SCOPE OF WORK
The work specified in
this section covers supply of all labors, materials, transportation, equipment
and services necessary for the soil and crushed stone fill work for the final
grading and environmental protection work as shown on the approved drawings or
as directed by the Owner.
FINISHED GRADING
GENERAL
Finished
grading work will therefore involve filling of the low areas of roads, and
other areas with soil and top soil to provide elevation, slopes and drainage as
shown on the approved drawings or as directed by the Owner.
ROUGH GRADING
The Contractor shall
fill, spread and level the roads and general site area to elevation grades and
slope to elevations as required. The fill material shall consist of graded
crushed stone or sand and gravel for the roads is indicated on the approved
drawings. The fill material in the areas where seeding or sodding is indicated
on the approved drawings shall be soil from a borrow source approved by the Owner.
If the elevation in the areas where topsoil over soil cover is indicated on the
approved drawings is higher than what is required, the area shall be scraped to
the required elevations. The crushed stone fill materials shall be of gradation
of "Base Course" as specified in Specification refers to ‘Trees and
Shrubs’ paragraphs. Soil cover shall consist of a 200 mm thick compacted layer
of soil free from lumps, stones, roots and all other organic materials and
shall be from an approved off‑site borrow source.
FINAL
GRADING
Contractor shall perform
final grading near the completion of the work or as directed by the Owner.
Contractor shall grade and level the areas to produce a smooth grade free from
debris, organic materials, objectionable stones, clods, lumps, pockets or high
points, properly drained true to the indicated elevations with smooth
transition between different elevations.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
SEEDING AND SODDING
General
Contractor
shall furnish materials and perform seeding operations to produce a uniform
stand of healthy grass where indicated on the approved drawings as "seeded
surfaces" or "seeded topsoil" or as directed by the Owner.
Topsoil
A 100 mm thick layer of
topsoil shall be uniformly spread over the areas where seeding or sodding has
been specified. Topsoil shall be obtained from an offsite borrow source
approved by the Owner and shall be fertile, friable, natural surface soil
obtained from a well drained area. Top soil shall be free of all stone, brush,
weeds, stumps, roots or other organic litter. Topsoil shall have 5‑20 percent
organic matter and an acidity range between pH 5.0 to 8.0 inclusive. Prior to
the delivery to the site, the Contractor shall provide a statement regarding
the source of the topsoil and shall provide test certificates for chemical and
mechanical analyses.
Liming
and Fertilizing
General
Contractor
shall test the soils to determine the proper amount of pH and nutrient
adjustment required. Test results and subsequent application rates of lime and
fertilizer are subject to the approval of the Owner.
Liming
Use
agricultural ground lime, at the rate of 0.5 kg per square meter, with surface
soil before completion of ground preparations. The lime must be applied prior
to seeding and may be applied in conjunction with the fertilizer. Immediately
after application, the area should be disked, harrowed to incorporate the lime
or lime‑fertilizer into the soil.
Fertilizer
Fertilizer shall consist of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium
nutrients.
Fertilizer shall be applied at such a rate that, each hectare,
will receive the following amounts of available units:
- Nitrogen 70 kg
- Phosphate (P2O5)
115 kg
- Potassium (K2O) 115 kg
Fertilizer
can be placed during ground preparation or mixed with and placed with seed and
mulch during final seeding.
Condition of fertilizer prior to
placing shall be approved by Owner.
Seeding and Mulching
Seed used shall conform
to the requirements of "BINA MARGA" standards and shall consist of a
mixture of the following seeds in the amounts indicated:
Type of seed in
mixture
kg‑per‑hectare
Fescue (Kentucky 31 or
Alta) 60
Red top, solid 24
Clover, alsike
(inoculated) 16
Seeding shall be
performed in accordance with the BINA MARGA specifications with a maximum depth
of planting of 12 mm.
Mulching: Immediately
after seeding, seeded areas shall be covered with sprayed asphalt straw mulch.
Except as otherwise
specified above, the methods of preparation of seed ‑beds, fertilizing,
mulching, seeding, Sprinkling, maintaining, repair and reseeding as required
will be at the option of the Contractor. The work shall be considered completed
after a uniform and dense stand of healthy perennial grass, free from bare
spots and gullies formed by erosion, has been produced.
Sodding
a.
Contractor shall spread topsoil and fertilizer over the area
to be sodded as specified in above and shall furnish and install sod to produce
a healthy grass cover here indicated on the approved drawings or as directed by
the Owner.
b.
The sod to be used shall be approved by the Owner.
c.
Contractor shall furnish water, and shall maintain sod
including watering and mowing for a period of not less then 90 days after
laying, but not earlier than the time the Owner agrees th3t a healthy growth of
grass has been achieved for the area.
TREES
AND SHRUBS
General
Contractor
shall furnish plants and shrubs, and perform planting operations to produce
healthy plants and shrubs as indicated on the approved drawings or as directed
by the Owner.
All work
shall be done in the manner normally required in good trade and practice of
landscaping and the Contractor must use proper means to provide that all plant
materials, approved by the Owner for planting, shall be dug, loaded, moved,
unloaded, planted, fertilized, pruned, watered, and maintained in such a manner
as to insure their lives for healthy growth in their new locations.
The
Contractor shall perform cleanup work in the work areas daily, and periodically
throughout the limits of the project, in order to present a neat appearance of
the project at all times.
All
plants shall be inspected and approved at the jobsite by the Owner before they
will be eligible for planting. This approval shall not be misconstrued to mean
final acceptance. Plant materials damaged enroute to the planting site will be
subject, to rejection at no cost to the Owner.
Quality
and Source of Plant Materials
All plant materials
shall be nursery grown, unless written permission is obtained from the Owner to
use selected native stock. This permission will be granted only if the
Contractor demonstrates that it is impracticable to obtain nursery grown plant
material or if, in the opinion of the Owner, selected native stock will be
better-suited or superior in quality to that obtained from a nursery.
If permission is given
to use selected native stock, the Owner will inspect the materials before
digging and the Contractor shall tag each plant selected (as described herein
before) and dig the plants as directed. In the event any selected plant does
not show a sufficient root system after being dug, it will be rejected. The
handling care and other requirements of collecting native plants will be the
same as that described for nursery grown stock.
All plants shall be root
pruned, heavily caned and typical of the species. They must possess a healthy,
normal and fibrous root system of sufficient size to insure plant growth. The
branch system shall be of normal development and free from disfiguring knots,
sun scald injuries, abrasions of the bark, dead or dried wood, broken terminal
growth or other objectionable disfigurations. All trees shall have reasonably
straight trunks and shall be well branched and symmetrical in accordance with
their natural habits or growth.
Handling
and Storage
During
handling and storage, the Contractor shall protect the plants from drying out
by covering the root system with suitable materials or wetting the foliage if
necessary. Balled and burlapped materials shall have the earth balls covered
with sawdust, woodchips or other suitable materials and kept in a moist
condition. Bare root materials in bundles shall have the bundles opened, plants
separated, and then heeled‑in in the trenches. Container grown plants shall be
kept sufficiently moist to insure their livability.
Delivery
and Receipt of Plant Materials
The Contractor shall
notify the Owner at least 24 hours before making any delivery of plant material
to the project. Each shipment shall be accompanied by an invoice showing the
sizes and varieties included in that particular shipment.
Inspection
All
plant materials are subject to inspection at any time during the life of the
contract by an authorized representative of the Owner. Approval of plant
material during any of such inspections before or during operations, however,
shall not be construed as final acceptance of the plants involved.
Rejection
of Plant Material
Any plants having any of
the following unnatural, or objectionable features will be rejected: excessive
abrasions of the bark; dried out root system; excessive dead wood; dried up
wood; excessive sun scald injuries; undeveloped and weak top or roots or both;
crooked or one sided development of tops; no straight leaders on trees
naturally and normally having them; broken or removed leaders; untrue types or
sizes; excessively damaged balls of soil; balls of soil dug from loose soil
which could not be expected to properly ball and hold in handling; plants
actually dead; and plants not otherwise complying with plant specifications
herein.
The
rejected material shall be removed from the site and replaced as quickly as
possible with new plant material of the same kind, meeting the original
requirements, at no additional cost to the Owner.
Construction
Methods
Care and
Handling of Plants Before and During Planting
The
contractor shall, in loading, unloading or handling plants, exercise the utmost
care to prevent injuries to trunks, limbs, branches and roots. Immediately following delivery and
inspection at the site of the work, all plants must be cared for in an approved
horticultural manner satisfactory to the Owner. Plants must not be allowed to
dry out.
If not
immediately planted, balled plants must be adequately protected by covering the
balls of soil with soil, sawdust, hay or straw and shall be watered frequently.
The solidity of the balled plants shall be carefully preserved. They must not
be handled by their tops in lifting, moving or setting, but must be handled at
all times by their balls of soil.
Pruning
If
necessary, plant material shall be pruned at the site in accordance with
standard modern practice. Cuts over 25 mm in diameter shall be painted with
approved tree paint.
Location
of Plants
Planting
stakes will be set by the Owner at the designated locations of all plants. Each
stake shall bear an item number or color code as designated by the Owner to
coincide with a particular item number.
Planting
Pits
Planting
pits may be machine or hand dug. Square or circular pits with vertical or
slanted sides shall be dug to the dimensions as required for proper setting of
plants.
Setting
Plants
All
plants shall be planted in pits. Deep planting shall be avoided and, unless
otherwise specified or directed, all plants shall be set at such a level that,
after settlement, a normal or natural relationship of the crown of the plant
with the ground surface will be established. Each plant to be planted in an
individual pit shall be planted in the center of the pit, unless otherwise
directed. When balled and bur lapped plants are set, topsoil shall be carefully
tamped under and around the base of each ball to fill all voids
All
plants shall be planted in topsoil which shall be thoroughly settled by
watering and tamping as to eliminate settling and leaning of the plant
material.
When
plants are to be grouped together in a plant bed or in a line approximately 1.6
m, or less from each other, the entire area shall be loosened and lumps broken
to a minimum depth of 150 mm prior to excavating plant pits.
Topsoil
Shall be
as specified in Subsection refer to Topsoil of this Specification.
Fertilizer
The contractor shall
furnish and place commercial fertilizer. The fertilizer shall be spread
uniformly on the excavated material in a circle at the outer edge of the
planting pit. The fertilizer shall be mixed with the excavated soil before
backfilling operations are begun.
Backfilling
All
plants shall be plumb and set at the proper depth. Suitable material removed
from the excavation shall be mixed with fertilizer and the pit shall be
backfilled as directed. Care shall be exercised in placing backfill under the
sides and over the bail so as not to disturb same. Backfill to 3/4 of the depth
of the ball on all sides, then water uniformly on all sides of the ball in
order to eliminate voids and air spaces and allow settlement of the plant.
Plants which settle or lean, before or after watering, shall be straightened,
raised, replaced or the condition otherwise remedied. Excavated material
considered by the Owner to be of unsuitable planting quality shall not be used
in the backfill, but shall be replaced with topsoil by the Contractor as
directed by the Owner, at no additional cost to the Owner.
All
excavated material not used as a backfill, except soils which contain stones,
broken concrete or other foreign matter, shall be disposed of in areas as
directed by the Owner. Soils containing stone, broken concrete or other foreign
matter shall be disposed of offsite by the Contractor to the satisfaction of
the Owner.
Water
The Contractor shall
furnish and apply water in sufficient quantities for proper irrigation of the
plants. The plants shall be watered during planting operations as required
hereinbefore, immediately after planting and at intervals as directed by the
Owner until final acceptance.
Bed
Preparation
When the
drawings require plants to be located in beds, the planting bed areas shall be
scraped removing all grass, weeds, sticks, stones, bricks, mortar, concrete and
other debris. Beds shall then be tilled with a rototiller to the required
depth. Peat moss, or an organic matter satisfactory to the Owner, and
commercial fertilizer shall then be added to the soil at the following minimum
rates: peat moss or organic matter, 1.5 kg pounds per square meter, and
fertilizer 0.25 kg per square meter. After the peat moss and fertilizer have
been added, beds shall be tilled again to thoroughly mix all components. Beds
shall then be raked smooth and all foreign matter such as dirt lumps, concrete,
sticks, grass, mortar, brick, etc., removed from the soil. Finish grade of beds
shall be the same as finish grades for adjoining
concrete walks. Herbicides used in bed areas shall be approved types.
Mulching
Unless
otherwise specified, any approved material suitable for mulch may be used.
Mulching shall be accomplished as soon as possible after the plants are set.
The mulch shall be placed uniformly on all sides of the plant and watered as
soon as possible. When plants are planted in a row approximately 1.5 m apart or
less, the entire row shall be mulched solid. Bed areas shall also be mulched
solid.
Weeding
Weeds
shall be kept out from within the planting basin of each plant including basin
walls. The Contractor shall mow around all plant materials not planted in beds
for a distance of 1 .5 m. If the Contractor decides to use selective herbicides,
he will be allowed to do so only after the grass in this 3 m circle has been
cut to a height of not more than 50 mm. These areas must be weeded by hand.
Weeding shall be performed as required to maintain a neat appearance as
directed.
Period
of Establishment and Replacements
Upon the completion of planting of all plants, and providing
all plants are in place, living and conform to these specifications, the Owner
will give provisional acceptance. The Contractor shall be required to care for
all planted areas for a period of establishment, which shall be one fu!!
Growing season after the provisional acceptance is made. A growing season shall
be for a period of six months (during this period of establishment the
Contractor shall be required to employ all possible means to preserve the
plants in a healthy growing condition). Such plant establishment work shall
include cultivation, watering, pruning, controlling insect pests and disease,
and any other work necessary to insure healthy plant growth. Dead or
unsatisfactory plants shall be promptly removed from the site at no additional
cost to the Owner.
All dead and unsatisfactory plants shall be replaced in kind,
quantity and size with live, healthy plans installed as originally specified.
Alternate or substitute varieties of plants shall be used only if approved by
the Owner. These replacement plantings shall be made at the Contractor's
expense. Replacements made at this time will not require a period of
establishment.
Upon completion of the
said replacement by the Contractor and prior to final acceptance of the
contract, the Contractor shall weed around all plants and remove all discarded
materials, rubbish and equipment from within the areas affected by operations
under this contract. The said areas shall present a neat and acceptable
appearance at the time of final inspection.
A
final inspection of all plant material will be held approximately two weeks
after the replacement planting has been completed. A final acceptance will be
made only if all plants are in place, living and are in conformance with the
plans and the specifications.