Clearing and grading are common practices associated with developing a property. Clearing is removal of vegetative ground cover, including timber, shrubs, or grasses, and grading is the physical manipulation of the earth's surface and/or surface drainage pattern without significantly adding or removing on-site materials. This includes removing the duff layer, and recontouring the ground, and may include minor excavation and filling. Both clearing and grading may increase erosion, siltation, and runoff/flooding, and change drainage patterns, reduce flood storage capacity, and damage habitat.
Removal of shoreline vegetation can impact forage fish spawning and salmon feeding and cause increased erosion. Shoreline trees and shrubs incubate surf smelt eggs on the beach below, keeping them cooler during the hot summer months when low tides leave them exposed during the day. Coastal forests also host insects that form an important food source for young salmon. And shoreline vegetation stabilizes banks, reduces erosion, and maintains water quality.
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There are hidden environmental and economic costs from this on-going process of watershed degradation. Development and long-term maintenance costs can be reduced, and property value increased through coordinated planning and careful consideration of building sites, solar potential, septic systems, and driveways. By preserving naturally vegetated areas, landowners are passively managing the stormwater runoff; protecting watershed functions and providing other benefits and amenities.
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