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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3151; PALOMAR AIRPORT ROAD; BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION; 1982-03-30WESTEC Services, Inc. i 321.1 Fifth Avenue San Diego,.CA 92103 (714) 294-9770 I ' 82-853-E .. ... l ' March309 1982 I . 1 Mr. Charles Grimm , 1 City of Carlsbad ,1 44 4 i 1200 Elm Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008 ' • Or Subject.. ç'1 Palomar Oaks 1l 11 Business'ark, - :'. Atyour request, WESTECS Serv4ces Incjentered into contractual agreement with.: Birtcher, Pacific to con duc a biological 'èvaluation of the Palomar Oaks II BusinessA. S 1, RV.,Park A1 fie1d survey of theprbject siwa madeon March 29, 1982 between 8 00 a m. 1-and 10 30 a.m The field work1ws ofreconaissance nature focusing on the coast live oaks (Quercus agri .131 folia) cnsite>N6 extensive transect studies of plants or animals were 'iconducted on the property w.lkoverexamination of the site was made-and notes t. taken on the location, size 'andform of the oaks ai well as the general charac.ter of the .site and surrounding Or S ' f4,1 4 The project area Consists of five lots varying between 1 32 and 3 19 acres and totalling 9.89. acres The site is situated west of, 1and adjacent to Phase I of Palomar Oaks Business Park. Phase I has already been graded The site is south of Palomar Airport Road which will be realigned through this stretch and a high voltage power line easement ; passes over the northern aspect of the project site The subject property has been ' 'totally disturbed Coast live oaks are1 scattered over , Lots 2 through 5 There is no k-...:,,.developed ; developed natural understory for the oak ' No natural stands of native vegetation are 'present on the property. The site is covered by piles of fill material and general trash and debris which in turn have been covered by weedy adventious plant species Fifty- two plant species were identified onsite. The dominant weedy species are milk thistle (Silybum marianum), poison hemlock (Coruum maculatum), and wild mustard (Brassica spp). Aside from the oaks, elderberry (.Sambucus mexicana ) is the only large shrub scattered over the property 1 M11il 4 .iir 54 14S. is' No' sensitive plant or ammalspecies 5 were observed on the property, or could be expected to be found oa the property or utilize the site at other times of the year. 5 1 't5 ) I 51 JI y41 4\i The east-west main drainage through'5the property1 follows a man made channel. The ' earthen channel is devoid of vegetation probably due to scouring by storm flows A few small arroyo willows (Salix lasiolepis ) are the only riparian elements associated with 'Jt the drainage 4 4 t A total of 36 coast live oaks are present on the pr&perty. Fourteen of these trees have , breast-height diameters (dBl-I) of 18 to 30 inches Four of the trees have diameters is? ,, (dBH) estimated at 42 to 48 inches Ten of the trees are multi-trunked at breast height The remaining eight coast live oaks are stump sprouts or in one case a shrub size plant It is noted that precise diameter measurements were not taken The above mentioned diameters are estimations only. Also, the examination of the trees onsite was made from an ecological perspective rather than an horticultural one as had been done on the , 4 Phase I portion of the Palomar Oaks project site s ' 4 y4 I i'4 1T '1V J5Sfi L5 Ifi 1&_ 4 . ,4 ( I ., I - ! Charles Grimm - t Page Two March 30, 1982 . The oaks .onsite are undoubtedly utilized by birds bUt the lack of native understory vegetation greatly reduces the bre'eding potential of woodland species on the property. Animal species associated with native coastal sage scrub or chaparral habitats would be expected to utilize the property only on a transient basis. Generally, cover is lacking for these species and. the site favors, disturbance-oriented species. The distribution of the oaks onsite and the disturbed character of the property do not lend the site to open space consideration The onsite resources are limited and the project will not cause significant adverse biological effects 5 t0 occur. The trees onsite in this case are probably more important from an aesthetic viewpoint than a biological one S 7 7 '' •4••4• •• t r It is recommended that as many oaks as possible be retained and incorporated into the çt landscaping'7 of Lots. Care should be taken not to fill under the drip line of the trees Art arborist4should be consulted as to the health of the trees and specific pruning j;recomrnendations.. It is realized 5thatthe retention of such trees in a landscaping context must be examined from asafety and liability standpoint ' ......... An additional consideration. is the'realignment of the main drainage from the south to the northof the project. From a biological standpoint the drainage can be considered supportive of the adjoining natural open space on the slopes to the south when it is located at the base of the slope. Iv-losesthat capability when it is displaced northward and separated m by industrial developent iv Gen the increased runoff in the drainage due to upstream urbanization, it could be expected to gradually become more riparian in character. The channel could be designed to accommodate such growth The majority of the oaks, especially the ones most likely to be retained, are also located in the southern %aspect of the Lots. The combination of the adjoining natural slope, the drainage, and the onsite oaks would create a more desireable biological solution to property, development If landscaping about oaks incorporated some native elements the situation could be further enhanced biologically. I 4 L I hope this information adequately answers any biological questions you may have had about the site.:Please call if you need further clarification ic: - ;: •,.: !tSincerelv.