Attachment 2 SOW Linville East.doc

Attachment 2

Statement of Work Linville East/ Grandfather Ranger District

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

LINVILLE EAST INVASIVE CONTROL RETREATMANT PROJECT

GRANDFATHER RANGER DISTRICT

PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST

SCOPE OF CONTRACT

Contractor shall furnish all labor, supervision, and transportation, and perform all work required to perform control treatment on National Forest land in accordance with the specifications and provisions contained herein. Also, the Contractor shall furnish all materials, equipment, tools, and supplies except herbicide which will be supplied by the Pisgah National Forest.

LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION

The area to be retreated is located east of Linville Gorge Wilderness on the Grandfather Ranger District in the Pisgah National Forest. The area is bounded on the southeast of Chimney Gap, west of Back Irish Creek Road (FSR 118), and north of Russell Creek (see attached map). The area is in Burke County, North Carolina. The majority of the area to be treated or re-treated is across 775 acres that were heavily burned in 2007 as a result of a wildfire. These burned areas are on steep inaccessible terrain dispersed across about 1500 acres.

The work will consist of three activities:

1) Previous control treatments have occurred in 2011 for tree-of-heaven and Paulownia in the southeastern quarter on the targeted control area. About 50% of the area has been traversed with identification of the two invasive tree species as well as Chinese Silvergrass. The previously treated trees will be reexamined for treatment effectiveness and retreated if needed (table 1).

2) All the Chinese Silvergrass infestations will be treated (table1).

3) The remainder of the targeted area will be traversed for invasive plants and species will be treated if located. It is anticipated more outbreaks of the three species will be located as well as spot infestations of butterfly bush.

Table 1: Extent of non-native invasive plants previously treated to re-examine and retreat if needed in the Linville Gorge East area.

ACCESS

The Government will issue a key to any gated Forest Service roads needed for access by the Contractor. The Contractor shall be responsible if unauthorized entry to the facilities is gained by the use of the key. Issued key(s) shall be returned to the COR prior to final payment.

Access on roads which are gated or waterbarred will be coordinated with the Contracting Officer`s Representative. Contractor will keep all gates locked at all times, unless otherwise directed by the COR.

The Contractor shall conduct his operations so as to minimize damage to all roads, roadbanks, trails, ditches, and other improvements in the operating area. Any damage caused by the Contractor, other than normal wear, shall be repaired at the Contractor`s expense. Access roads, trails, and/or protected streams will be kept free of logs, slash and other Contractor generated debris at all times. Roadbanks, ditches, and culvert openings must also be kept clear of Contractor generated debris.

HERBICIDE

A 5% mixture of triclopyr 3A herbicide or 5% glyphosate herbicide plus 0.5% non-ionic surfactant in water (hereinafter referred to as "5% herbicide") will be furnished for foliar spray treatment. Herbicide will be supplied to the Contractor at the work site or a mutually agreed location. The Contractor shall give at least two days advance notice to the COR prior to picking up the herbicide. Sufficient supplies of herbicide will be made available to the Contractor for work on weekends and holidays.

A 50% mixture of triclopyr 3A or 50% glyphosate mixed in water will be furnished for cut stem or hack-and-squirt applications.

At the pre-work conference, or when herbicides are initially issued to the Contractor, the COR will furnish a packet to the Contractor containing pesticide labels and material safety data sheets for the herbicides and adjuvants being used. The Contractor and crew shall become familiar with the contents of the packet and its location in case of an emergency.

The Contractor shall use every precaution necessary to prevent pollution of streams by fuel, oils, herbicides, silt, or other harmful material. Application equipment will be filled and cleaned inside or adjacent to the treatment areas and at least 100 feet from private land and/or 30 feet from flowing streams.

Transport of herbicides

The contractor is legally responsible for the safe transportation of herbicides. Contractor shall follow travel routes designated by the COR when transporting herbicides from the public road system to the treatment sites. Transport vehicles shall be parked inside the treatment site or in an area designated by the COR.

Transportation of herbicides used on this contract shall be in accordance with label instructions and the general approved and accepted procedures for safe transportation of herbicides. The following precautions should be taken by the Contractor to prevent spills, accidents, injury or theft:

1) Transport herbicides in the cargo compartment of a truck or other vehicle away from the passenger compartment.

2) No personnel should ride in the back of a vehicle with the herbicide.

3) All herbicide containers should be tied down or otherwise constrained to prevent breakage or spillage.

4) Pesticides should not be transported in the same compartment with food or clothing.

5) If any herbicide is spilled in-or-from the vehicle it should be cleaned up at once.

6) Unlocked herbicides should not be left unattended.

Handling and application of Herbicides

Personnel handling herbicides should wear protective clothing and/or equipment as recommended by the herbicide manufacturer. Herbicide shall not be applied or equipment cleaned outside of areas designated by COR.

Following these simple rules will help make the use of the herbicide safer for everyone:

1) Read the safety information on the label.

2) Wear the proper protective clothing.

3) Keep first aid equipment and supply of clean water readily available, including soap and eye wash equipment meeting OSHA regulations.

4) Don`t work alone.

5) Keep the container below eye level when pouring to avoid splashing or spilling any herbicide on the face or into the eyes.

7) If herbicides are spilled, stop immediately, wash out eyes if contaminated and remove contamined clothing. Wash the skin thoroughly with soap and water. Speed is essential. Once clean, put on clean protective clothing and equipment and clean up the spill. See a physician as appropriate.

8) Keep measuring cups and other equipment clean and properly stored when not in use.

9) Wash hands carefully before relieving yourself, eating, or smoking.

Herbicide Spills

Contractor shall be responsible for all costs of damages, clean-up, and decontamination should an herbicide spill occur.

If a spill occurs, every effort will be made to keep it from contaminating water and other off-site areas. The spill shall be cleaned-up as quickly as possible. Appropriate Federal, State and local officials will be notified. Herbicide spills shall be handled in accordance with the standard procedures for spill clean-up. (40 CFR 117) COR shall be notified immediately of any herbicide spill or accident.

Storing Herbicides

Herbicides used on this contract will not be stored or left overnight except at storage facilities approved by the COR. Unused herbicides will be returned to the storage facility as designated by the COR at the end of each work day.

Disposal of Herbicide Containers

All empty containers shall be returned to the storage facility at the Forest Service Workcenter for disposal by the Forest Service. No empty containers will be left at the worksite.

SPECIFIC TREATMENT

1) Paulownia (Paulownia tomentosa) and Tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima) trees.

For cut stem treatment the method would be to cut the stems and apply a 50% herbicide mixture to the cut surface (cambium layer) within 1 minute after cutting the tree. Hack-and-squirt treatment must make incisions around the circumference of the trunk (minimum size 3 inches diameter at breast height) spaced about 1-1.5 inches apart. The incisions must penetrate the bark and outer wood. Apply a 50% herbicide to the cut thoroughly wetting the exposed cut surface as soon as possible after finishing the hacking. For saplings or seedlings a foliar application of 5% herbicide can be applied. Seedlings can be manually removed if all the roots are removed.

The 50% herbicide treatment can be applied with a wick, a brush, or by a nozzle from a spray bottle. The 5% herbicide treatment will be applied to the leaf surface until they are mostly wet, but not so much that herbicide is running off or dripping onto the ground. A pump-up (non-motorized) compression sprayer will be used. Treatment can occur between May 15 and Oct. 31 when air temperature is above 65 degrees Fahrenheit. During periods of rainfall and while stems are wet afterwards, the Contractor will cease operation.

2) Chinese silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis)

A 5% glyphosate herbicide treatment will be applied as a foliar spray from May 15 through October 15. For small infestations in xeric areas with little risk of erosion the grass can be manually dug.

3) Shrubs including Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii) if located.

A 5% herbicide mixture will be applied to the foliage of shrubs less than six (6) feet in height. Seedlings and young juvenile shrubs (less than 1 and ½ feet in height) can be mechanically removed. Plants greater than six feet in height will be cut prior to treatment. For mechanically cut shrubs, a triclopyr herbicide treatment will be implemented once green regrowth occurs across 75% of the cut stems within an individual shrub.

The 5% herbicide treatment will be applied to the leaf surface until they are mostly wet, but not so much that herbicide is running off or dripping onto the ground. A pump-up (non-motorized) compression sprayer will be used. Treatment can occur between May 15 and Oct. 31 when air temperature is above 65 degrees Fahrenheit. During periods of rainfall and while stems are wet afterwards, the Contractor will cease operation.

Contractor Qualifications: Contractor will provide information on their prior invasive plant control experience, indicating their expertise. Contractor must be able to identify all the individual species at all life stages.

Timeframe: Treatment of targeted plants will begin as soon as the contract is awarded but must end on October 31, 2012 and cannot commence again until May 15, 2013. No work between November 1, 2012 and May 14, 2014.

Contact: Gary Kauffman

National Forests in North Carolina

160-A Zillicoa Street

Asheville, NC 28801

828-257-4861 (office), 828-545-9856 (cell) gkauffman@fs.fed.us