Attachment 2.docx

USDA Forest Service

Green Mountain National Forest

Rochester and Middlebury Ranger District

Statement of Work for Texas Falls Hazard Trees and Chipping

May 11, 2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. General

2. Special Instructions

Statement of Work (SOW) Texas Falls Hazard Trees and Chipping

1.0 General

1.1 Background

The mission of the USDA Forest Service to achieve quality land management under the sustainable multiple-use management concept to meet the diverse needs of people. The mission of the Green Mountain & Finger Lakes National Forests is to offer extensive multi-use advantages to the public. This acquisition is needed to ensure public recreation facilities are maintained to provide for the safety and well-being of visitors at the developed recreation sites across the Rochester and Middlebury Ranger District on the Green Mountain National Forest.

1.2 Purpose

Recreation sites on the Rochester and Middlebury Ranger Districts are each located in heavily wooded areas. To provide for the safety of visitors the trees are inspected to ensure that hazard trees are identified and felled to protect life and property. The purpose of this contract is to ensure hazardous trees are felled immediately after identification and the slash is chipped. Mitigating the risk posed by hazardous trees provides for the safety of visitors, employees, and personal and government owned property.

1.3 Scope of Work

The contractor shall furnish, on a “call when needed” basis a capable tree feller to fell up to 5 hazard trees and laborers to chip slash. Trees can be hand felled directly (hand felled with the faller standing on the ground), hand felled using a bucket truck, or hand felled by climbing. Roping trees is acceptable to directionally fell hazardous trees. Some trees may be located within striking distance of picnic tables, fire rings, outhouses, a picnic pavilion, or other infrastructure. Trees will be felled directionally away from infrastructure or felled from the top down to avoid damaging personal property or government owned property. Hazard trees will be identified by Forest Service staff and then the contractor will be notified of the need to conduct operations. The scope of work includes chipping slash from previous felling operations, and chipping slash from newly felled trees. All slash directly adjacent to roads, parking areas, and campsites 6 inches in diameter and smaller will be chipped. Large logs and limbs greater than 6 inches shall remain on-site but be moved to an area where they will not impede trails, picnic sites, campsites, or other high traffic areas. Not all felled hazard trees will need chipper work. This will be determined by location of the trees and agreed upon by contractor and Forest Service personnel. Chipped material shall be broadcast and dispersed on-site or removed from the site. Broadcast chipped materials shall be left in piles smaller than 1 foot tall and 10 feet wide to prevent an unsightly condition. Piles will be spaced by a minimum of 6 feet so that areas are not continuously lined with chipped material. The contractor is responsible for notifying the recreational users of operations when felling or chipping is ongoing. Notification can be completed by signing and coning off the work area or providing personnel to direct pedestrian or vehicle traffic away from the danger area. The contractor shall fell trees within two weeks of notification by Forest Service representative.

Deliverables:

-Felling of up to 5 hazardous trees. Trees to be hand-felled using bucket truck, climbing, or direct felling operations. Branches less than 3” diameter to be chipped. All debris is to be removed from roadways and picnic area. Large diameter logs to be left on-site. Logs can cut into rounds to facilitate removal from roadways and trafficked areas.

-Chipping of slash in and around the Texas Falls Observation Site and Picnic Pavilion. Contractor shall supply 3 laborers and a chipper to perform chipping of small diameter downed woody debris and slash. Chainsaw work will be required to process some slash prior to chipping. Chips can be left on-site or removed.

-No weekend work authorized.

1.4 Period of Performance

The period of performance of this contract begins on July 1, 2022 and goes through September 30, 2022.

The Contract Officer Representative (COR) will notify the Contractor when there is a need for felling and chipping operations. This initial notification may be by phone or email. Contractor should work with COR to schedule dates within the period of performance. A delegated representative will typically meet the Contractor on site for each felling and chipping operation. Project work shall be between the hours of 7am and 5pm during the work week (Monday – Friday).

1.5 Place of Performance

Texas Falls Observation Area and Picnic Area

2.0 Special Instructions

2.1 CONDUCT OF PERSONNEL

The Contractor and Contractors employees shall make every reasonable effort to prevent interference with the normal use and occupancy of recreational areas while engaged in the performance of the contract.

Due to the nature of the duties under this contract, the contractor and contractor’s employees shall keep themselves and equipment presentable at all times. The Contracting Officer may, in writing, require the contractor to remove from the work site any employee the Contracting Officer deems incompetent, careless, discourteous to the public, or is otherwise objectionable, or for theft, possession and/or removal of materials, supplies, equipment or any Government-owned property.

2.2 RESOURCE DAMAGE

Any damage or defacement that occurs to government property or land resource during contracting operations shall be repaired at the contractor’s expense to its original condition. Onsite inspection will be made by representative on site prior to acceptance of work.

Notice to contractors:

All information and data related to this project that the contractor gathers or obtains shall be both protected from unauthorized release and considered the property of the government. The contracting officer will be the sole authorized official to release verbally or in writing, any data, the draft deliverables, the final deliverables, or any other written or printed materials pertaining to this contract. Press releases, marketing material, or any other printed or electronic documentation related to this project, must not be publicized without the written approval of the contracting officer.