[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",5973876,"mediaKeyId","5829771-04c9a33d32dfd850e4589dd460d2e11b","parentId",5829771,"title","Conservation commission reviews cutting plan for Elm Street lot, agrees to inquire about recent clearing on neighboring Hardaker property","audioSeconds",877,"startMs",1311000,"endMs",2188000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5829771-04c9a33d32dfd850e4589dd460d2e11b&start=1311&end=2188","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5829771-04c9a33d32dfd850e4589dd460d2e11b/thumbnail_1311000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5973876/Massachusetts/Conservation-commission-reviews-cutting-plan-for-Elm-Street-lot-agrees-to-inquire-about-recent-clearing-on-neighboring-Hardaker-property","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5973876-fbb06e9e172844fb0c72dc33a1ea1d8a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150911&Signature=Li-MKd~~tC3vldOsLFdx5IXH8Dnxfm9HojR8u1f3vGeQbZFwEHiaetv4mqVVbo~RsJmEqyb1v2MYlur8f6oTQbAMYqsqbT7BNjB5-ClqWFHnybaJZo9Xpe2Cc1foq4Wtl606mh1V4vq0hIoTJDyo0tOfhwYZ5DdZ8D3cRszYQIu0yVJMmwOg3NafOpK5R3YJp37kkNfoyBCI-EdTTrDypnscwQUMPCyGyhQGcDu90p46B4juV8dML9~vkBtpMQ4jyhctrtUUhLvnKqvwKZDfOdAm1C3PrGbaFO75iQXZKJFWhlqKifhFGdh~ivZUOqjE6NOCXO1Uh8HXxjojrpelIA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Hubbardston","date","2025-09-25T23:44:03.347Z","article","At a meeting held in person and online, the Conservation Commission reviewed a cutting plan for a 10‑acre lot on Elm Street submitted for landowner Alan Crane and discussed whether proposed work complied with wetland buffers and cutting‑plan requirements. Commissioners noted that cutting plans allow certain harvesting under specified conditions, including leaving buffer strips and following seasonal restrictions, and that landowners may be allowed to cut up to 50% of standing timber in some wetland areas under dry and frozen conditions subject to buffer rules.

Commissioners emphasized the need for a cutting plan to demonstrate compliance with wetland buffers and erosion controls. One commissioner noted the town’s practice of requiring a cutting plan to provide leeway in otherwise restricted wetlands and to assure that conservation protections are observed. The applicant and local foresters were referenced in the discussion as having relevant expertise on wetland boundaries and appropriate harvesting practices.

During the same agenda segment commission members raised concerns about recent, apparently unpermitted clearing on property owned by the Hardaker family (referred to in the meeting as Jim and Jared Hardaker). Members said they observed cleared areas, equipment, and disturbed ground in locations that, based on mapping reviewed in the meeting, appeared to include wetlands and stream corridors that feed nearby waters. The commission discussed options ranging from an informal letter to the landowner asking for clarification, to an enforcement order requiring restoration or an after‑the‑fact Notice of Intent if work had been done without required permits.

The commission agreed to take initial, non‑enforcement steps: staff will draft and send an inquiry letter to the landowner asking for clarification of the recent activity and whether any permits were obtained, and staff will coordinate with commissioners to conduct a site visit (from public ways and without trespassing) and to request any necessary erosion controls if work has occurred within 100 feet of wetlands. Commissioners suggested including language in the letter that requests placement of erosion controls when work occurs within defined wetland buffers and that asks the landowner to provide relevant permits or to file an after‑the‑fact NOI if required.

The commission did not issue an enforcement order at the meeting; members said factual follow‑up (photos from public ways, a site visit, and the landowner’s response) should precede formal enforcement. Staff agreed to prepare a draft letter modeled on a prior template and circulate it to the commission for review before sending.

Next steps: staff will draft and circulate the inquiry letter, schedule a site visit visible from public ways, and report findings back to the commission to determine whether formal enforcement or filing requests to DEP are necessary.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Conservation Committee 9.25.25","oneSentenceSummary","The Conservation Commission reviewed a timber‑cutting plan for a 10‑acre Elm Street lot and discussed wetlands protections; commissioners also asked staff to send inquiry letters and conduct a site visit after members noticed recent clearing on property owned by the Hardaker family.","taxTitle","Town of Hubbardston, Worcester County, Massachusetts","taxId",61645,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5973881,"Conservation Commission closes hearing, issues order of conditions for 43 Birches Road Lot A; related NOI continued",893,325000,1218000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5829771-04c9a33d32dfd850e4589dd460d2e11b&start=325&end=1218","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5829771-04c9a33d32dfd850e4589dd460d2e11b/thumbnail_325000.jpg","/articles/5973881/Massachusetts/Conservation-Commission-closes-hearing-issues-order-of-conditions-for-43-Birches-Road-Lot-A-related-NOI-continued","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5973881-b7fbc4830c4201db59708ae11934a0c0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150911&Signature=KcD4jbWAzBxiEcPKcy8lBBSVp2kRbQDDKMEHeM12UwTycQXDmmM92wvxWuJ~rRsgfUqYE9f0lm9nMa5vIHyoq00NDF78hzw5~fC2aCB0FysvsSxdS~tip8yOxr7-jhYmwjlABswv~w3LUJzzZpver7199fsW1c5X4UGFei3dDGu0Mvd9civmFqjnKaa45DB8~wC5E4uktTX9YgIp2b31gM35Y1OEIBith-dgXkValJxrpK4SzqUZCtUj86~rUIW~wML0eNEHJytNzapwgQA3nNHI14qvOdsWXveps~Gxb7uSstowRBWzJuqWfFlmqkUIdorf2v3tp5nce3pftm741w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Conservation Commission closed a continued public hearing and voted to issue a standard order of conditions for a proposed single‑family home on 43 Birches Road Lot A, and agreed to continue review of a related Notice of Intent for a second lot for two meetings, the commission said at a meeting held in person and online.

Commissioners said the state environmental agency (DEP) provided two recommendations the commission considered before issuing the order: that the limits of work be established and recorded so future owners could not clear beyond them, and that some form of on‑the‑ground marker — for example a fence, placard attached to trees, or intermittent boulders — be used to show the limit of work.

Those DEP recommendations, commissioners said, were intended to prevent future clearing beyond the identified work area and to make the limit visible during title searches. Commissioners discussed several marking options: a split‑rail fence, tree‑mounted placards, or occasional boulders. Several members said fences can prove ineffective over time if future owners remove them, while builders and applicants stressed that standard erosion controls and silt fence would be monitored during construction. The applicant said they plan to keep the cut line tight and to maintain erosion controls while building.

After discussion, the commission voted to close the hearing for Lot A and to issue a standard order of conditions for Lot A; commissioners indicated the order will be recorded against the parcel during the usual permitting process. The commission also agreed to continue review of the related Notice of Intent for the other lot for two additional meetings (roughly 60 days) so that required supplemental land surveying and documentation can be completed and submitted for DEP and commission review.

Commissioners described the Lot A submittal as passing through a checklist review once the supplemental surveying and riverfront calculations were supplied. For the companion lot, the commission said the supplemental field and office surveying work had not yet been completed. Commissioners proposed that if the supplemental work is not supplied within the continuation period the applicant may withdraw and refile, or the commission may discontinue the matter without prejudice to allow a new filing.

The actions taken were procedural: closing the Lot A hearing and issuing an order of conditions, and continuing the companion NOI for two meetings. The commission did not adopt additional special conditions beyond its standard order at the meeting; members noted DEP recommendations as potential conditions to be reflected in the recorded order. The commission said staff will prepare and record the order and will place the continued matter back on the agenda after the specified interval.

Next steps: the order of conditions for 43 Birches Road Lot A will be finalized and recorded against the parcel; the companion NOI will return for consideration after the applicant supplies supplemental land surveying and riverfront information or chooses to refile.","The Conservation Commission closed a continued public hearing and voted to issue a standard order of conditions for a proposed single‑family home on 43 Birches Road Lot A after reviewing DEP comments. The commission agreed to continue review of a related Notice of Intent for a second lot for two meetings to allow additional surveying work.","actionData","errors"]

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Conservation commission reviews cutting plan for Elm Street lot, agrees to inquire about recent clearing on neighboring Hardaker property

Conservation Commission closes hearing, issues order of conditions for 43 Birches Road Lot A; related NOI continued