Attachment_1-_Performance_Work_Statement.pdf

© ESI A04 Hack and Squirt_BS_PWS_2024_rev 1

Performance Work Statement Herbicide Control of Chinese Tallow Trees and Chinaberry

Bayou Sauvage Urban NWR

1.0 Introduction

The contractor will apply the appropriate herbicide and adjuvant on up to four (4) units totaling 377 acres on Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge. Application will be by hack-n-squirt or cut stump treatment (or similar based equipment). Basal area treatment is another application method accepted on target Chinese tallow and Chinaberry trees that are smaller than 6” diameter at breast height. All trees treated must be girdled if hack-n-squirt is used or sprayed throughout the circumference if basal spraying is used. Herbicides will be applied to areas that have been pre-defined and mapped within the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) geographic information system (GIS) database (see attached maps).

QUOTE INSTRUCTIONS: Detailed bids must be submitted. The bids will outline each of the individual units shown with the price per acre per treatment unit listed as separate line items. The treatment units labeled are displayed on the attached vicinity map. The US Fish and Wildlife Service reserves the right to remove treatment units from the bid package due to insufficient funding and may select any or all the areas to be treated under contract with the bidder. Quotes must include Trade names and amount of chemicals to be applied, including adjuvant/carrier.

2.0 Background

Previous clearing, hurricanes, wildfires, and passive management have reduced the amount of native trees in the proposed treatment areas and woody vegetation in the midstory and understory became abundant due to an increase in sunlight to the forest floor, resulting in overstocking invasive exotic Chinese tallow and Chinaberry trees.

Removal of these invasive exotic trees will release remaining native tree seedlings and remove competition with residual native bottomland hardwood trees. The area will also be planted with native bottomland hardwood seedlings in the winter of 2025. PLANTING IS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS CONTRACT.

© ESI A04 Hack and Squirt_BS_PWS_2024_rev 2

3.0 Scope

1) The contractor will apply enough herbicide to kill 95% of all woody CHINESE TALLOW AND CHINABERRY TREES located throughout the units identfied, but damage or kill no more than 5% of any other desirable native species; such as native bottomland hardwoods present in the treatment units.

2) Treatment units: Unit 1: 28 acres (see attached map), Unit 2: 96 acres (See attached map), Unit 3: 107 acres (See attached map), Unit 4: 146 acres (see attached map), all located on Bayou Sauvage Urban Nationl Wildlife Refuge, in New Orleans East, within the City Limit of New Orleans, LA. All four (4) units total 377 acres.

3) Contractor must comply 100% with the agreed-upon plan of work. Contractor must have work dates and a plan of work approved by the USFWS 48 hours prior to beginning work, preferably established during a face-to-face pre-work meeting.

4) The name brand and quantity of herbicide proposed by the contractor must be pre-approved by the USFWS through a Pesticide Use Proposal prior to application. Rates applied will likely be the highest rate recommended on the label for that treatment, due to past history residual resistance to chemical treatments by these species. Upon request, the USFWS can supply a list of commonly used chemicals for allowed use on U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands. Bidders must submit with each bid the chemical name, Trade name, method of application, adjuvant/carrier, and amount of each chemical to be applied.

5) All work must be completed according to this work statement, EPA standards, and herbicide label restrictions once awarded. Contract period of performance is from Contract award through December 30, 2024, pending U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approval of Chemical and application rate.

6) The contractor will supply all material, equipment, and labor to perform the herbicide treatments as well as supplying all chemicals, including herbicide and carrier.

7) The contractor will supply all equipment to provide mixing and loading equipment.

8) Equipment and personnel must be able to work at a semi-remote and semi-primitive site (i.e., no electrical or water hookups, bathrooms, or other facilities available).

9) The contractor must be capable of calibrating equipment to the final application rate specifications.

10) The Government Representative must be notified at least 48 hours prior to any application of chemical.

11) The contractor will provide adequate personnel for the purpose of loading and dispersing of the chemicals.

All personnel and equipment to be used will be appropriately licensed and certificated as appropriate for the work to be done. The contractor will be responsible for checking all work sites for hazards of any type which could affect their ability to accomplish the treatment project.

12) The contractor will be responsible for all unloading/loading operations. Movement of chemicals, water, and equipment in and around the treatment locations will be the sole responsibility of the contract applicators.

The contractor will be responsible for providing sufficient equipment, equipment fuel, safety items, spill response kit, personnel and their subsistence needs during the project period.

13) The contractor will provide USFWS with contact information for all ground personnel, and vehicle and equipment identification information (including make, model, and color) at least 24 hours before implementation of the project. Some units on Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge may be more accessible with small boats. All access methods and equipment needed are the responsibility of the contactor.

14) No chemical applications may be made when temperatures exceed 95 F, or when precipitation is forecast within 6 hours. Minimum standards must be maintained to prevent chemical absorption into/onto untargeted vegetation.

15) No heavy equipment will be allowed to operate within the treatment units sooner than 48 hours after a rain event of 2 inches or more. During periods of extended wet weather or in areas with saturated soils, equipment cannot cause ruts greater than 6 inches deep. If work is prohibited by the U.S. FWS due to extended wet weather, negotiations may be made to lengthen the contract period.

© ESI A04 Hack and Squirt_BS_PWS_2024_rev 3

4.0 Performance Requirements

Identify what the contractor is required to do (major tasks and subtasks).

1. Apply herbicide according to desired outcomes as per label directions and quantities.

2. Report proposed herbicide brand and adjuvant/carrier with application rates to the Refuge with bid. Herbicide must be preapproved by the Refuge.

3. 100% coverage of the treatment area, 95% minimal control of target vegetation measured within one month after last application as measured by Refuge staff.

4. Minimal kill of 5% residual desirable native species, such as perennial bottomland hardwood trees.

5.0 Deliverables

List all data required to manage or monitor contractor performance.

Contractor shall provide:

1) Daily logs to document work shall be submitted electronically bi-weekly. The contractor will supply GPS files of all application paths and of all application locations. The contractor will also supply shapefiles in Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) format of all application paths and of all application locations at the conclusion of the application.

2) Proposed herbicide and adjuvant with application rates of each. MSDS and herbicide labels are required as well as a safety/spill response plan.

3) A government representative will inspect all areas periodically during the contract period and will perform a final inspection of all areas 30 days following treatments to approve payment. Evaluation and acceptance will be determined by the Technical Coordinator(s) and/or Refuge Manager(s). Chemical applications will be evaluated for thoroughness and evenness of application using GPS files and shapefiles provided by the contractor, and by field-checking application areas for chemical effects (e.g., looking for skips or overlaps within the treatment areas).

4) Georeferenced maps are included and GIS shapefiles of the treatment areas will be provided by the Government upon request.

© ESI A04 Hack and Squirt_BS_PWS_2024_rev 4

6.0 Location map of all units in scope of work.

© ESI A04 Hack and Squirt_BS_PWS_2024_rev 5

6.1 Unit maps on Bayou Sauvage Urban NWR:

© ESI A04 Hack and Squirt_BS_PWS_2024_rev 6

© ESI A04 Hack and Squirt_BS_PWS_2024_rev 7

© ESI A04 Hack and Squirt_BS_PWS_2024_rev 8

© ESI A04 Hack and Squirt_BS_PWS_2024_rev 9

7.0 Technical Coordinators

TECHNICAL COORDINATORS:

Matthew Sieja (Administrative Forester) US Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Louisiana Refuge Complex 61389 Hwy 434 Lacombe LA, 70445 Phone: (985) 517-9333 Email: matthew_sieja@fws.gov

Neil Lalonde (Project Leader, SELA) US Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Louisiana Refuge Complex 61389 Hwy 434 Lacombe LA, 70445 Phone: (985) 285-3335 Email: neil_lalonde@fws.gov

Pon Dixson (Project Leader, BSUNWR) US Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Louisiana Refuge Complex 61389 Hwy 434 Lacombe LA, 70445.

Phone: (985) 285-3613 Email: pon_dixson@fws.gov

Daniel Breaux (Habitat Management Coordinator) US Fish and Wildlife Service 61389 Hwy 434 Lacombe LA, 70445.

Phone: (985) 646-9731 Email: daniel_breaux@fws.gov mailto:matthew_sieja@fws.gov mailto:neil_lalonde@fws.gov mailto:pon_dixson@fws.gov mailto:daniel_breaux@fws.gov