HomeMy WebLinkAboutMonitoring report 9.19.2025
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349 Main Street, Route 28, Unit D / West Yarmouth, MA 02673 / 508-778-8919
JUNE 6TH, 2025 www.bscgroup.com
Yarmouth Conservation Department
1146 Route 28
Yarmouth, MA 02664
Attn: Brittany DiRienzo, Conservation Administrator
RE: 30 Higgins Crowell Road, Yarmouth, Annual Mitigation Monitoring Report
BSC Job# 0050708.00
Dear Ms. DiRienzo and Members of the Conservation Commission.
BSC Group, Inc. (BSC) is pleased to submit this annual mitigation plant monitoring report on mitigation plantings at
30 Higgins Crowell Road in Yarmouth (the Site) on behalf of our client, Steven Caradimos who is the property owner.
On June 10th, 2022, the Yarmouth Conservation Department issued an enforcement order on 30 Higgins Crowell
Road for…
“Alteration of two wetland resource areas – Bordering Vegetated Wetland (BVW) and Cedar swamp – by cutting/
removing vegetation and placing fill; and alternation of a buffer to a wetland resource area – Cedar Swamp by cutting/
removing vegetation and placing fill.”
The enforcement order required Mr. Caradimos to cease and desist all work and to attend a Yarmouth Conservation
Commission meeting to begin discussing the enforcement order response plan. Mr. Caradimos immediately
complied with the enforcement order and hired BSC to assist with the preparation of the response plan. As required
by the enforcement order, BSC surveyed the Site and submitted a vegetation report detailing the vegetation cutting/
removing that had occurred at the Site within Conservation jurisd iction. This included fifty mature trees (Pine and
Oak trees) that were cut down from the 100’ buffer zone to wetland resource areas. BSC then prepared an
enforcement order response plan titled “Restoration Plan” dated 11/4/2022 which was approved by the Yarmouth
Conservation Commission.
The approved restoration planting plan included seeding the disturbed 100’ buffer zone with a native wildflower seed
mix, allowing nineteen of the stumps to regrow, and planting the species listed in table 1 below. All proposed species
are listed in the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension approved plant list.
Table 1. Proposed plants at 30 Higgins Crowell Road.
Common Name Scientific Name Quantity Spacing Size
PASTURE ROSE ROSA CAROLINA 38 4' OC 1G
SWEET PEPPERBUSH CLETHRA ALNIFOLIA 17 4' OC 1G
INKBERRY ILEX GLABRA 12 5' OC 5G
MOUNTAIN LAUREL KALMIA LATIFOLIA 5 6' OC 2G
ROSE BAY RHODODENDRON RHODODENDRON MAXIMUM 15 10' OC 2'-4'
RED MAPLE ACER RUBRUM 10 20' OC 2"-3"
FLOWERING DOGWOOD CORNUS FLORIDA 10 15' OC 1.5"-2"
349 Main Street, Route 28, Unit D / West Yarmouth, MA 02673 / 508-778-8919
In 2023, Mr. Caradimos hired a landscape company to plant the 87 shrubs and 20 trees listed in Table 1 above. BSC
confirmed that all shrubs and trees listed in the approved restoration plan were planted on Site. On May 21 st, 2025
Paul Mancuso, wetland scientist of BSC completed the first annual restoration monitoring site visit at 30 Higgins
Crowell Road. The previously disturbed 100’ buffer zone on Site was stable with herbaceous vegetation growing
throughout and a majority of the planted shrubs and trees were doing very well. Table 2 below details survivorship of
the approved plantings.
Table 2. Survivorship of planted shrubs and trees at 30 Higgins Crowell Road as of May 21st, 2025
Common Name Quantity Good Poor Dead
PASTURE ROSE 38 38 4 0
SWEET PEPPERBUSH 17 17 0 0
INKBERRY 12 12 0 0
MOUNTAIN LAUREL 5 0 2 3
ROSE BAY RHODODENDRON 15 14 0 1
RED MAPLE 10 10 0 0
FLOWERING DOGWOOD 10 9 0 1
The enforcement order requires that any plants that are listed as dead or in poor health during the first three years of
monitoring will need to be replaced in kind. In total 95% of the planted trees (19/20) have survived and are in good
condition. In total, 93% (81/87) of the planted shrubs have survived and are in good condition. It is unclear if extra
pasture rose plants were planted at the Site or if the additional pasture rose plants have started growing naturally but
there are currently more than 38 pasture rose shrubs in good condition on Site and four that appear stunted.
Additional shrubs that were not planted have started growing into the restoration area as well , including sweet
pepperbush, lowbush blueberry, some tree saplings, and some herbaceous species. The approved restoration plan
also included allowing 19 of the existing tree stumps to regrow. These stumps have all been left to regrow but have
not been managed to reduce “suckering” to allow the stump to regrow into a tree rather than a shrub.
BSC is requesting the commission’s opinion on whether any replanting is necessary at this time. The Site is stable,
and there is over 93% survivorship with additional plants naturally growing within the restoration area.
Please review this monitoring report and the attached photo pages documenting the ongoing restoration. If you have
any questions or require any additional information, please contact Paul Mancuso of BSC at
PMancus@BSCGroup.com or at 781-264-8043. The next monitoring inspection will be completed in 2026.
Sincerely,
BSC Group, Inc.
Paul Mancuso, WPIT
Associate
Cc Steven Caradimos, 30 Higgins Crowell Road, Yarmouth, MA 02673
2025 Restoration Inspection
30 Higgins Crowell Road
Yarmouth, MA 02673
5/21/2025
Photo #1: View of two red maple trees and a flowering dogwood tree that are in good condition at 30 Higgins Crowell Road.
Photo #2: View along the western walkway at 30 Higgins Crowell Road. There are 19 pasture rose shrubs all in good
condition along this walkway. There are more shrubs and trees visible in the background.
Photo Page 1
2025 Restoration Inspection
30 Higgins Crowell Road
Yarmouth, MA 02673
5/21/2025
Photo #3: View along the eastern walkway at 30 Higgins Crowell Road. There are 15 pasture rose shrubs along this walkway
that are all in good condition and four very small pasture rose shrubs that are starting to grow.
Photo #4: View of four inkberry shrubs that are in good condition at 30 Higgins Crowell Road.
Photo Page 2
2025 Restoration Inspection
30 Higgins Crowell Road
Yarmouth, MA 02673
5/21/2025
Photo #5: View of four sweet pepperbush shrubs that are in good condition at 30 Higgins Crowell Road. A flowering
dogwood and red maple tree are visible in the background.
Photo #6: View of three rose bay rhododendron shrubs that are in good condition at 30 Higgins Crowell Road. A few sweep
pepperbush, a flowering dogwood, and a red maple are visible in the background.
Photo Page 3