Attachment 2 Statement of work.docx

FY21 CROWN TOUCH RELEASE and VINE CONTROL

NANTAHALA RANGER DISTRICT 2021

DIVISION 100 - GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

110 - Scope of Contract

The purpose of this contract is to perform manual release of selected crop trees on 499 acres in order to ensure their ability to compete in the developing stand. The contract areas are between 9-13 years old hardwood regeneration areas which were originally harvested by two-aged regeneration. The contractor will be required to select and release desired crop trees based on species, condition, and crown position, and slash grape/smoke vines and other competing vegetation. The ability to recognize and distinguish southern Appalachian hardwood tree species is imperative for the successful completion of this contract.

Contractor shall furnish all labor, equipment, tools, transportation, supervision, and perform all work necessary to select and release individual trees by hand tool cutting.

120 - Description and Location

The contract areas consist of timber stands with variable species, densities and diameters of trees, stems and brush. The areas are located within the boundaries of the Nantahala National Forest, Nantahala District, Macon, Jackson, Swain Counties, North Carolina (see attached maps). The boundaries of the areas are identifiable as previously harvested unit boundaries from 9 - 13 years ago with horizontal orange timber paint. They are also flagged with pink either along the boundary or where they cross the forest road.

Highlands

Lloyd Cove PU 2

Total

The terrain is moderate to steep. Hazards are (but not limited to) falls, cuts, rolling rock, falling limbs, crown breaks with potential for limb or top kickback, bee stings, poison ivy, lightning, slippery roads, snake bites, etc. No information will be furnished to the contractor (other than that listed here) pertaining to slope, aspect, steepness, stand types, and stem densities of individual stands.

130 - Access

Access guidelines will be provided by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR).

A contractor who is awarded a Government contract may be given certain access rights to closed roads. When a contractor is given access rights on a closed road for the completion of his contract, the contractor assumes responsibility for maintaining the road as closed. Access is not permitted for any other use, nor may access be conveyed to any other individual that is not directly involved in the completion of the contract. Access for activities such as moss collecting, ginseng digging, or hunting is not allowed. If the contractor is found to be in violation the contractor will be charged with a violation of federal regulations.

Contractor will be required, at the direction of the COR, to stop operation of access vehicles during extended or excessive wet weather periods to reduce excessive gouging, rutting, and compaction of the soil. Any road or trail used by the contractor that is damaged by his operations shall be promptly repaired by him/her.

140 - Crew Organization

141 - The contractor shall provide a competent foreman or supervisor for each crew. The foreman or supervisor must be able to communicate with the COR or the designated inspector. For the purpose of this contract the Forest Service will not consider anyone performing work as being a foreman or supervisor. The word "work" is defined as an action requiring the use of a cutting tool and performing release work.

142 - The crew size shall not exceed 5 persons. The foreman or supervisor shall be with the crew at all times while they are working. The contractor's foreman or supervisor will be responsible for work safety and quality performance of all crew members.

143 - Crew members shall not be separated or divided in a manner that the foreman or supervisor does not know their location at all times.

144 - Crew supervisors, crew foreman and all crew members under this contract shall be able to identify all species listed in this contract.

DIVISION 200 - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

210 - Work to be Performed

For all areas, the contractor shall visually select crop trees and manually release these selected crop trees in accordance with Clauses 211 and 212. The contractor will then slash vines competing with the crop trees as per Clause 215.

211 - Crop Tree Selection

A crop tree shall be selected on a minimum 25' x 25' spacing (approximately 70 crop trees per acre) according to the following priority order and released in accordance with Clause 212 of the contract. In addition, the contractor may choose and release additional crop trees above the required minimum number according to stand conditions, which will dictate optimal spacing and stocking above the minimum number specified here. The contractor will be required to use his best judgment in leaving and releasing additional crop trees. All vines competing with additionally selected crop trees will also be treated as specified in Clause 215.

PRIORITY FOR CROP TREES:

1 - Northern Red Oak - White Oak 2 - Black Cherry - Sugar Maple - Ash 3 - Black Oak - Chestnut Oak - Hickory 4 - Scarlet Oak 5 - Yellow Poplar - Cucumber - Basswood 6 - Buckeye - Red Maple - Birch

In addition to selection by species, crop trees will be selected from the best quality, most vigorous stems; these will generally occupy the dominant and co-dominant classes. Trees in a high intermediate position, where crown is in the main canopy but overtopped by one or more less desirable species, may be selected as crop trees if in the top 3 species priority classes. All crop tree selections will possess good form, without excessive lean (>25 degrees from vertical), obvious sweep, crook, disease, or large forks. Stump sprouts selected as crop trees must be of low origin (origin point no more than 4" above ground line) and, if on steep slopes, be located on the uphill side of the stump.

Black locust, chestnut, silverbell, black gum, dogwood, sourwood, sassafras, hemlock, fire cherry, and striped maple will never be selected as crop trees. If no other suitable species are available in any particular spot that would satisfy the spacing guidelines other than one of these, no crop tree will be selected. Suppressed trees (those with crown entirely below the main canopy) will never be selected as crop trees, regardless of species, with the exception that suppressed sugar maple trees may be selected as crop trees if no other suitable species are available.

212 - Crop Tree Release

All trees adjacent to the crop tree shall be cut if:

1) Their crowns touch the crown of the crop tree; OR

2) Their crowns are above or immediately below the edge of the crop tree crown.

All crop trees will have at least a 6-foot release zone around the perimeter of the crop tree crown, considering competing crowns and not stem origin. If a competing tree is a sprout clump, the clump will be thinned to one-two remaining dominant stems, as long as the required 6-foot release zone adjacent to the crop tree can be achieved. All grapevines and smokevines with any part of their stems within 6’ of the crop trees will be cut except for established vine slicks of 0.5 acre or larger. All stems cut must be felled away from crop trees and shall not be left hanging in or lodged in crop tree crowns or against crop tree boles. If a competing tree cannot be cut without becoming hung up or damaging a crop tree, it will be girdled instead of cut.

When a crop tree is selected from a clump of sprouts, all stems in the clump will be cut away from the crop tree except:

1) Stems with obvious close tissue connections to the crop tree; OR

2) Stems that cannot be cut in a reasonable manner without damaging the crop tree with the cutting tool.

213 - Vegetation not to be cut

1. Snags.

2. Individual large trees or clumps of large trees which were obviously intentionally left as wildlife den trees or food producing trees.

3. Hollow trees, and shellbark, shagbark hickories.

4. Standing trees larger than 3” DBH which have exfoliating (separated from the cambium) bark along 25% or more of the main stem.

5. Trees marked with paint or ribbons that designate property lines and corner witness trees.

6. Any other trees designated not to be cut by the COR.

214 - Cutting Methods

Cutting shall be done with any hand cutting tools such as brush hooks, sandviks, brush axes, or chainsaws. All vegetation to be cut shall be severed completely from the root system at a point on the stem no more than 12 inches from ground level on the uphill side of the stump.

Contractor shall use controlled felling methods at all times. "Stump-Jumping" will not be allowed. "Stump-Jumping" is defined as severing a stem completely from the stump before stem has sufficient lean to control direction of fall, and is also defined as not leaving a hinge of wood to control kickback of the butt.

215 – Grape and Smoke Vine Control Treatment

All grape and smoke vines except those in established slicks of 0.5 acre or larger will be slashed completely in two. Vines will be cut so as to not leave the cut surface of the vine touching the ground or within one foot of the ground.

217 - Contractor-Furnished Items

The contractor will furnish all equipment needed to satisfactorily complete the job. Hand tools or a chainsaw must be provided by the contractor.

218 - License Requirements

Contractor will be responsible for full compliance with all applicable provisions of the EPA Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS), 40 CFR Part 170.

220 - Stream, Lake and Reservoir Pollution Prevention

Contractor will keep all trash out of area streams, including perennial, intermittent, and ephemeral streams in the project area.

231 - Safety

Contractor shall provide for and maintain safe working conditions at all times, including following the tool manufacturer's recommended operation and safety equipment specifications. Safety equipment includes, but is not limited to: shin guards, chaps, gloves, safety glasses, hard hats, ankle-covering lug-soled boots, and ear plugs. All pertinent OSHA Safety regulations and standards apply to this contract.

Accepted safe practices shall be followed in performance of the work. The Contractor shall use safe tree felling practices and shall use EXTREME CAUTION in the felling of the trees in the contract areas. The Contractor’s emphasis during all operations will be on SAFETY FIRST in order to avoid personal injury. The Government will assume no liability in case of personal injury to the Contractor or his employees or subcontractors or damage to their equipment.

The Contractor will be responsible for any damage done to Government equipment and/or fixtures by their employees and shall provide all replacements as appropriate at no cost to the Government.

241 - Protection of Trees

The contractor shall use every precaution necessary to prevent damage to trees not to be cut.

243 - Protection of Improvements

The contractor shall protect all trails, roads, ditches, fences and other improvements in the project area. Roads, trails, ditches, culverts, and cut banks shall be kept free of logs, slash and debris resulting from contract operations.

244 - Protection of Archaeological/Historical Resources

The contractor, upon the discovery of suspected archaeological or historical materials, shall cease work in the vicinity of such materials and immediately notify the COR.

245 - Final Clean-Up

Before final acceptance all trash, rubbish, and debris generated by contractor's operation shall be removed from National Forest Land.

C-4 AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL

The contractor, during the course of work, shall not permit entry into any Forest Service areas by anyone other than the Contractor, his employees, and Government employees.

C-6 QUALITY CONTROL PLAN

The contractor shall prepare a Quality Control Plan pursuant to the requirements of the Statement of Work (SOW). This plan sets forth the procedures and guidelines that the contractor will use to assure that the work performed under the contract meets the requirements of the standards set forth for this contract. It shall include a work plan and schedule, demonstrate what the contractor will use for inspection processes and records, and shall also include a safety plan. The Quality Control Plan shall include weekly progress reports identifying areas that have been released using hand tools.

C-7 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT METHODS

C-8 QUALITY ASSURANCE PLAN – CROP TREE RELEASE

1. Introduction – The purpose of this contract is to provide crop tree release using hand tools services at various sites on the Nantahala Ranger District, Franklin, NC.

Bryan Killian and Alexandra Lewis will be designated Contracting Officer’s Representative. They will have overall responsibility for the day-to-day administration of the contract including, but not limited to, inspection. They have authority to designate Government Inspectors to aid in inspection of the work accomplished during the life of this contract.

2. How to use this plan:

a. Scheduling – Work to begin within 3 days after the issuance of the Notice to Proceed and will be accomplished within 365 days.

b. Sampling procedures – random and periodic inspections and review of work in progress and completed work.

c. Inspection procedures – review of work.

d. Documentation – Daily Diaries for contract file; Notice of Non-compliance to contractor for any work less than 98% in compliance with the objectives and cure notices to be issued by Contracting Officer if work is not performed in a timely manner or if work does not comply with contract work statement.

DIVISION 300 - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

310 - Inspection of Work Performed

Inspection of the work performed under this contract shall be made by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or the designated Inspector as the work progresses at such intervals as are necessary to insure compliance with contract specifications.

320 - Completion of Work

Upon completion of work on an area, the contractor shall notify the COR that work on the area is completed; the COR shall then make an overall inspection of work quality and compliance with contract specifications. If the work is not accepted by the COR, the contractor shall complete any remedial work required for acceptance. Upon acceptance of the work by the COR, the contractor may submit an invoice as specified by the COR (invoice may cover more than one area depending on size of areas).

DIVISION 400 - MEASUREMENT AND PAYMENT

410 - Method of Measurement

Contract area acreage is the acres of record for the unit. Acreage was determined by compass and chain survey at the time of the original timber sale. Acreage is based on horizontal distances, and for the purpose of this contract is considered actual, not estimated acreage.

420 - Basis of Payment

Payment will be made at the unit bid price for the number of acres completed and accepted.