Attachment 1 - Specifications - Item 1_2.doc

PROJECT CIM-0811-06W

ROAN MOUNTAIN GRASSY BALD RESTORATION: CONTROLLING WOODY VEGETATION BY CHAINSAW, BRUSHCUTTING AND MOWING

STATEMENT OF WORK, SCOPE AND SPECIFICATIONS

Summary and Context This is a contract action request to hire a contractor(s) to use chainsaws, brushcutters (weedeaters w/ brushcutting blades) and mowers to cut and swamp encroaching woody vegetation on selected balds on the Roan Mountain Highlands, during the 2010-2012 growing seasons. This work is part of the ARRA-funded Project CIM-0811-06W the goal of which is to maintain and restore grassy balds in the Roan Mountain Highlands area of the Appalachian District of the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina.

This contract consists of 2 bid items. The first involves chainsaw, swamping and brushcutting on 2 grassy balds, Grassy Ridge and Bradley Gap. The second involves chainsaw, swamping and mowing on a third grassy bald, Big Hump Mountain. Across these 3 balds, the goal is to cut and remove woody vegetation from 125 acres and then follow up with 2 repeated cuttings on the same area to create a more long-lasting impact. This “recutting” is done with brushcutters on Grassy Ridge and Bradley Gap and primarily with mowers on Big Hump Mt. Total acres treated (including acres retreated) exceed 300 acres. The following Table summarizes acres treated by bid item, area, year and treatment type.

Summary Table, Bid Items 1-3, ACRES TREATED by Year and Treatment Type

Treated

Note: 20 acres in the “2X Cut” category represents 10 acres cut twice. 60 acres in the “2X Mow” category represents 30 acres cut twice.

BID ITEM 1 SPECIFICATIONS

Controlling Woody Vegetation By Chainsaw, Swamping and Brushcutting

A) Grassy Ridge - Chainsaw, Swamping and Brushcutting

The contractor will assemble a crew that will use chainsaws on woody shrubs and brushcutters (weedeaters with brushcutter attachements) on blackberry and other small woody stems or sprouts. The crew will also swamp or move all shrubs and small trees out of sight, typically downslope into the forest. Vegetation crews are to disperse the cut shrubs/trees into the upper edge of forest and are to avoid creating large single piles of shrubs. The crew will cut/swamp approximately 20 acres of shrubs mixed with blackberry in 2010. Shrubs can be cut between June 14 and July 2 and from August 1 to September 3. Chainsaw operators are required to cut stumps as level and low to the ground as possible, leaving stumps at 3 inches in height or less. Short, level-cut, stumps result in less sprouts, are less of a safety hazard and are easier to recut when using brushcutters.

On these same 20 acres, crews with brushcutters will return in 2011 and 2012 to cut blackberry and woody sprouts. Half of these 20 acres will be cut during 2011, once during the period May 31-June 25 and again during the period July 26-August 20. The remaining 10 acres will be twice-cut during comparable periods in 2012 (May 28-June 22 and July 30-August 24). Double cutting blackberry and woody stems during a growing season has been shown to have a more long lasting effect than just a single cut. This effect is optimized if 6 weeks or more separate the 2 cutting periods on a given patch of ground.

The total area treated by chainsaw and brushcutters over the 3 year period, including double treatments within a year, equals 60 acres (20 acres per year). During the first phase - chainsawing/swamping shrubs - patches of blackberry will also be encountered. These blackberry stems should be cut at the same time as the woody shrubs.. This cut area will then be twice cut the following year as specified previously.

The contractor/crew leaders will work closely with a contract biologist, who will serve as project coordinator and inspector. The biologist will 1) identify specific areas to be treated, 2) describe the specifics of the treatment needed, including the protection of rare and sensitive species and habitat, 3) inspect the work completed for quality control, and 4) delineate (GPS) and classify the area treated. Estimates for acres treated (recorded via GPS), with input from the crew leaders, will serve as documentation for work accomplished. The contractor/crew leader must cooperate with the Biologist when the biologist is directing crews on which areas to cut, what areas or vegetation to avoid cutting, and when delineating acres that have been cut.

Vegetation Composition

On Grassy Ridge, the shrub component is dominated by Catawba rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense) and green alder (Alnus crispa) with scattered to moderately dense blackberry (Rubus canadensis and R. Allegheniensis). Scattered trees such as red spruce (Picea rubens), Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) and mountain ash (Sorbus americana) represent minor components. Sedges (Carex pennsylvanica and C.intumescens) dominate the sparse grass/herb layer in this shrub type. After the woody layer is removed, the resulting cover type will be dominated by blackberry and woody sprouts of rhododendron and green alder, with scattered occurrences of sedges dominated by Pennsylvania sedge, grasses dominated by mountain oak grass (Danthonia conpressa), and herbs such as mountain angelica (Angelica triquinata), running five finger (Potentilla canadensis), hay scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) and southern lady fern (Athyrium asplenioides)

Equipment and Supplies

The contractor is responsible for all equipment and supplies required for the job.

Provided by the Forest Service Maps of the project area will be provided to the Contractor (see attached maps), that show access to the site, as well as specific areas to be treated each year. Forest Service will provide access behind gated roads as appropriate.

Pre-bid Meeting

The Forest Service will hold a pre-bid meeting for interested contractors near the Appalachian Ranger District Office in Burnsville, NC, from 8:30-10:00 a.m. on May 4, 2010. The specific location is the conference room at the United Community Bank, located at 291 East US Highway 19E, Burnsville, NC. A slide show will be given to describe the project and area as well as to address concerns/questions. Following the meeting, interested contractors can visit the Big Hump Mountain project area to view vegetation structure common to all the balds. A 1-1.5 hour walk (one way) will be required to get to Big Hump Mountain. Four to five hours should be allowed for the hike and site visit to and from Big Hump Mountain. Contractors will also be given maps showing treatment areas on all 3 grassy balds. Contractors can choose to do further site visits on their own if desired.

Access and Travel

Roan Mountain is located approximately 70 miles NE of Asheville, NC. The Western Balds (Jane & Round Balds & Grassy Ridge) are accessed via the Appalachian Trail (AT) from Carvers Gap, where NC 261 meets TN 153 at the NC/TN line. There is also a primitive woods road that may provide limited access to Grassy Ridge, the condition of which is uncertain.

Hiking into Grassy Ridge from Carvers Gap can take approximately 1.5 hours. See maps.

B) Bradley Gap - Chainsaw, Swamping and Brushcutting The contractor will assemble a crew that will use chainsaws on woody shrubs and brushcutters on blackberry and other small woody stems or sprouts. The crew will also swamp or move all shrubs and small trees out of sight, typically downslope into the forest. Vegetation crews are to disperse the cut shrubs/trees into the upper edge of forest and are to avoid creating large single piles of shrubs. In 2010, the crew will cut/swamp approximately 22 acres of shrubs mixed with blackberry as well as double-cut 12.5 acres of blackberry (thus totaling 47 acres in 2010). Shrubs can be cut between June 14 and July 2 and from August 2 to September 3 (single cut). The blackberry-dominated 12.5 acres will be brushcut first between May 31 and June 25 and then again between July 26 and August 20. Chainsaw operators are required to cut stumps as level and low to the ground as possible, leaving stumps at 3 inches in height or less. Short, level-cut, stumps result in less sprouts, are less of a safety hazard and are easier to recut when using brushcutters.

In 2011, crews with brushcutters will return to the original 22 acres of cut shrubs, and double-cut blackberry and woody sprouts, once during the period May 30-June 24 and again during the period July 25 – August 19. Also in 2011(June 13-July 1 & August 1 – Sept 2), an additional 16 acres of shrubs will be chainsaw cut, thus totalling 60 acres in 2011. In 2012, the 16 acres of shrubs previously cut will be twice cut during the periods May 28 – June 22 and July 30 – to August 24. The total area treated by chainsaw and brushcutters over the 3 year period, including double treatments within a year is 139 acres (47 in 2010, 60 in 2011 and 32 in 2012). During the first phase - chainsawing/swamping shrubs - patches of blackberry will also be encountered. These blackberry stems should be cut at the same time as the woody shrubs.. This cut area will then be twice cut the following year as specified previously. Double cutting blackberry and woody stems during a growing season has been shown to have a more long lasting effect than just a single cut. This effect is optimized if 6 weeks or more separate the 2 cutting periods on a given patch of ground.

The contractor/crew leaders will work closely with a contract biologist, who will serve as project coordinator and inspector. The biologist will 1) identify specific areas to be treated, 2) describe the specifics of the treatment needed, including the protection of rare and sensitive species and habitat, 3) inspect the work completed for quality control, and 4) delineate (GPS) and classify the area treated. Estimates for acres treated (recorded via GPS), with input from the crew leaders, will serve as documentation for work accomplished. The contractor/crew leader must cooperate with the Biologist when the biologist is directing crews on which areas to cut, what areas or vegetation to avoid cutting, and when delineating acres that have been cut.

Vegetation Composition

The shrub layer on Bradley Gap is dominated by deciduous trees and scattered deciduous shrubs varying in height from 5-15 feet. Trees include hawthorns (Crategus sp.), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), mountain-ash, yellow buckeye (Aesculus flava), and yellow birch (Betula allegheniensis). The primary shrubs in the cutting areas include red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. pubens) within deeper soils and blueberries (Vaccinium sp.) in shallow soils. The density of the small trees is similar to a woodland. The blackberry component is patchy and dense. Pennsylvania sedge, mountain oat grass, autumn bentgrass (Agrostis perennans), and yellow hawkeeed (Hieracium caespitosum) dominate the sparse grass /herb layer in this shrub type. After the woody layer is removed, the resulting cover type will be dominated by blackberry and woody sprouts of deciduous trees with scattered occurrences of sedges dominated by Pennsylvania sedge and mountain oat grass as well as a diversity of herbs.

Equipment and Supplies

The contractor is responsible for all equipment and supplies required for the job.

Provided by the Forest Service Maps of the project area will be provided to the Contractor (see attached maps), that show access to the site, as well as specific areas to be treated each year. Forest Service will provide access behind gated roads as appropriate.

Pre-bid Meeting

The Forest Service will hold a pre-bid meeting for interested contractors near the Appalachian Ranger District Office in Burnsville, NC, from 8:30-10:00 a.m. on May 4, 2010. The specific location is the conference room at the United Community Bank, located at 291 East US Highway 19E, Burnsville, NC. A slide show will be given to describe the project and area as well as to address concerns/questions. Following the meeting, interested contractors can visit the Big Hump Mountain project area to view vegetation structure common to all the balds. A 1-1.5 hour walk (one way) will be required to get to Big Hump Mountain. Four to five hours should be allowed for the hike and site visit to and from Big Hump Mountain. Contractors will also be given maps showing treatment areas on all 3 grassy balds. Contractors can choose to do further site visits on their own if desired.

Access and Travel

Roan Mountain is located approximately 70 miles NE of Asheville, NC. Bradley Gap can be accessed by the Appalachian Trail (AT). Two Forest Service Roads lead to the AT to the East and West of Bradley Gap, leaving a 1-mile or less hike to the project area. In most cases travel on these roads are limited to ATVs and UTVs. Houston Ridge Road leads to Big Hump Mt. just above Bradley Gap to the East. This road is off of Big Horse Creek Road, which is off of US Highway 19E. Big Horse Creek Road is about 2 miles north of the small community of Frank, NC, which is located about 30 miles north and east of Burnsville, NC, and 65 miles north of Asheville, NC (See map). The second FS road (referred to as Roaring Creek Road) is off of the main Roaring Creek Road which is about 1 mile south of Frank, NC. This FS road leads to Little Hump Mt. From there, contractors can cross the bald to the East and walk the rest of the way on the AT to Bradley Gap.

BID ITEM 2 SPECIFICATIONS

Controlling Woody Vegetation By Chainsaw, Swamping, Brushcutting, and Mowing A) Big Hump Mountain: Chainsaw, Swamping, and Brushcutting The contractor will assemble a crew that will use chainsaws on woody shrubs and brushcutters on blackberry and other small woody stems or sprouts. The crew will also swamp or move all shrubs and small trees out of sight, typically downslope into the forest. Vegetation crews are to disperse the cut shrubs/trees into the upper edge of forest and are to avoid creating large single piles of shrubs. In 2010, the crew will cut/swamp approximately 20 acres of shrubs mixed with blackberry. In 2011, 34 acres of shrubs will be cut and swamped. Shrubs can be cut between June 14 and July 2 and from August 2 to September 3 in 2010 and during a comparable period in 2011 (June 13- July 1 and August 1-September 2). Chainsaw operators are required to cut stumps as level and low to the ground as possible, leaving stumps at 3 inches in height or less. Short, level-cut, stumps result in less sprouts, are less of a safety hazard and are easier to recut when using brushcutters. No double-cuts by brushcutting will be done on this site since most of these acres will be mowed in 2012. Thus, total area treated over 2 years (2010-11) is 54 acres. During the first phase - chainsawing/swamping shrubs - patches of blackberry will also be encountered. These blackberry stems should be cut at the same time as the woody shrubs.

Since this site is accessible to mowers, contractors will be allowed (but not required) to use a rubber track skid steer with a mulching attachment to assist in cutting/mulching shrubs. If this equipment is used, mulching may replace the need for swamping shrubs, in some cases. The contractor is required to contact the Forest Service COR before taking this equipment on the project site.

If this equipment is used, it must meet the following specifications:

High-flow, Rubber Track Skid Steer with Fecon Cutting Head: Min of 70 hp, protective cab cover.

The contractor/crew leaders will work closely with a contract biologist, who will serve as project coordinator and inspector. The biologist will 1) identify specific areas to be treated, 2) describe the specifics of the treatment needed, including the protection of rare and sensitive species and habitat, 3) inspect the work completed for quality control, and 4) delineate (GPS) and classify the area treated. Estimates for acres treated, with input from the crew leaders, will serve as documentation for work accomplished. The contractor/crew leader must cooperate with the Biologist when the biologist is directing crews on which areas to cut, what areas or vegetation to avoid cutting, and when delineating acres that have been cut.

Vegetation Composition The shrub layer on Big Hump Mountain is similar to Bradley Gap. It is dominated by deciduous trees and scattered deciduous shrubs varying in height from 5-15 feet. Trees include hawthorns, beech, mountain-ash, yellow buckeye, and yellow birch. The primary shrubs in the cutting areas include red elderberry within deeper soils and blueberries in shallow soils. The density of the small trees is similar to a woodland. The blackberry component is patchy and dense. After the woody layer is removed, the resulting cover type will be dominated by blackberry and woody sprouts of deciduous trees with scattered occurrences of sedges dominated by Pennsylvania sedge and mountain oat grass as well as a diversity of herbs.

Equipment and Supplies

The contractor is responsible for all equipment and supplies required for the job.

Maps of the project area will be provided to the Contractor (see attached maps), that show access to the site, as well as specific areas to be treated each year. Forest Service will provide access behind gated roads as appropriate.

Pre-bid Meeting

The Forest Service will hold a pre-bid meeting for interested contractors near the Appalachian Ranger District Office in Burnsville, NC, from 8:30-10:00 a.m. on May 4, 2010. The specific location is the conference room at the United Community Bank, located at 291 East US Highway 19E, Burnsville, NC. A slide show will be given to describe the project and area as well as to address concerns/questions. Following the meeting, interested contractors can visit the Big Hump Mountain project area to view vegetation structure common to all the balds. A 1-1.5 hour walk (one way) will be required to get to Big Hump Mountain. Four to five hours should be allowed for the hike and site visit to and from Big Hump Mountain. Contractors will also be given maps showing treatment areas on all 3 grassy balds. Contractors can choose to do further site visits on their own if desired.

Access and Travel

Big Hump Mountain is accessible from Houston Ridge Road (a Forest Service Road) off of Big Horse Creek Road, which is off of US Highway 19E. Big Horse Creek Road is about 2 miles north of the small community of Frank, NC, which is located about 30 miles north and east of Burnsville, NC, and 65 miles north of Asheville, NC (See map). In most cases, for this bid item, travel on this road is limited to ATVs, UTVs and Rubber Track Skid Steers.

B) Big Hump Mountain: Mowing The contractor will provide 2 mowers with operators to mow blackberry and other small woody stems that occur on Big Hump Mountain, June-September, 2012. Mowing will include acres of land that have been removed of woody shrubs during 2010 and 2011 with chainsaws (as described under item A, bid item 2. Therefore the contractor will be mowing stems of blackberry as well as small woody sprouts. The contractor is requested to bid on an hourly rate for each of 2 mowers and operators. The specifications for each mower are given below. The total number of hours of mowing expected per mower/operator is 140 hours plus or minus 15%.

Equipment and Supplies

The contractor is expected to provide 2 mowers and operators for up to 140 hours each, approximately half of which will be performed between June 11-29, 2012 and the other half performed between August 13-31. The contractor will be cutting the same area twice, the first cut occurring in June, and the second cut in August. This “double cutting” of blackberry and woody stems during a growing season has been shown to have a more long lasting effect than just a single cut. This effect is optimized if 6 weeks or more separate the 2 cutting periods on a given patch of ground.

Two types of mowers will be utilized. A rubber track mower will be used on slopes up to 35%. A tractor with bush hog can be used on less steep areas. We require the use of 2 mowers in order to get the work done in as short of a time as possible, which will minimize impacts to recreational users of Big Hump Mountain and the Appalachian Trail. Detailed specifications are given below:

1) Tractor and Bush Hog: Four-wheel drive tractor, 55 hp or greater, 6 foot mower/bush hog, and a front bucket used to locate rocks that would otherwise be hit by the bush hog blades.

2) High-flow, Rubber Track Skid Steer with Mower : Min of 70 hp, min of 5 ft front mower head, protective cab cover.

Maps showing access to Big Hump Mountain as well as areas to be mowed are listed in the attachments below. The Forest Service will provide access to Houston Ridge Road which leads to Big Hump Mountain. The contractor will be allowed to drive mowers up Houston Ridge Road as well as UTVs or ATVs. Four wheel drive vehicles are only allowed during dry conditions and require prior approval by Forest Service personnel.

The Forest Service will also provide supervision of the work to be accomplished. A contract biologist will be on site to provide guidance to the mower operators. In working with mower operators, the biologist will 1) identify specific areas to be mowed, 2) identify areas containing rare and sensitive species and habitat that should be avoided, 3) inspect the work completed for quality control. The contractor is expected to communicate regularly with the contract biologist in developing work schedules. The contractor/mower operator must cooperate with the Biologist when the biologist is directing mower operators on which areas to cut, what areas or vegetation to avoid cutting.

Pre-bid Meeting

The Forest Service will hold a pre-bid meeting for interested contractors near the Appalachian Ranger District Office in Burnsville, NC, from 8:30-10:00 a.m. on May 4, 2010. The specific location is the conference room at the United Community Bank, located at 291 East US Highway 19E, Burnsville, NC. A slide show will be given to describe the project and area as well as to address concerns/questions. Following the meeting, interested contractors can visit the Big Hump Mountain project area to view vegetation structure common to all the balds. A 1-1.5 hour walk (one way) will be required to get to Big Hump Mountain. Four to five hours should be allowed for the hike and site visit to and from Big Hump Mountain. Contractors will also be given maps showing treatment areas on all 3 grassy balds. Contractors can choose to do further site visits on their own if desired.

Access Big Hump Mountain is accessible from Houston Ridge Road (a Forest Service Road) off of Big Horse Creek Road, which is off of US Highway 19E. Big Horse Creek Road is about 2 miles north of the small community of Frank, NC, which is located about 30 miles north and east of Burnsville, NC, and 65 miles north of Asheville, NC (See map).

Attachments (Documents, maps, links) for All Bid Items

Maps:

· Vicinty Map: ProjectSites_AccessMap.pdf

· Grassy Ridge Access: Grassy Ridge Access.pdf

· Grassy Ridge 2010: Grassy Ridge 2010.pdf

· Grassy Ridge 2011-12: Grassy Ridge 2011-12.pdf

· Bradley Gap Access : BradleyGap_AccessMap.pdf

· Bradley Gap 2010: Bradley_Gap_2010.pdf

· Bradley Gap 2011: Bradley_Gap_2011.pdf

· Bradley Gap 2012: Bradley_Gap_2012.pdf

· Big Hump Mt. Access: BigHump_AccessMap.pdf

· Big Hump Mt. 2010: Big_Hump_2010.pdf

· Big Hump Mt. 2011: Big_Hump_2011.pdf

· Big Hump Mt. 2012: Big_Hump_2012.pdf