(A) The vegetative cutting provisions in division (B) below shall apply to the controlled vegetative cutting areas specified in § 154.035.
(B) General provisions within designated setback areas are as follows:
(1) Clear-cutting, except for any authorized public services such as roads and utilities, shall not be permitted.
(2) Selective cutting of trees in excess of four inches in diameter at breast height is permitted provided cutting is spaced in several cutting operations and a continuous tree cover is maintained, uninterrupted by large openings.
(3) The cutting provisions of divisions (B)(1) and (B)(2) shall not be deemed to prevent:
(a) The removal of diseased or insect-infested trees, or of rotten or damaged trees that present safety hazards; or
(b) Pruning understory vegetation, shrubs, plants, bushes, grasses, or from harvesting crops, or cutting suppressed trees or trees less than four inches in diameter at breast height.
(C) Clear-cutting anywhere else in the designated land use district on the Rum River is subject to the following standards and criteria:
(1) Clear-cutting shall not be used as a cutting method where soil, slope, or other watershed conditions are determined by the Zoning Administrator to be fragile and subject to severe erosion and/or sedimentation.
(2) Clear-cutting shall be conducted only where clear-cut blocks, patches, or strips are, in all cases, shaped and blended with the natural terrain.
(3) The size of clear-cut blocks, patches, or strips shall be kept at the minimum necessary.
(4) Where feasible, all clear-cuts shall be conducted between September 15 and May 15. If natural regeneration will not result in adequate vegetative cover, areas in which clear-cutting is conducted shall be replanted to prevent erosion and to maintain the aesthetic quality of the area. Where feasible, replanting shall be performed in the same spring, or the following spring.
(Ord. 324, passed 11-16-00) Penalty, see § 10.99