Specifications include, but are not limited to: 2.1 Community Engagement 2.1.1 Contractor shall hire, train and supervise up to 12 youth (17 years of age and under) each season to plant and care for 300 trees per season in City rights-of-way at addresses defined in this contract. 2.1.2 Contractor shall recruit and train a minimum of 140 resident volunteers to plant and care for trees planted at addresses defined in this contract. Volunteers shall be recruited primarily from neighborhoods where trees will be planted as part of this contract. 2.1.3 Contractor shall demonstrate a minimum of 3 to 5 years’ experience managing and deploying similar youth employment programs and volunteer programs focused on the planting and care of trees. 2.2 Contractor shall furnish and install approximately 600 trees for planting at designated locations throughout the City during the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 season (300 per season). Locations for plantings can be viewed at https://crgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/72c64b77f20f45038af25ea931169940. 2.3 Trees shall be inspected by City staff prior to planting and any items found to be in non-compliance of the following specifications will be rejected. For the inspection, the trees will need to be organized so City staff 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 staff during the Quality Control check. The contractor shall provide daily updates with locations planted so that City staff may complete a Quality Control Check on planting depth, size, condition, etc. 2.4 Contractors shall supply all labor, materials and necessary equipment for the planting of all trees to be purchased on this proposal. 2.5 City staff shall provide an app for use on a tablet or cell phone. The contractor shall enter the tree species and date planted. This app will allow the contractor to place the asset into the GIS system at the correct location. 2.6 Specifications for Trees: 2.6.1 All deciduous trees shall be a minimum of 1-inch caliper, with a minimum height of 6 feet and a maximum height of 10 feet, unless otherwise specified. 2.6.2 All material shall be single-stemmed, No. 1 grade trees unless otherwise specified. 2.6.3 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. 2.6.4 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 tree’s root system must be developed to hold its soil together, firm, whole and moist when taken from the container. 2.6.5 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 shall be accepted. Trees shall be stout, show good twig growth for the past 3-5 years, normal twig development shall have 4 to 18 inches of growth per year characteristic to the species. Branches shall diverge from the main trunk with good U-shaped crotches. 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 ofthese characteristicsshall be rejected at time of delivery or during the quality control check. 2.6.6 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 City staff. 2.6.7 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. 2.6.8 All trees shall have a tag showing the species and variety. 2.6.9 Supplier shall provide proof with their proposal submittal that all trees were grown as Midwest Nursery Stock from USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6a or lower/colder.
