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Demolition Activities
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Restoration activities involved careful protection of
sequoias and associated resources.
© NPS photo by Athena Demetry.
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Vegetation Protection
To protect soils and vegetation, contractors were required to install
fencing around sensitive sites and residual vegetation before beginning
demolition. Eight-foot tall lumber barricades were placed around mature
sequoias to protect the soft bark from damage and to keep equipment
from disturbing roots or compacting soils close to the base of the
trees. Four-foot tall orange fencing was installed around
groupings of trees, shallow root zones, or other sensitive areas.
Lath snow fence was wrapped around
boles of trees in close proximity to buildings to prevent mechanical
damage to bark during removal. Metal sheeting was placed over exposed
or shallow sequoia root zones to disperse equipment weight and prevent
wheel damage to roots.
Travel routes were designated
on contract drawings to constrain equipment travel and minimize soil
compaction. Incentive for protecting natural resources was supplied
by a contract provision by which the contractor could be assessed
monetary damages for causing injury to trees, soils, or vegetation.
NPS inspectors and a restoration ecologist provided daily oversight
of operations. Also prior to demolition, silt fence or excelsior (curled
aspen fiber) filter logs were installed in
locations where water runoff exits the project site to prevent silt
input to streams or wetlands.
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