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• i <br /> CMP Part 3A. Environmental Protection Plan <br /> TREE PRESERVATION <br /> Northern Orono's natural landscape is characterized by its rural vistas <br /> interspersed with many areas of woodland, including vestiges of the `Big <br /> Woods" characterized by large old hardwoods with a high overstory that shades <br /> the ground below, limiting understory growth. The most pristine of these Big <br /> Woods sites have been preserved by generous donations of acreage to the <br /> MnDNR by a number of area property owners, resulting in the Wolsfeld Woods <br /> and Wood-Rill Scientific and Natural Areas. <br /> Other forested acreage in the rural portion of the City is characterized by wooded <br /> hills interspersed with wetlands that in some cases have never been cleared, but <br /> equally as common are former farm fields that no longer are used agriculturally <br /> and may have younger stands of native species. A majority of these wooded <br /> lands are in private ownership, although certain parcels have been preserved via <br /> acquisition as City parks, such as Lowry Woods, the Highwood Nature Preserve, <br /> the and Saga Hill Nature Preserve. <br /> Former farm fields that have been developed residentially over the last 20-40 <br /> years in central and northern Orono typically exhibit a strong growth of <br /> transplanted hardwoods and conifers, creating an `urban forest' of sorts. While <br /> the City has not taken a strong role in encouraging revegetation in these <br /> neighborhoods, residents clearly have shown a desire for a wooded setting. <br /> Where residential development has occurred in already wooded areas, developers <br /> have been cautious about preserving woodlands that add to the value and <br /> � marketability of residential sites. Additionally, Orono's subdivision codes have <br /> long required the planting of boulevard trees where necessary, to set the tone for <br /> new development. <br /> Orono's primary thrust for tree preservation has been along the lakeshores, <br /> where prohibitions on removal of mature trees within 7S of the shoreline has <br /> been in place since the mid 1970's. These regulations were strengthened in the <br /> early 1990's by adoption of ordinances prohibiting clearcutting near the <br /> lakeshore and on steep slopes and bluffs in the shoreland. <br /> Tree Preservation Policy � <br /> 1. The City finds that its trees and woodlands provide numerous benefits <br /> including, but not limited to: stabilization of the soil by the prevention of <br /> erosion and sedimentation, reduction of storm water runoff, improvement <br /> of air quality, reduction of noise pollution, control of urban heat island <br /> effect, protection and increase of property values, protection of privacy, <br /> energy conservation through natural insulation, providing habitat for <br /> birds and other wildlife, and conservation and enhancement of the city's <br /> physical and aesthetic environment. <br /> City of Orono Communih' Management Plan 2008-2030 Page 3A-39 <br />