04. Updated Forest Mitigation Agreement with the Metro Flood Diversion Authority

6 6.2 Description of Potential Forest Mitigation Sites Corresponding imagery of each site can be found in the attached map book, FMM Forest Mitigation Mapbook (Appendix D), located at the end of this document. OHB Site: The OHB (Oxbow-Hickson-Bakke) Site is located adjacent to the Red River of the North, south of the City of Oxbow in Cass County, North Dakota. The site is located east of the recently constructed oxbow levee and adjacent to an existing floodplain forest. The site encompasses approximately 13 acres and is located on the unprotected side of the Oxbow Hickson Bakke Levee. The site was in use for agricultural row crops from at least 1990 until 2014 when a levee was constructed immediately west of the site and agricultural activities ceased. The site is bordered on the east and north by a floodplain forest adjacent to the Red River of the North and to the west by the recently constructed levee. The site is comprised of two soil types. The most abundant is Sinai silty clay (I475B) which is described as being found on 0-6% slopes. The major component (80%) is listed as Sinai, which is a well-drained, non-hydric, clayey soil. The second most abundant soil is Cashel silty clay (I293B), which is found in 0-6% slopes and occasionally flooded. The major soil component (80%) is Cashel, a loamy overflow that is non- hydric, but somewhat poorly drained. Agricultural production ceased on this parcel and it began regenerating naturally from propagules provided by the adjacent floodplain forest. The majority of the seedlings were box elder (Acer negundo). The site was planted in 2016 with inner plant bare root stock or potted stock to provide additional diversity. Species of the initial planting included 5 native species (potted stock): Silver maple (Acer saccharinum), bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa), Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoids), hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), and redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea). Oxbow Country Club Site: This site is located immediately adjacent to the Red River of the North and measures approximately 63 acres. A large portion of this site is located within the 10-year flood inundation boundary. It is primarily comprised of Cashel silty clay (I293B), which is found in 0-6% slopes and occasionally flooded. The major soil component (80%) is Cashel, a loamy overflow that is non-hydric, but somewhat poorly drained. The remaining portion of the site is comprised of Wahpeton silty clay (I451D), which is found on 1-15% slopes and occasionally flooded. The major components are listed as Wahpeton (35%), which is a moderately well drained, non- hydric clayey soil, and Cashel (25%), a somewhat poorly drained, non-hydric loamy overflow soil. The total area of tree planting which shall be considered Floodplain Forest is just over 63 acres, and includes the following species: Cottonwood, Green Ash, Hackberry, Bur Oak, American elm, Silver maple, American basswood, and Quaking Aspen, as described in the OHB Ring Levee Wetland Mitigation Plan WP43.G. This site was planted in 2022 with 57.38 acres of bare- root seedlings and 5.68 acres of experimental direct seeding. Both are intended to provide 300 individuals per acre after the first year of establishment. On the higher ground in the center of the site bare-root seedlings were planted amongst existing trees. Tree and shrub planting was