Appendix E Stand Exams.docx

2020 CORP 2.0 Appendix E STAND EXAMS The Contractor shall furnish all labor, supervision, transportation, equipment, supplies, materials (unless specified elsewhere as Government-furnished), and incidentals required to perform forest stand examination plots on plantation and wild stands with a variety of unknown vegetative conditions across the respective district(s) of the Deschutes, Ochoco and Fre-Win National Forests as specified on each contract item.

1a) Stand examination plots shall be collected using USDA Forest Service Common Stand Exam Protocols as specified in this contract or, otherwise, defaulting to the Intensive Examination Level. All examinations will include Forest Inventories, which include stand-level data, plot-level data, and tree data on a variable plot for trees ≥5 inches DBH with a fixed-area subplot for trees <4.5 ft. in height and trees <5 inches DBH.

1b) An ocular estimated of the fixed-area subplot for vegetation composition (the top 3 shrubs and top 3 forbs only) and/or a measured

1c) Down Woody Material transect subplot (piece count, 3 inches and greater; no twig counts) may also be included depending on the contract item.

2) Fixed radius plot only measuring trees <4.5 ft. in height and trees <5 inches DBH.

3) Reforestation Fixed radius regeneration plot measuring seedlings.

PROJECT LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY

The project areas are located on the Deschutes, Ochoco and Fre-Win NFs on Forest Service managed lands. The project areas can be reached by Forest Service roads that are accessible by standard pickup truck during normal operating season. Some stands will require foot travel from the nearest road to the stand itself. The Forest Service assumes no obligation to perform any special maintenance to keep roads open. Vehicle travel is not allowed behind locked gates, through private driveways, or on blocked roads.

GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED PROPERTY AND SERVICES

The Government will furnish to the Contractor the following materials, supplies, property or services at the respective District office (at an agreed upon time between COR and Contractor. The Contractor shall be liable for all loss or damage of all Government- furnished property until completion of all work per task order and final acceptance of returned property (items 1 and 6 below).

Government-furnished property

1. Copies of stand location maps and copies (2 each) of the pertinent National Forest Map.

2. The USDA Forest Service’s Common Stand Exam User Guide (interchangeably referred to as the User Guide), Common Stand Exam Region 6 Appendices, and Exams forms, by means of download at: http://www.fs.fed.us/nrm/fsveg/index.shtml

3. The Exams data entry software by means of download at: http://www.fs.fed.us/nrm/fsveg/index.shtml

4. Forest Exams (.cse) template file (requires modifications by the contractor to match contract requirements)

5. A Copy of Common Stand Exam Setting, Sample Design, Plot Data, and Tree Data form upon request (contractor to make additional copies if needed)

6. Field Guide to the appropriate Plant Associations.

Services – At the Contractor’s request, the Government may provide:

· One review on the inspection procedures. This inspection review shall be performed on one plot completed by the contractor

· Provide one review of the Exams data entry software

· Digital files of the areas being examined which may include an overlay of the stand delineation, available road layers, and Digital orthophoto quads (hereafter referred to as DOQ or aerial photos interchangeably); files made available at time task orders issued

CONTRACTOR'S FURNISHED ITEMS

The Contractor shall furnish all supplies, materials, labor, supervision, and transportation (except those items listed as Government-furnished) required to complete the project.

Supplies and Equipment

The Contractor shall furnish all required items to complete the project, including but not limited to the following:

7. Relaskop or equivalent.

8. Increment borers.

9. Diameter tape (1/10th foot delineations).

10. 100-foot tape (with inch/foot delineations).

11. Hand compass with declination setting.

12. Tatum or clipboard.

13. Blue/white candy-stripe ribbon & permanent marker for marking on ribbon.

14. Clinometer

15. Hand lens for counting growth rings.

16. Scale to measure 20ths of an inch.

17. Yellow or orange wire flags (15-inch minimum length). Flag size shall be 3-inch x 3-inch, or 4-inch x 5-inch.

18. Personal Data Recorder (PDR)

19. Global Positioning System (GPS)

Services Summary

1. Contractor shall submit a plan of operation for completing data collection on each bid item.

2. Contractor shall provide the following field collected data and report files:

a. If data is collected on paper forms, Contractor shall provide a paper hardcopy in addition to the required electronic files

b. Contractor shall provide required data in the most current electronic format and is compatible with the Forest Service computer system. Electronic .cse files will have the following naming convention: inspection block number (ex. iblock_01)

c. Contractor shall collect the required field data and complete the appropriate setting, sample design, plot, tree, vegetation composition, and down woody material data

d. Contractor shall mark accurate plot locations, travel routes, and azimuths on the Sketch Map and Traverse Notes for each stand

e. Contractor shall plot updated stand delineations on Sketch Map and Traverse Notes

f. Contractor shall record stand-level summary information and field notes (including traverse notes) on the stand maps provided and on the electronic file’s Settings Record Remarks field Data management, including but not limited to appropriate backup cycles, is the contractor’s responsibility. All files are the contractor’s responsibility (and are not considered to be turned in) until they are provided in a format that is readable and that successfully loads into the Forest Service’s FSVeg database and accepted by the Forest Service as such.

3. Contractor shall monument plot locations using pin flags to designate plot center points and flagging two adjacent trees with clue/white flagging. Contractor shall also use pin flags to designate beginning and end points of down wood transects. Blue/white flagging shall also be installed at approximately one chain intervals along routes of travel between plot centers. The plot centers will be GPSd and files will be submitted to the Forest Service.

PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS – All personnel collecting plot data shall have skills in these areas:

1. Familiarity in aerial photo interpretation and in its use in recommending stand boundary adjustments

2. Ability to distinguish between stand types in the field

3. Experience in the successful use of hand-held compass, pacing and map measurements

4. Experience in the successful use of global positioning systems (GPS)

5. Experience in the successful use of (PDR) hand-held personal data recorders

6. Ability to accurately identify tree and plant species

7. Experience in accurately rating trees relative to stand position and condition class

8. Ability to accurately determine tree age and growth rates with the use of an increment borer

9. Have experience in accurately identifying common tree defects and forest insect, disease, pests and parasitic plants

10. The Contractor shall designate crew leaders for each crew; the crew leader shall be the individual responsible for taking plot measurements in accordance with the accuracy standards

11. Each crew leader shall possess a minimum of 2 seasons of experience in Forest Inventory Measurements and or stand exam data collection.