The Needham Conservation Commission on Dec. 18 told the applicant for 103 Wayne Road that it will not issue a full certificate of compliance because the field planting distribution and permanent demarcation do not match the approved restoration plan.

Staff reported that the restoration plan required six trees and 16 shrubs, permanent demarcation markers, and a native seed mix. During a site visit, staff found the trees present but the shrubs clustered at the base of trees rather than distributed across the restoration area as the plan envisioned. Two of four required permanent markers were not easily found. Deb told the commission that monitoring reports did not document repeated replantings and that recorded replacements had occurred but were not clearly explained in monitoring documentation.

Tom Schutt, the project consultant, said the owner and consultant had replanted shrubs after wildlife browse and that plantings were in place; he argued the monitoring reports and additional photos (with leaves present) show establishment in the spring. “We did make the point to replant all of the plants that were eaten, and the homeowner spent a lot of money to do that to make sure that they are in compliance with the order of conditions,” Schutt said.

Commission members expressed divided views: some said that replantings mean the plants are currently in place and therefore the project is compliant with the order of conditions, while others emphasized that the distribution does not match the approved plan and that the area still appears mowed rather than naturalized. Commissioners discussed options including revising the planting plan to propose species less susceptible to herbivory, using protective cages until shrubs establish, and installing more permanent demarcation posts.

Staff will confer with the owner and consultant to develop an acceptable distribution and protection plan for the plantings; the commission did not approve the full certificate of compliance at this meeting and asked that staff return with a recommended pathway to compliance, which may include additional planting distribution, protective measures and continued monitoring.