B12_Solicitation_140F0118Q0161_RFI_Questions_and_Answers.pdf

Solicitation 140F0118Q0161 RFI Questions and Answers

1) Q: A question was posed about the accessions of the following specific accessions and their acceptability with this solicitation:

- Basin Wildrye: Magnar, Trailhead ll

- Bluebunch: Anatone, a selected class material typically used throughout the state of OR.

- Horse Heaven Bluebunch: SI from Benton County WA, 8-10" precip and 1290' elev.

- Columbia Bluebunch: Selected Class, from Adams county WA, 10" precip zone and 1400' elev.

- Winchester Idaho Fescue: SI from North Idaho, 18" precip zone. Collected near sites of Nezpurs and Joeseph Idaho fescue accession sites.

- Lakeview Idaho Fescue: SI from Lakeview, OR area.

- Sandberg's Bluegrass: Reliable, selected class accession from Yakima county WA 6-9' precip zone.

- Mt. Home Sandberg's bluegrass, Ada county, Idaho. Currently used all over OR in BLM seedings.

- Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Pleasant Valley Bottlebrush, Malhuer County, OR, SI, 10-14" precip zone.

- Vale Bottlebrush: Malhuer County, OR. SI, 8-10' precip zone.

- Prairie Junegrass: Sandhills, SI, Adams county, WA 8-10" precip zone.

- Lewis Blue flax: Smith Canyon Lewis blue flax, Franklin county WA, 6-9" precip zone.

- Maple Grove, Lewis blue flax, selected class, Boise area.

- Western Yarrow: Yakima, SI from Yakima county WA. 7-9" precip zone.

- Eagle, Western yarrow, SI from Ada county ID, 7-9" precip zone.

A: Acceptability of each variety is as follows:

-Basin wildrye - Magnar: not acceptable. Magnar has been used locally in the past. While it typically readily grows from planted seed, seed produced from these plants rarely produces and/or establishes seedlings. The Magnar wildrye doesn't become self-sustaining, defeating the purposes of the rehabilitation efforts. As such, Magnar wildrye would not be acceptable.

-Basin wildrye - Trailhead II: tentatively acceptable. I couldn't find any records of use of Trailhead II locally. Based on descriptions of the release, our project area is just outside of its "area of adaptation", although our site conditions should be within its identified climactic adaptations. Trailhead II would be tentatively acceptable, although due to a lack of information on actual local adaptation/appropriateness, offerings that include source(s) closer to Hart Mountain NAR/Sheldon NWR and project site conditions would be preferred over Trailhead

-Bluebunch wheatgrass - Anatone: not acceptable. Anatone has a "hit or miss" history locally, with some years and some sites having successful establishment and reproduction, but other years and/or sites having no success. I'm not entirely sure why Anatone has such a spotty record locally. Our project site has rocky, clayey soils, which is not as preferred by Anatone based on the fact sheet from USDA-NRCS-Aberdeen Plant Materials Center; this is one possible contributing factor. Regardless, because of Anatone's inconsistent history locally, Anatone would not be acceptable.

-Horse Heaven bluebunch: tentatively acceptable, though offerings that include source(s) closer to Hart Mountain NAR/Sheldon NWR and project site conditions would be preferred.

-Columbia bluebunch: tentatively acceptable, though offerings that include source(s) closer to Hart Mountain NAR/Sheldon NWR and project site conditions would be preferred

-Winchester Idaho fescue: the source is from outside the climactic conditions of the project site to a degree that would likely negatively impact survival/reproduction. As such, Winchester Idaho fescue would not be acceptable.

-Lakeview Idaho fescue: fully acceptable

-Sandberg's bluegrass - Reliable: tentatively acceptable, although offerings that include source(s) closer to Hart Mountain NAR/Sheldon NWR and project site conditions would be preferred

-Mt. Home Sandberg's bluegrass - Mt. Home: acceptable

-Bottlebrush squirreltail - Pleasant Valley: acceptable

-Bottlebrush squirreltail - Vale: acceptable

-Prairie junegrass - Sandhills: tentatively acceptable, although offerings that include source(s) closer to Hart Mountain NAR/Sheldon NWR and project site conditions would be preferred

-Lewis blue flax - Smith Canyon: tentatively acceptable, although offerings that include source(s) closer to Hart Mountain NAR/Sheldon NWR and project site conditions would be preferred

-Lewis blue flax - Maple Grove: tentatively acceptable, although offerings that include source(s) closer to Hart Mountain NAR/Sheldon NWR and project site conditions would be preferred

-Western yarrow - Yakima: tentatively acceptable, although offerings that include source(s) closer to Hart Mountain NAR/Sheldon NWR and project site conditions would be preferred

-Eastern yarrow - Eagle: tentatively acceptable, although offerings that include source(s) closer to Hart Mountain NAR/Sheldon NWR and project site conditions would be preferred

2) Q: Regarding the yarrow - If we are so concerned with SI material from the location in regards to the other accessions, why would we use common yarrow when it could be European or Australian? Would the western yarrow be a better fit even from S. Idaho or Eastern WA?

A: As it is being used in our solicitation, "Common yarrow" is synonymous with "Western yarrow", in that both are accepted common name synonyms for Achillea millefolium. Past research conducted on Sheldon and Hart Mountain Refuges has been inconsistent in identifying the yarrow subspecies/variety present on each refuge, with Achillea millefolium, Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis, and Achillea millefolium var. lanulosa all being used; the last two are not currently accepted taxonomy while the first is the basic accepted "catch all" name (see https://www.itis.gov, search common name "yarrow"). To my knowledge no genetic work has been done on the plants on the refuges to try and confirm which subspecies/variety (or varieties) actually occur, or even to determine if we still have "pure" variants. Further, the taxonomy of the species is still not entirely settled within science, despite claims made by some. By requiring source identification as close to Hart Mountain NAR/Sheldon NWR as possible, we are trying to increase our odds of matching the local variety, or at least getting one that will be adapted to local conditions (e.g., elevation, climate, soil types, etc.). This source identification requirement would preclude European and Australian variants of yarrow.

Yarrow from S. Idaho would likely be a better fit for the Sheldon/Hart Mtn area than that from eastern WA. Southern Idaho is a closer latitude to Sheldon and Hart Mtn. Refuges than is eastern WA, and is generally closer in climate (though this last is entirely dependent on where in southern Idaho the source actually is, of course). This tends toward similar phenological patterns in like species. Further, in general the soils of southern Idaho are closer to those on Sheldon/Hart Mtn Refuges than are the soils of eastern WA. Both Sheldon and Hart Mtn. are clayey soils, with generally fine-grain particles even within the clayey spectrum. While neither southern Idaho nor eastern WA generally have clayey soils to the degree that the Refuges do, southern Idaho tends closer with finer-grained loams, where eastern WA tends toward sandier (or at least coarser-grained) soils, even in the channeled scablands and Palouse areas. While this is obviously a very broad generalization of both Idaho and Washington, this will hopefully give an idea of how offered material sources are reviewed.

3) Q: Why would that matter if a vendor has a current test on the seed that is within 4 months even if the seed was from the past few years? The industry and other government buyers would view that as acceptable. Why would you view it differently?

A: Our main purpose for requiring seed from the current harvest year is that we often don't and/or can't apply all of the procured seed in the current year; we hold it in local climate-controlled storage for application in subsequent years. This is especially true for the Post-Juniper Rehab Mix in our current solicitation, the application of which is dependent on being able to successfully burn piled material before spring. Since prescribed burning is reliant on appropriate weather conditions and available staffing, implementation and completion of the projects can be delayed. Even when stored under ideal conditions, seed has a finite life span. By requiring seed from the current harvest year we are increasing our odds of maintaining higher viability for subsequent years.