10-84 Table 1056 -5
GEOCELL REQUIREMENTS Property Requirement Test Method Cell Depth 4" N/A Fully Expanded Cell Area 100 sq.in. max N/A Sheet Thickness 50 mil -5%, +10% ASTM D 5199 Density 58.4 pcf min ASTM D 1505 Carbon Black Content 1.5% min ASTM D 1603 or D4218 ESCRA 5000 hr min ASTM D 1693 Coefficient of Direct Sliding (with material that meets AASHTO M 145 for soil classification A -2) 0.85 min ASTM D 5321 Short -Term Seam (Peel) Strength (for 4" seam) 320 lb min USACEC Technical Report GL -86-19, Appendix A Long- Term Seam (Hang) StrengthB (for 4" seam) 160 lb min
A.Environmental Stress Crack Resistance. 1
B.Minimum test period of 168 hours with a temperature change from 74° F to 130° F in 2 1-hour cycles. 3
C.USACE 4 Provide geocell accessories ( e.g., stakes, pins, clips, staples, rings, tendons, anchors, deadmen, 5 etc.) recommended by the Geocell Manufacturer. 6 SECTION 1060 7 LANDSCAPE DEVELOPMENT MATERIALS 8 1060 -1 GENERAL 9 Supply certifications for all landscape development materials as required below. If no 10 certificat ion is required, supply the Department with a statement certifying that all materials 11 conform to these s pecifications and those of the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer 12 Services (NCDA&CS) or both. All landscape development materials shall comply with all 13 applicable Federal and State domestic plant quarantines. 14 1060 -2 FERTILIZER 15 The quality of all fertilizer and all opera tions in connection with the furnishing of this material 16 shall comply with the North Carolina Commercial Fertilizer Law and with the rules and 17 regulations, adopted by the North Carolina Board of Agriculture in accordance with said law, 18 in effect at the tim e of sampling. All fertilizer will be subject to sampling and testing by the 19 Engineer, or by an authorized representative of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture 20 and Consumer Services , or both. 21 Dry fertilizer shall be manufactured from cured stock. Care for the fertilizer during handling 22 and storing in such a manner that it will be protected against hardening, caking or loss of plant 23 food values. Pulverize any hardened or caked fertilizer to it s original condition before using. 24 1060 -3 LIMESTONE 25 The quality of all limestone and all operations in connection with the furnishing of this material 26 shall comply with the Nor th Carolina Agricultural Liming Materials and Landplaster Act, and 27 with the rules and regulations, adopted by the North Carolina Board of Agriculture and 28 Consumer Services in accordance with said law, in effect at the time of sampling. All limestone 29 will be subject to sampling and testing by the Engineer, or by an authorized representative of 30 the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, or both. 31
10-85 Limestone shall be agricultural grade ground limestone. Either dolomitic or calcitic limestone 1
may be used. 2 All limestone shall contain not less than 90 % calcium carbonate equivalents. Dolomitic 3 limestone shall contain not less than 10% of magnesium. Grade dolomitic limestone so at least 4 90% will pass through a U.S. Standard 20 mesh screen and at least 35% will pass through a 5 U.S. Standard 100 mesh screen. Grade calcitic limestone so at least 90 % will pass through a 6 U.S. Standard 20 mesh screen and at least 25 % will pass through a U.S. Standard 100 mesh 7 screen. Where the current grading requirements of the North Carolina Board of Agriculture are 8 different from the above, the requirements of the Board of Agriculture will apply. 9 During handling and storing, care for the limestone in such manner that it will be protected 10 against hardening or caking. Pulverize any hardened or caked limestone to its original condition 11 before us ing. 12 1060 -4 SEED 13 The quality of all seed and all operations in connection with the furnishing of this materia l shall 14 comply with the North Carolina Seed Law and with the rules and regulations, adopted by the 15 North Carolina Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services in accordance with said law, in 16 effect at the time of sampling, and with the quality requirements o f the specifications . All seed 17 will be subject to sampling by the Engineer, or by an authorized representative of the North 18 Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services , or both; and will be tested by the 19 North Carolina Department of Agricultu re. Supplementary testing for seed germination may 20 be performed by the Engineer. 21 The quality of all seed will be based on the percentage of pure live seed, which will be computed 22 by multiplying the percentage of purity by the percentage of germination and dividing the result 23 by 100. 24 Seed shall have been approved by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer 25 Services before being sown. No seed will be accepted with a date of test more than 8 months 26 before the date of sowing, excluding the month in which the test was completed. Such testing, 27 however, will not relieve the Contractor from responsibility for furnishing and sowing seed that 28 meets these specifications at the time of sowing. The Engineer may retest seed for germination 29 after 5 months of storage; at the beginning of each normal seeding season for the particular kind 30 of seed involved or at any time that the condition of the seed appears to have deteriorated. 31 When a low percentage of germination causes the quality of the seed to fall below the minimum 32 pure live seed specified, the Contractor may elect, subject to the approval of the Engineer, to 33 increase the rate of application sufficiently to obtain the minimum pure live seed content 34 specified, provided that such an increase in the ra te of application does not cause the quantity 35 of noxious weed seed per acre or square yard, as the case may be, to exceed the quantity that 36 would be allowable at the regular rate of application. 37 Furnish and deliver each of the species or varieties of seed in separate bags. If seed is to be 38 mixed before sowing, perform such mixing in a commercial seed mixing machine , or by 39 an equally thorough means , after sampling and testing have been completed. 40 During handling and storing, care for the seed in such a manner that it will be protected from 41 damage by heat, moisture, rodents or other causes. 42 1060 -5 MULCH FOR EROSION CONTROL 43 Mulch for erosion control shall consist of grain straw , or other acceptable material, and be 44 approved by the Engineer before being used. All mulch shall be reasonably free from mature 45 seedbearing stalks, roots or bulblets of Johnson Grass, Nutgrass, Sandbur, Wild Garlic, Wild 46 Onion, Crotalaria, Witchweed and an excessive amount of restricted noxious weeds as defined 47 by the North Carolina Board of Agriculture at the time of use of the mulch. Loose and separate 48 straw mulch that is matted or lumpy before being used. 49
10-86 Tacking material shall be one of the following: 1
A.Emulsified Asphalt 2 Asphalt emulsion tack shall conform to the requirements of AASHTO M 140. The 3 emulsified asphalt may be rapid setting, medium setting or slow setting. 4
B.Cellulose Hydromulch 5 Cellulose hydromulch products shall be non- toxic, weed -free, pre packaged cellulose fiber 6 (pulp) material containing no more than 3% ash or other inert materials. Cellulose 7 hydromulches may contain dyes or binders specifically formulated to enhance the adhesive 8 qualities of the hydromulch. 9 Wood fiber or wood fiber bl end hydromulches may be substituted for cellulose hydromulch 10 at the same application rate. 11
C.Other Tackifiers 12 Other approved materials, specifically designed and manufactured for application as a 13 straw mulch tacking agent, may be used at the manufacturer’s recommended rate. 14 1060 -6 SPRIGS 15 Sprigs shall consist of freshly dug live stolons or rhizomes of perennial grasses, at least 2 16 inches in length, and be first class representatives of the required species or varieties specified 17 in the specifications. The areas from which sprigs are to be obtained shall be free from Johnson 18 Grass, Nutgrass, Sandbur, Wild Garlic, Wild Onion, Crotalaria, Witchweed and an excessive 19 amount of restricted noxious weeds as defined by the North Carolina Board of Agriculture at 20 the time of digging the sprigs. The areas shall have been mowed and raked, burned off, or 21 otherwise prepared in a manner acceptable to the engineer before digging of sprigs begins. 22 1060 -7 SOD 23 Sod shall consist of a live, dense, well- rooted growth of permanent grasses, free from Johnson 24 Grass, Nutgrass, Sandbur, Wild Garlic, Wild Onion, Crotal aria, Witchweed and an excessive 25 amount of restricted noxious weeds as defined by the North Carolina Board of Agriculture and 26 Consumer Services at the time of cutting the sod. Mow the area from which sod is to be 27 obtained to a height of not more than 2 inches. Rake free of grass clippings and debris and 28 otherwise prepared in a manner satisfactory to the Engineer before cutting of sod begins. 29 Cut the sod into rectangular sections of sizes convenient for handling without breaking or loss 30 of soil. Cut it with a sod cutter or other acceptable means to a depth that will retain in the sod 31 practically all of the dense root system of the grass. 32 During wet weather, allow the sod to dry sufficiently before lifting to prevent tearing during 33 handling and placing . During extremely dry weather , water it before lifting if such watering is 34 necessary to e nsure its vitality and to prevent loss of soil during handling. 35 1060 -8 MATTING FOR EROSION CONTROL 36
A.General 37 Matting for erosion control shall be excelsior matting or straw matting. Furnish 38 a Type 3 material c ertification in accordance with Article 106 -3 certifying that the matting 39 meets this article. Other acceptable material manufactured especially for erosion control 40 may be used when approved by the Engineer in writing before being used. Matting for 41 erosion control shall not be dyed, bleached or otherwise treated in a manner that will result 42 in toxicity to vegetation. 43
B.Excelsior Matting 44 Excelsior matting shall consist of a machine produced mat of curled wood excelsior at least 45 47 inches in width and weigh 0.975 lb /sy with a tolerance of ± 10%. At least 80 % of the 46
10-87 individual excelsior fibers sha ll be 6 inches or more in length. Evenly distribute the 1
excelsior fibers over the entire area of the blanket. Cover one side of the excelsior matting 2 with an extruded plastic mesh. The mesh size for the plastic mesh shall be no more than 1 3 inch x 1 inch. 4
C.Straw Matting 5 Straw matting shall consist of a machine produced mat of 100% grain straw. The straw 6 matting shall have a width of at least 48 inches and no more than 90 inches and weighing 7 at least 0.50 lb/sy and no more than 0.75 lb/sy. Evenly distribute the straw over the entire 8 area of the blanket. Cover one side of the blanket with photodegradable netting with 9 a maximum mesh (netting) size of 0.75 inch x 0.75 inch sewn together with a degradable 10 thread. The grain straw shall conta in no weed seeds. Package each roll separately. 11
D.Wire Staples 12 Staples shall be machine made of No. 11 gauge new steel wire formed into a U -shape. The 13 size when formed shall be not less than 6 inches in length with a throat of not less than 1 14 inch in width . 15 1060 -9 WATER 16 Water used in the planting or care of vegetation shall meet Class C freshwaters as defined 17 in 15A NCAC 02B.0200. 18 1060 -10 NURSERY GROWN PLANT MATERIALS 19
A.General 20 Use all plants as called for by the contract. 21 Container grown plants may be used instead of balled and burlapped plants or bare rooted 22 plants provided written approval for such use has been obtained from Engineer. 23 Grading of plants, size of root balls and type and minimum dimensions of containers shall 24 conform to the American Standard for Nur sery Stock . Do not cut back plants from larger 25 sizes to meet the sizes called for in the contract. 26 Botanical names referred to in the contract are taken from Hortus Third, the Bailey 27 Hortorium (MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc.). All plants delivered shall be true to name. 28 Each plant, or group of the same species, variety and size of plant, shall be legibly tagged 29 with the name and size of the plant. 30 All plants shall be first- class representatives of their species or varieties. The root system 31 shall be vig orous and well developed. The branch systems shall be of normal development 32 and free from disfiguring knots, sun scald injuries, abrasions of the bark, dead or dry wood, 33 broken terminal growth or other objectionable disfigurements. Trees shall have reasonably 34 straight stems and be well branched and symmetrical in accordance with their natural habits 35 of growth. 36 All plants shall be free from plant diseases and insect pests. All shipments of plants shall 37 comply with all nursery inspection and plant quaranti ne regulations of the states of origin 38 and destination, as well as with Federal regulations governing interstate movement of 39 nursery stock. Any nursery stock used on highway landscape projects shall be 40 accompanied by a valid copy of a certificate of inspection, which has been granted by the 41 North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services , Entomology Division. 42 Fire ant treatment certification, where applicable, is required. 43
10-88 When nursery stock from other states is used on projects in North Carolina, this stock shall 1
be accompanied by a tag or certificate stating that the nursery stock has been inspected and 2 certified by an authorized official of the state of origin as apparent ly free from injurious 3 plant pests. 4 All plant materials are subject to inspection at any time by the Engineer. Any such 5 inspection before or during planting operations, however, will not be construed as final 6 acceptance of the plants involved. 7 All geophyt es; bulbs, corms and tuberous plants; shall be synonymous to the term “plant” 8 within the contract. Examples include, but are not limited to, Narcissi (Daffodil), Tulipa 9 (Tulip), Iris and Canna ; the terms “bulb”, “corm”, “tuber”; and specific plant names s uch 10 as “Daffodil”, “Tulip”, “Canna lily”, etc. 11
B.Balled and Burlapped Plants 12 Dig plants to be balled and burlapped so as to retain a firm ball of soil and the plant’ s 13 fibrous root system. The soil in the ball shall be the original and undisturbed soil in which 14 the plant has been grown. Dig, wrap, transport and handle the plant so the soil in the ball 15 shall not become frozen, loosened , cause stripping of the small fe eding roots n or 16 movements of the soil away from contact with such roots. 17
C.Container Grown Plants 18 Container grown plants shall be healthy, vigorous, well -rooted and established in the 19 container in which they are delivered. These plants shall be in the conta iner long enough 20 for the fibrous roots to have developed so the root mass will retain its shape and hold 21 together when removed from the container. The container shall be sufficiently rigid to 22 firmly hold the soil protecting the root mass during transporting, handling and planting. 23 The soil shall not be allowed to become frozen. 24
D.Bare Root Plants 25 Bare root plants shall have a heavy fibrous root system that has been developed by proper 26 cultural treatment. Dig, package, transport and handle bare root plants in a manner that 27 will prevent injury to or drying out of the trunks, branches or roots, or freezing of the roots. 28 Bare root plants damaged through improper handling, freezing, drying out, etc. will result 29 in rejection of material. 30
E.Plant Substitution 31 No ch ange in the s pecifications (species, variety, size, caliper, furnish) will be made 32 without written approval of the Engineer. Present all requests for substitutions in writing 33 and include a listing of the sources contacted in an attempt to secure specified plant 34 material. Requests for substitutions shall include the botanical name, common name, 35 cultivar, where applicable, size, caliper and furnish description of the proposed substitute. 36 No increase in compensation will be made to the Contractor as a resul t of the use of 37 approved substitute plants. The Department reserves the right to locate specified plant 38 material for the project when it has knowledge that specified material is available. 39
F.Geophytes 40 Geophytes ; bulbs, corms and tuberous plants; shall be he althy and free of disease caused 41 by fungi, nematodes, bacteria and wilt. Plants that are lightweight and lacking adequate 42 mass will result in rejection. Plants shall be firm and absent of discolored patches with soft 43 or spongy areas or signs of rot, slim e or mold. Plants with new root growth will result in 44 rejection. 45 Dig, package, transport and handle these plants as to prevent injury, drying out, excessive 46 wetness or freezing. Damaged plants through improper handling, freezing, drying out or 47 excessive moisture will result in rejection. 48
10-89 All geophytes, bulbs, corms and tuberous plants shall be inspected for size and condition 1
and plants rejected by the Engineer shall be removed from the supply before planting. 2 1060 -11 MULCH FOR PLANTING 3 Use mulch for planting as specified in the specifications, shown in the plan s, or approved by 4 the Engineer. Mulch for planting shall not contain substances injurious to plants or which will 5 inhibit normal development and growth of plants. Mulch for a project shall come from a single 6 source, as approved by the Engineer, unless an additional source is submitted and approved 7 before use. 8 1060 -12 MATERIALS FOR STAKING OR GUYING 9
A.Stakes 10 Use stakes made of cypress, cedar, oak, locust or other acceptable wood free from defects 11 that would compromise the strength of the stake. Stakes shall be at least 12 2 inches x 2 inches (nominal). Use stakes of the size and length as shown in the plan s. 13
B.Wire 14 Wire shall be new soft No. 14 gauge steel wire or as shown in the plans. 15
C.Hose 16 Hose to be used with wire shall have a minimum inside diameter of 1/2 inch. All hose 17 shall be garden type hose composed of rubber and fabric, or as shown in the plan s. 18
D.Other 19 Other staking and guying materials may be used if a sample is submitted and approved by 20 the Engineer before use. 21 1060 -13 HERBICIDES 22 The herbicide to be used for a particular ap plication shall be as specified or approved by the 23 Engineer prior to their application . 24 Herbicides shall be properly labeled and registered with the United States Department of 25 Agriculture and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services . A 26 container shall contain only the herbicide that meets the analysis guaranteed on the label. Keep 27 all herbicides in such original labeled containers until used. 28 Herbicide application shall only be conducted by individuals who pos sess a pesticide license 29 from the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services or individuals under their 30 direction and who has read, understands, and follows the herbicide labeling before applying the 31 product. 32 1060 -14 COIR FIBER MAT 33 Coir fiber mat shall consist of 100% coconut fiber (coir) twine woven into high strength matrix. 34 The coir fiber mat shall have a thickness of at least 0.30 inch and weigh at least 20 ounces per 35 square yard. The coir fiber mat shall have a dry tensile strength of at least 1,348 x 626 lbs /ft. 36 The coir fiber mat shall have an observed flow velocity of 11 feet per second . The coir fiber 37 mat shall have a C -Factor of 0.002. The minimum width of the coir fiber mat shall be 6. 5 feet 38 and the measured open area shall be 50%. 39 1060 -15 COMPOST 40 Test methods for the compost should follow USCC TMECC guidelines for laboratory 41 procedures. A sample shall be submitted to the Engineer for approval prior to being used and 42 must comply with all local, state and federal regulations. 43
Source: North Carolina Standard Specifications for Roads and Structures, 2024 Edition. Pages 500–505 of 857.