A. The following requirements shall apply to all timber harvesting operations in the Township.
1. All timber harvesting slash shall either remain on the ground as it fell (no slash shall be taller than (6) feet in height), be accumulated into bush piles of height not exceeding six (6) feet above ground, be mulched on the site, or be removed from the site.
2. All slash piles shall be located a minimum of fifty (50)
feet from any public road, private
road, driveway, and/or property line.
3. Diameter-limit: cutting shall not be permitted.
4. Clearcutting shall not be permitted on a property unless approved by the Township Forester based upon a determination that: clearcutting will significantly assist in forest regeneration; clearcutting will not cause excessive erosion and sedimentation; clearcutting will not be done within 50 feet of any public road right-of-way or any ABUTTING property; clearccutting is consistent all applicable federal, state and local.
5. Timber harvesting shall not be undertaken on any ground with a slope exceeding fifty percent(50%).
6. Timber Harvesting on slopes exceeding twenty-five percent (25 %) will be permitted as long as the harvesting is not taking place on soils prone to slipping and landslides as per the Soil Survey of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
7. Proper erosion and sedimentation control measures shall be taken on disturbed property to prevent accelerated water runoff.
8. No on-site retail sale of harvested wood or logs shall be permitted on the property unless the property is located in a commercial zoning district.
9. Timber buffer zones of twenty-five (25) feet along all public roads, private roads, and property lines shall be maintained on the property on which the timber harvesting is being conducted.
10. Timber buffer zones of twenty-five (25) feet along all streams or springs shall be maintained on the property on which the timber harvesting is being conducted.
11. All cutting, removing, skidding and transporting of trees as part of the
timber harvesting shall be planned and performed in such a manner as to minimize
the disturbance of or damage to other trees, vegetation and the land
itself.
12. Roads and trails shall be constructed, maintained and abandoned in such manner as to prevent soil erosion and permanent damage to soil and waterways.
13. Where possible, stream crossings shall be avoided, however where deemed necessary by the Township Forester and/or Township Engineer crossings shall be made at right angles across suitable culverts or bridges.
14. Hauling or skidding or placing fills or other obstructions in perennial or intermittent steams is prohibited except over culverts or bridges and as approved by the Township Forester and/or Township Engineer.
15. Felling or skidding on or across property of others is prohibited without the express written consent of the owners of such property. Felling or skidding on or across any public street is prohibited without the express written consent of the Township (in the case of Township roads), the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (in the case of State Roads), or Allegheny County (in the case of County Roads).
16. Upon the completion of timber harvesting, all skid and haul roads shall be seeded with annual grasses and access to such roads from public or private streets by motor vehicles of any kind shall be effectively blocked.
17. Before timber harvesting begins, all trees which are to be felled in connection therewith shall be clearly marked on the trunk and the stump so that the same may be easily identified both before and after a tree has been felled. No trees shall be felled which have not been designated for removal on the Forest Management Plan as finally approved by the Township.
18. Any more restrictive provisions, in this Chapter or any other Township ordinances that protects bicentennial trees shall apply.
19. Timber harvesting operations shall be conducted at a time of the year when the Township Forester determines that the least amount of environmental damage will occur and are subject to being shut down if they occur at other times.
20. Upon completion of a timber harvesting operation, all disturbed areas such as the landings, roads and critical areas must be reseeded with annual grasses as determined by the Township Forester.
21. Applicants, permittees, landowners and timber harvesting operations shall comply with all applicable federal, state, county and Township ordinances and regulations.
