Inspection of Trees and Planting Sites Trees shall be inspected by the City arborist or Park and Recreation Department designee (designee) prior to planting and any items found to be in non-compliance of the following specifications will be rejected. The City arborist or designee shall be notified of tree deliveries with at least one day’s notice to ensure that trees can be inspected prior to planting. For the inspection, the trees will need to be organized so the City arborist or designee can easily evaluate the canopy, trunk and root ball of each tree. If this inspection is not performed, the awarded vendor will be required to remove and replace any trees deemed unacceptable by the City arborist or designee during the Quality Control check. Inspection of Planting The Contractor shall provide daily updates with locations planted so that City staff may complete an inspection of planting depth, size, condition, etc. A critical path phasing plan and schedule may be submitted prior to the commencement of planting as an alternative to daily progress updates. Contractors shall supply all labor, materials and necessary equipment for the planting and watering of all trees to be purchased on this bid. The Contractor shall maintain and provide records to the City noting the tree species, date planted, and a photo of the tree at the time of planting. Specifications for Trees 1. All deciduous trees shall be between a 1.5 to 2 inch caliper. 2. All material shall be single stemmed, No. 1 grade trees unless otherwise specified. 3. If balled and burlapped stock is used, trees shall be dug and balled with heavy-duty burlap and laced with twine and/or a wire basket package. The ball shall have sufficient moisture according to best nursery practices. If wire baskets are used to support the root ball, a “low profile” basket shall be used. 4. If container stock is used, the container class size shall conform to ANSI Z60.1 for container stock and shall have a well-established root system reaching the sides of the container to maintain a firm ball, but shall not have excessive root growth encircling the inside of the container. Further, a container leader, straight trunk and specific characteristics of the species will be accepted. Trees shall be stout, show good twig growth and branch habit. 5. Only vigorous, healthy plants with a well-developed fibrous root system with no encircling roots, a well-formed canopy with a strong, intact central leader, straight trunk and specific characteristics of the species will be accepted. Trees shall be stout, show good twig growth for the past 3-5 years. Branches shall diverge from the main trunk with proper branch trunk junction. The bark shall be firm on the trunk with no indication that the trees have suffered from frost cracks, sun scald, lightning, mechanical injury, suckers or improper pruning. All trees shall be free from insects, insect damage, diseases and disease damage. Material found lacking in any of these characteristics shall be rejected at time of delivery or during the quality control check. 6. Trees shall not be sheared or formally shaped prior to planting. Any tree with evidence of pruning for a formal aesthetic, resulting in stubs or a reduced central leader, will be rejected. Any tree that has had the central leader reduced will be rejected. This determination will be at the discretion of the City arborist or designee. 7. Trunk caliper and taper shall be sufficient so that the lower five feet of the trunk remains vertical without a stake. Auxiliary stakes may be used to maintain a straight leader in the upper half of the tree. 8. All trees shall have a tag showing the species and variety. 9. Supplier shall provide proof with their bid submittal that all trees were grown as Midwest Nursery Stock from USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6a or lower/colder.
