• Hand plant 32,220 tree seedlings on 161.1 acres across 5 sites (200 tree/acre). • Planting must commence within 5 days of tree arrival and must be completed with 21 days after tree arrival. • Planting may occur all days of the week. • After removing trees from shipping bundle or container, planters must ensure that the fine root hairs or root plug will not be damaged or removed. Roots must be always kept moist until they are in the ground. Seedlings must not be crushed by over-filling the planting bag. • Tree and roots must be kept moist until planted, kept out of direct sunlight, drying winds, freezing temperatures, and get adequate ventilation. • If it is required that extracted plugs be transported in planting bags, the plugs must be protected as directed by the Area Project Supervisor. • Bare root seedlings will be root pruned at the Nursery. Further root pruning by planters is not permitted. • Seedlings will be planted in the proper areas as designated on the planting proposal, which will be provided by the Area Project Supervisor. Each acre shall have approximately the number of correctly planted seedlings as the planting proposals indicate, or as directed otherwise by DNR staff. • Seedlings must be planted so roots are not tangled, turned up or exposed, and at the correct depth (tree collar, where roots and stem meet, at ground level) and spacing (trees 400/acre). • Correct planting will require the planting hole to be at least 6 inches deep for all container stock and a minimum of 8 inches deep for bare root stock, depending on stock size. • Needles of planted conifer seedlings must not be buried in the mineral soil. • Seedlings must be planted within 20 degrees of vertical. • Each seedling must be packed firmly in the ground. Soil around the roots shall be filled in and packed so that there are no air pockets adjacent to the roots. The packing hole must be closed. Any open hole within 5 inches of the stem will be considered an incorrectly planted tree. The firmness of the seedling will be determined by pulling on the needles or the stem and by excavating a sample of randomly selected seedlings. For conifers, if the needles came off the stem when pulled without loosening the tree, the soil around the seedling will be considered satisfactorily packed. If there are no air pockets adjacent to the roots on excavated trees, they shall be considered satisfactorily packed. • All empty boxes, trash, and materials must be cleaned up and removed from planting sites. • Seedlings shall not be planted on or within 10 feet of designated access roads. • Seedlings shall not be planted within 2 feet of any unsatisfactory spots such as water-filled depressions and rock piles. • Work may commence upon delivery of trees (approx. October 1, 2025) and must be completed within 21 days of notification. • Trees will be provided by the MN DNR. • Trees will be stored in an underground cellar at the Big Sandy forestry office to take as needed to plating sites. • Trees and shrubs will be 5-18 inches tall, bare root, and root pruned.
