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B. PALM TREE PRUNING <br />Any tree work performed on a City tree must be done according to the City's specification. The <br />criterion for pruning varies based on the type or purpose of pruning. Palm Pruning consists of <br />maintaining the crowns and trunks of palm trees including the pruning of spent or declining <br />fronds, seed pods and the skinning or shaping of spent petiole bases into a ball or nut as <br />applicable by palm type. <br />(1) The specifications for the pruning of Queen Palm trees are as follows: <br />1. Maintenance of the ornamental ball located at the base of the palm canopy, <br />directly below the live fronds, shall be as described by species as follows: <br />2. Queen Palm (Syagrus romanzoffianum): Palm pruning is the removal of fronds, <br />flowers, fruit, stems, or loose petioles that may create a hazardous condition. <br />Palms also may be pruned for aesthetic reasons to eliminate sprouts and stems <br />or dead fronds and seapods. Live, healthy fronds should not be removed. If they <br />must be removed, however, avoid removing those that initiate at an angle of 45 <br />degrees or greater above horizontal. Fronds removed should be severed close to <br />the petiole base without damaging living trunk tissue. Climbing spikes should not <br />be used to climb palms for pruning. <br />3. While making an approach to the palm crown for pruning, the Contractor shall <br />inspect the trunk of the palm tree for signs of decay, insect frass, bees, rodents, <br />bird nesting or any other condition suggestive of a structural abnormality. Upon <br />finding any condition suggestive of a structural abnormality of the palm stem, the <br />Contractor shall report to the City Arborist immediately. <br />4. Care shall be taken in the handling of fruit and flowers as they are likely to <br />release clear liquids that react with and can cause staining to hardscape <br />elements. The Contractor shall be responsible for removing palm fruit related <br />stains from private property hardscape elements. <br />(2) The specifications for the pruning of Canary Island Date Palm trees are as follows <br />1. Maintenance of the ornamental ball located at the base of the palm canopy, <br />directly below the live fronds, shall be as described by species as follows: <br />2. Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis): dead petiole bases shall be <br />formed into an ornamental ball which begins directly below the lowest green <br />fronds and acts to provide a base of support to the palm crown. This ornamental <br />ball shall be uniform and smooth in appearance and shall extend no less than four <br />(4) and no more than eight (8) feet below the lowest live frond in the crown. <br />Ornamental balls with flattened or "stop sign" sides will not be accepted. The <br />upper portion of the ornamental ball shall not taper in, resulting in a "pineapple' <br />appearance as this treatment defeats the support capacity of the ball. The distal <br />portion of the ball shall begin at a point flush with the periphery of the palm trunk <br />and make a gradual taper upwards until it reaches the periphery of the shaped <br />ornamental ball. The Contractor may use a clean chainsaw in forming and /or <br />shaping the ornamental ball of a Canary Island Date Palm. The use of a <br />sharpened shovels in shaping and maintaining ornamental balls often results in <br />ornamental balls which have flat, untapered bottoms that are likely to relax and <br />collapse into pedestrian and vehicular traffic zones with grave consequences. <br />City of Santa Ana Street Tree Maintenance RFP <br />19E -32 Page 29 <br />