02/01/2022 (4) - Laserfiche WebLink

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Exhibit "p" on the Flinn Tract are involved. Wetland impacts from the FIND construction of a dredge material management area on the FIND property located north of the Flinn Tract will be implemented on the Flinn Tract. Details of that mitigation project are not available at this time. FIND will coordinate the project with the County and the SJRWMD during the design and permitting phase of the dredge material management area. In cases where the County, SJRWMD and FIND agree to allow private wetland mitigation in the conservation area, the private mitigator will be responsible for annual reporting to permitting agencies and for follow-up treatments and plantings to satisfy permitting agencies' requirements, for a minimum of five years. Upland Restoration Maritime Hammock The coastal maritime hammock of ORCA is at a climax, mature stage of growth. Some of the large live oaks dominating the canopy of the hammock are hundreds of years old, and are capable of living for many years to come. Native groundcover is an important ingredient of a pristine hammock, and public access of the hammock will continue to be controlled with well defined trails, to discourage pedestrian disturbance of herbaceous plants off the designated trails. The principal management need of this community consists of the continued suppression of nuisance exotic plant invasion. County staff will continue to coordinate efforts of volunteers and service groups to identify, remove and retreat problem areas of infestation. Scrubby Flatwoods Scrubby flatwoods share characteristics of xeric sand pine or oak scrub and pine flatwoods. Understory plant species are similar to sand pine scrub, but scrubby flatwoods generally have greater species diversity. Scrubby flatwoods are distinguished from pine flatwoods, which are commonly associated with more poorly drained soils. Scrubby flatwoods are considered a fire -based community, and naturally occurring fires play an important role in their regeneration and maintenance. Although scrubby flatwoods historically burn every 8 to 12 years, the scrubby flatwoods at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area have not been burned in many years. Exclusion of fire from scrubby flatwoods eventually results in succession (as in this case) towards xeric hammock community. Prescribed fire management of this community in the ORCA is not considered to be a feasible management action, due to the location of the community in close proximity to residential development, the major highway to the west, and to the FMEL facility on Oslo Road. Fire management is further complicated by a lack of suitable access routes for the equipment necessary to conduct prescribed burning. Given the small extent of the community, County staff have determined that prescribed burning will not be a management action here in the future, so that the County's prescribed fire efforts can be focused on fire dependent communities located south of Oslo Road and on other conservation areas managed by Indian River County. Since the community is ranked S3 (rare 14