Attachment_3_-_Specifications.pdf

SPECIFICATION for 490

SITE PREPARATION: Chemical Application for 2017 Wetland Reserve Program Easements

Lamar, Van Zandt, Titus, Hopkins and Fannin Counties, Texas

SCOPE

This specification shall cover the supply of all labor, materials, and equipment required for performing the chemical application on various sites consisting of a total of 215.0 acres as shown below.

HERBICIDE REQUIREMENTS

All tracts should be sprayed with a chemical or chemical combination which will work on the vegetation listed below. It is required that the bidders visit the sites to determine the best chemical combination for each site. The chemical or chemicals used for this project must carry a guarantee by the manufacturer that the chemical mix will kill the target species listed below.

Wetland Reserve Program Easements to be treated.

Lamar County - #66-7442-11-01-016F0 - (34 acres)

Lamar County - #66-7442-11-00YTZ - (49.6 acres)

Van Zandt County - #66-7442-13-01D56 - (10.2 acres)

Hopkins County - #66-7442-13019Q1 - (15.3 acres)

Hopkins County - #66-7442-13019Q2 - (25 acres)

Fannin County - #54-7442-1401GP2 - (50 acres)

Titus County - #66-7442-13017S4 - (30.9 acres)

APPLICATION

Chemical application shall be performed on a per tract basis and a GPS system capable of downloading the shapefiles of the individual units should be used to increase the effectiveness of the application.

Care shall be taken not to damage existing vegetation on adjacent areas by chemical drift, scoring, barking or other injury during chemical application. “No-work” areas will be flagged per statement of work.

Work should commence no more than five (5) days after receiving a notice to proceed. Additionally, all chemical applications must be completed by October 15, 2017. If killing frost occurs prior to this date, the contracting officer representative (COR) must be notified prior to applying herbicide.

The contractor will submit the combination of chemicals, the rate of application, and cost per acre of the chemical application.

MEASUREMENT

The treated acres will be measured by the designated NRCS inspector. This measurement will be the basis for certification by NRCS.

Acre (AC.): Chemical Application shall be measured on an acre basis. This measurement shall be based on the acres certified by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

PAYMENT

Chemical Application shall be paid for at the unit price basis quoted on the Quotation form provided and measured as specified herein. The unit price quoted for Chemical Application shall be payment in full for the supply of all materials, equipment, labor and any other incidental items necessary to perform those operations described by this specification.

SITE PREPARATION: Rotary Mowing for 2017

1. SCOPE OF WORK

The work consists of treatment of areas to improve site conditions for establishing trees and/or shrubs on United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Natural Resources Conservation Service Wetland Reserve Program Easements (WRP).

Areas designated for mowing shall have the vegetative cover removed as close as possible to provide no more than 4 inches of stubble.

Care shall be taken not to damage existing trees on adjacent areas by scoring, barking or other injury during mowing operations.

Contractors must provide enough tractors to accomplish the mowing and ripping in a timely manner.

Mowing shall not start before October 15, 2017, and must be a minimum of 30 days after chemical spraying. Mowing must be completed prior to ripping, and all ripping must be completed no later than December 31, 2017.

2. MEASUREMENT

Mowing shall be conducted on the planned acres based on the NRCS conservation plan. The designated NRCS representative shall be informed if the actual acres are more than 5% +/- of the planned acres.

Acre (AC.): Mowing shall be measured on an acre basis. This measurement shall be the acres certified by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The mowed areas will be measured by NRCS designated inspector with GPS. This measured acreage will be used as the basis for certification.

3. PAYMENT

Mowing shall be paid for at the unit price basis bid for "Site Preparation - Rotary Mowing" and measured as specified herein. The unit price bid for mowing and ripping shall be payment in full for the supply of all materials, equipment, labor, and any other incidental items necessary to perform those mowing operations described by this specification.

SITE PREPARATION: Ripping for 2017

1. ONE CALL

The contractor must be One Call compliant. The contractor must provide the NRCS designated representative with the One Call confirmation number for each tract.

2. EQUIPMENT

The contractor will furnish the equipment that meets the following guidelines:

o A spring loaded rolling 22-inch coulter will be mounted forward of the ripper shank to cut existing sod or crop residue;

o Ripper shank will be ¾ inch wide to produce a running slit no wider than 2 inches.

o Ripper shank will be mounted with a tiger model 8” no till point with wings;

o Ripper shank will fracture soil to a minimum depth of 14 inches.

o Gauge wheels will be used to maintain proper sub soiling depth.

3. SCOPE OF WORK

Ripping running slits shall be centered on the same spacing (10 feet) on which trees will be planted and to a minimum depth of 14 inches;

Ripping will be on the contour, to prevent soil erosion. If beds are discovered onsite remaining from cropping operations, the NRCS designated representative will be contacted before work is started.

The no till point with wings set back from the leading edge of the point will direct an upward force to fracture the soil, creating a widespread fracture zone of 2 to 3 inches on each side of the of the no till point extending upward in an inverted triangle to a width of 16 to 18 inches at the soil surface.

Ripping will be conducted when soil is dry. The operation must be completed by December 31, 2017. Mowing must be completed prior to this sub-soiling application.

Surface blowouts or the presence of clods larger than 8” X 8” in the ripped slit will not be accepted. If this occurs, ripping will stop until soil moisture conditions are suitable or crop residue or grass sod is minimized.

Ripper points will be in proper condition before use on the site. The tiger model 8” no-till point wings will not be less than 1” in width and the front point will not be less than ½” in width. When the point wear exceeds this, the downward slope of the wing is lost and the point loses the soil turning, rolling, churning and lifting ability.

Tractor speed during the sub-soiling operation will not exceed 5 miles per hour to insure the sub-soiling point is breaking the compaction layer.

Care shall be taken not to damage existing trees on adjacent areas by scoring, barking or other injury during ripping operations.

Rutting of the site is unacceptable during the ripping operation.

4. MEASUREMENT

Ripping shall be measured on an acre basis.

This measurement shall be the acres certified by the Natural Resources Conservation

Service.

The ripped areas will be measured by NRCS designated representative with GPS. This

5. PAYMENT

Ripping shall be paid for at the unit price basis bid for "Site Preparation - Ripping" and measured as specified herein. The unit price bid for ripping shall be payment in full for the supply of all materials, equipment, labor and any other incidental items necessary to perform those ripping operations described by this specification.

Hand Planting Tree Specifications

Lamar, Hopkins, Fannin, Titus and Van Zandt Counties, Texas 2017 - 2018

1. The Contractor will furnish 1-0 seedlings that meet or exceed viability, height, caliper and quality specifications. The Contractor shall provide, load, unload, and transport a refrigerated reefer trailer or portable refrigerated unit to store the seedlings at or near the jobsite.

2. There are approximately 215.0 acres of bottomland hardwoods which will be planted at 436 seedlings per acre on 10’ x 10’ spacing as specified in the attached reforestation plan listed for each easement site. Actual planted number of trees will not be more than 5% above or below the specified planting rate.

A. The Contractor is responsible for ensuring the trees are planted correctly. The

NRCS designated representative will conduct compliance checks to determine if the trees are planted to the NRCS Specifications. If a field fails to pass the compliance checks, the planting will not be certified for payment.

B. If the number of trees/acre/field falls below the specified rate, the Contractor is responsible for his crew returning to the field and planting enough additional seedlings to fall within the required parameters.

C. If the number of trees/acre/field exceeds 5% more than the specified rate, the Contractor will bear the cost of the additional seedlings.

3. The NRCS designated representative will determine what constitutes a “plantable” seedling.

Lateral roots will not be pruned unless the NRCS forester or representative determines that pruning is necessary.

4. Seedlings planted will be healthy, viable trees that meet the following size specifications

(exceptions will be made for pecan and green ash):

A. Minimum height above root collar = 18 inches;

B. Minimum root collar diameter = 3/8 inch;

C. Minimum root length below root collar = 8 inches; and D. Lateral roots will not be pruned less than 8 inches if authorized by NRCS.

E. Green ash seedlings can be a minimum of ¼ inch diameter at the root collar.

F. Pecan seedlings can be a minimum of 12 inches in height.

5. A minimum of 85% of the trees planted must meet the following planting specifications:

A. The root collar of the trees will be planted 1 – 2 inches below the ground surface.

B. Planting bars (dibbles) must be at least 12 inches in length to prevent shallow planting depths and at least 4 inches wide to allow for lateral root coverage; a dibble with a convex blade (KBC or equivalent) is preferred. Planting shovels may be used in place of dibble bars if the blade is at least 6 inches wide and 12 inches long.

C. Planting holes will be closed tightly around the seedlings with no air pockets left around the roots. Two dibble holes will be required. Both holes must be properly closed (the second hole is commonly referred to as the packing slit;

proper closure of the packing slit is from the bottom to the top).

D. Trees will not be L, J, or U-rooted. Roots will not be twisted, balled, or wadded.

E. No hoedads will be allowed for planting hardwood seedlings.

F. Seedlings will be planted vertically.

6. Trees will be stored/handled before and during planting operation to achieve maximum survival:

A. Seedlings will be stored in a cold storage unit (refrigerated trailer or truck) between 35 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit until the day of planting.

B. Seedlings will be kept out of direct sunlight at the planting site until they are planted. Opened bundles of seedlings will be closed as soon as seedlings are removed for planting.

C. Hot-lifted seedlings will not be stored prior to planting.

D. Planters will not carry more than one seedling in their hand at a time while planting E. Planting bags which protect seedlings are required for all planters.

F. No planting will be done when the soil is frozen or extremely dry or temperature exceeds 65 degrees F. When air temperatures drop to as low as 32 degrees, planting operations will cease.

G. All planting debris (seedling bags, straps, lunch bags, cans and bottles) will be cleaned from the job site on a daily basis.

7. All planting and handling of seedlings will be done under the supervision and direction of the

Contractor. The NRCS designated inspector has the right to monitor the process for compliance with these standards and specifications.

8. The Contractor shall supply a minimum of one (1) planting crews consisting of at least 10 planters and at least one English speaking foreman/per crew. Crews must be willing to work together in a field.

9. At the start of the planting contract, the Contractor must provide, as a minimum, the following:

A. A planting bar (dibble) per planter with a blade at least 12 inches long and 4 inches wide (or shovel as specified above).

B. One ATV (in good condition) and a man, not the crew foreman, designated to haul seedlings from the trailers to the planters per planting crews (10 tree planters/crew).

C. At least one enclosed (or covered with a tarp) trailer per crew (10 planters/crew) to haul seedlings (this requirement only applies if hot-lifted seedlings are being hauled to the planting site.

D. At least one (1) reflective tarpaulin per planting crew (10 tree planters/crew) to cover seedling bags in the field.

E. At least one (1) four wheel drive truck (in good condition) with heavy mud tread tires.

F. A refrigerated trailer or portable refrigerated unit capable of storing one week’s supply of seedlings.

G. The Contractor is responsible for cleaning up around the refrigerated trailer or in the fields and disposing of the rubbish. No bags, bottles or other trash can be left on any of the planting sites.

10. Weather and other factors permitting, planting will commence January 1, 2018. Weather permitting; planting crews will work a five day work week until all sites are completed. No planting will be allowed past March 15, 2018 unless a waiver is granted by NRCS state forester.

11. Measurement Tree planting areas will be measured by the NRCS designated inspector with GPS. This

Acre (AC.): Tree planting shall be measured on an acre basis. This measurement shall be based on the acres certified by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

12. Payment Tree planting shall be paid for at the unit price basis bid for "Tree Planting" and measured as specified herein. The unit price bid for tree planting shall be payment in full for the supply of all materials, seedlings, equipment, labor and any other incidental items necessary to perform those tree planting operations described by this specification.

Reforestation Plan/Species List

Lamar, Hopkins, Fannin, Titus and Van Zandt Counties, Texas 2017-2018

#66-7442-1301D56 – Van Zandt County

4,447 seedlings, +/- 5% in the following mixture:

Sugarberry – 20% Green Ash – 10% Water Oak – 20% Shumard Oak – 20% Red Mulberry – 10% Sweetgum – 10% Persimmon – 10 %

#66-7442-1100YT2 – Lamar County

21,664 seedlings, +/- 5% in the following mixture:

Sugarberry – 20% Green Ash – 5% Water Oak – 20% Shumard Oak – 25% Cedar Elm – 20% Persimmon – 10%

#66-7442-1100116F0 – Lamar County

14,824 seedlings, +/- 5% in the following mixture:

Sugarberry – 20% Green Ash – 5% Water Oak – 20% Shumard Oak – 25% Cedar Elm – 20% Persimmon – 10%

#66-7442-13019Q2 – Hopkins County

6,655 seedlings, +/- 5% in the following mixture

Willow Oak – 30% Overcup Oak – 15% Red Maple – 15% Sugarberry – 20% American Elm – 20%

#66-7442-13019Q1 – Hopkins County

10,875 seedlings, +/- 5% in the following mixture

Willow Oak – 30% Overcup Oak – 20% Red Maple – 15% Sugarberry – 20% American Elm – 15%

#54-7442-1401GP2 – Fannin County

21,750 seedlings, +/- 5% in the following mixture

Cedar Elm – 15% Post Oak – 20% Willow Oak – 25% Water Oak – 10% Sugarberry – 15% Sweetgum – 15%

#66-7442-13017S4 – Titus County

13,441 seedlings, +/- 5% in the following mixture

Cedar Elm – 15% Post Oak – 20% Willow Oak – 25% Water Oak – 10% Sugarberry – 15% Sweetgum – 15%

*Any species substitutions must be approved by NRCS representative prior to planting. If there is a problem with seedling availability, NRCS should be notified as soon as possible prior to December 1, 2017.