A proposed timber harvest along Route 199 moved closer to approval Wednesday after the Pine Plains Planning Board closed a public hearing on the project and prepared to vote on a special use permit next month.
The proposal calls for harvesting 426 trees across 42 acres of a 78.76-acre property owned by the Kathy Jane Blackburn Trust at 3228 Route 199. The trees, a mix of hardwood and softwood species ranging from 8 to 38 inches in diameter, amount to about 10 trees per acre.
Christopher Prentis, a forester on the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s cooperating forester list, presented the harvesting plan to the board.
The property has been enrolled in the DEC’s 480-a Forest Tax Law program since 1988 and has been managed by a professional forester during that time. It was last harvested in 2008.
Under the proposal, only trees marked for removal would be harvested. Other trees, saplings, seedlings, and ground vegetation would remain, with precautions taken to minimize damage during logging.
Existing skid trails from the 2008 harvest would be reused, meaning no new trails would need to be built. Erosion-control measures could include water bars, rolling dips, and water turnouts, with the work required to follow state best management practices for timber harvesting.
A DEC-classified stream and wetland are located on the eastern portion of the property. According to the application, no harvesting or skidding would occur within 800 feet of either. The DEC also identified no rare, threatened, or endangered species on the property.
Logging trucks would access the property from Route 199 using an existing landing area that was also used during the 2008 harvest. A crushed-stone tracking pad would be installed to keep mud and debris from entering the roadway. At the end of the project, the landing and trails would be smoothed and cleared of logging debris.
During Wednesday’s public hearing, the board received a letter from a property owner who lives across from the landing area. Prentis said the required buffer would remain in place.
“There is nothing that that house can see that will be harvested,” Prentis said.
The landing area itself would remain active during the harvest. Operating hours were set for 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, although Prentis said work would not continue after dark, meaning the operating day would shorten as daylight decreases.
The board closed the public hearing but did not vote on the application. Town attorney Warren Replansky will review the plan before the board considers the special use permit next month.
Accessory Dwelling Unit Proposed on Beach Road
The board also reviewed a proposal to build an accessory dwelling unit at 49 Beach Road to provide housing for a parent.
The property owners have consulted with the building inspector about the existing septic system, which is designed for a four-bedroom house. Because the existing home has fewer bedrooms, the owners said the additional dwelling would not require changes to the septic system.
The board requested a survey showing the proposed location of the new dwelling and the existing septic system.
A public hearing on the proposal, when a full site plan is expected to be available, is scheduled for Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Five-Acre Subdivision Proposed on Skunks Misery Road
The board also scheduled an Oct. 14 public hearing on a proposed minor subdivision at 299 Skunks Misery Road.
The proposal would separate five acres containing the property’s original house, now occupied by a family member, from the roughly 160-acre property known as the Malarchuk Lands.
“It’s just taking five acres out of 160,” presenter Wesley Chase said.
The hearing is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.
Board Seeks Plan for Church Street Property
The board also received an update from Chase on drainage and access issues involving CEEN Properties at 2775 Church Street and neighboring property owner Curtis Simmons.
Chase said an engineer is preparing a plan for “mitigation of erosion and sensible damage control” as the parties work to address drainage problems and paving of a right-of-way road.
Those issues must be resolved before CEEN can return to the board with an amended site plan.
The board also raised questions about vehicle storage at the property. Planning Board members said they had understood the use to involve offseason storage of boats and campers, but propane trucks are also being parked there overnight.
The board asked for a plan addressing potential environmental and safety concerns associated with the use before considering the amended site plan.
The Pine Plains Planning Board’s next meeting is Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m
I’ve been away from P. P. a long time, and then suddenly a name appears, someone I lost track of years ago. We are perhaps second cousins once removed. But, then, home is home. SJG