ATTACHMENT 3 FY21 ChoppingContractSpecs.doc

SECTION C

DESCRIPTION / SPECIFICATIONS / WORK STATEMENT

DIVISION 100 - GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

GENERAL - This invitation is for the furnishing of equipment, materials, tools, labor, transportation, and supervision to mechanically site prepare (double drum chopping) 2,962 acres for seeding in accordance with specifications and provisions of this contract. No materials, labor, or equipment will be furnished by the Government unless specifically identified in the Government-furnished Property Clause.

After viewing alternate areas with the contractor, the Contracting Officer reserves the right to substitute at the contract price the same type and amount of work in other areas similar in topography and conditions within the Ranger District boundaries shown on the maps in lieu of the original areas when it is determined by the Contracting Officer that the original areas or portions thereof are unsuitable or unavailable for performance of the specified work.

120 DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION –

RECENT SALES -- These areas are recent timber sales, harvested within the past 2 years:

RECENT SALES -- These areas are recent timber sales, harvested within the past 2 years:

Subtotal:

[996 ac. 1 Chop, 414 ac. 2 Chop]

Subtotal [1,137 ac 1 Chop, 415 ac Chop 2]

STARTING DATE:

September 7, 2021 Total Treatment Acres 2,962 ac All areas are within the boundaries of the Ocala National Forest, Marion Counties, Florida. (See attached maps).

All areas are delineated on the ground by plowed fire lines or roads. Buffer strips will be delineated by flagging.

(#) are areas adjacent to OHV Trail System, Horse Trail, and/or Florida National Scenic Trail (hiking). See Section 375 – Trails

DIVISION 200 - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS

210 - Equipment All equipment proposed to be used on the work shall be of proper type, sufficient size, operated at sufficient speed, and in such mechanical condition as to meet with the requirements of the work and produce a satisfactory quality of work. Many areas have large standing dead pines, dead leaning trees, significant logging slash, large scrub oaks and/or slopes up to 15%.

The contractor will be required to provide sufficient equipment, to chop at a daily rate of 50 acres per day.

220 - Safety Equipment

Tractors must be equipped with protective canopies and fire extinguishers. The COR may order the removal and require replacement of any unsatisfactory equipment.

230 - Operational Specifications

232 - Single Chop - Areas designated on maps and in the table above will be completely covered using a Marden B-7 or equivalent double drum offset chopper filled with water, with a gross weight of not less than 24,000 lbs. including water. All brush and trees up to 6 inches in diameter (measured 4 1/2 feet above the ground) will be chopped unless otherwise designated.

Dead snags over 11 inches in diameter will be left standing. Smaller dead snags can be pushed down if needed to treat the area, though it is preferred to leave all snags standing.

Contractor is not expected to treat the immediate area around snags. The “sloppy chop” is a modification of the chopping treatment where the chopping contractor leaves many small areas excluded from the chopping treatment scattered throughout each treatment area. These may be an unchopped area around a snag, around a green tree, around a gopher tortoise burrow, around a small intermittent wet area, or near the edge of the treated area. In lieu of these features, the unchopped areas may be randomly scattered throughout the area. An average unchopped exclusion would vary in size from 5 feet by 20 feet to 10 feet by 50 feet. Unchopped areas would represent about 3-5% of the total area.

ANY ROADS that are within chopping areas and are NOT shown on the Area Map, will be chopped.

The chopper unit shall be no wider than eight feet unless approved by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). Choppers up to 10 feet wide may be authorized for use where they can be moved to the site without damage to trees alongside the roadway. The angle between the front drum and the direction of travel must be at least 12 degrees. The angle between the front drum and the rear drum must be at least 24 degrees. The chopper unit must be pulled at an average speed of at least 3 m.p.h. Each row of chopping must overlap the preceding row by a minimum of 6 inches. Blades on the chopper drums must have the high-low configuration with the high blades alternating with the low blades on each drum. Maximum difference in width allowed between high and low blades is 4 inches. The cutting edge of the blades must be kept sharp and not exceed 1/4 inch in thickness.

COR may order the removal and require replacement of any unsatisfactory equipment, such as the cutting edges being broken or excessively dull. Any unsatisfactory equipment must be replaced in 48 hours.

240 – Order of Work – Contract work will be completed in the following order:

1. Recent Sale Areas (starting point is Area 41/02 progressing east, then south) In Recent Sale Areas, Areas 41/02 and part of 41/13 will be chopped twice.

The second chop on the two-chop areas, will be completed a minimum of 2 weeks +or- after the first chop is completed.

A change in order of work may be approved by the COR (remain flexible with order of work and time between second chop areas).

DIVISION 300 – RESOURCE PROTECTION

310 - Erosion Control - The contractor's operation will be conducted so as to avoid unnecessary soil erosion.

320 - Protection of Lands, Streams, Lakes, Sinkholes and Reservoirs - The contractor shall prevent pollution of streams, lakes, and reservoirs by fuels, oils, and other chemicals, silt, or other harmful materials. He shall schedule and conduct operations so as to avoid siltation of all lakes and ponds, regardless of size. All water bodies will be kept free of contractor-generated debris.

Do not chop in the area 35 feet from the edge of wetlands. COR and Inspector can aid contractor in identifying this area to exclude chopping.

Contractor shall avoid sinkholes, wet or dry, leaving a 75-foot buffer from the edge of the slope.

Contractor shall remove from National Forest land any trash, cans, etc. deposited as a result of contracting operations.

330 - Site Protection - The contractor shall take every precaution necessary to prevent digging, gouging, and moving soil. The contractor will prevent excessive rutting and compaction by operating his equipment only when suitable soil conditions exist (as determined by the COR)

340 - Protection of Special Wildlife Areas – All areas may contain gopher tortoise burrows. Do not operate dozers or tractors within 25 feet of the gopher tortoise burrow.

At no time will choppers be moved through or unloaded in a prairie or dry pond. Movement along the edge of prairies may be approved by the COR.

350 - Protection of Archeological/Historical Resources – The Contractor upon discovery of suspected archeological or historical materials, shall cease work in the vicinity of such material and immediately notify the COR.

360 - Access Roads –When moving from area to area, tractor pulled choppers may be pulled only on roads designated on the area maps as access roads or as approved by the COR. COR may approve short (less than 2 miles) tractor moves along the sides of maintained roads if:

· no damage to any type of tree (taller than 10 feet) will occur,

· no damage to road travel way, foreslope or fill slope (see Figure 101-1) will occur,

· no non-native invasive (NNI) plants occur within or adjacent to the proposed travel route.

Note: the most common NNI plants that may be encountered are cogon grass, air potato, mimosa, camphor tree and Japanese climbing fern.

When moving choppers from area to area, any negligent or willful damage to any standing timber that meets utilization standards will be charged to the contractor at a rate of $100 per CCF (double stumpage). Any negligent or willful spread of NNI plants caused by moving choppers without authorization will result in a $200 per acre (NNI impacted area) charge.

When approved by the COR, equipment may cross Forest Service roads or use back slopes to gain access to a nearby area. See Figure 101-1for an illustration of a back slope on a constructed road. Road crossings over surfaced (lime rock or clay) roads will always require the use of tires to prevent penetration in the surfaced road.

The estimated number of moves that will require loading the equipment between areas is 6 times.

365 – Roads in Contract Areas – If a road is shown on the Contract Area Map, it is open to the public. The contractor shall protect roads that are open to the public in the project area. Roads open to the public shall be kept clear of debris during chopping operations. If a road is not shown on the Contract Area Map, it will be chopped over.

370 - Protection of Improvements - The contractor shall take every precaution necessary to prevent damage to any improvements in the contract areas such as ditches, fences, landlines, land control monuments, signs, etc. The contractor shall protect improved roads, ditches, fences and other improvements in the project area.

375 – Trails – If the Mixed Use Trail, ATV Trail, Florida National Scenic Trail is adjacent to or runs through the Area (refer to Area Maps), leave a 35 ft. buffer of unchopped vegetation next to trail. Trails must be left clear of debris.

If the 100-Mile Horse Trail runs through or is adjacent to the Area, (refer to Area Maps), trees with trail signs must be left and trail must be left clear of debris.

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