2009 Midstory ContractSOW.doc

2009 Francis Marion Midstory Reduction/Hazardous Fuels Project

A. SCOPE OF CONTRACT

Contractor shall furnish all equipment, labor, transportation, supervision, and perform all work required to conduct the mastication of woody vegetation on approximately 500-800 acres within the boundaries of the Francis Marion National Forest. This work shall be completed in accordance with the specifications and provisions of the contract.

Total acreage to be treated will be dependent upon the awarded price and Government funding available for the project. At a minimum, the treatment acreage should be 500 acres. Contractor will be paid at bid rate for each acre completed satisfactorily. Acres worked will be contiguous or closely located. Contractor will not be asked to move equipment for minimal work.

B. DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION

The contract areas are located within the boundaries of the Francis Marion National Forest in the South Carolina counties of Charleston and Berkeley (Figure 1A). These areas range in size from 42 to 275 +/- contiguous acres, and serve as habitat for the federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW). Areas to be treated include masticating 120 ft buffers along property boundaries, masticating an existing woods road (approximately 10-20 feet wide x 4600 feet long) and masticating encroaching vegetation within various forest stands (Figures 1-5). The primary objectives of this contract are to:

1) Reduce midstory vegetation to within 6” of the ground in order to maintain and enhance habitat for the RCW.

2) Reduce fuel loads near major roads and urbanized areas, which will facilitate the reintroduction of prescribed fire.

As the contract areas are cleared, actual acreage treated will be calculated via a global positioning system (GPS).

C. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

1. The Forest Service will have the authority to restrict when a specific treatment area can be entered. The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) or the inspector will be present when equipment enters a treatment area for the first time, unless otherwise agreed upon by the COR.

2. Operating hours in active RCW clusters will be limited to one hour after sunrise and continuing to one hour before sunset.

3. All equipment will be cleaned and in sound working condition prior to entering Forest Service lands. Leaking hydraulic fluid or other equipment fluids will be fixed prior to entering Forest Service lands.

4. All equipment will be inspected prior to use on Forest Service lands by Forest Service personnel for noxious weed control.

5. The work to be performed involves severing midstory vegetation completely from the stump and grinding up the downed vegetation as well as pre-existing slash and logs.

6. All hardwoods and pines less than 6 inches diameter at breast height (dbh) shall be felled within treatment areas unless specified differently. Midstory vegetation treated will be severed from the stump within 6” of the ground. Stumps may be left higher if the cutter head must be raised to negotiate terrain features. If midstory vegetation cannot be felled/mulched without damage to a mature pine tree, then the vegegation will not be treated around said tree.

7. All slash, including tops, limbs, and vegetation cut in the above specification shall be mowed, mulched, shredded, or otherwise ground into small pieces. This shredded material shall be scattered over the treatment area and not piled.

8. All pre-existing slash (stumps, logs, limbs) will be reduced to within 6” of the ground and chipped to the above specifications.

8. Standing dead trees (i.e., snags) shall be left standing within treatment areas unless they present a safety hazard or have the potential to fall across roads or property lines.

All RCW cavity trees, sensitive areas and desired features will be delineated on the ground within treatment areas in order to prevent damage. All known RCW cavity trees within the treatment areas are marked with two white bands at approximately 4-6 feet above the ground and have one or more aluminum identification tags attached to the tree. Sensitive sites and desired features within treatment areas will be delineated on the ground with flagging. RCW cavity trees, sensitive areas and desired features will be identified and communicated to the contractor prior to the commencement of work. The contractor will be required to stay 200 ft or more from red-cockaded woodpecker during the red-cockaded woodpecker nesting season (April 01 thru July 31).

9. No treatment will occur in streams, drains, bays, or low-lying areas without approval of the COR.

10. The Contractor shall take every precaution necessary to prevent digging, gouging, and moving soil. The Contractor shall prevent excessive rutting and compaction by operating the equipment only when suitable soil conditions exist, as determined by the COR. Mechanical chipping activities should be avoided after rainfall, in order to prevent damage to soils.

11. All supplies and equipment needed to complete this contract will be supplied by the Contractor.

12. Ideally, treatments will occur between August 1, 2009 and January 31, 2010, unless otherwise mutually agreed upon by the Contractor and COR.

13. Prior to commencement of work, contractor shall schedule a meeting with Danny Carlson (843-887-3257), Joseph Benton (843-336-3248) and/or Mark Danaher (843-336-3248) in order to review contract areas, provide contractor with maps and answer any questions contractor might have.

14. All hardwoods and pines less than 6 inches Dbh (diameter at breast height) shall be felled within treatment areas unless specified differently.

15. When possible, longleaf pine saplings will be left scattered throughout the treatment areas.

16. Mastication along property boundaries will consist of following the same specifications aforementioned. Midstory vegetation will be masticated within a 120 foot wide swath, starting on the United States Forest Service (USFS) side of the property boundary and continuing across USFS property.

D. Desired Equipment Specifications

1. It is recommended that the equipment have a heavy-duty drum type cutter head that can be raised and lowered. The width of the cutter head should be equal to or greater than the width of the machine so that all trees in the path of the machine will be cut. The machine shall be capable of producing the desired finished conditions as outlined above.

2. The machine shall have a ground pressure of less than 8 psi, unless mutually agreed upon by the Contractor and COR.

E. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY

The Government shall make available to the Contractor the following material (hereinafter referred to as “Government-furnished property”):

a. Treatment Area Maps

b. Forest Map

F. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

Inspection and acceptance will be performed by Forest Service personnel at such intervals to insure compliance with the contract specifications and provisions. Upon completion of work on an area, the Contractor shall notify the COR that work on the area is completed and the COR shall make an interim inspection of the work. If the work meets specifications, the Contractor may proceed with work on the next area. If the work does not meet specifications, the Contractor shall complete any remedial work required prior to commencing work on the next area. This interim inspection is not a final inspection and does not relieve the Contractor’s responsibility until the final inspection is completed.

All acreage treated will be computed using a GPS. Payment will be determined by actual GPS’ed acres treated. Actual acreage may change prior to the beginning of work due to surveys for proposed, threatened, endangered, or sensitive plant species. As previously mentioned in section C. #9, these areas, as well as other sensitive areas, will be delineated on the ground and communicated to the Contractor prior to the commencement of work.

Payment will be made at the unit price for acres completed and accepted.

G. Basis of Payment

1) Contractor shall bid on treating approximately 500-800 acres as previously described, and will submit a price on a cost per acre basis.

2) Upon satisfactorily treating each treatment area, the Forest Service shall have at least 2 weeks to determine actual acreage treated via GPS. Once actual treatment acreage is determined, contractor may submit an invoice for payment based on the following formula:

Cost per acre X Actual treatment acreage = Payment amount

3) Invoices must be submitted to the Contracting Officer’s Representative for approval prior to payment.