Illinois Urban Manual

PRACTICE STANDARD

Tree and Shrub Planting
(acre or sq ft)
CODE 985

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(Source: National Arbor Day Foundation)

DEFINITION

Planting selected trees and shrubs in the soil.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this standard is to establish trees and/or shrubs to conserve soil, beautify an area, screen unsightly views, provide shade and attract wildlife.

CONDITIONS WHERE PRACTICE APPLIES

In urban environments where woody tree and shrub species are needed to protect the soil from erosion, where ornamental plants are desirable for landscaping and beautification and where woody plants are needed to screen unsightly views, reduce noise levels or provide wildlife food and habitat.

CRITERIA

Select tree and shrub species suited to the soil and site conditions and adapted to the plant hardiness zone in which the planting site is located.

Keep the roots of bare root stock moist at all times prior to planting. The burlapped ball of balled and burlapped (B&B) stock and the soil of container grown stock shall be kept moist but not saturated prior to planting.

Plant trees and shrubs at a spacing that will provide enough space for full crown development. Ornamental and shade trees shall have a minimum spacing of 20 feet by 20 feet and ornamental shrubs at 5 feet by 5 feet. Trees and shrubs planted as noise barriers, screen plantings and windbreaks shall have a minimum spacing of 8 feet by 8 feet for trees and 4 feet by 8 feet for shrubs.

All bare root, container grown and balled and burlapped (B&B) planting stock shall meet the minimum root system spread criteria as established in construction specification 707-DIGGING, TRANSPORTING, PLANTING AND ESTABLISHMENT OF TREES, SHRUBS AND VINES.

All plant materials will be dormant at the time they are planted. Planting dates and procedures shall conform to those established by construction specification 707 DIGGING, TRANSPORTING, PLANTING AND ESTABLISHMENT OF TREES, SHRUBS AND VINES for the applicable Planting Suitability Zone of Illinois.

All plantings shall be mulched unless specified otherwise in a landscaping or planting plan. The mulching material shall be uniformly graded and have the ability to completely block sunlight from reaching the surface of the soil. Materials shall meet the minimum criteria as established in the practice standard MULCHING 875. Mulching materials shall meet the minimum requirements as listed in material specifications 592 GEOTEXTILE, 800 PAPER AND PLASTIC NETTING, 801 JUTE NETTING, 802 EXCELSIOR BLANKETS, and 803 STRAW BLANKETS.

CONSIDERATIONS

Tree planting in urban areas should be completed as specified in a landscaping or tree and shrub planting plan developed for each site.

Care should be exercised to avoid locating trees and shrubs where they will, at maturity, interfere with electrical lines, utility maintenance zones, subsurface drain tiles, septic fields or create a traffic hazard due to blocked visibility.

Existing quality trees and shrubs should be evaluated and, where appropriate, incorporated into the landscaping or tree and shrub planting plan.

Trees and shrubs to plant should be selected based on:

1. Desired function such as shade, privacy or noise reduction screening, wildlife benefits, landscaping benefits or a combination of these, and
2. Plant characteristics such as hardiness, growth rate, mature height and spread, resistance to insect, disease and pollution, seed production habits and soil or site requirements.

PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS

Plans and specifications are to be developed for specific planting sites in keeping with this standard and shall describe the requirements for applying the practice to achieve its intended purpose.

Installation for this practice shall meet the requirements as listed in construction specification 707-DIGGING, TRANSPORTING, PLANTING AND ESTABLISHMENT OF TREES, SHRUBS AND VINES.

All plans shall include the installation, inspection, and maintenance schedules with the responsible party identified.

Standard drawing IL-686 TREE AND SHRUB PLANTING SITE PLAN may be used as the planting plan for a specific site.

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

A maintenance program shall be established to provide sufficient water, fertility, mulch, corrective pruning and protection from damage by insects, diseases and machinery. Dead or severely damaged plants will be replaced as needed.

NRCS IL                     August 1994

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