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HomeMy WebLinkAbout329300 - Trees Shrubs & Groundcovers 329300 - 1 DIVISION 32 – EXTERIOR IMPROVEMENTS SECTION 329300 TREES, SHRUBS AND GROUND COVERS PART 1 - GENERAL 1.1 DESCRIPTION 1. The work of this section consists of furnishing all plants, labor, equipment, and performing all planting of trees, shrubs and groundcovers. 1.2 RELATED WORK DESCRIBED ELSEWHERE A. Irrigation System - Section 328400 B. Dryland Grass Seeding - 329205 C. Edging – Section 329413 1.3 QUALITY ASSURANCE A. Qualification of Workmen 1. Provide at least one person who shall be present at all times during execution of this portion of the work and who shall be thoroughly familiar with the type of materials being installed, the best methods for their installation, and who shall direct all work performed under this section. B. Coordination of Work 1. All work of this section, and the installation of all irrigation systems and all lawns shall be performed by one Contractor. 1.4 STANDARDS 1. All plants and planting materials shall meet or exceed the Specifications of federal, state, and county laws requiring inspection for plant disease and insect control. Quality and size shall conform with the current edition of American Standards for Nursery Stock, ANSI Z60.1, as adopted by the American Association of Nurserymen, and with the schedule shown on the plans. 2. All plants shall be true to name and one of each bundle or lot shall be tagged with the name and size of the plants in accordance with the standards of practice of the American 329300 - 2 Association of Nurserymen. In all cases, botanical names shall take precedence over common names. 1.5 SUBMITTALS A. Samples 1. Before any mulch is delivered to the job site, submit a 1 cubic foot minimum sample of the proposed mulch to the Architect for approval. B. Materials 1. Before any planting materials are delivered to the job site, submit to the Architect a complete list of all plants and other items proposed to be installed. Include complete data on source, size, and quality. Demonstrate complete conformance with the requirements of this section. 2. This shall in no way be construed as permitting substitution for specific items described in the plans or these Specifications unless the substitution has been approved in advance by the Architect. C. Certificates 1. All certificates required by law shall accompany shipments. Upon delivery of plants, deliver all certificates to the Architect. 1.6 PRODUCT HANDLING A. Delivery and Storage 1. Deliver all items to the site in their original containers with all labels intact and legible at time of inspection. The Architect shall designate a storage or holding area. Upon delivery of plants the Contractor shall protect and maintain the plant materials until they are planted. 2. Immediately remove from the site all plants which are not true to name and all materials which do not comply with the provisions of this section of these specifications. 3. Use all means necessary to protect plant materials before, during and after installation and to protect the installed work and materials of all other trades. 1.7 INSPECTION 1. The Contractor shall inform the Architect prior to starting his planting operation allowing enough time for the Architect to provide inspection of the operation. The Contractor will notify the Architect as each operation is completed and request inspection and approval prior to initiating any additional work. 329300 - 3 PART 2 - MATERIALS 2.1 PLANT MATERIALS A. General 1. Plant materials shall mean trees, shrubs, groundcovers and plants of all descriptions, required to be furnished for the project, in accordance with the plans and specifications. All plant material must be true to name, which shall conform to Standardized Plant Names of the American Joint Committee on Horticultural Nomenclature, and shall be legibly tagged with the name and size of the material according to the general nursery practice as recommended by the American Association of Nurserymen. 2. All plants shall be first class representatives of their normal species or varieties. Unless otherwise specified, plants shall have average or normally developed branch systems and vigorous root systems. Plants shall be free from scale, disfiguring knots, sun scald injuries, abrasions of the bark, or other objectionable blemishes. Weak plants will not be accepted. Plants must show appearance of normal health and vigor in strict accordance with these Specifications. All stock shall be nursery grown. 3. All trees specified as “balled and burlapped” shall be field grown only. 4. All plant material shall comply with state and federal laws with respect to inspection for plant disease and infection. Any inspection certificates required by law shall accompany each shipment, invoice, or order of stock. 5. When planted in masses, plants shall be subject to tests that will eliminate more than twenty (20%) percent variance from uniform size and that will ensure at least fifty (50%) percent conformity to larger rather than smaller sizes (i.e., 8' - 10'). B. Inspection 1. All plant material shall be subject to approval and inspection at any place, before, during and/or after planting. Any plant material not approved by the Architect shall be immediately removed from the site. No plant material shall be accepted with loose or broken balls. 2.2 OTHER MATERIALS A. Guying Materials 1. Stakes shall be 6-foot steel tee posts, 2 per tree. Guys shall be pliable 14 gauge galvanized soft steel wire. Provide 1-1/2” x 18” nylon straps with grommets at both ends around tree trunk. B. Mulch 1. Mulch shall be shredded red wood bark (Gorilla Hair) for all shrub and tree beds and ground bark for all perennial and groundcover areas. Submit samples for approval prior to installation. C. Weed Barrier Fabric 329300 - 4 1. Weed barrier fabric shall be Typar 3301 as manufactured by Reemay, 70 Old Hickory Blvd., Old Hickory, TN 37138 telephone 800-284-2780 or approved equal. 2.3 ORGANIC MATERIAL A. All organic material shall be commercially prepared compost. Test results shall be submitted to the Owner’s Representative. The Owner's Representative shall approve all organic material at the source before any organic material is delivered to the job site. B. Approved products 1. ½” minus premium compost supplied by Rocky Mountain Compost, Inc., Billings, MT, 406-245-4817. 2. EKO Original Compost supplied by EKO Compost, Missoula, MT, 800-746-5947. 3. Earth Systems Organic Compost 550 Cedar Hills Road, Whitehall, MT 406-287-3093. 4. Equal approved prior to Bid by Owner’s Representative. Requests for substitutions shall be accompanied by test results by licensed laboratory before use. All costs for testing shall be the responsibility of the Contractor. C. Testing for substitute organic material. All organic material shall be commercially prepared compost. Compost shall be a well decomposed, stable, weed free organic matter source and meet the following parameters. 1. pH 5.5 – 8.5 2. Soluble Salts < 5 dS/m (mmhos/cm) 3. Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR) < 10 4. Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio < 25:1 5. Moisture Content 25 – 50% (wet weight basis) 6. Organic Matter > 35 %% (dry weight basis) 7. Inert Contaminants < 1% (dry weight basis) 8. Particle Size 100% passing 1/2” screen 9. Free of substances that are toxic to plants. a. Compost test results shall be submitted to the Owner’s Representative. The Owner's Representative shall approve all organic material at the source before any organic material is delivered to the job site. All testing is the responsibility of the Contractor. 2.4 PLANTING MIXTURE A. Topsoil 1. The topsoil shall be loose, friable, and shall contain an ordinary amount of humus. It shall contain no lumps of soil, rocks larger than 1 inch, or sticks, roots, and other debris. It shall be sufficiently fertile to sustain normal healthy plant growth and shall not have a pH value higher than 7.0 or lower than 5.5. The topsoil shall be placed in an unfrozen and non- muddy condition and must meet the approval of the Architect. B. Preparation 1. Planting backfill used around trees shall be native soil mixed with compost at the rate of five parts soil to one compost. All planting mix shall be blended in batches, not mixed in 329300 - 5 the plant pits. The above mixture is mixed with 15-15-15 commercial slow release fertilizer, at rates as recommended by the manufacturer. The top 6”, minimum, of all tree pits shall be backfilled with approved on-site topsoil. 2. Planting backfill used around shrubs shall be topsoil mixed with compost at the rate of three parts soil to one part compost. All planting mix shall be blended in batches, not mixed in the plant pits. The soil mixture shall be mixed with 15-15-15 commercial slow release fertilizer, at rates as recommended by the manufacturer. 3. Planting mix used at planters in the parking area shall be topsoil mixed with compost at the rate of three parts soil to one part compost. Planting mix shall be mixed in place. In areas where this is not feasible, planting mix shall be blended in batches and placed. The soil mixture shall contain 15-15-15 slow release commercial fertilizer, at rates as recommended by the manufacturer. 2.5 TOPSOIL A. Stockpiled Topsoil 1. The topsoil to be spread shall be the stockpiled topsoil material available on site. All topsoil shall be in an unfrozen and non-muddy condition and must meet the approval of the Owner's Representative. PART 3 - EXECUTION 3.1 SURFACE CONDITIONS A. Inspection 1. Prior to all work of this section, carefully inspect the installed work of all other trades and verify that all such work is complete to the point where this installation may properly commence. Verify that planting may be completed in accordance with the original design and the referenced standards. B. Discrepancies 1. In the event of discrepancy, immediately notify the Architect. Do not proceed with installation in areas of discrepancy until all such discrepancies have been fully resolved. 2. Beginning of installation means acceptance of existing conditions by installer. 3.2 TOPSOIL PLACEMENT A. Compaction Prevention 1. The Use of heavy equipment will not be permitted on the site when soil conditions are wet to prevent compaction of topsoil and subsoil. In the event of wet weather, the Owner's Representative shall determine whether or not the use of heavy equipment will be permitted. Decision of the Owner's Representative shall be final. B. Spreading Topsoil 329300 - 6 1. Spread topsoil to a uniform compacted depth of 12 inches minimum at planter areas in parking lot. Remove subgrade material as required to accommodate topsoil. Prior to placing planting mix, scarify the subgrade a minimum of 12” deep. In locations where gravels are encountered, scarify to the surface of the gravels. 2. Topsoil and subgrade shall be in a dry condition before spreading. Topsoil shall be free flowing. Grading tolerance shall be plus or minus 0.1 foot for all spread topsoil. Do not excessively work topsoil. Compaction shall be 80 to 85%, which can be achieved through placing and leveling operations without rolling. 3.3 PLANTING TREES AND SHRUBS A. General 1. Plant nursery stock immediately upon delivery to the site and approval by the Architect except that, if this is not feasible, heal-in all balled material with damp soil and protect from sun and wind. Regularly water all nursery stock in containers, and place them in a cool area protected from sun and drying winds. B. Excavation of Plant Holes 1. Excavation shall be accomplished in such a manner as to provide a 1 inch drop from all pavements to the finished surface of beds. Excavate shrub pits to provide not less than 6 inches of planting mixture beyond the side of the container and at least 6 inches deeper than the container, but in no case shall depth be less than 16 inches below finished grade. Side of excavation shall be substantially vertical and the bottom shall be parallel to finished grade. 2. Tree pits shall be wide and dished, see details. Excessive depth is not acceptable. Depth of pit below finish grade shall be at least 6 inches greater than the depth of the ball. Diameter of pits for all trees shall be at least twice the maximum diameter of the tree ball or root system. C. Planting Operation 1. Trees and shrubs shall be supplied in sizes shown on the Drawings with all plants "Balled and Burlapped" or containerized. Containerized or container grown trees will not be acceptable. During planting operations, the nursery stock shall not be exposed to the sun, drying winds, or winter freezing. Roots of evergreens shall not be exposed to the air. 2. Planting may be executed at any time between March 1 and September 30, provided the ground is not frozen. The Contractor shall take all precautions he deems necessary against desiccation, freezing, or other potential damage to plant materials due to weather conditions existing or that may be expected at the time of planting and during the maintenance and guarantee periods. 3. Roughen the sides of all excavations to break any glazing that may have occurred during excavation. Handle all "Balled and Burlapped" shrubs and trees by the earth ball and not by the top, exercising care not to drop or loosen the ball. Remove all burlap and wire baskets from the tree balls. Before planting, inspect the ball. Prune off any girdling or misformed roots and remove excess soil. Ensure that the root flare is above the soil and the root system is open and ready for backfilling. Set the tree so the root flare will be visible above the finish grade. 329300 - 7 4. The plant hole shall be backfilled with planting mixture as specified, placed in layers around the ball. Each layer shall be carefully tamped in place in a manner to avoid injury to the ball or disturbing the position of the plant. When approximately two-thirds of the plant hole has been backfilled, the hole shall be filled with water and the soil allowed to settle around the roots. After the water has been absorbed, the plant hole shall be filled with planting mix and topsoil and again watered in by flooding. Any settlement shall be brought to grade with topsoil. 5. In the case of planting in the open on hot days, shorten the time between planting and watering. 3.4 STAKING TREES A. Provide two stakes per tree. Stakes shall be driven outside the root ball. The trees should be supported by the guys, but still able to sway slightly. Do not have wire taut. 3.5 PLACING BOULDERS A. General 1. Layout boulders approximately as shown on plans, providing room for installation of plants. Select boulders to compliment one another, and to present a naturalistic appearance and grouping. 2. Handle boulders with care and protect lichens at all times. Boulders with chips, dings, scars, scratches or any other defacements shall be subject to rejection by the Architect at any time. Any boulder rejected shall be immediately removed from the job and replaced by a boulder of similar size and character. 3. Do not cover lichens with dirt or expose to other adverse conditions. Upon completion of setting, carefully rinse away any accumulated dirt from lichens with a gentle water spray. B. Setting Boulders 1. Set all boulders to grade, emulating natural conditions and angles. Raise or lower boulders as needed so that top of native earth line visible on boulders is completely covered by a minimum of 2” mulch. 3.6 MULCHING A. General 1. All beds will be cultivated following the general shape of the basins or beds as indicated on the plans. Install all weed barrier strictly in conformance with manufacturers recommendations and installation procedures. Weed barrier shall be laid on topsoil in all shrub beds following plant installation. Weed barrier shall be completely covered by mulch. Anchor weed barrier with stakes provided placed 4' o.c. around edges and along splices. Lap all splices a minimum 2". No weed barrier is to be placed in beds to receive perennial or annual plants. 329300 - 8 B. Mulching 1. Apply 4" mulch in all tree saucers. Maintain mulch 3” away from the tree trunk. 2. Apply the mulch to a depth of 4", evenly spread over the entire area of each shrub bed. 3. Maintain mulch 3” away from tree trunks and plant stems. 3.7 PRUNING 1. The brushed or broken parts of large or fleshly roots shall be cut off smooth before planting. The tops of deciduous plants shall be pruned either before or immediately after planting by removing one-third to one-half of the top by thinning out and/or heading back the stems and top branches, and shall be done so that the plant retains its natural form. Except when heading back, all cuts shall be made flush with the trunk or branch. Evergreen plants shall not be pruned except to remove dead or broken branches. 2. Trees and shrubs that have been so badly pruned as to spoil their form and usefulness shall be removed and replaced. 3.8 INSPECTION A. Scheduling 1. In addition to the normal progress inspections, schedule and conduct the following formal inspections, giving the Architect at least 48 hours prior notice of readiness for inspection. a. Inspection of plants in containers prior to planting. b. Inspection of plant locations, to verify compliance with the plans. c. Substantial completion inspection after completion of planting. Schedule the substantial completion inspection sufficiently in advance, and in cooperation with the Architect so that final inspection may be conducted within 24 hours after completion of planting. d. Final inspection at the end of the maintenance period, provided that all previous deficiencies have been corrected. 3.9 INSTRUCTIONS A. Record Drawings 1. During the course of the installation, carefully record in red line on a print of the planting plans all changes made to the planting system layout during installation. Deliver to the Architect within ten calendar days prior to completion of construction. B. Operation and Maintenance Manuals 1. Prepare and deliver to the Architect within ten calendar days prior to completion of construction, all required and necessary descriptive material in complete detail and sufficient quantity, properly prepared in individually bound copies of the operations and maintenance manual. Prior to binding copies, electronic PDF copies of the manuals are to be provided for review. The approved final electronic copy shall be used to make hard 329300 - 9 copies. Manuals are to be indexed (thumb- tabbed). The manual shall describe the material installed. Each complete, bound manual shall include the following information. a. Index sheet stating Contractor's address and telephone number, duration of guarantee period, list of equipment and materials with names and addresses of local manufacturer representatives. b. Product Data: One copy of each Product Data submittal required by Contract Documents. c. Maintenance recommendations for use by the Owner during the guarantee period. 3.10 MAINTENANCE A. General 1. Maintain all planting, starting with the delivery of plant materials and continuing until completion of job. Maintenance shall include all watering, weeding, cultivating, spraying, and pruning necessary to keep the plant materials in a healthy growing condition and to keep the planted areas neat and attractive throughout the maintenance period. Provide all equipment and means for proper application of water. Protect all planted areas against damage, including erosion and trespassing, by providing and maintaining prior safeguards. 2. If any tree, shrub, or plant bed settles more than 1 inch below the established grade, the plant shall be raised to the proper level and not merely covered with additional mulch. B. Replacements 1. At the end of the maintenance period, all plant material shall be in a healthy growing condition. 2. During the maintenance period, should the appearance of any plant indicate weakness and probability of dying, immediately replace the plant with a new and healthy plant of the same type and size without additional cost to the Owner. 3. Continue the maintenance period at no additional cost to the Owner until all previously noted deficiencies have been corrected at which time the final inspection shall be made. When final inspection is made and deficiencies are noted, the maintenance period will continue until such deficiencies are corrected at no additional cost to the Owner. 3.11 GUARANTEE A. Time Frame 1. Guarantee all plant materials to remain healthy and in a vigorous growing condition for a period of 1 year following substantial completion. B. Replacements 1. Include the following remedial actions as a minimum: a. Immediately remove dead plants and replace unless required to plant in the succeeding planting season. 329300 - 10 b. Replace plants that are more than 25 percent dead or in an unhealthy condition at end of warranty period. c. A limit of one replacement of each plant is required except for losses or replacements due to failure to comply with requirements. d. All replacements shall be the same species as originally installed. END OF SECTION 329300