Attachment 1 Work Specifications and Exhibit E.pdf

SECTION C--DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

WOVEN WIRE FENCE CONSTRUCTION

ON THE ALLEGHENY NATIONAL FOREST

DIVISION 100 - GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

110 - Scope of Contract

It is the objective of this contract to build deer exclosure fences around timber stands to keep white tailed deer out and prevent tree seedlings from being browsed.

This contract will construct eight foot woven wire fence (7 to 8 foot high with up to 1 foot overlap on the ground) in forested areas on the Allegheny National Forest. The Contractor is responsible for furnishing all supervision, labor, equipment, tools, materials, and incidentals (except as noted in 150 - Government Furnished Property) necessary to complete the work.

120 - Location and Description of Fence Construction Areas

Fence construction areas will be located inside the boundaries of the Allegheny National Forest within the following counties in Pennsylvania (Warren, McKean and Forest)

130 – Contractor Representative

Before work starts the contractor shall designate a person in writing knowledgeable of contract requirements to act for them in their absence. The contractor or authorized representative shall be at the job site whenever work is in progress. In the absence of the contractor, the authorized representative may receive instructions from the Contracting Officer Representative (COR).

140 - Contractor Furnished Property

The Contractor shall furnish material such as woven wire fence, 10' “U channel” steel post or 4-5” round treated wood posts and 2x4 boards (2x4 boards do not have to be treated), hog rings or ring fasteners, wire ties, and fence staples.

150 - Government Furnished Property

Site maps (included within the contract package) and fence signs that read “Hunting Permitted” and “Gate”.

160 - Protection of Existing Structures

The Contractor shall be required to protect existing improvements which are in and around the project area. Examples include, but are not limited to: tree shelters, pipelines, power lines, oil pumping jacks, buildings, gates, culvert pipes, etc. The Contractor shall be required to repair or replace such improvements if damaged as a result of their operations.

170 - Measurement

The design quantities in linear feet were determined by using GPS equipment. There may be slight variations that need to occur on the ground due to micro site conditions (excessive rock etc.)

180 - Work Schedule

The Contractor shall notify the COR two days in advance of where and when work will start. Forest Service personnel will be available to answer questions or check areas Monday - Thursday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm. Contractor may work at their own schedule and on weekends, unless otherwise designated by the COR. Work schedule restrictions are rare, but could occur due to site specific resource concerns or recreation mitigations. Any work schedule restrictions required by the Forest Service shall be communicated by the COR at the beginning of the contract.

SECTION 200

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS –

WOVEN WIRE FENCE CONSTRUCTION

210 - Project Description

211 - Boundary

Fence line locations shall be designated with Orange flagging. The contractor shall remain within 20 feet of the flag line at all times. There may be instances in which the Contractor may elect to make slight changes to the flag line of an additional 10 feet to ensure proper construction of the fence;

however, they must verbally inform the COR of these instances.

If there are instances where the contractor feels a section of line is unworkable (Ex. rocks, steep ground, etc.) and requires a change of greater than 30 feet in the location of the line, he/she must notify the COR immediately of the proposed change. An agreement shall be made between the two parties as to the revised location of the fence line.

If the revised location shall require a change of greater than 15% of the linear footage estimate a written request for a change in price shall be submitted to the CO for modification.

Sites shall be designated with an orange tag referencing “Fence Construction” and the “Unit #” that indicates the location. The contractor is required to sign the card to ensure they are at the correct location before work can begin.

212 - Hazard Tree Felling

Hazard trees are dead or dying trees, split trees, heavily leaning trees, or root-sprung trees that are in a position to fall across the fence location.

The contractor shall fell all hazard trees that are within striking distance of the newly constructed fence as long as they feel safe in felling the tree. No hazard trees on private property shall be felled and all property lines including rights of ways shall be kept free of slash or other fence construction debris.

213 - Fence Row Clearing

The Contractor will clear a path at least eight feet wide but less than twelve feet wide, of heavy brush, stumps, large rocks or other obstructions. This path, which will lie outside the fence, serves as the access corridor for erecting the fence, and serves as an access for ATV/UTV’s for maintenance of the fence for the next 5 to 8 years. It may not however be necessary to disturb the ground around the entire perimeter. In cases where the ground is generally level, free of stumps and large rocks, ground disturbance will not take place. A small bulldozer or equivalent represents a good machine to use to clear this corridor and level off high and low spots to reduce the amount of fill needed under the fence. The Contractor shall be responsible for, and may be charged for, damage to standing trees.

214 - Fence Supports

The Contractor shall erect the fence by fastening the fence to posts or trees.

All trees shall be protected by placing a 2x4 board between the fence and the tree and stapling the fence to the board. Trees under 4" DBH are not to be used nor are striped maple trees. Boards will be fastened to trees with no more than 2 nails. One on the top and one on the bottom (the bottom being below stump height (<12")). Black cherry trees or veneer quality trees will not be used unless prior approval is given by the Forest Service on a case by case basis. It has been found that by nailing into black cherry, that the nails will cause staining thus causing a defect in the wood of the tree. Maximum distance between steel posts, wooden posts or trees will be no greater than 30 feet.

It is not the intent of the Forest Service to have straight fence lines.

Trees will be used for support where available along the flagged/3-striped location. Posts will be used where tree support is not available within the 30’ maximum span.

Posts that are not in line (corners for example) will be treated wood, 6"x 6" square, or 4-5" diameter round and braced or supported in place. In-line post may be the same as the previously mentioned wood post, or steel post that weigh 2 lb/ft. All posts will be at least ten (10) feet long set at least 2 feet into the ground. Corner posts will be braced and/or guy wired to withstand the pull of the fence without bending or pulling out of the ground. Guy wire should be secured by posts and not by nearby trees.

215 - Fence Stretching

Ideally, the fence will be at least 7 feet high with up to a one foot overlap on the ground pulled to the outside of the fence. The fence will be stretched so that the wire is pulled against a post, corner or turning support. The contractor will stretch the fence either on the inside or the outside of supports so the fence tension is against the support not pulling away from the support.

The top and bottom rolls of fence will be fastened to each other at least every 6 feet by hog rings or heavy duty ring fasteners. The bottom wire of the top roll shall be fastened to the top wire of the bottom roll. Where a post is used, the fence must be secured to the post a minimum of four places with one being the top wire of the top section.

216 - Securing the Fence Bottom

The fence must be constructed so that deer will be unable to crawl under the fence. This can be achieved by leaving a one foot overlap on the ground to the outside of the fence which is anchored to the ground with stakes or stapled to sound wood chunks, a minimum of every 10'. An alternative method is to bring the fence to the surface of the ground and fill the gaps between the ground and fence that are over 3 inches high and 4 feet long with pieces of sound wood stapled to the fence bottom, attached pieces of fence wire or large rocks. No part should be loosely laying on the ground, the entire bottom perimeter should be tight. Dirt excavated from the cleared path may be used to anchor the fence to the ground. The contractor will be responsible for appropriate erosion prevention (see Section 231). The Forest Service may designate certain areas where it has determined the need for sound wood to be used rather than excavated dirt. For example, concerns due to terrain or nearby pipelines etc. These areas would be designated on the ground by the COR or inspector.

217 - Deer Drive

Prior to closing up each fence area, the Contractor shall conduct a deer drive to chase out any deer within the fence area. The Contractor may need to leave multiple holes in order to get the deer out and shall time the drive so that the fence is closed a short time after the drive is completed (e.g. the same day).

218 - Public Access

Walkthrough Gates - Required on all newly constructed fences. See Exhibit C drawing. The location will be flagged by the Forest Service Inspector and the general location is shown on the maps. The number of gates needed per fence is listed in Exhibit E.

219 – Vehicle Access

Vehicle and Skidder Access Gates - Specifications for construction are in Exhibit D. If required, the location shall be designated by the Forest Service Inspector or the COR. The general location shall be designated on the maps.

For the type and number required for each fence see Exhibit E. Note that the drawings in Exhibit D specify a difference between Vehicle and Skidder Access gates. Vehicle gates should be installed where vehicles may need access to stone pits, well heads or old landings. Skidder gates shall be used only on skid trails. Exhibit E specifies what types and how many gates are required. Both gate styles should be adjusted to follow the width of the skid/access road as this skid/access road will be used again to enter the fence.

220 - Fence Material

221 – Fence

The fence will be 8 foot high, using 2, 47" rolls of galvanized steel woven wire fencing. Fence will have no more than 6" between stay wires, at least 10 graduated line wires, 12 1/2 gauge top and bottom wires, and 14 gauge line & stay wires.

222 - Fasteners

Fence staples will be 1 ¼ to 1 ½” in length. No staples will be driven into trees. Nails used to secure the 2x4 boards should be no larger than 16d. Ties to secure the fence to metal poles will be 14 gauge stainless ties. Hog rings may be used to fasten the top fence to the bottom fence as described in 215 - Fence Stretching. No aluminum wire, hog ring, etc. will be used in the construction of the fence because porcupines will find it, eat it, and damage the fence.

230 - Vehicle Operation

Vehicles may be operated down the area cleared for the fence. Vehicle may not cross the interior of the area to the fence except with approval of the COR. Vehicles may not travel on pipeline rights of way.

231 - Erosion Prevention

Equipment shall not be operated when ground conditions are such that excessive damage will result. Contractor shall construct cross ditches, dips, or berms along cleared path as they see fit on the ground or as designated by the COR. Insloping or outsloping may be needed for proper drainage and to minimize rutting. The contractor will be required to fill in areas which become excessively rutted during work, or install water bars, dips etc. on steep and poorly drained portions of the cleared path. Small streams or seeps including adjacent banks which cannot be avoided will be cleared by hand;

not by bulldozer. If bulldozer crosses them they must be corduroyed with logs or poles to stabilize the crossing and minimize earth disturbances and siltation.

240 - Clean Up

The Contractor shall remove all trash and debris generated in performance of this contract.

250 - Payment

No payment shall be made for partial fence completion. Payments can be processed for successfully completed units, as the contractor invoices on IPP. There is a max limit of one invoice per 30 day window. The payment amount shall be based on the final fence perimeter as agreed on by the contractor and the Forest Service.

Any fence completed when snow cover is greater than 3" and inspection of the bottom edge of the fence is not possible, will not be completely accepted or paid for until spring.

260 - Safety

261 - Contractor shall ensure that he and all employees use appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment. Appropriate clothing shall be based on the type and characteristics of the task anticipated. For example: felling hazard trees.

Appropriate clothing shall be but is not limited to: protective chaps, hardhats, eye protection, hearing protection, boots and gloves.

262 - It is the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that the work environment is safe for themselves as well as their employees. If the contractor feels that a requirement of this contract would place them or their employees in an unsafe environment, then work should stop on that area of work and the contractor should contact the COR. Work on other areas of the contract that the contractor does not view as unsafe should continue.

270 - Special Conditions

271 -In items where the fence perimeter runs along a Forest Road, the fence will be located outside of the clearing limits of the road (generally, 30 feet from the edge of the road or as flagged), unless otherwise designated by the COR.

**At no time shall fence posts be erected in the ditch line or between the ditch line and the road surface on any bordering roadside.

EXHIBIT E

INFO SHEET

Area County Township Road Perimeter (Ft) Walk Gate Skidder Gate Vehicle Gate 322013 Warren Watson FR 119 4804 2 1 NA 335035 Warren Limestone FR 119 5391 2 1 NA 336005 Warren Limestone FR 209A 6484 2 1 NA 336006 Warren Limestone FR 209A 4570 2 1 NA 336018 Warren Limestone FR 209A 5315 2 1 NA 347038 Warren Limestone FR 209 7500 3 1 NA 432041 McKean Corydon FR 173C 6013 2 1 NA 439084 McKean Bradford FR 451D 4111 2 NA NA

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PART III--LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS