Attachment_1-_Performance_Work_Statement.pdf

Mechanical mastication, Big Branch and Bogue Chitto NWR, LA Performance Work Statement

Contract Specifications: VEGETATION REMOVAL, BIG BRANCH MARSH

NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AND BOGUE CHITTO NATIONAL WILDLIFE

REFUGE (NWR)

Statement of Objectives: Mechanical mastication (mulching) of selected midstory vegetation to the ground surface to remove hazardous fuels and hardwood debris from forested areas on Big Branch Marsh NWR and Bogue Chitto NWR. Removal of this debris provides access for wildland firefighting, removes ladder fuels near urban areas, and reduces the total fire fuel load in these urban areas while encouraging pine dominated communities and allowing for reestablishment of a fire resilient ecosystem.

Scope of the contract:

The Contractor shall furnish all labor, materials, equipment, tools, transportation, supervision, and supplies and perform all work necessary for the reduction of hazardous fuels and organic hardwood debris on refuge lands within designated areas on attached maps. No equipment or supplies will be furnished by the government. The Contractor assumes all liability for work operating in or adjacent to public road right of ways.

The Refuge Manager reserves the right to substitute at the contract price the same type and amount of work in other areas similar in topography and conditions within the refuge boundaries shown on the maps in lieu of the original areas when it is determined by the Refuge Manager that the original areas or portions thereof are unsuitable or unavailable for performance of the specified work due to environmental conditions or other factors.

The Refuge Manager reserves the right to reduce total acreage to encompass allocated funds for the project contract. Bids are to be received per acre and per unit.

Description of scope:

The contract areas consist of stands with variable density of trees, stems, and brush. The contract shall consist of up to approximately 736 acres of hardwood fuel, small unmerchantable pine trees, and debris reduction which have been identified in up to 10 units within the boundaries of the Big Branch Marsh NWR (560 acres) and 4 units within the boundaries of Bogue Chitto NWR (176 acres). The areas are identified in Figures 1-8 below as scope maps and line items. The work areas will be identified by refuge personnel as needed. Contractors may use smart phone or tablet APPS such as Avenza Maps with georeferenced Adobe PDF maps to identify boundaries of each unit.

Georeferenced PDFs and GPS shapefiles can be provided by the refuge upon request.

Boundaries of each unit are not marked with flagging or paint. Prior to the beginning work, the contactor shall meet with refuge personnel for a site visit to identify the staging work areas.

In all identified areas for midstory fuel and debris reduction, the contactor shall completely clear/mulch all live hardwood trees less than 12 inch in diameter at DBH to be masticated to mineral soil, including all brush, with the exception of any additional leave trees identified in this scope of work within each unit. All downed dead trees shall be mulched in place within the treatment units. At least 95% of identified vegetation in this solicitation must be cut and downed by the contractor and will be mulched in place to 4" in chip diameter or less. Trees from 6" to 12" in diameter after cutting may be left in place after downing without mulching the bole. However, all vegetation left in place after mulching must be below 12" from ground height. Therefore, all tops must be masticated from downed trees. Contractor may cut pine trees less than 6 inches in diameter at DBH to assist feasibility of travel throughout the forest as needed to access the hardwood vegetation. Otherwise, all pine trees in all but the Fritchie units are to be left unharmed, unless otherwise specified. Damage to residual pine trees and other identified leave trees from clearing operations shall not be greater than 5%.

The Fritchie Unit, line item 40 below, will require a pre-commercial thinning treatment along with the mastication. This will be facilitated as a cutter-select operation:

uncommercial or lower-grade pine trees 6” in diameter and below are to be felled as to leave approximately 50 scattered largest pine trees per acre or the largest pine trees spaced every 20 to 30 feet.

Type and Amount of Equipment Proposed

Technical capabilities: At a minimum, the required equipment is forestry mulching machines capable of traversing wet soils and under low ground pressure and between narrow pine trees, also referred to as a forestry mulcher, forest masticator, or brushcutter, and uses a rotary drum equipped with steel chipper tools ("teeth") or blades to shred vegetation. They are manufactured as application-specific tractors and as mulching attachments (“mulching heads”) for existing tracked skid steers, excavators, or mulchers.

Bidders must list the number of each piece of equipment and their ground pressure. Each machine shall be tracked with a minimum ground pressure of no more 5.2 psi with minimally aggressive track pads or tracks. The awarded contractor shall be able to use multiple pieces of equipment.

Preferred method of treatment will be by low ground pressure tracked equipment. The government is open to alternative methods of treatment by low ground pressure equipment but must be approved prior to commencement of work. All work must be done according to the work statement, equipment capability restrictions, and any local and state regulations.

The Contractor shall be responsible for notifying the Refuge Forester/Government Representative (GR) within one week of treatment completion so that the area can be inspected. The Contractor shall be responsible for 100% treatment of the identified area.

Performance Requirements

The Contractor shall canvas 100% of the identified treatment area.

The Contractor shall complete the treatment during specified dates as directed by the GR due to endanger species activity as directed by the Refuge Biologist and wet soil conditions. Due to endangered species nesting, the area may be closed during the spring of each year.

The Contractor shall coordinate with the GR to determine the date(s) and time(s) of treatment to minimize impacts on other Government activities and so refuge staff has time to close roads and trails in the treatment area prior to treatment beginning. The Contractor must have work dates, and a plan of work approved by the Refuge 48 hours prior to beginning work, preferably established during a face-to-face pre-work meeting.

The Contractor shall clean and wash equipment in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency and refuge guidelines to prevent the introduction of exotic flora and fauna onto the refuge. Refuge guidelines require all equipment to be pressure washed prior to entering refuge property. Prior to leaving the worksite for the day, the Contractor shall remove all equipment and materials associated with contract activities on government property unless approval has been granted by the Refuge Manager and a storage site has been identified.

Disturbance to mineral soil shall be kept to the minimum necessary for efficient operations. Work may be performed in very wet soils. Specialized equipment is required to avoid excessive soil disturbance. Equipment shall be wide tracked, with low ground pressure, and capable of maneuvering in very wet soils. Excessive soil disturbance will be determined by the Refuge Manager. In general, any rutting in excess of 1 foot deep for more than 50 feet may be considered excessive. A site visit is recommended. The Contractor should prioritize operating during dry conditions and avoid operating in wet conditions to minimize soil disturbance.

The contact will be performed starting July 1st, 2025, and ending September 30, 2026.

Work will be performed only when site conditions are suitable and dry enough to prevent excessive rutting in the woods. The GR may suspend work in certain units for any given period of time due to unfavorable or wet conditions. Work may also be paused as not to interfere with any relevant Refuge hunting seasons or endangered species nesting season during early spring. In the instance where site conditions remain unfavorable for an extended period of time as to prohibit the completion of the contract within the allotted time period, an extension of the contract period of performance may be granted by the Refuge Manager to facilitate the completion of the contract. The Contractor shall coordinate with the GR up to 48 hours before beginning work in any designated unit to ensure site conditions are favorable.

All trees and brush identified earlier, within the designated units, must be masticated (mulched, mowed, or compacted) by machine to lie within 1 foot of the ground over the entire contract area. Roads, streams, and firelines shall be kept free of masticated debris.

Logs laid in ditches to aid in stand access shall be removed once access is no longer needed. Stumps shall be reduced to no higher than one foot in height when possible. No materials shall be cut and allowed to remain on private land. If improved structures, fences, or non-refuge property are damaged, they shall be repaired or replaced immediately by the contractor in a manner satisfactorily to the property owner, at no additional expense to the Government.

Some units on Big Branch Marsh NWR contain Red Cockaded Woodpecker (RCW) cavity trees and nesting clusters. These areas are identified in the provided maps and have been excluded from the cutting areas. The Contractor will avoid entering these areas and shall not damage any trees identified with white paint or the surrounding mature pine trees.

Location:

The contract area is in St. Tammany Parish in Louisiana and Pearl River County in Mississippi. See accompanying maps. Georeferenced PDF maps will be provided to the bidders for each bid location for real time identification using smart phone/tablets with georeferenced APPS such as Adobe Avenza Maps.

Figure 1: Scope Map of Big Branch Marsh NWR Units

Figure 2: Scope Map of Bogue Chitto NWR Units

Line Item 10; bid per acre:

Big Branch Marsh NWR. Boy Scout Units (136 acres). Total bid is per acre for mastication of 136 acres in line item 10.

Figure 3: Boy Scout Units on Big Branch Marsh NWR

Line Item 20; bid per acre:

Big Branch Marsh NWR. Mossler Units (39 acres). Total bid is per acre for mastication of 39 acres in line item 20.

Figure 4: Mossler Units on Big Branch Marsh NWR

Line Item 30; bid per acre:

Big Branch Marsh NWR. Salmen Unit (188 acres). Total bid is per acre for mastication of 188 acres in line item 30.

Figure 5: Salmen Unit on Big Branch Marsh NWR

Line Item 40; bid per acre:

Big Branch Marsh NWR. Fritchie Units (197 acres). Total bid is per acre for mastication and pre-commercial thinning of 197 acres in line item 40.

Figure 6: Fritchie Units on Big Branch Marsh NWR

Line Item 50; bid per acre:

Bogue Chitto NWR. Unit G (60 acres). Total bid is per acre for mastication of 60 acres in line item 50.

Figure 7: Unit G on Bogue Chitto NWR

Line Item 60; bid per acre:

Bogue Chitto NWR. Units J and K (116 acres). Total bid is per acre for mastication of 116 acres in line item 60.

Figure 8: Units J and K on Bogue Chitto NWR