Attachment_2_SOW.pdf

RHODODENDRON and MOUNTAIN LAUREL SLASHDOWN AND CUT-SURFACE SPRAY

COWEETA HYDROLOGIC LAB

FY 2017

Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in Otto, NC is undertaking a research project to investigate the possibilities for establishing new seedlings and saplings in riparian areas where the overstory of eastern hemlock has been killed by the hemlock wooly adelgid. This contract is for the manual cutting and herbicide treatment of ALL rhododendron and mountain laurel across 44 acres within the study area.

DIVISION 100 - GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

110 - Scope of Contract

The purpose of this contract is to complete manual cutting (slash-down) of rhododendron and mountain laurel across 44 acres in the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in Otto, NC (part of the

Nantahala Ranger District). Immediately after slash-down, the contractor shall treat the cut surfaces with herbicide to prevent the stumps from resprouting. In addition, the slashed material shall be lopped and scattered to facilitate a future prescribed burn.

Contractor shall furnish all labor, equipment (except herbicide), tools, transportation, supervision, supplies, licenses, and permits and perform all work necessary to perform the slash-down, cut-surface herbicide treatment, and lop-and-scatter work (described under Clause 220). Herbicide will be provided by the Nantahala Ranger District.

120 -Description and Location, including Job Hazards

The area to be treated is within the boundaries of the Nantahala Ranger District, Macon County, North Carolina. (See attached map). The designated cutting area is currently identified on the ground with orange/white flagging but will be changed to pink/black stripped flagging to increase visibility before a Notice to Proceed is issued. The map is intended to show only the general size, shape, and location of the areas. If the maps and field markings conflict, the field markings shall govern.

Positions of features shown on the maps are approximate.

AREA LOCATION ACRES

WS31 Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, watershed 31, above FS Road 83-D

(latitude 35°03ʹN, longitude 83°25ʹW)

The terrain ranges from gentle to moderate steepness. Hazards include (but are not limited to) the possibility of falls, cuts from branches and stump stobs, bee stings, snake bites, heat exhaustion, and exposure to poisonous plants such as poison ivy. The area is heavily-covered with large rhododendron and mountain laurel shrubs. In addition, there are numerous dead standing trees and other overhead hazards.

130 Government-Furnished Property

AG-4568-S-17-0037 SOW

Attachment 2

The Government shall provide to the Contractor the following listed materials, supplies, and property (hereinafter referred to as “Government-Furnished Property”) at the place specified below. The Contractor shall be liable for all loss or damage of such Government-Furnished

Property until completion and final acceptance of work required under this contract. If the

Government fails to make timely delivery of such Government-Furnished Property suitable for its intended use, and upon written request from the Contractor, the Contracting Officer shall make an equitable adjustment of contract delivery or performance dates or contract price, or both, pursuant to the “Changes” clause of the General Provisions of this contract.

Herbicide – All herbicide will be furnished by the Forest Service. Herbicide will be furnished and mixed in the proper proportions with water in 2.5 gallon plastic containers. Herbicide may be picked up between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays.

Contractor shall be responsible for loading and transporting herbicide from the storage site located at the Nantahala Ranger District Work Center located at 90 Sloan Rd. Franklin, NC

28734 to the contract areas and return empty, unopened, or partially used containers to the storage site. For the purposes of this Clause 130, herbicide shall be considered delivered by the

Government upon Contractor’s loading on Contractor’s vehicle for transporting to the contract area. During transport, herbicides, additives, and application equipment must be secured to prevent tipping or excess jarring and must be carries in a part of the vehicle totally isolated from people, food, or clothing.

140 - Contractor-Furnished Items

The contractor shall furnish all items and supplies necessary for the completion of this contract

(except herbicide), including transportation to and from the job sites. The contractor must have a vehicle spill kit, consisting of the items listed on the attached EMERGENCY SPILL PLAN, in the vehicle at all times while herbicide is being loaded, transported, or used. The contractor shall submit a proposed work plan and work schedule, to be approved by the Contracting Officer's

Representative (COR).

The contractor shall be responsible for full compliance with all applicable provisions of the EPA

Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS), 40 CFR Part 170.

160 - Access

Contractor shall make every reasonable effort to keep the COR informed of the timing of operations.

When working in areas accessed by Forest Service gated roads, the government shall furnish the contractor a lock and key to provide access to the work areas. Gates shall remain closed and locked at all times except to enter or leave the area.

170 License Requirements

The Contractor shall comply with State of North Carolina regulations for licensing of pesticide applicators.

180 – Herbicide Safety Requirements

The Contractor will comply with all provisions of the attached Herbicide Safety Requirements (Exhibit

1).

DIVISION 200 - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

210 - Stems to be Treated

All rhododendron and mountain laurel stems within the flagged (orange/white stripped flagging) boundaries of each designated area shall be cut. Standing live and dead trees shall not be cut; however, for safety purposes or in order to facilitate slash-down, an occasional tree may be felled, with the exception of those stems described under Clause 215.

Following slash-down, all rhododendron and mountain laurel stumps shall be immediately sprayed completely with a 50% solution of triclopyr amine (aquatic label) and water to prevent stump sprouting.

215- Trees Not to be Cut

1) Den trees, hollow trees, or shellbark and shagbark hickories.

2) Standing trees larger than 3” DBH which have exfoliating (loose) bark along 25% or more of the main stem.

3) Trees designated by the COR.

220 – Order and Method of Treatment

1) All stems shall be completely severed from their root systems at or below 6 inches stump height (all stumps shall be measured from the uphill side) using chainsaws, axes or equivalent tools.

Stumps shall be cut flat, not pointed/sharp.

All stems shall be felled so that no portion of the felled stem falls across the unit boundary line or within any stream channel.

2) Rhododendron and mountain laurel stumps shall be sprayed with triclopyr amine formulation with an aquatic label (50% triclopyr amine solution and 50% water). This herbicide shall completely cover the stump surface with a visibly-wet amount. Spraying shall be conducted immediately after stem cutting so as not to miss any stumps.

3) The cut rhododendron and mountain laurel shall be lopped and scattered away from live trees to a depth no greater than 4 feet.

240 – Access and Resource Protection

241 - Erosion Control

Any roads or waterbars damaged by the contractor will be restored to the original condition at the contractor's expense.

242 - Protection of Streams, Lakes, Reservoirs

The contractor shall take precautions to prevent pollution of streams, lakes, and reservoirs by fuels, oils, herbicide, other chemicals, silt, or other harmful materials. Herbicide shall not be sprayed directly into streams. All debris and brush will be removed from natural water courses. Natural water courses are those having well-defined channels.

243 – Spill Protection

Contractor will use every precaution necessary to prevent herbicide spillage in loading, transporting, pouring, and applying herbicide. Contractor will at all times have available in vehicles transporting herbicide a spill kit consisting of items listed on the attached EMERGENCY SPILL PLAN. If a spill occurs, contractor will immediately contain the spill, use the absorbent material to absorb it, and seal the material in polyethylene bags. Contractor will notify the COR of any spill immediately after following the above procedures. Contractor will deliver the material in polyethylene bags to the pick-up point.

244 – Protection of Improvements

The contractor shall protect all trails, roads, ditches, fences and other improvements in the project areas. Roads, skid trails, ditches, and cut banks shall be kept free of logs, slash and debris. Any road or trail used by the Contractor that is damaged by operations shall be promptly repaired.

244 - Protection of Archaeological/Historical Resources

The contractor, upon the discovery of suspected archaeological or historical materials, shall cease work in the vicinity of such materials and immediately notify the COR.

247 – Clean Up

All trash, rubbish, and debris generated by contractor’s operations shall be removed from the National

Forest and disposed of properly.

C-4 AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL

The contractor, during the course of work, shall not permit entry into any Forest Service areas by anyone other than the Contractor, his employees, and Government employees.

C-5 SAFETY PROCEDURES

Accepted safe practices shall be followed in performance of the work. The Contractor shall use safe tree felling practices and shall use EXTREME CAUTION in the felling of the trees in the contract areas. The Contractor’s emphasis during all operations will be on SAFETY FIRST in order to avoid personal injury. The Government will assume no liability in case of personal injury to the Contractor or his employees or subcontractors or damage to their equipment.

The Contractor and all crew members will have on site and wear at all times the following OSHA-approved personal protective equipment (PPE): hard hat, chainsaw chaps, gloves, eye protection, ear protection, and ankle-covering heavy-soled work boots.

The Contractor will be responsible for any damage done to Government equipment and/or fixtures by their employees and shall provide all replacements as appropriate at no cost to the Government.

C-6 QUALITY CONTROL PLAN

The contractor shall prepare a Quality Control Plan pursuant to the requirements of the Statement of Work (SOW). This plan sets forth the procedures and guidelines that the contractor will use to assure that the work performed under the contract meets the requirements of the standards set forth for this contract. It shall include a work plan and schedule, demonstrate what the contractor will use for inspection processes and records, and shall also include a safety plan. The Quality

Control

Plan shall include weekly progress reports identifying areas where work has been accomplished.

C-7 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT METHODS

Quality Performance Acceptable Quality Means of Negative

Standard Level Measurement Incentives

100% of all designated 98% of all designated Verify Contractors’ Rework at stems cut and treated stems cut and treated inspection records for price reduction adequacy; periodic

Inspection Poor rating

C-8 QUALITY ASSURANCE PLAN

The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) will overall responsibility for the day-to-day administration of the contract including, but not limited to, inspection. The COR has authority to designate Government Inspectors to aid in inspection of the work accomplished during the life of this contract.

2. How to use this plan:

a. Scheduling – Work to begin within 3 days after the issuance of the Notice to

Proceed and shall be accomplished by November 30, 2017.

b. Sampling procedures – random and periodic inspections and review of work in progress and completed work.

c. Inspection procedures – review of work.

d. Documentation – Daily Diaries for contract file; Notice of Non-compliance to contractor for any work less than 98% in compliance with the objectives and cure notices to be issued by Contracting Officer if work is not performed in a timely manner or if work does not comply with contract work statement.

DIVISION 300 - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

310 - Inspection of Work Performed

Inspection of the work performed under this contract shall be made by the Contracting Officer's

Representative (COR) or the designated inspector as the work progresses at such intervals as are necessary to insure compliance with contract specifications and provisions.

DIVISION 400 - MEASUREMENT AND PAYMENT

410 - Method of Measurement

The contract area acreage was determined by global positioning systems (GPS) mapping. The acreage is based on horizontal distances, and for the purpose of this contract is considered actual, not estimated acreage.

420 - Basis of Payment

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