Attachment_1-_PWS.pdf

Performance Work Statement

For the Okefenokee Swamp Park and Okefenokee NWR

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Folkston, Georgia 912-602-9317

Contract Specifications:

Furnish equipment with operator, other labor, supplies and materials to complete mechanical clearing of all vegetation to ground surface to eliminate hazardous fuels withing the specified areas and provide acceptable clearance near park facilities & private property to allow future prescribed burning. These are two project areas on USFWS land totaling 200 acres and State of Georgia owned land totaling 36.73 acres.

The objective of this project is to reduce the risk of destructive wildland fire thru the mechanical treatment and reduction of hazardous fuels accumulations. The project treatment areas are in management units that present unique constraints to fire management operations due to the proximity of park improvements and adjacent private lands. The resulting fuel reduction from this project will improve the refuge and states ability to safely conduct prescribed burning and wildfire suppression operations in the treated areas while improving and restoring critical upland habitat for red cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise, and indigo snake.

Brief Description and Project Location:

Understory fuels treatments totaling 236.73 acres are required within the scope of this project. Treatment areas are located within Compartment 1of the refuge (figure

1) and part of the Dixon Memorial State Forest (figure 2), east and west of the entrance to the Okefenokee Swamp Park. Additional acres may be included if funding is available.

Fuels will be treated by mowing or mastication of understory shrub component within designated management units of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Dixon Memorial State Forest. The primary vegetative community represented within the treatment areas is mesic pine flatwoods with mature loblolly / longleaf pine overstory. The understory typically has heavy accumulations of shrub vegetation composed of saw palmetto, gallberry, woody shrubs and grape vines forming a dense, continuous understory cover ranging 4 to 15 feet in height. Fuels will be mowed as close as possible to the ground surface (≤6 inches) without actually penetrating the soil. All longleaf pine, saplings thru mature trees, will be excluded from cutting.

The effort required to meet project quality standards may vary throughout the treatment areas depending upon understory fuel density, accessibility to treatment area and proximity of sensitive features or resources. Only Low Ground Pressure equipment (less than 5.5 lb/ft²) will be considered for use on this project.

Compartment 1, Okefenokee NWR (5700 Okefenokee Swamp Park Rd, Waycross, GA 31503)

Compartment 1 treatments will involve mowing or mastication of understory shrub component withing management units 1-12, 28 (Figure 1). The treatment area is located on the east side of the Okefenokee Swamp Park gate and entrance road.

Access to and from the treatment unit will use Cowhouse RD just before OSP gate.

The park will remain open to the visiting public during treatment operations.

Equipment staging areas will be identified to the selected bidder prior to work commencement.

Okefenokee Swamp Park, Dixon Memorial State Forest (5700 Okefenokee Swamp Park Rd, Waycross, GA 31503) The Okefenokee Swamp Park located in Ware County adjacent to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. This work will be performed on property owned by the State of Georgia which is part of Dixon Memorial State Forest (figure 2). Access to this treatment unit will be west of the entrance road to the park. The park will remain open to the visiting public during treatment operations. Equipment staging areas will be identified to the selected bidder prior to work commencement.

Description Of Work:

Okefenokee NWR, Compartment 1 Work will be performed mechanically to cut and grind all vegetation, shrub, small pines, and hardwood trees less than 6 inches in diameter inside the project areas.

Reduce and remove fuels, particularly ladder fuels. Mastication of dead and down woody material along with mastication of understory and trees less than 6 inches dbh will be completed on the 200-acre sites. All rutting should be minimized.

Reference the attached map for a detailed location of work. The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Technical Field Representative (TFR) will designate with flagging or other means the location for the work to be completed.

No boundary tress or survey witness trees or markers are to be cut or damaged.

Avoid utilities such as electrical and water lines. These will be marked on the ground with orange flagging.

Okefenokee Swamp Park, Dixon Memorial State Forest Work will be performed to mechanically masticate vegetative fuels withing the areas identified as Upland and Lowland. Priority should be given to the Upland blocks. Debris piles should be targeted for mastication and are identified on the map in figure 2. Leave all healthy swamp red bay (Persea palustris) with no signs of laurel wilt and pond spice (Litsea aestivalis) along with leaving all trees and shrubs greater that 5” dbh. If rare, threatened, and endangered species are found such as pitcher plants (Sarracenia spp.), notify Okefenokee Swamp Park personnel and do not damage them. A list of possible plant occurrences can be found at https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/natels/profile?es_id=21623. Note that this list is not complete. Best Management Practice (BMP) guidelines listed in Georgia’s BMP Manual for Forestry should be met and followed. All rutting should be minimized. Reference the attached map for a detailed location of work. The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Technical Field Representative (TFR) will designate with flagging or other means the location for the work to be completed. No boundary tress or survey witness trees or markers are to be cut or damaged. Avoid utilities such as electrical and water lines. These will be marked on the ground with orange flagging.

Equipment Requirements:

All equipment proposed to accomplish the work shall be of proper type, sufficient size, operated at sufficient speed, and in such mechanical condition as to meet the requirements of the work and produce satisfactory results.

The equipment on site should be equal to brand name machinery such as “John Deere”, or “Caterpillar” with heavy-duty mulching head capable of mulching/masticating trees up to 10-inch diameter measured at ground level.

Equipment should be high flotation low ground-pressure and have a minimum horsepower of 190 capable of cutting 6 to 8 inch trees and grinding 6 inches below surface.

Conditions Of Work:

The four treatment areas are all within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

Due to the sensitive nature of the habitat on this property the selected contractor will be required to follow certain guidelines:

1. Contractor will provide and have on site a portable hazardous spill containment kit(s). In the event of a fuel, oil, or other hazardous spill the contractor should immediately contact refuge staff and do all possible to contain and stop the leak.

2. Many fragile plant and animal species occur in each of the treatment areas.

A refuge staff person will orient the operator to those species before work is to begin and care should be taken to avoid them when possible.

3. All trash from the equipment (oil containers, paper, parts containers, etc) should be removed from the property each day.

4. The equipment being used should always contain at least one fire extinguisher. If a fire is started by the equipment the refuge fire management office should be notified immediately.

5. All equipment working on the refuge will be equipped with a functioning backup warning device.

6. Refuge staff will verify the number of acres that were treated by the contractor.

7. All mechanical equipment brought onto the refuge must be thoroughly cleaned prior to arrival for the prevention of exotic plant introduction.

Refuge staff will inspect all machinery before work commences.

8. All roads, streams, fields, rights of way, and openings will be kept clear of debris.

9. All Refuge wildlife is protected and must not be harmed or harassed.

10. Oil and fuel spills must be promptly cleaned to the Refuge or Park satisfaction. Even minor spills should be reported to the Refuge

11. Cutting operations will not be permitted when wet ground conditions result in ground rutting or erosion. The contractor will fill in all ruts or erosion damage when requested by the Refuge representative.

12. The Refuge Manager shall have the authority to temporarily halt all operations at any point due to inclement weather or for other pertinent reasons. Additional time equal to the shutdown period may be extended to the contractor.

13. Trash burning and warming fires are not permitted.

14. Contractor shall take all precautions necessary to minimize damage to roads, culverts, stream crossings, gates, signs, and other Park or Refuge property.

15. Contractor shall minimize scarring or other damage to mature trees. Trees which are significantly injured because of carelessness shall be paid for at double the current market value.

16. The Refuge reserves the right to reject all bids.

17. A pre-entry conference between the Refuge representative and the selected contractor is required prior to any mowing operations. The Refuge will make arrangements for this meeting. The purpose of the meeting will be to review the conditions of the terms, and to clarify and answer any questions either party may have.

18. Contractor will not harass or disturb any wildlife. All gopher tortoise burrows will be avoided.

19. The contractor will notify refuge or park personnel immediately if a suspected cultural site is discovered during operations. Removal or disturbance of culturally and/or historically significant items will not be permitted. Theft or wanton disturbance or destruction of cultural and/or historical artifacts is a federal offence.

20. A mulching machine is to be used that will spread the chips across the work area.

21. The contractor will have responsibility for any property damage done during the contract period.

22. It shall be the responsibility of the contractor to haul the equipment to the site and remove it at the end of the project.

23. The contractor shall be responsible for providing fuel and operator daily.

24. Contractor must be prepared to commence operations within 30 days of accepting the award for mechanically fuel reduction. The actual start date will be negotiated based on soil moisture conditions at the job site and park visitation. The project will be completed within a period of three months.

The contractor may be issued an extension due to weather or other circumstances beyond contractor's control.

25. If there are any changes to the contract a modification must be completed first. All changes must be within the general scope of the contract. John Doe, Contracting Officer Representative shall issue and sign all modifications to the contract. Once the change has been negotiated, the

COR shall prepare a contract modification and have it signed by the contractor.

Period of performance:

Contract Award- May 31, 2024

The project is not complete until the Contracting Officer Representative signs the Release of Claim form accepting the project.

The primary contact for the project is:

Project Inspector: Andy Heisey, FMO, USFWS Email- robert_heisey@fws.gov Cell-912-602-9317

Primary contact for OSP is:

Mathew Mrizek, Staff Forester, Dixon Memorial State Forest Email- mmrizek@gfc.state.us Cell- 478-283-3881 mailto:robert_heisey@fws.gov mailto:mmrizek@gfc.state.us

OKEFENOKEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AND OKEFENOKEE

SWAMP PARK FUELS REDUCTION PROJECT MAPS:

Figure 1

Figure 2: