Work_Sequence_Plan_02_17_2023 (PL).pdf1 of 3
Work Sequence Plan
367 Coles Meadow Road
Phase I: Site Preparation for Tree Cutting
Prior to the start of tree removal activities:
• Boundary of the wetlands marked by stakes/flagging.
• Install property line pins — along westernmost 600 linear feet of north property line. Install silt
fence erosion control barriers along north and south driveway edges
(Stations 0+00 to 5+00)
• A pre-construction conference held on-site with Conservation Commission Agent.
Phase II: Tree cutting
From Stations 0+00 to 5+00, inside of north and south silt fences, and within wetland replication area on
the driveway south side:
• Cut trees and saplings.
• Remove cut trunks
• Branches, leaf litter and fine woody debris will be chipped and removed from the property for legal
disposal.
• Branches that fall outside limit of work area will be collected and moved manually to within the limit
of work area.Tree stumps will be left intact for removal by excavation contractor during Phase IV.
Phase III: Site Preparation for Driveway Construction
Land surveyor to re-stake silt fence limit of work lines along north and south sides of driveway from Stations
0+00 to 5+00.Silt fence (which can be breached and/or damaged by tree cutting and falling branches) will
be reinstalled/repaired, as needed, before commencement of Phase IV Driveway Construction.
[See also paragraphs in Pre-Construction section within Subsection 2.21 of Notice of Intent Project
Narrative — attached and incorporated by reference]
Phase IV: Driveway Construction
No earthwork will be conducted outside of the proposed limit of work. The proposed driveway layout will be
grubbed, with the stumps removed from the area and disposed of properly off-site.
The proposed driveway layout will be excavated to suitable loadbearing subsoil. If dewatering
is required, it will be conducted in accordance with specifications developed by the project
engineer; such water will be pumped to a containment area within the proposed limit of work
away from the wetland boundary. Under no circumstances, will water from any excavation be
discharged directly to the wetland. The excavated soil will be loaded into trucks and either removed from
the site, or relocated to the eastern part of the property outside of the 100’ buffer zone, for reuse during
house construction and associated landscaping.
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Any proposed underground utilities will be installed within the driveway and the area will be backfilled in
compacted lifts. The driveway and side slopes will be backfilled with materials specified on the Design Plan
and will be brought up to subgrade.
Culvert and Flow Equalization devices will be installed before final driveway top dressing is placed.
The side slopes will be loamed, covered with filter fabric and top-dressed with 4” of 2” crushed stone for
permanent cover.
[Also refer to Section 2.20 Wetland Mitigation Measures Supplement to § 1.5 of 2019 Project Description
Narrative incorporated by reference to this Plan]
Phase V: Wetland Replication
[Also refer to Wetland Replication Plan incorporated by reference to this Work Sequence Plan]
The wetland replication area adjacent to the area 28 feet north of WF-4 through WF-8 will have had the trees
and saplings cut and cleared during Phase II. Once the trees and saplings have been cut in Phase II and
stumps removed in Phase IV, the contractor will remove large stones and cobbles as needed, in the
replication area.
Once the two flow equalization devices have been installed, and driveway side slopes finished with the 2”
crushed stone top cover, the contractor proceed with the soil excavation, ground preparation, and plantings
in the replication area.
Replication Construction Sequence
Mature trees and saplings will have been cut (Phase II), stumps excavated and removed from the property
(Phases III & IV).
48-hours prior to construction of the wetland replication area, notice will be given to the Conservation
Commission.
In this Phase V, Environmental Planning Associates will inspect the subgrade to identify any spot locations
where the layer of silt loam requires installation of supplementary silt loam, establishing that 6 — 8" of dense
silt loam is present throughout the replication area. Topsoil will be applied to the prepared replication area.
The specified seed mix will be applied to the providers' specifications. The seed mix will be manually raked
into the topsoil layer. 21 specimens of the woody shrub Silky dogwood (Cornus amomum) (FACW) will be
planted along the northern edge of the replication area as specified on the Plan.
Boulders will be placed every 10 feet along the south side of the vehicle turnout.
Chemical fertilizers inhibit seed germination and will NOT be used.
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Phase VI: Inspections and Monitoring
Once the site and the driveway and side slopes are stable, an as-built plan will be submitted to the
Northampton Conservation Commission and/or agent, along with a request for a Certificate of Compliance
(Form WPA 8A). The issuance of a Certificate of Compliance will constitute permission for
the erosion controls to be removed, and disposed off-site.
Monitoring
For a three-year period following the construction of the wetland replication area, vegetation and hydrology
will be evaluated near the end of each growing season by a Environmental Planning Associates.
Annual reports that describe the status of the wetland replication area will be provided to the
Commission by November 30th. If at the end of a three-year period, appropriate vegetation
coverage in the wetland replication area is not 75% or greater, additional measures will be recommended
for review and approval by the Commission prior to implementation.
2.20 Wetland Mitigation Measures Supplement to § 1.5 of 2019 Project Description Narrative
2.21 Erosion Control
Driveway Side Slopes — Construction Materials
The side slopes on each side of the proposed driveway repose at a slope of
1.75' :1' (horizontal:vertical).
Due to the flatness of the underlying terrain, the modest horizontal extents of earthen side slopes
range in width on each side from 1.7' to 3.5.' The finished grades are not higher than 3 feet above
existing grade at any point where the driveway crosses wetland. In most places, the finished
grades are only 2 feet higher than existing grades.
In the 2022 Plan, the earthen side slopes stabilization is enhanced with the permanent placement
of 2" crushed stone for a depth of 4", over the entire side slope. In addition, filter fabric will be
placed on top of the prepared earthen side slope and under the 2" crushed stone. Filter fabric
keeps the crushed stone from mixing with the underlying imported soil. Filter fabric also helps
keep the crushed stone in place as the underlying soil settles after placement and compaction.
Once in place, the crushed stone will minimize side slope erosion. As with the earlier approved
plan, a silt fence would be used for erosion control during construction.
Pre-Construction
The limit of work follows the furthest lateral extent of the finished grade(s) (lowest elevation). The
enclosed version of the Plan is produced in color, with additional notes to provide clear direction to
the excavation contractor. The lowest finished grade elevations/silt fence lines are depicted by a
red line.
Prior to the commencement of work, the horizontal extents of silt fence/finished grade will be pre-
marked on the ground by the registered land surveyor. The construction contractor will install the
silt fence along the surveyor's pre-marked lines. This precise approach enables the erosion control
to be established without following parallel lines. Silt fence will be continuous. Silt fence will be
installed in between any gaps between plan drawn finished grade lines.
Post Construction
When driveway construction is complete, the silt fence will be removed. The finished sides will
remain intact. Three characteristics of the side slopes will prevent future soil erosion.
• Light compaction of imported side slope soil
• Placement of filter fabric over the imported soil, and under the crushed stone
• Placement of the 2" crushed stone over the filter fabric.
[See letter of George Costa, P.E. dated 7/5/22 characterizing side slope stability.
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Environmental Planning Associates
Specializing in Land Use & Zoning, Wetland Permitting, Septic System Design
P.O. Box 351 413-665-7903
South Deerfield, MA 01373-0351 (866) 318-2770 (fax)
e-mail: enplan@comcast.net
Wetland Replication Plan
Narrative
Parcel 08-070
Coles Meadow Road
Northampton, MA
The proposed driveway is located adjacent to the north property line. The proposed driveway construction
combined with the associated limit of work, will disturb 4,355 s.f. of vegetated wetland. The proposed wetland
disturbance is minimized by use of mechanized earth stabilization (concrete blocks) on the north and south
sides of the driveway.
Narrative description of existing wetland:
The existing wetland is a forested wetland system. Some areas have a greater density of mature trees
than other areas. The western part of the proposed driveway [WF 1 — WF 5 and WF 32 — WF 35] has the
greatest density of mature trees, and then, moving east, progressively fewer mature trees. There are two
relatively small parts of this wetland where the low density of mature trees allows canopy openings which
receive full sun part of the day. One such area is approximately 400 s.f., located approximately 80 feet
southeast of WF 14. The other is approximately 400 s.f., located 60 feet north of WF 28 — WF 29. This
latter area is the only part of the system where standing water is frequently evident during the growing
season. Standing water at the surface is evident in other locations for a day or two after precipitation
events.
Overall, the plant community indicates acidic to circumneutral soil conditions (Table 1). These plant species
are frequently found in intermittently saturated systems, with few areas of standing water.
Narrative description of proposed wetland replication:
The proposed wetland replication area is 4,357 s.f., located east of Coles Meadow Road. As with the
wetland adjacent to it, the replication area is semi-forested, and consists of Ridgebury soils (ReB). The
Ridgebury soil class is characterized by a dense silt loam layer in the upper horizon. The NRCS Soil
Survey describes Ridgebury soil as including the following characteristic:
• Depth to restrictive feature: 10 to 25 inches to densic material
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Soil borings in the area show that the densic material encountered ranges between silt loams and silt clay
loams. Both are very poorly drained, with varied degrees and/or duration of saturation. Across the landscape
of this lot, some parts of this Ridgebury soil deposit contain upland conditions, and other parts exhibit hydric
soil conditions. Stones and cobbles are not unusual in Ridgebury soil deposits. In the western 100 feet,
nearest to the road, the soil substratum consists of a dense silt clay loam from a depth ranging from 2" to at
least 20". Deeper than 6" in the profile, the silt clay loam becomes progressively more compact. Underlying
the silt loam, is a highly permeable loamy sand. The typical soil profile of the replication area is depicted in
cross section detail C — C'. The coarse grained loamy sands are also typical of the upland areas at the
eastern section of the lot. Soil borings conducted on October 2, 2018 showed that further east of the road,
between WF 14 and WF 22 the dense substratum is vertically 5 feet thick, underlain by loamy sand.
Both the wetland and the proposed replication area are situated in a relatively flat area, where the change in
slope ranges between 1.4% and 2.1%.
Hand augured soil borings were conducted in the replication area. Soils consist of less than 1" depth of
organic O horizon material, then followed by 15 – 20" of silt clay loam, then underlain by loamy sand.
Hydrology and Soils
The terrain generally directs runoff flow from east and northeast toward the low point in the northwest corner
of the property. The existing culvert was placed in the existing swale fed via this low point. The proposed
replication area is adjacent to the low point on the property. The replication area is a little bit higher than the
adjacent wetland.
The grade in the replication area will be lowered by one foot. This will allow saturated conditions within 3
inches of the surface. Saturation will be caused by a combination of:
• runoff from the surrounding higher terrain
• groundwater level fluctuations
• the relatively impermeable silt clay loam already in place
The preservation and enhancement of the silt clay loam soil layer is the critical factor for surface retention of
accumulated precipitation and runoff. Any attempt to retain existing trees and to work around the tree root
system could introduce vertical perforations in this soil layer, and disrupt the perching effects caused by the
relatively dense soil. Vertical perforations would allow water to drain into the underlying loamy sand. This
could then reduce the capacity of the replication area to retain surface water after precipitation events.
Consequently, saturation periods would be limited to the spring and fall high groundwater seasons. The MA
DEP Wetland Replication guidance advises retention of mature trees when the trees are facultative or wetter.
14 of the 21 trees in the replication area are upland species
(Table 3).
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Open water is not persistently present anywhere within 100 feet of the proposed replication area. Within the
wetland, soil moisture is prevalent at or near the surface during and after sustained rain events. In the
replication area, soil borings showed standing water at depths ranging between 18" and 22". Silt clay loams
were saturated at depths as shallow as 15" in the Fall and Winter. High chroma mottling, an indicator of
intermittent and/or partial saturation is also present as high as 15". With the exception of prolonged dry spells,
the standing water was typically observed at a depth of 22 — 24" in the proposed replication area. During
prolonged rain events, water ponding was observed at the surface in parts of the adjacent wetland. The silt
clay loam becomes progressively more dense and compact with depth. Removal of the upper 12" will create
conditions where the least permeable soil would then be closer to the surface.
Vegetation
Overall the wetland system is populated with facultative plants, which can survive in less saturated wetlands,
as well as in uplands. Most of this wetland system does not contain significant communities of obligate
wetland plants. The vegetation in the wetland disturbance area indicates that it is more acidic than alkaline.
Table 1
Inventory of Existing Plant Species
Proposed Wetland Disturbance Area
Common Name Scientific Name Wetland Indicator Status Habit/pH range
Sensitive Fern Onoclea sensibilis FACW 5.0 — 7.0
Sweet Birch Betula lenta FACU 4.0 — 6.8
Green Ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica FACW 6.1— 7.5
Red Oak Quercus rubra FACU-
usually acidic; can
tolerate slightly alkaline
environments
Eastern Hemlock Tsuga canadensis FACU 5.0 — 6.5
Poison Ivy Toxicodendron radicans FAC
Sweet Birch Betula lenta FACU < 6.8
Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus
quinquefolia
FACU 5.1 — 7.5
Red Maple Acer rubrum FAC usually acidic; can
tolerate slightly alkaline
environments
Spotted Touch
Me Not
Impatiens capensis FACW 5.6 — 6.5
Northern
Arrowood
Viburnum recognitum FACW- 5.1 — 6.5
Clinton's
Woodfern Dryopteris clintoniana
FACW+ < 6.8
Mousntain laurel Kalmia latifolia FACU 5.0 — 7.0
Jumpseed Persicaria virginiana NI 4.4 — 6.6
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Table 2
Inventory of mature trees within proposed driveway area
(reported in inches in diameter at breast height "dbh")
(Reporting only specimens at least 5" dbh)
Red
Maple
Eastern Hemlock* Oak Shagbark
Hickory
Green Ash
8" many of the
hemlocks in this
part of the
property are dead
or in severely
compromised
health
14" 10"
8" 6" 18" 18"
12" 20" 18"
12" 20" 20"
14" 20"
16" 22"
16" &
16"
coppis
24"
16" 26"
24"
28"
Subtotal of Tree
Species
10 1 8 4 0
Total Mature
Trees
23
The proposed wetland replication area also contains the plant species found in the wetland area, as well as
White oak, Red Oak, Shagbark Hickory, Dogwood, Christmas fern, and Painted trillium. There are also
numerous mature trees standing in the wetland area which are dead or in an advanced state of decline.
Table 3 contains an inventory of the healthy mature trees in the proposed replication area.
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Table 3
Inventory of mature trees within wetland replication area
(reported in inches in diameter at breast height "dbh")
(Reporting only specimens at least 5" dbh)
Red
Maple
(FAC)
Eastern Hemlock*
(FACU)
Red
Oak
(FACU-)
Shagbark
Hickory
(FACU-)
Green Ash
(FACW)
8" many of the hemlocks in
this part of the property
are dead or in severely
compromised health
10" 12" 10"
9" &
10"
coppis 4"
22" 15"
10" 6"
22" &
10"
coppis
10" 8"
12" 8"
15" 8"
8"
10"
10"
15"
Subtotal of
Tree
Species
6 9 3 2 1
Total
Mature
Trees 21
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Replication Construction Sequence
The proposed replication site is between Wetland Flags 4 through 8. The replication area will be staked out
on the ground by Environmental Planning Associates prior to the commencement of work. All mature trees,
saplings and stumps in the replication area will be cut and removed from the property. The meager depth of
organic topsoil makes any effort to remove and stockpile it separately from the A horizon silt clay loam, futile.
1. Remove and stockpile 12 inches of A horizon soil, separately stockpile any sandy loam encountered
from silt loam and silt clay loam present in the A Horizon.
2. Cover soil stockpiles with straw to facilitate moisture retention
3. Call Environmental Planning Associates to evaluate and survey elevations of the new finished grade
4. Identify any areas where the silt clay loam left in place is less than 6" deep;
5. Use stockpiled silt clay loam as needed to establish uniform depth of this impermeable material
across replication area
6. Use 24" wide hand roller across the entire replication area to increase soil compaction
7. Hand rake upper 2" of finished grade
8. Spread 1 — 2" depth of imported topsoil (free of stones and gravel)
9. Spread 6 — 8 pounds of specified seed over replication area
10. Hand rake to work seed mix into soil
11. Plant 21 + specimens of Silky dogwood (Cornus amomum) along northern edge of replication area,
in accordance with detail
12. Cover the entire replication area with straw
Replication Construction Monitoring
• Pre-construction meeting on site with contractor and Environmental Planning Associates to review
replication area layout, construction sequence, and to verify silt fence installation;
• Environmental Planning Associates to notify Conservation Commission;
• Inspections at preparation of subgrade, and after placement of wetland seed mix, and every 3 weeks
through remainder of the growing season;
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Coles Meadow Road
Wetland Replication Plant Mix
Botanical Name Common Name Wetland
Indicator Status
Carex vulpinoidea Fox Sedge OBL
Carex scoparia Blunt Broom Sedge FACW
Carex lurida Lurid Sedge OBL
Carex lupulina Hop Sedge OBL
Poa palustris Fowl Bluegrass FACW
Bidens frondosa Beggar Ticks FACW
Scirpus atrovirens Green Bulrush OBL
Asclepias incarnata Swamp Milkweed OBL
Carex crinite Fringed Sedge OBL
Vernonia noveboracensis New York Ironweed FACW+
Juncus effusus Soft Rush FACW+
Aster lateriflorus (Symphyotrichum
lateriflorum)
Starved/Calico Aster FACW
Iris versicolor Blue Flag OBL
Glyceria grandis American Mannagrass OBL
Mimulus ringens Square Stemmed Monkey
Flower
OBL
Eupatorium maculatum (Eutrochium
maculatum)
Spotted Joe Pye Weed OBL
This planting schedule is available locally (New England Wetland Plants, Amherst, MA) as a seed mix called
" New England Wetmix (Wetland Seed Mix). This replication site is subject to intermittent, storm related
inundation. The mix of herbaceous wetland plant species is specified for this rainfall pattern.
On this 4,357 s.f. replication site, 6 lbs. of seed mix should be more than adequate. Chemical fertilizers inhibit
seed germination and will not be used.
Additionally, 21 specimens of the woody shrub Silky dogwood (Cornus amomum) (FACW) will be planted
along the northern edge of the replication area.
The proposed replication work would be from a point 21 feet north of WF 4, extending 115 feet southeast to
WF 8.
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