Statement of Work.docx

Sumter National Forest 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 – 1,000 acres within the boundaries of the Sumter National Forest. This work shall be completed in accordance with the specifications and provisions of the contract. Total acreage awarded will depend upon the prices offered and funding available. The minimum acreage treated will be 500 acres.

B. DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION

The contract areas are located within the boundaries of the Sumter National Forest on the Enoree and Long Cane Ranger Districts in the South Carolina counties of Abbeville, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenwood, McCormick, Newberry, Saluda and Union. These areas range in size from 25 to 350 contiguous acres, and serve as midstory removal to reduce wildland fire risk to Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and improve wildlife habitat. Areas to be treated include masticating 300 ft buffers along property boundaries, masticating along existing Forest Service roads and existing woods road. This masticating will include encroaching vegetation within various forest stands along these areas listed above. The primary objectives of this contract are to:

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

2) Reduce midstory vegetation to within 6” of the ground in order to reduce wildland fire risk and enhance and improve wildlife habitat.

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. 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.

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

4. 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.

5. All hardwoods less than 6 inches diameter and pines less than 5 inches 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.

6. 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.

7. 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, powerlines or property lines.

9. Archeological sites, sensitive areas and desired features will be delineated on the ground within treatment areas in order to prevent damage. Archeological sites, Sensitive sites and desired features within treatment areas will be delineated on the ground with flagging. Archeological sites, sensitive areas and desired features will be identified and communicated to the contractor prior to the commencement of work.

10. No treatment will occur in rivers, creeks, streams, drains, or low-lying areas without approval of the COR.

11. 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.

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

13. Ideally, treatments will occur between June 1- October 31, unless otherwise mutually agreed upon by the Contractor and COR.

14. Prior to commencement of work, contractor shall schedule a meeting on the Enoree Ranger District with Kyle Smith (803-276-5810), Marcus Beasley (864-427-9858) and Steve Cobb (803-276-4810). On the Long Cane Ranger District the contractor shall schedule a meeting with Kyle Smith (803-276-4810), Bill Hammond (803-637-5396), and Donny Ray (864-746-6120). This meeting is in order to review contract areas, provide contractor with maps and answer any questions contractor may have.

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

16. This mastication project will occur primarily in pine stands. This treatment will not be performed in areas over 15% - 20% slope in hardwood areas. This treatment will also not be performed in hardwood drainages.

17. Mastication along property boundaries will consist of following the same specifications as before mentioned. Midstory vegetation will be masticated within a 300 foot wide swath, starting on the United States Forest Service (USFS) side of the property boundary and continuing across USFS property. The 300 foot buffer will be determined by the contractor. It will not be marked or flagged by the Forest Service. Contractor will be required to rework buffer if the area worked is less than 300 feet wide. Property boundaries will be marked.

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 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 Archeological sites and 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 price his offer on treating a minimum of 500 acres as previously described, and will submit said offer on a total cost and per acre cost basis. If funds are available, up to 1,000 acres may be treated.

2) Upon satisfactorily treating all treatment areas, the Forest Service shall have at least 2 weeks to determine actual acreage treated via GPS. Once actual treatment acreage is determined, contractor will receive final payment based on the following formula:

Cost per acre X Actual Acres Treated = Final payment amount

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

Enoree RD Example Maps:

Long Cane RD Example Maps:

Bradley NEPA signed for Stands 6 & 12 2006

SC10

S4

S48

US221

C24543

L206-2

L207-1

L20 6-3

Legend Roads

! ! ! Utilities Streams 300 Foot Buffer: 50.6 Acres/1.5 Miles Private Land

0 0.25 0.50.125 Miles

Compartment 206 Long Cane Ranger District image4.png

Bradley

NEPA signed for Stands 10, 11 & 12

3110 10

3113 6

US221

L207-1

S48

S416

300 Foot Buffer: 45 Acres/1.1 Miles

0 0.25 0.50.125 Miles

Compartment 207 image5.emf

Stevens Creek

311120

S33-432

659B

658A

8B

L319-1

658F

300 Foot Buffer:178 Acres/3.45 Miles

0 0.25 0.50.125 Miles

Compartment 319 image6.emf

311122

636B

S19-

A

2D

636A

L3

-1

S19-235

6B

Streams

300 Foot Buffer: 202 Acres/4.9 Miles

0 0.5 10.25 Miles

Compartment 329 image1.png image2.emf

SC 72

2C

US 176

C442902

392-1

S 45

E1

-2

E101-1

SC

US 176

±Figure 5. Compartment(s) 100 and 82 Masticate 300 ft buffer around property boundry (Approximately 315 acres)

0 1,600 3,200800 Feet

TYPE

County Forest Service State Secondary State US Hwy.

Mastication

National Forest image3.png