This area is commonly referred to as the buffer strip. Adjacent to great ponds and rivers flowing to great ponds, the buffer strip extends for a distance of 100 feet from the normal high-water line. Beyond the buffer strip, vegetative cutting limitations are less restrictive. The figure below is just one example of allowable cutting under the point system. The point system was created to provide a more enforceable standard for tree cutting activities within the buffer strip.
State law prohibits new cleared openings from being created within the buffer area.
If removal of vegetation less than two inches in diameter will create cleared openings, enough vegetation must be retained to prevent the creation of such openings. Vegetative cutting is prohibited abutting a great pond zoned for Resource Protection for a distance of 75 feet inland of the normal high-water line. In other words, the footpath must meander, rather than being a straight line to the water. The purpose of this limitation is to prevent runoff from funneling directly along the pathway to the water. By meandering the pathway, runoff is more likely to be trapped by vegetation and natural depressions within the buffer strip.