Appendix B. TREE PLANTING

I.

Tree selection. Trees planted under section 33-108 must be selected from the street trees list (Appendix A-3). All plant stock shall meet the Standard for Nursery Stock Specifications, as established by the American Association of Nurserymen (1986 ed.) on file in the office of the city secretary.

The following factors should be considered in the selection of trees from the tree and shrub lists, Appendices A-1, A-2, A-3, and D:

A.

Hardiness of trees for the specific site, i.e., soil conditions, pH, drainage.

B.

Mature plant size, form and growth rates, i.e., proximity to overhead utility lines.

C.

Drought tolerance.

D.

Pest and insect resistance.

II.

Tree planting:

A.

Holes for the trees should be excavated 1½ to two feet greater in width than the diameter of the soil ball. The sides of the hole should be vertical and the bottom horizontal. Trees should be planted with the top of the root ball two inches above existing grade. No holes should be left uncovered overnight.

B.

Trees should be set in an upright plumb position at depth two inches higher than grown in the container. Care should be taken so as not to injure the root system, trunk, or foliage. The trunk should not be used as a level in positioning or moving the tree in the planting hole.

C.

The backfill should consist of topsoil excavated from the planting hole. If there is not enough topsoil, a supplement of similar topsoil should be furnished. Each planting hole should be backfilled and tamped lightly so as not to damage roots. A saucer should be constructed six to eight inches above soil grade around the planting hole and should be a minimum of six feet in diameter, free of weeds and grass.

D.

Any pruning should be done according to the standards of the National Arborist Association (rev. 1988) (The Meeting Place Mall, Route 101, P.O. box 1094, Amherst, NH 03031), on file in the office of the city secretary. All damaged limbs should be removed. The tree should be maintained in a shape appropriate to its species. Street trees should be pruned in accordance with the standards for hazard pruning contained in class III.

E.

Trees planted hereunder should be staked with a minimum of two stakes, eight feet long, attached to the tree with plastic tree chain, one inch in size, or equivalent, in a manner that is secure and will not injure the tree. Any 100-gallon trees should be tri-staked (three stakes). Other types of securing ties or devices may be used if designed for that purpose.

F.

Mulch shall be placed loosely around trees planted hereunder within 24 hours after planting to a uniform depth of three to four inches and to a diameter of six feet. No leaves, branches, roots or other foreign material may be used as a mulch. This area should be maintained free of weeds and grass vegetation with a three to four inch mulch cover for a minimum period of one year.

III.

Watering. The following watering schedule may be utilized and revised during prolonged periods of rain or drought.

Initial   Watering     After       Planting	Root zones should be slow-soaked every seven days for four weeks.
November December January February	In the absence of sufficient rainfall, root zones should be slow-soaked on a twenty-one-day water schedule.
October March April	In the absence of sufficient rainfall, root zones should be slow-soaked on a fourteen-day water schedule.
May June July August September	In the absence of sufficient rainfall, root zones should be slow-soaked on a seven-day watering schedule.