Part 2 - Restoration and Change
I'm losing my privacy (or view) because of restoration
Change, especially when it affects you, is difficult. The long-term gain from the restoration of Minnetonka parks will be a positive trade-off to this short-term concern. By improving the health and beauty of the parks, adjoining property values could likely increase. And, as a site recovers during the restoration process, it will become vegetated with desirable plants. There are also many opportunities to improve screening along an individual’s property line. For example, the city offers trees and shrubs at a reduced rate for Minnetonka residents through its yearly tree sale.
Why does restoration seem like it is so messy with branches, logs, stumps, and other byproducts of machine and/or human intervention left on the ground?
It looks unsafe to walk in some areas.
The first phase of restoration may appear messy due to the initial intensive management of undesirable plants. While some tree logs and chips are normal byproducts of restoration, extreme amounts of woody debris may be very temporary, since the goal is to revegetate the area with seed and too much debris will inhibit this goal. Leaving a few downed logs or dead trees may also be conscious choices to provide wildlife habitat. Restorations often take three to five years to initiate the establishment of the target plant community
How long will this messy phase last?
The mess is most visible during the first phase of a restoration or for one to two years.
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Forestry Mower — a city machine that helps
remove invasive plants such as buckthorn. |