Attachment_2-_PWS.pdf

United States Department of the Interior

US Fish and Wildlife Service Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex

694 Beech Hill Lane Hardeeville, SC 29927

Scope of Work and Performance Work Statement

Hazard Fuel Reduction and Invasive Species Control Project (2024-2025)

Primary POC: Shaw Davis, Deputy Project Leader shaw_davis@fws.gov

843-784-9911 (office) 912-312-5227 (mobile)

Alternate POC: Wayne Harris, Wildlife Biologist billy_harris@fws.gov 912-660-0779 (mobile)

Chuck Hayes, Supervisory Wildlife Biologist chuck_hayes@fws.gov 912-210-7366 (mobile)

Project summary:

The project is located on Savannah National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) (Jasper County, SC) (Map 1). Completion of this project will result in everlasting improvements in hazard fuel reduction, invasive species control, and habitat management.

Summary of herbicide treatment (2024-2025)

- 589 acre treatment area of aerial herbicide application using helicopter on Savannah

NWR

Scope of Work

Overview:

Completion of this herbicide application should reduce overall fuel loads by 95%, replace 95% of all non-native invasive vegetation with early successional, desirable vegetation, and greatly improve the control and efficacy of prescribed burns that minimize wildfire hazard and smoke related concerns in a wildland-urban interface. Once completed, the resulting early successional mailto:shaw_davis@fws.gov mailto:billy_harris@fws.gov mailto:chuck_hayes@fws.gov communities in areas associated with field levees and islands, totaling about 589 acres, should be suitable for management with frequent, low-intensity prescribed burns while maintaining biological diversity and resiliency into perpetuity.

Stand specific treatment (2024-2025):

The treatment will involve the application of suitable herbicides, primarily Clearcast or other similar product with imazamox as an active ingredient and/or RoundUp Custom or other similar product with glyphosate as an active ingredient, applied aerially to ensure complete coverage of undesirable fuel loads on the treatment area. Herbicide application contractors will be fully licensed, bonded, and insured in South Carolina.

• Use of soil active herbicides is strictly prohibited.

• Herbicides with glyphosate and/or imazamox as active ingredients are preferred.

• All areas of desirable live oak and other native hardwood dominated hammocks scattered across the project site are to be excluded from all operations.

• All Chinese tallow tree located with the treatment area will be herbicide treated.

• Contractor is responsible for transport of all equipment, herbicides, adjuvants, and water to and from the project site.

• Contractor will ensure that all applicators have labeled Personal Protective

Equipment.

• Refuge Biologists will provide a shapefile defining the boundaries of the project.

• All contracted personnel will pay close attention to avoid harm to curious Refuge visitors that may wander into the area of operations.

• Operations will be suspended if weather conditions are such to cause damage to access roads and trails and/or reduce herbicide efficacy.

• Refuge Biologists and Refuge Manager have the authority to halt operations anytime for unfavorable weather, damage to non-target vegetation, or non-cooperative operators.

• Contractor shall be responsible for repairing any damage done to gates, fences, access roads, signs, structures, and any other infrastructure.

• Refuge Biologists and Refuge Managers shall monitor all operations with frequent, on-site inspections.

• No littering will be tolerated and all garbage, including empty herbicide and adjuvant containers, food waste, and other materials must be removed daily.

• All bids should be based on treatment price per acre, knowing that exact acreages of various treatments will differ somewhat within the project area.

• All operations should follow South Carolina’s Best Management Practices for Forestry as minimum standards for environmental protection (best-management-practices-manual.pdf (scfc.gov)).

Period of Performance:

All herbicide applications should be completed by June 30, 2025. This period may be extended due to unforeseen circumstances related to weather and other variables, as approved by the Refuge Manager or Wildlife Biologist and contracting officer.

https://www.scfc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/best-management-practices-manual.pdf https://www.scfc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/best-management-practices-manual.pdf