A PS Corneliancherry Dogwood Cornus mas 20 - 25' 4 UPL Y WD PS S Very early yellow flowers, red fruit Common Witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana 20 - 25' 3b LL UPL Y M S PS Flowers late fall, fragrant Sweet Azalea Rhododendron arborescens 8 - 20' 4 LL Y M A PS Sh Deciduous azalea Flameleaf Sumac Rhus copallina 10 - 20' 4 UPL Y S Sp, forms large colonies, red fall foliage Pussy Willow Salix spp. 10 - 20' 3 SL LL M S PS For nice catkins use S. caprea or S. chaenomeloides; the native S. discolor is not as good, subject to canker 25' - 45' Eastern Redcedar Juniperus virginiana 20 - 40' 3b UPL Y Y M WD S EG, tolerates poor dry conditions Black Spruce Picea mariana 30 - 40' 3 LL Y M S EG Hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana 30 - 40' 3b UPL Y Y M WD S PS American Hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana 25 - 35' 3b LL Y M PS Sh Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis 20 - 30' 5 LL UPL Y M PS S Cold hardiness depends northern seed source Sweetbay magnolia Magnolia virginiana 15 - 30' 5 LL Y M A PS EG, avoid winter exposure; large fragrant flowers Kousa Dogwood Cornus kousa 25 - 35' 5 UPL Y WD A PS Good substitute for flowering dogwood, white flowers on hardiest vars. Red Mulberry Morus rubra 30 - 45' 5 LL Y M Height Mature USDA Cold Vegetative Wildlife Class Common Name Scientific Name Height Hardiness Zone Buffer Zone(s) Native Value Soil Sun Comments and Cultivars (cvs.) 89 16' - 25' Striped Maple Acer pensylvanicum 15 - 20' 3 LL UPL Y M WD PS Speckled Alder Alnus rugosa 15 - 25' 4 SL LL Y M S Downy Serviceberry Amelanchier arborea 15 - 25' 4 LL UPL Y Y M WD A S PS Shadblow Serviceberry Amelanchier canadensis 10 - 20' 3 SL LL Y Y M A S PS Sp Allegheny Serviceberry Amelanchier laevis 20 - 25' 4 SL LL Y Y M A S PS White Fringetree Chionanthus virginicus 15 - 25' 4 LL Y M PS S Silky white flowers, large blue berries Pagoda Dogwood Cornus alternifolia 15 - 25' 3 UPL Y Y M WD A PS Corneliancherry Dogwood Cornus mas 20 - 25' 4 UPL Y WD PS S Very early yellow flowers, red fruit Common Witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana 20 - 25' 3b LL UPL Y M S PS Flowers late fall, fragrant Sweet Azalea Rhododendron arborescens 8 - 20' 4 LL Y M A PS Sh Deciduous azalea Flameleaf Sumac Rhus copallina 10 - 20' 4 UPL Y S Sp, forms large colonies, red fall foliage Pussy Willow Salix spp. 10 - 20' 3 SL LL M S PS For nice catkins use S. caprea or S. chaenomeloides; the native S. discolor is not as good, subject to canker 25' - 45' Eastern Redcedar Juniperus virginiana 20 - 40' 3b UPL Y Y M WD S EG, tolerates poor dry conditions Black Spruce Picea mariana 30 - 40' 3 LL Y M S EG Hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana 30 - 40' 3b UPL Y Y M WD S PS American Hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana 25 - 35' 3b LL Y M PS Sh Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis 20 - 30' 5 LL UPL Y M PS S Cold hardiness depends northern seed source Sweetbay magnolia Magnolia virginiana 15 - 30' 5 LL Y M A PS EG, avoid winter exposure; large fragrant flowers Kousa Dogwood Cornus kousa 25 - 35' 5 UPL Y WD A PS Good substitute for flowering dogwood, white flowers on hardiest vars. Red Mulberry Morus rubra 30 - 45' 5 LL Y M Height Mature USDA Cold Vegetative Wildlife Class Common Name Scientific Name Height Hardiness Zone Buffer Zone(s) Native Value Soil Sun Comments and Cultivars (cvs.) 90 Height Mature USDA Cold Vegetative Wildlife Class Common Name Scientific Name Height Hardiness Zone Buffer Zone(s) Native Value Soil Sun Comments and Cultivars (cvs.) Over 45' Red Maple Acer rubrum 40 - 60' 3b SL LL Y M A S PS Many cvs. selected for good fall color, some are more hardy than others Yellow Birch Betula alleghaniensis 50 - 70' 3 LL Y Y M S PS River Birch Betula nigra 40 - 70' 3b LL UPL M S PS Recommended over paper birch for landscape use due to pest resistance; ‘Heritage’ most popular cv. Alantic White Cedar Chaemaecyparis thyoides 40 - 50' 4 SL LL Y W or M S EG Green Ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica 50 - 60' 2b LL UPL Y S Tolerates many soil conditions; use seedless cvs. near lawns and walkways American Larch Larix laricina 40 - 80' 2 LL Y M WD A S American Sweet Gum Liquidambar styraciflua 60 - 80' 5 LL M S Dawn Redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides 50 - 100' 5 SL LL M S Black Gum Nyssa sylvatica 30 - 50' 4 LL Y Y M A S PS Excellent fall color American Plane Tree Platanus occidentalis 75 - 100' 4 LL Y M S Very large, messy - plant only in naturalized areas Swamp White Oak Quercus bicolor 50 - 60' 4 SL LL Y Y M A S Pin Oak Quercus palustris 60 - 70' 4 LL UPL Y Y M A S Eastern Arbotvitae Thuja occidentalis 40 - 60' 2 LL UPL Y Y M WD S EG; cvs. ‘Techny’, ‘Nigra’ ‘Emerald’ for cold climates 91 Height Mature USDA Cold Vegetative Wildlife Class Common Name Scientific Name Height Hardiness Zone Buffer Zone(s) Native Value Soil Sun Comments and Cultivars (cvs.) Over 45' Red Maple Acer rubrum 40 - 60' 3b SL LL Y M A S PS Many cvs. selected for good fall color, some are more hardy than others Yellow Birch Betula alleghaniensis 50 - 70' 3 LL Y Y M S PS River Birch Betula nigra 40 - 70' 3b LL UPL M S PS Recommended over paper birch for landscape use due to pest resistance; ‘Heritage’ most popular cv. Alantic White Cedar Chaemaecyparis thyoides 40 - 50' 4 SL LL Y W or M S EG Green Ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica 50 - 60' 2b LL UPL Y S Tolerates many soil conditions; use seedless cvs. near lawns and walkways American Larch Larix laricina 40 - 80' 2 LL Y M WD A S American Sweet Gum Liquidambar styraciflua 60 - 80' 5 LL M S Dawn Redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides 50 - 100' 5 SL LL M S Black Gum Nyssa sylvatica 30 - 50' 4 LL Y Y M A S PS Excellent fall color American Plane Tree Platanus occidentalis 75 - 100' 4 LL Y M S Very large, messy - plant only in naturalized areas Swamp White Oak Quercus bicolor 50 - 60' 4 SL LL Y Y M A S Pin Oak Quercus palustris 60 - 70' 4 LL UPL Y Y M A S Eastern Arbotvitae Thuja occidentalis 40 - 60' 2 LL UPL Y Y M WD S EG; cvs. ‘Techny’, ‘Nigra’ ‘Emerald’ for cold climates 92 UNH Cooperative Extension programs and policies are consistent with pertinent Federal and State laws and regulations, and prohibits discrimination in its programs, activities and employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran’s, marital or family status. New Hampshire counties cooperating. at the Water’s Edge an ecological approach Landscaping a manual for new hampshire landowners and landscapers Unlike many garden design books that are full of glitz and glamour but sorely lacking in substance, this affordable book addresses important ecological issues and empowers readers by giving an array of workable solutions for real-world situations. ~Robin sweetser, Concord Monitor columnist, garden writer for Old Farmer’s Almanac, and NH Home Magazine Landscaping at the Water’s Edge provides hands-on tools that teach us about positive change. It’s an excellent resource for the gardener, the professional landscaper, designer, and landscape architect—to learn how to better dovetail our landscapes with those of nature. ~Jon Batson, president, nH Landscape association pictured here are the major river watersheds in new Hampshire. This guide explains how our landscaping choices impact surface and ground waters and demonstrates how, with simple observation, ecologically based design, and low impact maintenance practices, you can protect, and even improve, the quality of our water resources. No matter where you live in New Hampshire, the actions you take in your landscape can have far-reaching effects on water quality. Why? Because we are all connected to the water cycle and we all live in a watershed. a watershed is the land area that drains into a surface water body such as a lake, river, wetland or coastal estuary. Landscaping at the Water’s Edge is a valuable resource for anyone concerned with the impact of his or her actions on the environment. This book brings together the collective expertise of many UnH cooperative Extension specialists and educators and an independent landscape designer.L A N DSC A PI NG at the Wa t e r ’s E d g e: an ec o lo g i ca l a p p r oac h Landscaping/gaRdEning/EcoLogy