Agenda - 09-11-2001-2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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County Solitl Waste Management has tlevelopetl its plans for the utilization of this site with such a buffer strip allowance. The Orange County Planning pepartment requires a 100-foot vegetated buffer between landFll activities antl public rightsof-way (ominance region 12.5, Lantl Use 9vlfer Requirements). AType Fbuffer is requiretl for lantlflls.abuser Proposed of pretlominantly (e[ least ]6%A evergreen vegetatron that is opaque to a 6elght q/at least thirty fee( The provision for such a 100-foot btffiertor the County will ocmr withn the 2p0-foot buffer requiretl by the state. Ezlsting vegetation antl visual characteristics The vegetative community which lies along both the noMern antl sou[hem etlges of Eubanks Roatl is typical of the Chapel Hill vianity where lantl disturbance has not recently taken place. The forest consists of predominantly decitluqus hartlwvotls,with a few evergreens (ceders and pines) in their mitlst. Some hardwootl trees are maWre, wiNaheight upwards of 40-50 feat The woods which atljoin [he Gearing for Eubanks Road exhibit a strong "edge mndi[ion" charaGerizetl by fairly tlense untlerstory Growth. The reason for [his etlge mntlifion is that there Is more light available here than deeper in the wootls, for plants to thrive below the upper canopy of leaves. Typically [here is far more biomass (foliage and wootly Brow[h) at the etlge of a woods than in ifs interior This makes the wootls appear more opaque at eye level. However the wootls are much less opaque after IeafErop in [he fall. Visual openness persists for 4 ro 5 months until regrowth in the spring. Some timbering has taken place recently, rousing an opening of [he canopy in some locations, several yartls back fiom Eubanks Roatl. Already the intrctlutlion and growing of viggrqus'vglunteer' or invatler species is apparent in the areas which have been timbered The height end tlensity of these trees varies, and presently woultl not constitute an effective visual screen of the lantlfill activity, especiallyin winter. A low voltage power Ilne crosses Eubanks Road at an angle, and enrera the buffer area. This dearetl easement is aligned almost parallel with Eubanks Roatl along Ne western half of the buffer The powerwmpany maintains this easement untler its vegetation management program. This results in periodic slash of volunteer trees whi h threaten to grow up into the mntludor zone. Therefore, the planting tlesign must mnsitler the clearance requirements for the power line, i.e, utilize plants which tlo not encroach an the wires. Proposed Planting Design It is important to consider the factors tlescribetl above, in devising a planting scheme to screen the lan~ll activity. Existing wootled antl partly-woodetl areas within the 200' witle buffer strip can be enhanced with more visually-opaque bantls cf planting. However, these bantls wn ba relatively narrrnv, from 20 to 30 feet witle, and still be effective. Seltlom does a