TREE CONSERVATION REPORT 5731 HAZELDEAN ROAD, OTTAWA

Transcription

1 TREE CONSERVATION REPORT 5731 HAZELDEAN ROAD, OTTAWA PREPARED FOR: JIM GOWLAND, REAL ESTATE MANAGER NAUTICAL LANDS GROUP 2962 CARP ROAD CARP, ON K0A 1L PREPARED BY: ANDREW BOYD, B.SC.F, R.P.F. IFS ASSOCIATES P.O. BOX OTTAWA, ON K2K 1X March 3, 2016

2 INTRODUCTION The importance of protecting vegetative cover on sites subject to development is specified in Section of the City of Ottawa s Official Plan. In accordance with this the City of Ottawa s Urban Tree Conservation By-law (By-law no ) requires a detailed Tree Conservation Report (TCR) prior to the removal of trees on such sites. In this instance the removal of vegetation is required prior to the construction of two 4- storey buildings at 5731 Hazeldean Road. A 151-suite retirement residence and adjacent 256-suite long term care facility are proposed for the site. Surrounding the two buildings are two smaller proposed retail buildings fronting onto Hazeldean Road, 60 surface parking spaces, community pathways, gardens, ponds, courtyards and play area for children. The majority of tenant parking, 163 spaces, will be located underground. The subject property is located on the north side of Hazeldean Road, one lot west of the intersection of Hazeldean and Huntmar Roads. Its legal description is Part of Lot 27, Concession 12, former Geographic Township of Goulbourn, now City of Ottawa. In total the subject property covers an area of 2.81 hectares (6.95 acres). This TCR has been prepared in advance of any tree clearing. The approval of this TCR by the City of Ottawa constitutes the permit to remove the approved trees. METHODOLOGY A survey of the site was completed in February At this time enough snow cover was present to conceal most herbaceous vegetation and seedlings of woody regeneration. However, all visible growth was inventoried, measured and assessed via a series of 50m 2 plots positioned at set intervals along transect lines. A total of twelve such plots were done, providing a sampling intensity of approximately one plot per half acre. The overstory trees and visible understory vegetation is each plot was assessed for species, size (diameter) and general health condition. This information was then compiled and put into tabular form. This tree survey data is summarized in Table 1 of this report. TREE INVENTORY From a review of historic aerial photography it is apparent the subject property was cleared of woody vegetation many years ago for agricultural purposes. Since the cessation of cultivation approximately three decades ago the former fields have become colonized with early-successional vegetation, in particular large areas of herbaceous growth interspersed with scattered individual ash, elm and to a lesser extent soft maple and willow trees. Tree density increases along eastern edge of the property where groupings dominated by poplar occur. 1

3 Table 1. Inventory of 5731 Hazeldean Road. Overstory species Av. Diameter (cm) % occupancy Ash (Fraxinus spp.) White elm (Ulmus americana) Poplar (Populus spp.) Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) 7.0 <3 Apple (Malus spp.) 9.0 <1 Maple (Acer spp.) 8.0 <1 Understory species Av. Diameter (cm) % occupancy Buckthorn (Rhamnus spp.) Ash White elm Willow (Salix spp.) Honeysuckle (Lonicera app.) Manitoba maple (Acer negundo) 5.2 <1 As noted in Table 1 white elm, ash and poplar are the most frequent tree species in the overstory. These species are well adapted to disturbance and so often respond quickly in terms of recolonizing disturbed sites through seed dispersal from adjacent mature trees, in the case of ash and elm, and root sprouts in the case of poplar. Much lesser amounts of hawthorn, apple and soft maple (red (Acer rubrum) and silver maple (Acer saccharinum)) are also present. Aside from these native species extensive site disturbance in such periurban areas also encourages the spread of non-native (alien), invasive and naturalized species. Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula), both introduced and highly invasive species, are both present in great numbers throughout the property. Other invasive non-natives present in significant numbers in the understory are honeysuckle and Manitoba maple. Manitoba maple is a frequent urban species which was not present pre-settlement but is now naturalized to many parts of eastern Ontario, The predominant native woody species observed in the understory of the property are staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) and red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera). These species have been able to successfully regenerate in open areas (in particular the western portion of the site) due to the lack of shading from a consistent overstory. Typical vegetative conditions within the subject property are shown in Pictures 1, 2 and 3 on pages 3 and 4. 2

4 Picture 1. Typical stand conditions in the western portion of the subject property (note large open areas). Picture 2. Typical stand conditions along eastern edge of the subject property (area to be retained). 3

5 Picture 3. Maturing ash on subject property (tree on right is displaying bark sloughing, an early sign of Emerald ash borer infestation). 4

6 USE OF EXISTING VEGETATION Due to the size and intensity of the proposed development there is little opportunity for large-scale tree preservation on the site. Furthermore, ash and elm, the two most prevalent species are presently heavily impacted by Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) and Dutch elm disease (Ophiostoma ulmi), respectively. Many presently dead and diseased elms are on the property while many ash are showing signs of early to advanced borer infestation (see Picture 3 on page 4). Because of this no ash or obviously diseased elms are recommended for retention. The only areas unaffected by construction are the city-owned verge along Hazeldean Road and the eastern-most corner of the subject property. In this corner a linear parcel of land, approximately 30m by 6m wide, will be retained. This area is identified on the accompanying tree preservation plan prepared by Levstek Consultants. While many trees are present within this parcel (including numerous dead stems and invasive species), only the larger, healthy specimens were marked in the field. These are the trees detailed below in Table 2. Table 2. Trees to be preserved on or adjacent to 5731 Hazeldean Road. Linear Parcel on Subject Property Species of trees to be preserved Sizes of trees to be preserved (cm) Silver maple 22 (average of 3 stems) Apple 14 (average of 4 stems) White elm 17, 23, 23 City Verge along Hazeldean Road Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) 5.5, 7, 7.5, 8 White oak (Quercus alba) 6, 6.5, 6 Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) 8, 8 Red oak (Quercus rubra) 3, 3, 3.5, 3.5, 5 Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) 6, 12.5, 14 Freeman maple (Acer x freemanii) 7, 7.5, 8 ENDANGERED SPECIES Butternut trees (Juglans cinerea) are listed as endangered under the Province of Ontario s Endangered Species Act (ESA, 2007) and so are protected from harm. No butternuts were found on the subject property. However, a total of 48 trees were found within the urban natural area to the north (UNA 185) and the adjacent southern bank of Poole Creek. The UNA will ultimately be transferred to City of Ottawa ownership. The ESA requires that a 25m buffer zone be protected around each retainable butternut. Due to the need for a 6m-wide outflow corridor from the subject property to Poole Creek several such buffer zones will be impacted. The same is true for several butternuts near the shared boundary between the subject property and UNA. The buffer zones of these 5

7 trees will be impacted by the proposed development of the property. Butternut Health Assessments are required under the ESA for each impacted tree. These will be completed after the mandated leaf-on season which begins May 15, Following this permits for all impacted trees will be sought from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. The initial field investigations for butternut took place in the winter of 2015/16 as part of the field work for the TCR. Since butternut seedlings may have been obscured by a deep snow cover at the time, the site will need to be re-inspected once the snow is gone in the early spring of PROTECTION MEASURES The following measures are recommended by the City of Ottawa to ensure tree survival during construction. These measures will be implemented for the trees to be retained on and adjacent to the site. 1. Erect a fence at the critical root zone (CRZ 1 ) of trees; 2. Do not place any material or equipment within the CRZ of the tree; 3. Do not attach any signs, notices or posters to any tree; 4. Do not raise or lower the existing grade within the CRZ without approval; 5. Tunnel or bore when digging within the CRZ of a tree; 6. Do not damage the root system, trunk or branches of any tree; 7. Ensure that exhaust fumes from all equipment are NOT directed towards any tree's canopy. 1 The critical root zone (CRZ) is established as being 10 centimetres from the trunk of a tree for every centimetre of trunk Diameter at breast height (DBH). The CRZ is calculated as DBH x 10 cm. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions concerning this report Yours, Andrew Boyd Andrew K. Boyd, B.Sc.F, R.P.F. (#1828) ISA Certified Arborist #ON-0496A and TRAQualified Butternut Health Assessor #513 6