Attachment_1-_Performance_Work_Statement.pdf

Performance Work Statement Herbicide Application, St. Marks NWR, FL

This herbicide project is located at the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Wakulla County, Florida.

The project is an application of herbicides on 1 site that totals 178 acres in size (see Map 1 for designated work area location/layout) for site preparation of planting containerized longleaf pine seedlings and understory restoration planting. Work can commence as early as August 1, 2025 and must be completed by September 30, 2025.

This project area is located within the Wakulla Unit (See Map 1&2).

The herbicides will be applied as a broadcast with a tank mix combination of the following products:

- Garlon XRT Triclopyr: 680 acres applied @ 2 quarts/acre

- Arsenal AC Imazapyr: 680 acres applied @ 26 oz./acre

- RRSI NIS (Surfactant): 680 acres applied @ 12.8 oz./acre

- Garlon XRT, Arsenal AC, and RRSI NIS will be tank mixed and applied as a broadcast foliage treatment with water at a minimum of 25 gal./acre.

The sites will have recently been root raked and debris piles burned but some unburned logging debris may be scattered within the application areas.

Scope of Work

1. The Permittee/Contractor is responsible for transporting herbicide chemicals and water to and from the work site.

2. The applicator must utilize a GPS system to ensure adequate vegetation coverage. The equipment/coverage track may be represented as points, lines, or polygons, and must be stored and delivered as electronic data to the Refuge contact. A minimum of 95% of each designated treatment unit must be adequately covered with herbicide.

3. The Contractor will apply as a chemical tank mix 0.5 gallons per acre of Garlon XRT Triclopyr - 60.3%

- 6.3lb/gal mixed with 0.2 gallons per acre or 26 fluid ounces per acre of Arsenal AC Imazapyr – 43.3%

- 4lbs/gal. and 0.0625 gallons per acre or 12.8 fluid ounces per acre of RRSI NIS (Adjuvant / Nonionic Surfactant)

4. The Contractor will apply with ground equipment a minimum of 4,450 gallons of water and chemical mix at the rate of 25 gallons per acre on 178 acres.

5. Herbicides will be applied as directed by the labels and using best management specifications from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Silviculture BMPs publication Silviculture Best Management Practices Manual. This publication can be found on the internet at (http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service/Our-Forests/Best- Management-Practices-BMP).

6. The site is public land open to hiking and other recreational activities. The applicator shall watch for recreational users on each site and not spray the area if people are present.

7. Chemical pesticides must be kept in original containers until mixing. All mixtures should have temporary labels that list the trade name and rates of chemicals and any adjuvants within the spray container.

8. Herbicides that are mixed, transferred, or temporarily stored while on Refuge lands will be done so at designated staging areas.

9. All containers that contain pesticide or pesticide residues will be removed from Refuge lands once the chemical application is complete.

10. The crew supervisor must readily have available during application a copy of all chemical pesticide labels and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for those chemicals that are being applied.

11. Herbicides will not be applied during adverse or non-optimal weather conditions for the application method. Any weather condition, including heat, wind, or precipitation, that minimizes the effectiveness of the herbicide or increases the exposure and/or potential for drift to non-target vegetation, personnel, or objects will not be tolerated.

12. Refuge personnel have the authority to stop the application operations anytime unfavorable weather conditions prevail.

13. During mixing and application all recommended Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be properly worn to minimize applicator exposure to chemicals. All measuring cups should be rinsed, and the effluent poured into the tank/bottle mixture.

14. The contractor shall be responsible for any damage the crew does to gates, fences, roadways, or other infrastructure.

15. Refuge personnel shall monitor the application operation with onsite inspections.

Performance Requirements

1. It is recommended, but not required, that all Contractors examine the site for operability limitations and for verifying the acreages listed in this quote. Bidders should be fully informed of the conditions and materials to be encountered (i.e. location of the site, quality and quantity of work to be performed, materials to be furnished, the nature of the ground and surface, location of buried utilities, any conditions surrounding and affecting the work, obstructions, the nature of any existing construction, and all other physical characteristics of the job).

2. The Contractor and/or their employees shall do all in their power to prevent and suppress forest fires:

shall pay the United States Government for any unnecessary damage resulting from the operation herein permitted; and shall repair all damages to roads, fences, gates, ditches, trails, telephone lines, and power lines resulting from the operation conducted hereunder except where otherwise provided for.

3. A pre-entry conference with Refuge personnel, Contractor, and crew will be held before any work is done.

4. The Contractor will have access to only those lands described in the application area and shall conduct operations during daylight hours only Monday through Friday. Operations on Saturday, Sunday, or Federal Holiday must be approved by the Refuge Manager.

5. The Contractor (or their representatives) will not litter. Littering violations will be handled under Federal Code of Regulations 50CFR27.94(a) and carry a fine of $125.00 per incident upon conviction.

6. All Refuge regulations apply unless superseded by these special conditions.

7. The Contractor will comply with the State of Florida Silviculture Best Management Practices as stated under the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Silviculture BMPs publication Silviculture Best Management Practices Manual. This publication can be found on the internet at (http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service/Our-Forests/Best- Management-Practices-BMP).

8. The Contractor shall notify a Refuge Official of any oil or hazardous material spill as soon as possible.

9. The contractor is responsible for the cleanup and removal of any spilled oil or hazardous material.

10. The Contractor shall submit an invoice upon completion. Payments shall be made upon approval of invoices by the Refuge Manager.

11. The Contractor shall provide all labor and equipment necessary to successfully complete the project.

12. The Contractor shall comply with all SMNWR rules and regulations. Note that the SMNWR land is open to public use and hunting. Contractor personnel shall wear state-approved hunter safety orange if working during refuge hunting season.

13. The Contractor shall provide a Refuge Official a four day notice prior to the date he/she anticipates commencement of herbicide application.

14. In order to prevent the spread of invasive and exotic species all equipment used on the Refuge will be thoroughly cleaned prior to delivery to the Refuge. In the event that an invasive or exotic species is found in the work area the Permittee will clean equipment before moving to other areas of the Refuge.

Sites that contain invasive and exotic species that have been identified by Refuge personnel and are clearly marked are to be avoided by the Permittee. The Permittee shall be assessed a fine for the cost of removal and propagation prevention of such invasive and exotic species if identified and clearly marked sites are compromised through carelessness of the Contractor, or their employees.

Map 1