253PLANTING WOODY PLANTS

Art. 253.01 Planting Woody Plants 118

253.01Description. This work shall consist of furnishing, transporting, and

planting woody plants such as trees, shrubs, evergreens, vines, and seedlings. The work shall also include mulching, bracing, wrapping, watering, and weeding.

253.02Materials. Materials shall be according to the following

Item Article/Section

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

253.03Planting Time. Except for container grown items, plants must be

dormant when delivered to the storage site or project.

In reference to the following planting dates, that portion of the State which lies north of a line formed by the southern boundaries of Hancock, Schuyler, Mason, Tazewell, McLean, Ford, and Iroquois Counties shall be considered the northern zone, while that portion of the State which lies south of this line shall be considered the southern zone.

Bare root plant material shall be planted only when the air temperatures exceed 35 °F (2 °C).

worked until the plant, under field conditions, is not dormant, except the following circumstances.

the northern zone.

(Populus spp.), oak (Quercus spp.), alder (Alnus spp.), birch (Betula spp.), hawthorn (Crataegus spp.), red maple (Acer Rubrum), cherry (Prunus spp.), and pear (Pyrus spp.) species shall be planted only during the spring planting season.

Engineer determines that the weather conditions are favorable.

dormant until the ground cannot be satisfactorily worked, except that evergreen planting shall be performed between August 15 and October 15 in the northern zone, and between September 1 and November 1 in the southern zone.

Planting Woody Plants Art. 253.06 119 All plant material not planted according to the specified seasonal date shall require prior written approval from the Engineer. Failure to secure such approval shall result in the rejection of the plant material and replacement at no additional cost to the Department.

253.04Digging of Plants. Plants shall not be dug until the Contractor is

ready to transport them from their original locations to the site of the work or approved storage. The maximum time lapse between digging and being properly loaded, as defined in Article 1081.01 for delivery to the site of the work or being placed in approved storage, shall be four days for balled or burlapped plants and one day for bare root plants. They shall be dug with care, avoiding injury to the plants or loss or damage of the roots, particular attention being given to fibrous roots. Immediately after digging, roots shall be protected against drying out and freezing. Bare root plants shall be dug only when air temperatures exceed 35 °F (2 °C).

253.05Transportation. During transportation, the Contractor shall exercise

care to prevent injury and drying out of the plants. Upon arrival at the temporary storage location or the site of the work, plants will be inspected for proper shipping procedures as defined in Article 1081.01(d). Should the roots be dried out, large branches be broken, balls of earth be broken or loosened, or areas of bark be torn, the Engineer may reject the injured tree. When a tree has been so rejected, the Contractor shall at once remove it from the area of the work and replace it.

253.06Temporary Storage. No plant shall remain in temporary storage over

the summer. Plants delivered to the project that are not to be planted immediately shall be protected in the following manner.

prior to being planted or placed in storage. During this 24 hour period, the Contractor shall continue to exercise care to prevent injury and drying out of the plants. The roots of plants to be placed in storage shall first be puddled in a paste solution of topsoil and water. The plants shall then be protected and kept moist by “heeling-in” the roots or by placing the plant in a cool moist storage building. The “heeling-in” procedure shall require the plants to be separated and the roots heeled in a suitable moist soil. If plants are stored in a building, the roots shall be covered with a suitable moist mulch. Winter storage of bare rooted plants will be allowed only in temperature and humidity controlled buildings. The Engineer shall approve the storage methods. The duration of storage, the method of storage and the materials used for mulch and “heeling-in” shall meet the approval of the Engineer.

remain on the site of the work only 72 hours prior to being planted or placed in storage.

Balled and burlapped plants shall be kept moist and their solidity carefully preserved. To prevent drying out or freezing, they shall be stored either in a cool moist storage building or placed in a compact group with a suitable mulch material placed around and between the balls so they are completely covered.

Art. 253.06 Planting Woody Plants 120 Container grown plant material shall be kept moist by watering as directed by the Engineer. To prevent freezing, they shall be stored either in a cool moist storage building or placed in a compact group with a suitable mulch material placed around and between the containers so that they are completely covered.

The duration of storage, method of storage, and mulch material for balled and burlapped plant material and container grown plant material shall meet the approval of the Engineer.

253.07Layout of Planting. The area to be planted shall be finished to line

and grade before planting operations are begun. The Contractor shall furnish all marking flags for locating plants, and shall mark the common name of plants. The Engineer will place the marking flags and outline each area for mass or solid planting. Where seedlings are to be planted, the planting areas shall be delineated with selective mowing stakes. Selective mowing stakes shall be according to Article 250.08.

253.08Excavation of Plant Holes. Plant holes shall be dug to the required

depth and width, and shall be saucer shaped. On slopes, the depth of excavation will be measured at the center of the hole. The excess material excavated from the holes shall be spread in the immediate area as directed by the Engineer. The excavated material shall not be stockpiled on turf or in ditches. The sides of holes shall not be glazed or smooth.

be dug at the location indicated by the marking flags. The diameter of the hole shall be equal to three times the diameter of the root ball and depth of the hole shall be equal to the depth of the root ball minus 2 in. (50 mm).

Holes for shrubs, vines, and seedlings shall be dug within the marked outline of the planting bed. The spacing of plants will be designated on the plans. Spacing shall be measured from center-to-center and alternate rows shall be staggered.

Prior to digging shrub and vine holes, existing vegetation on the area shall be mowed or treated with a non-selective, post emergent, non-residual herbicide approved by the Engineer. The area shall then be tilled to a minimum depth of 2 in. (50 mm) until free of debris, gullies, clods, weeds, stones, and roots.

Holes for shrubs shall be dug to a minimum diameter equal to three times the root ball diameter and equal to the root ball depth. Holes for vines shall be dug to a minimum diameter of 8 in. (200 mm) and depth of 8 in. (200 mm).

Immediately prior to planting seedlings, the existing grass and weed growth within the planting area shall be cut to a maximum height of 2 in. (50 mm). On slopes flatter than 1:3 (V:H), the soil adjacent to the plant row parallel to the contour shall be prepared by cultivating or scalping to remove all grass

Planting Woody Plants Art. 253.10 121 and weed growth, in a continuous strip not less than 18 in. (450 mm) wide. The seedlings shall be planted in the center of this strip.

Holes for seedlings shall be made large enough to accommodate the root system with a spade, planting bar, or an approved mechanical tree planting machine. Individual holes for container grown plants shall be excavated to the same dimensions for comparable size balled and burlapped plant material.

253.09Pruning. Pruning shall be performed by a professional arborist in the

presence of the Engineer and in such a manner as to preserve the natural growth habit of each plant. Pruning shall be done according to the current ANSI A300 (Part 1).

The ends of broken and damaged roots of 1/4 in. (6 mm) or larger shall be pruned with a clean cut, removing only the injured portion. Broken branches, stubs, and improper cuts of former pruning shall be removed.

dictated by the habit of growth of the various types of the trees to be pruned. The leader and terminal buds shall not be cut.

height. Shrubs that are slow growing or do not sucker readily shall be pruned in the same manner as deciduous shade trees.

dead branches.

253.10Planting Procedures. Plants shall be placed in a plumb position and

set 2 in. (50 mm) higher than the depth they grew in the nursery. Additional planting requirements shall be as follows.

burlap shall be removed from the trunk. Wire baskets shall be removed from at least the upper one half of the planting ball. All materials shall be disposed of properly.

shall be removed with care so as not to disturb the ball of soil that contains the root system. During the planting operation, care shall be taken not to destroy the solidity of the ball of soil. Pots which will decompose in one growing season shall be removed to a point just below the surface of the ground.

and prepared backfill shall be worked in around the roots so each root is individually packed to eliminate air pockets. The plant shall be gently raised and lowered to ensure contact of the roots with the soil.

they shall be transported to the planting site in containers of water and the

Art. 253.10 Planting Woody Plants 122 roots shall be continuously immersed until planted. Unplanted seedlings left at the end of each day shall be removed from the water, the roots wrapped in moist materials and the seedlings placed in storage.

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placed in the center of the hole and the backfill shall be compacted around the roots to eliminate air pockets. The backfill shall be saturated with water after the plant is placed.

planting bar or spade is used, no backfill will be required.

specified to be bedded with other plants, shall have a water saucer constructed of soil equal to one half the diameter of the planting hole width and 4 in. (100 mm) in depth.

Once properly set in the hole, prepared backfill shall be placed around the root system level with the existing grade around the hole. The prepared backfill shall consist of suitable soil removed from the hole mixed with topsoil as needed to provide a sound growth environment and it shall be in a loose, friable condition. If the existing soil is determined to be unsuitable, the backfill shall consist of topsoil only. Tamping or watering shall accompany the backfilling operation to eliminate air pockets.

Thorough watering of trees, shrubs, and vines shall immediately follow the backfilling operation. This watering shall completely saturate the backfill and be performed during the same day of planting. After the ground settles, as a result of the watering, additional backfill shall be placed to match the level of the finished grade. Approved watering equipment shall be at the site of the work and in operational condition prior to starting the planting operation.

253.11Mulch Cover. Within 30 days after planting, mulch shall be placed

around all woody plants, except seedlings, to a depth of 6 in. (150 mm) within the entire mulched bed or saucer area as specified.

253.12Wrapping. Within seven days after planting, a double lift of

commercial screen wire mesh shall be wrapped around the trunk of all deciduous trees. Multi-stem or clump form trees shall have each stem wrapped separately. The screen wire shall be secured to itself with staples or single wire strand tied to the mesh. The lower edge of the screen wire shall be in continuous contact with the ground and shall extend up a minimum of 36 in. (900 mm) or to the lowest major branch, whichever is less.

253.13Bracing. All deciduous and evergreen trees, with the exception of

multi-stem or clump form specimens, over 8 ft (2.5 m) in height shall require three 6 ft (2 m) long steel posts so placed that they are equidistant from each other and adjacent to the outside of the ball. The posts shall be driven vertically to a depth of 18 in. (450 mm) below the bottom of the hole. The anchor plate shall be aligned perpendicular to a line between the tree and the post. The tree shall be firmly attached to each post with a double guy of 14 gauge (2.03 mm) steel wire. The portion of the wire in contact with the tree shall be encased in a hose of a type and length approved by the Engineer.

Planting Woody Plants Art. 253.15 123

During the life of the contract, if trees blow down, or are otherwise injured because of improper bracing, the Engineer may reject such injured trees, and the rejected trees shall be replaced.

253.14Period of Establishment. Prior to being accepted, the plants shall

endure a period of establishment. This period shall begin in June and end in September of the same year. To qualify for inspection, plants shall have been in place, in a live healthy condition, on or before June 1 of the year of inspection. To be acceptable, plants shall be in a live healthy condition, representative of their species, at the time of inspection in the month of September.

The Department will assume the responsibility for all plant material found to be satisfactory at the time of inspection for successful completion of the period of establishment. Plants that do not meet the requirements for acceptance shall be replaced following the date of inspection and prior to November 30. Items specified for spring planting only shall be planted prior to the following April 30. Changes in the above dates will be allowed by the Engineer only if extreme weather conditions or other mitigating circumstances so dictate. When replacements are completed, the Contractor shall weed and thoroughly clean up the entire job to the satisfaction of the Engineer. Cleanup shall include pruning dead branches off the accepted plant material, spraying insect infected plants, removing staking and screening material, weeding, restoring mulch, removing work-related debris, and generally cleaning up the work site. When cleanup operations have been completed, inspection will be made for replacement items only. Replacement items shall be according to the original job specifications except period of establishment shall be waived. However, replacement plants must be properly installed and in a live healthy condition at the time of inspection. Should replacements include both spring and fall items, the Contractor may elect to plant all replacements in the spring, prior to May 15.

The Contractor shall remove, immediately from the site of the work, any dead plant material. During spring or fall planting, the Contractor will not be permitted to terminate the operation until all plant material is in a live, healthy condition. Plant material which dies within 15 days after being planted shall be replaced at that time and shall be considered as part of the original planting and be subject to the requirements of the period of establishment.

253.15Plant Care. During the period of establishment, the Contractor shall

properly care for all plants including weeding, watering, adjusting of braces, repair of water saucers, or other work which is necessary to maintain the health and satisfactory appearance of the plantings. All requirements for proper care during the period of establishment shall be considered as included in the cost of the contract and shall be performed within five days following notification by the Engineer.

least once within every 30 days during the months of May through December. The Engineer may direct the Contractor to adjust the watering rate and frequency depending upon weather conditions.

The water shall be applied to individual plants in such a manner that the plant hole shall be saturated without allowing the water to overflow beyond the earthen saucer. Watering of plants in beds shall be applied in such a

Art. 253.15 Planting Perennial Plants 124 manner that plant holes are uniformly saturated without allowing the water to flow beyond the periphery of the bed. The plants to be watered and the method of application shall be approved by the Engineer. The Contractor shall not be relieved in any way from the responsibility for unsatisfactory plants due to the amount of watering.

removed from within the earthen saucer of individual trees and from the area within the mulched plant beds. This weeding shall be performed twice during each of the months of May through September. The Contractor shall not be relieved in any way from the responsibility for unsatisfactory plants due to the extent of weeding.

The weeding may be performed in any manner, provided the weed and grass growth, including their roots and stems, are removed from the area specified. Mulch disturbed by the weeding operation shall be replaced to its original condition. Debris which results from this operation shall be removed from the right-of-way at the end of each day.

253.16Method of Measurement. This work will be measured for final

payment, in place, after the period of establishment. Trees, shrubs, evergreens, and vines will be measured as each individual plant. Seedlings will be measured in units of 100 plants.

253.17Basis of Payment. This work will be paid for at the contract unit price

per each for TREES, SHRUBS, EVERGREENS, or VINES, of the species, root type, and plant size specified; and per unit for SEEDLINGS. Payment will be made according to the following schedule.

bracing, 90 percent of the pay item(s) will be paid.

remaining ten percent of the pay item(s) will be paid.

SECTION 254. PLANTING PERENNIAL PLANTS

254.01Description. This work shall consist of furnishing, transporting, and

planting perennial plants.

254.02Materials. Materials shall be according to the following

Item Article/Section