Sustainable Development of Forestlands Project

Site Planning and Land Development Process

Several important issues need to be effectively addressed during the site planning and land development process within forestlands. These include:

1. creating safe and attractive places for people to live;
2. making forestland developments financially feasible by reducing infrastructure and related construction costs, by providing marketable lots and homes, and by securing additional income to offset ongoing road, trail, and forest management costs;
3. conserving timber and non-timber forest values within intact forestlands in perpetuity; and
4. minimizing impacts to sensitive resources and protecting steep slopes, forest soils, streams, riparian buffers, floodplains and wetlands, habitats for interior forest species and other rare or unique plants and animals, viewsheds, historic sites, and other natural and cultural resources.

Sustainable Forestland Development Planning/Design

1. Identify Development Goals & Objectives with an Interdisciplinary Team. Include a forester/wildlife ecologist/biologist, a planner with expertise in land-use regulations and socio-economic factors, and a designer with an understanding of ecological and recreation functions and values. Account for current and projected housing and development needs and desires in the region and locality, while recognizing opportunities to encourage development types that foster lower-impact and more livable communities. Define specific economic needs and interests. Involve local residents and those responsible for plan and code reviews early on and often enough to build understanding, trust and appropriate partnering.

2. Select a Site that helps Minimize Impacts to Productive Forestland & Sensitive Resources. Avoid developing highly productive forestland and/or prime farmland; Avoid environmentally sensitive areas; Select lands in close proximity to existing towns/cities/urban infrastructure (infill sites reduce the need for frequent single-vehicle trips to work, school, shopping, and recreation); Choose a site that has already been previously developed (either in whole or part).

3. Delineate Productive and Sensitive Areas on the-Selected Property by Evaluating the Bio-Physical and Socio-Cultural Aspects of the Site by Identifying Primary (Critical) and Secondary (Important) Resources to be Protected or Conserved on the Site.

   1. Delineate the following: timber and non-timber forest products that can be sustainably harvested and regenerated over time (defining the amount of forestland required to make harvests feasible); wetlands, surface-waters, and groundwater recharge areas; important wildlife habitat (including habitats for rare, threatened or endangered species); hazards (such as faults, areas of underground mining, sinkholes, highly-erodible soils, shrink-swell soils, slopes greater than 20%, and fire and flood-prone areas); historic sites or other culturally important places; special/sacred places; other important resources.
   2. Helpful inventory & analysis maps include: relationships to larger ecological systems and adjacent properties; land-use/land-cover and existing roads/trails/buildings on or in close proximity to the site; steep slopes/landform; geology and soils; solar aspect; wetlands, streams, surface-water features; important habitat types; known or potential hazards; groundwater recharge areas; and important visual, recreational, and historic/cultural resources andopportunities. Synthesize these inventory & analysis maps into a map that shows the relationships between ecologically sensitive areas, important areas for forest production, and road and housing suitability (which includes access to potable water and suitable sites for wastewater treatment).
4. Design the Development to Effectively Conserve Productive and Sensitive Areas on the Selected Property while also Maximizing Energy Efficiency and Minimizing Secondary Impacts caused by Wastewater Treatment Failures, Concentrated Stormwater Runoff, Soil Loss or Compaction, Invasions by Exotic or Other Undesirable Species, and Tree Stressors. Locate roads, buildings, infrastructure, and other built features to conserve critical and important vegetation and other resources; to optimize access and solar potential for homes & buildings, and to provide access for the various types of community & recreation activities envisioned.
5. Develop a Management Plan to Effectively Conserve Productive and Sensitive Areas on the Selected Property Over the Long-Term. Account for the needs and likely behaviors of people (residents and visitors); restoration & retention of soil fertility; water quality (with an emphasis on retaining intact riparian corridors & stream systems); wildlife & vegetation (with emphasis on conserving native ecosystem functions/values); and forest productiveness (sustaining healthy and accessible timber and non-timber products over the long term).
6. Implement the Plans with an Understanding of Sustainable Materials, Tools and Techniques. Use sustainable/regenerative construction materials and techniques as much as possible in order to minimize on- and off-site, direct and indirect, and short- and long-term impacts. Special care must be taken to minimize disturbance of vegetation and soils (refer to the NAHB Green Home Building Guidelines and chapters in Sustainable Landscape Construction for more details).

Inventory & Analysis Mapping

Larger Ecological Systems & Adjacent Properties

Identify: National Forest lands; Ag-Forest Districts, other large forested tracts; major riparian corridors; potential landscape linkages (forested and other natural areas that may serve as stepping stones, corridors and/or important habitat).

Land-Use/Land-Cover (relate to history & zoning, and identify existing roads/trails/buildings)

Identify: vegetation types, land uses, and management (include notes about historic use and management, and expected or potential land use change per local requirements and regional growth trends); road hierarchy/types; bike, walking & hiking trails; existing residences, churches, commercial structures, barns/farm structures, and other buildings.

Geology/Soils

Use NRCS/SCS Soil Surveys to understand the relationship between geology, soils and land use capability and suitability (particularly limitations of soils for “Building Site Development” and “Sanitary Facilities”). Compare soils maps to slopes/landform map to understand where soil boundaries may need adjusting.

Slopes/Landform

Consider maximum slopes for roads in mountainous terrain 15-17% (12% for 20 mph roads); parking 3%; sidewalks 10%; septic drainfields 15% (special designs for slopes >12%); house sites 20-25%; lawns 25%; and other potential structures, uses & activities.
Also consider stability of soils, conditionally-stable forested slopes, drainage and runoff conditions, and visually important slopes in determining allowable uses on steep slopes.
Relate soils, slopes/landform, and aspect maps to determine “forest site productivity” (where harvesting is likely to bring high economic return due to good tree growth).

Aspect

Generate aspect map for use in determining forest site productivity (see slopes/landform) and for use in locating homes and roads for passive solar and related needs/concerns.

Wetlands, Streams, Surfacewater & Habitats

Identify wetlands, seeps, drainageways, intermittent and perennial streams, recharge zones, and unique or important habitats (including wildlife habitat for rare, threatened or endangered species). Create a Hydrology/Drainage/Recharge Areas & Habitat map.

Potential Hazards

Identify any faults, areas of underground mining, sinkholes, highly-erodible and shrink-swell soils, slopes greater than 20%, fire and flood-prone areas, and any other hazards.

Visual, Recreational & Cultural Resources

Identify important visual features & vistas/viewsheds (with associated viewing places).
Identify prime locations for recreation activities (by type, considering potential conflicts).
Identify historic, archaeological, and other important cultural sites, structures or other resources, including special or sacred places.

Synthesis Mapping

Using GIS map analysis and/or hand-drawn overlays, define the interrelationships between ecologically sensitive areas, important areas for forest (and/or farm) production, and road/housing/development suitability, including access to potable water & wastewater treatment.

Map or otherwise document the following aspects of the property's development potential:

1. overall suitability of a site for buildings;
2. prime areas for locating roads, trails, and appropriate uses & activities;
3. land-use carrying capacities;
4. sensitive areas (primary & secondary conservation areas) where infrastructure/buildings and uses/activities should be limited or otherwise restricted; and
5. specific areas to be reserved for special facilities/infrastructure and harvesting forest or farm products.

For information about mapping and GIS resources click here.

To see the Forestland Decision Matrix click here.