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9 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />4. Vegetation Installation Procedures <br /> <br />4.1. Site Inspections and Monitoring <br />Site inspections and monitoring throughout the installation process are vital to continually <br />assess site conditions and determine what procedures are needed and the timing of those <br />procedures. The pre-construction site inspection is particularly important to determine the <br />need for any herbicide application or mowing prior to soil preparation and seeding. <br /> <br />4.2. Site Preparation Herbicide Application <br />A site preparation herbicide application, if deemed necessary, should be performed by a <br />licensed, qualified contractor using appropriate herbicides to kill all actively growing weeds <br />on the project site. Typically, only glyphosate herbicide is necessary, but if certain perennial <br />weed species are present such as Canada thistle, a broadleaf additive may be necessary. <br />The contractor should carefully select an herbicide with a short soil residual, such as Garlon <br />3A, to minimize the impact on germination of the permanent seeding. The vegetation <br />should not be disturbed for a minimum of 14 days after an herbicide application to allow <br />time for effective weed elimination. <br /> <br />4.3. Site Preparation Mowing <br />Site preparation mowing may be required to reset vegetative growth to prepare for an <br />herbicide application. Additionally, site preparation mowing may be needed to cut and <br />mulch vegetation to simplify the soil preparation and seeding process. <br /> <br />4.4. Soil and Seedbed Preparation <br />Soil and seedbed preparation is vital to the success of any planting. Disking and harrowing <br />(or raking) the site is common and extremely effective. If extreme compaction is present on <br />site, a ripper may be needed to mitigate the compaction. The seedbed should be relatively <br />smooth and firm prior to seeding. Soil that is too clumpy or too fluffy may result in seeds <br />being planted too deep in the soil to germinate and survive. <br /> <br />4.5. Seed and Seeding <br />A custom native pollinator seed mix has been designed for use on this project and is found <br />in Section 8. Seeding will be completed through broadcasting by using a mechanical <br />spreader appropriate for the specified seed mixes. Large and fluffy seeds (such as most <br />grasses and cover crop) should be broadcast first and then lightly harrowed/raked into the <br />soil. Following the harrowing, small seeds (such as most forbs, sedges, and rushes) should <br />be broadcast on top of the soil.