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shall state, "Wetland Buffer: No Mowing Allowed" or "Wetland Buffer: Vegetation Clearing <br />Limit". The post shall be mounted to a height of a minimum of four (4) feet above grade set at <br />least forty-two (42) inches in the ground. The bottom of the post must be fitted with an anchor <br />attachment that would expand upon attempted removal. Monuments may be waived in unusual <br />circumstances where the City determines that such signs would not serve a practical purpose. <br /> <br />9.26.09 <br /> <br />Buffer Strip Vegetation Performance Standards. <br /> <br /> Subd. 1. Where acceptable natural vegetation exists in buffer strip areas, the <br />retention of such vegetation in an undisturbed state is preferred. A buffer strip has acceptable <br />natural vegetation if it: <br /> <br />bo <br /> <br />Has a continuous, dense layer of perennial grasses that have been <br />uncultivated or unbroken for at least ten (10) consecutive years, or <br /> <br />Has an overstory of trees and/or shrubs with at least eighty (80) percent <br />canopy closure that have been uncultivated or unbroken for at least ten <br />(10) consecutive years, or <br /> <br />Contains a mixture of the plant communities described in (a) and (b) <br />above that have been uncultivated or unbroken for at least ten (i0) <br />consecutive years. <br /> <br /> Subd. 2. Notwithstanding the above performance standards, the City may <br />determine existing buffer vegetation to be unacceptable if it is composed of undesirable plant <br />species including, but not limited to common buckthorn, purple loosestrife, leafy spurge, noxious <br />weeds or any other plants included in the DNR's Minnesota Invasive Non-Native Terrestrial <br />Plants list. <br /> <br /> Subd. 3. Where buffer areas, or a portion thereof, are not vegetated or have been <br />cultivated or otherwise disturbed within ten (10) years of the permit application, such areas shall <br />be re-planted and maintained according to the City's standard seeding specifications available <br />from the City's Community Development Department. <br /> <br /> Subd. 4. Responsibilities of Applicant for Subdivision. Establishment and <br />initial maintenance of buffer strip vegetation for the first two (2) years is the responsibility of the <br />subdivision applicant. During the first two (2) years, any buffer vegetation that does not survive <br />must be' re-planted by the subdivision applicant. After the first two (2) years, if the condition of <br />the buffer area changes through natural processes not caused by human activity, the subdivision <br />applicant shall not be required to reestablish the buffer area to meet the standards contained in <br />this Section. <br /> <br /> Subd. 5. Responsibilities of Subsequent Lot Purchasers. Subsequent <br />purchasers of lots subject to this Section are not required to engage in active maintenance of <br />buffers. However, it remains the responsibility of lot purchasers to re~¥ain from activities <br />prohibited within wetland buffers as enunciated in this subdivision and in the required notice <br />recorded against the lot title. Some otherwise prohibited activities, such as mowing or herbicide <br />applications, may be allowed as elements of an active maintenance plan approved by City staff. <br /> <br />-24- <br /> <br /> <br />