The Woods Committee finalized edits to the 2019 Master Plan sections on the East/West Woods updates; discussed group committee comments on the draft DP RFP; reviewed the highlights of the Informational Meeting and the results of the survey questionnaire collected after the meeting. There was majority support for the WC three-pronged approach to restore forest ecosystem health to include targeted use of herbicides to control NNI plants, deer population management, and reforestation (planting new trees). The survey results will be presented at the December TC meeting. The recorded meeting is posted on the WC web page of the Town website and the questionnaire was further distributed in the December Town Bulletin at the request of the Mayor to gather additional feedback from town residents.
We also discussed recent November work days in East and West Woods – wood chips along East Woods trail, wrapping trees (Saybrooke) and physical removal of Japanese barberry along West Woods trail. Final brief discussion on moving forward in New Year with deer management options and continued efforts on NNI plant control.