Attachment_No__1_-_SOW_PEPCO_Restoration_SOW_1_27_22.docx

SOW

Seagrass Habitat Assessment and Survey Statement of Work Boundary Channel Restoration George Washington Memorial Parkway January 2022

Introduction George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP), a unit of the National Park Service (NPS), seeks to hire a qualified contractor (Contractor) to remove non-native invasive vines and woody plants and then plant native shrubs and trees along the Boundary Channel.

The Contractor shall identify and remove non-native invasive plants per this Statement of Work (SOW) through chemical or mechanical methods for approximately 4.74 acres (3.97 acres base contract and 0.77 acres Area VA-4). After invasive plant removal work is completed the Contractor will plant 168 native shrubs and trees (122 shrubs/trees base contract and 46 shrubs/trees Area VA-4). The species and locations are identified in Figures 2 – 5 of this SOW. Restoration of this area shall be done in accordance with the appropriate cultural landscape and historic district requirements through coordination with GWMP.

Non-Native Invasive Plant Removal and Shrub/Tree Planting Invasive plant removal and planting will occur on the Virginia side (West side) of the Boundary Channel shown in Figure 1. Figures 2 – 5 show individual project areas in greater detail. The Contractor shall provide the necessary personnel, materials, services, equipment, and facilities to perform the following tasks.

Task 1. Implementation Planning.

The Contractor shall participate in half-day planning meeting/site meeting at GWMP, VA with NPS staff. At the planning meeting, project objectives, methods, and schedule will be discussed in detail. In addition, regulations and guidance for working within the park will be discussed. The planning meeting should be conducted within two weeks of award. The Contractor shall set-up, coordinate, and participate in progress conference calls which will generally be held monthly. The Contractor shall submit meeting notes for review and approval by NPS.

The Contractor is responsible for all project planning, schedule, traffic plan (if needed), and permits. Key project decisions shall be reported to NPS, e.g., project schedule, staging area/s, Traffic Plan, Maintenance and Monitoring activities, Health and Safety issues.

The Contractor shall obtain a Special Use Permit from the Park before commencement of fieldwork within the Park. Special use permit application should be submitted to the Park Ranger Right of Way Coordinator 30-45 days prior to initial fieldwork.

Task 2: Non-native Invasive Plant Removal.

The Contractor shall remove invasive plants per the requirements listed below. Invasive plants for Virginia are listed on the USDA and Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation web sites. The most effective removal methods (mechanical & chemical) shall be applied based on species type.

The Contractor shall remove non-native invasive plants in the highlighted project areas shown on Figures 2, 3, and 4, for VA-1, VA-2, VA-3, and VA-4, respectively. The estimated areas to be treated are summarized in Table 1. The Contractor shall use trained personnel (e.g. botanist) that are familiar with Eastern Mid-Atlantic native plants that can identify invasive species for removal and native volunteer plants for preservation. The Contractor shall conduct a site walk with an NPS representative to review the plants and species to be removed and by what method, i.e., mechanical, or chemical. The Contractor shall mark plants (flagging) during the site walk identifying specific plants for removal. The Contractor shall proceed once NPS has provided approval.

Table 1. Estimated acres for non-native plant removal.

Chemical application shall be done initially to the areas identified in the Figures 2, 3, and 4, and confirmed during the site visit with NPS personnel. A second application shall be done a year later to plants not killed by the first application. Applications of herbicides shall only be done by personnel having a current Pesticide Applicator Certification. The Contractor shall submit copies of all licenses and certificates necessary for complying with Federal, State, and Municipal laws, codes, and regulations. Warning flags or other appropriate signage shall be posted warning people herbicides have been applied. The warning shall be removed one week later. Table 2 lists potential invasive plants that may be encountered in the project areas. This list does not include all invasives that may be encountered. No forbs, ferns or grasses are required to be treated.

Vines

Clematis terniflora (Yam-leaved Clematis) Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle) Ampelopsis brevipedunculata (Porcelain berry) Celastrus orbiculatus (Oriental bittersweet) Hedera helix (English Ivy)

Shrubs

Lonicera maackii (Bush honeysuckle)

Trees

Ailanthus altissima, (Tree of Heaven) Koelreuteria paniculata (Golden raintree) Styphnolobium (Sophora) japonicum (Japanese pagoda tree) Malus sp. (Crab apple) Pyrus calleryana (Bradford pear)

Table 2. List of potential invasive plants to remove in project area.

Treatments that may be used are cut stump treatments, basal bark treatment or the variant “hack-and-squirt”, and foliar spray. The Contractor shall report to NPS the appropriate method and how it will be applied to various invasive plants. Tree of heaven trees are an example of where the hack-and-squirt method should be applied (very limited number of tree of heavens exist in project area). Trees treated in this manner shall be cut down a year later once it has had time to die. In general, all plant material that has died due to treatment shall be cut down.

Cut plant material from mechanical treatment and dead plants from chemical treatment shall be disposed of in the following manner. Small material and branches shall be cut up into lengths less than 6 feet and scattered on site away from any roadway to avoid any unsightly debris piles by motorists. Trees (limbs and trucks) greater than 6 inches diameter shall be disposed at Dangerfield Island approximately 10 miles away from the project site.

The Contractor shall provide the park a list of all herbicides they plan to use on site by completing the Pesticide Use Proposal Form (PUPS), Attachment 1. The herbicides must be approved by NPS Region Office before they can be used. PUPs application approval can take 30 days or more, so plan accordingly to meet the project schedule.

The Pesticide Use Log at the bottom of the PUP shall be completed after application of the herbicides. The Pesticide Use Log shall be submitted to the park by the end of the calendar year for every year pesticides are used. Alternate formats for the information submittal are permitted but shall be cleared with NPS first.

Use and storage of hazardous materials shall be in accordance with manufacturer’s and OSHA 29CFR1926 Subpart D requirements. MSDS/Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for each chemical shall be maintained and readily available on site. Contractor shall immediately report all spills of hazardous materials to the Government.

Hazardous wastes are defined in 40 CFR 261. Hazardous wastes that are produced as a result of performing Work under this Contract shall be handled, stored, transported, and disposed of according to 40 CFR 262, where applicable. Contractor shall prevent hazardous wastes from entering the ground, drainage areas, and surface waters and immediately notify the Government of hazardous material spills.

Task 3: Planting.

The Contractor shall plant a total of 168 native shrubs and trees (122 shrubs/trees base contract and 46 shrubs/trees Area VA-4). The plants are broken out by area in Table 3.

Area

Viburnum prunifolium

Quercus alba

Ilex opaca

Cornus amomum

Cercis canadensis

Acer saccharinum

Platanus occidentailis

Nyssa sylvatica

Table 3. Plant species and totals by project area.

Contractor shall schedule a pre-construction meeting with NPS at least seven (7) days before beginning work to review any questions the Contractor may have regarding the work, administrative procedures during construction and project work schedule.

PLANTS SPECIFICATION:

Traffic Control: If traffic control measures are needed, then the Contractor report those measures to NPS and include them in the SUP (see Section VI – I).

3. Standards and measurement: Provide plants of quantity, size, genus, species, and variety as shown and scheduled in contract documents.

3.1. Plant Size: Shrubs shall be 5-gallon in size and trees shall be 2 – 3 inches in caliper.

3.2. All plants including the root ball dimensions or container size to trunk caliper ratio shall conform to ANSI Z60.1 “American Standard for Nursery Stock” latest edition, unless modified by provisions in this specification. When there is a conflict between this specification and ANSI Z60.1, this specification section shall be considered correct.

3.3. Compliance: All trees shall comply with federal and state laws and regulations requiring observation for plant disease, pests, and weeds. Observation certificates required by law shall accompany each shipment of plants.

3.4. Plant Quality:

3.4.1. Provide healthy stock, grown in a nursery and reasonably free of die-back, disease, insects, eggs, bores, and larvae. At the time of planting all plants shall have a root system, stem, and branch form that will not restrict normal growth, stability, and health for the expected life of the plant

3.5. Planting Soil and Mulch

3.5.1.1. Contractor shall only use the native soil used to dig the hole. Excess soil shall be disposed of off-site.

3.5.1.2. No mulch shall be used.

3.6. Tree Staking and Guying Materials

3.6.1.1. Stakes shall be lodge pole stakes free of knots and of diameters and lengths appropriate to the size of plant as required to adequately support the plant.

3.6.1.2. Stakes shall be kept in place for 2 years and then tree ties and stakes shall be removed.

Execution

3.7. Soil Protection During Planting

3.7.1. Protect soil from compaction during the delivery of plants to the planting locations, digging of planting holes and installing plants.

3.8. Installation of Plants

3.8.1. Observe each plant prior to installation for damage of other characteristics that may cause rejection of the plant. Notify NPS of any condition observed.

3.8.2. All plants shall be planted and watered on the same day.

3.8.3. Excavation of the Planting Space: Using hand tools or tracked mini-excavator, excavate the planting hole into the Planting Soil to the depth of the root ball measured after any root ball modification to correct root problems, and wide enough for working room around the root ball or as noted below.

3.8.3.1. For trees and shrubs planted in soil areas that are NOT tilled or otherwise modified to a depth of at least 12 inches over a distance of more than 10 feet radius from each tree, or 5 feet radius from each shrub, the soil around the root ball shall be loosened as defined below or as indicated on the drawings.

3.8.3.2. The area of loosening shall be a minimum of 3 times the diameter of the root ball at the surface sloping to 2 times the diameter of the root ball at the depth of the root ball.

3.8.3.3. Loosening is defined as digging into the soil and turning the soil to reduce the compaction. The soil does not have to be removed from the hole, just dug, lifted, and turned. Lifting and turning may be accomplished with a tracked mini excavator, or hand shovels.

3.8.4. If motorized equipment is used to deliver plants to the planting area over exposed planting beds, or used to loosen the soil or dig the planting holes, all soil that has been driven over shall be repaired per specification is Section V General Provisions.

3.8.5. Set top outer edge of the root ball at the average elevation of the proposed finish. Set the plant plumb and upright in the center of the planting hole. The tree graft, if applicable, shall be visible above the grade. Do not place soil on top of the root ball.

3.8.6. Backfill the space around the root ball with existing soil that was excavated for the planting space.

3.8.7. Build a 4-inch high, level berm of soil around the outside of the root ball to retain water. Tamp the berm to reduce leaking and erosion of the saucer.

3.8.8. Thoroughly water the soil and root ball immediately after planting.

3.8.9. Remove all nursery plant identification tags and ribbons as per NPS’s instructions.

Task 4: Watering and Maintenance.

4. Watering and Maintenance

4.1. The Contractor shall be fully responsible to ensure that adequate water is provided to all plants (trees and shrubs) from the point of installation until the date of sufficiently complete in accordance with the SOW. Plants shall be watered upon initial installation.

4.1.1. The Contractor shall notify NPS prior to each watering event.

4.2. The Contractor shall install 25-gallon watering bag for each tree to be maintained.

4.3. The Contractor shall use approved areas to pull off and not disrupt traffic. Lane closures are not to be used for watering and maintenance.

Task 5: Project Completion Report.

The Contractor shall prepare a Final Project Completion Report that summarizes all activities. The report shall at a minimum include;

· Project Summary,

· Invasive plants treated, areas treated, dates, amount of chemicals applied,

· Estimate of total plant material (lbs.) removed and list of species,

· Numbers, species, and location of plants planted and dates of field work,

· Description of actual watering and maintenance activities conducted with dates of activities,

· Pictures of restored areas (before and after), and

· Issues identified with resolutions.

The draft Project Completion Report should be completed within 30 days following the last field activity. The final Project Completion Report should be completed within two weeks of receipt of NPS comments on the draft report.

Area Va-4 (separate bid line item), Non-native Invasive Removal and Planting Task 8: Addition Non-Native Invasive Plant Removal and Planting (Area VA-4).

Award of Area VA-4 is dependent on availability of funds. The Contractor shall conduct non-native invasive plant removal and planting per the specification described in Task 4 and 5, for the additional Area VA-4 shown in Figure 5. The Contractor can assume the work will be accomplished at the same time as areas VA-1, VA-2, and VA-3. The Contractor shall conduct watering per Task 6 to area VA-4 if awarded. The Contractor shall incorporate VA-4 into any planning activities and the Project Completion Report (Task 7).

Task Schedule

TASK NUMBER

ACTIVITY

DUE DATE

2nd application Jul/Aug 23

General Provisions

1. Verification:

All scaled dimensions on the drawings are approximate. Before proceeding with any work, the Contractor shall carefully check and verify all dimensions and quantities, and shall immediately inform NPS of any discrepancies between the information on the drawings and the actual conditions, refraining from doing any work in said areas until given approval to do so by NPS.

2. Contractor Services for Performance Monitoring:

The Contractor shall furnish necessary personnel, material, equipment, services, and facilities, to perform this SOW.

3. Work Area:

Contractor shall confine his work, the storage of materials and equipment, the parking of vehicles, and all other operations in connection with this contract to the areas approved by the COR. The public ways shall not be encumbered with any of the above or any unusual traffic situations created by reason of operations under this contract without the approval of the COR.

4. Responsibility Regarding Existing Plant Material and Other Landscape Features:

The Contractor shall adequately protect the work, adjacent property, and the public, and shall be responsible for any damages or injury due to his/her actions. The Contractor shall preserve and protect all existing vegetation such as trees, shrubs, and grass on or adjacent to the work areas. The Contractor shall be responsible for all unauthorized cutting or damage to trees and shrubs, including damage resulting from careless operation of equipment, stockpiling of materials, or tracking of grass and other surfaced areas by equipment. Such damaged areas or materials shall be restored, repaired, or replaced by the Contractor, as directed by the COR, at no expense to NPS prior to Initial Acceptance. Irreparable damage to trees will be subject to liquidated damages. The Contractor will be held responsible for any damages to, and for maintenance and protection of existing utilities and structures.

5. Planting around utilities:

a. Contractor shall examine, where appropriate, the civil, record, and survey drawings to become familiar with the existing underground conditions before digging.

b. Determine location of underground utilities and perform work in a manner that will avoid possible damage. Hand excavate, as required. Maintain grade stakes set by others until parties concerned mutually agree upon removal.

c. Notification of Local Utility Locator Service is required for all planting areas: The Contractor is responsible for knowing the location and avoiding utilities that are not covered by the Local Utility Locator Service.

6. Archeological discoveries:

In the event archeological resources are discovered during the project, work must cease until GWMP Cultural Resources Management is able to assess the impact and give clearance to proceed.

7. Correction of Work:

The Contractor, at their own cost, shall re-execute any work that fails to conform to the requirements of the contract and shall remedy defects due to faulty materials or workmanship upon written notice from NPS, at the soonest as possible time that can be coordinated with other work and seasonal weather demands.

8. Turf Repair:

The Contractor shall repair turf loss due to damage caused during implementation of this scope of work.

a. Topsoil shall be a screened, natural, surface soil, in a friable condition and contain less than 3 percent subsoil. The topsoil shall be free of hardpan material, stones, and clods larger than 1/2 inch in diameter, sticks, tree or shrub roots, debris, toxic substances (i.e., residual herbicides) and other material detrimental to plant growth. The area and the topsoil shall be free of plant or plant parts of undesirable plants such as, but not limited to, bermudagrass, nut sedge, mugwort, johnson grass, quack grass, Canada thistle or noxious weeds as set forth in the Federal Seed Act.

b. Topsoil shall be applied to fill depressions and/or blend final grades to the compaction depth. The contractor shall take appropriate precautions to provide firmness of the soil without compaction to avoid differential settlement after final.

c. All seed varieties shall be on the current Maryland Department of Agriculture Agronomy Mimeo 77 or the current Virginia Turfgrass Variety Recommendation List as published by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

d. All seed shall have: a minimum purity of 98%, and a minimum germination of 85% and be certified free of Poa trivialis, timothy, bentgrass, Canada bluegrass, tall fescue, dock, cheat, chess, chickweed, plantain, crabgrass, bermudagrass and black medic. Fluorescence for perennial ryegrass shall not exceed three (3) percent.

e. Seed shall be delivered in original containers showing analysis of seed mixture, percentage of pure seed, year of production, net weight, date of packaging and location of packaging. Damaged packages are not acceptable.

f. Turf Type Tall Fescue mixture shall be a 90% certified mixture of certified Turf-type Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea) consisting of 3 varieties of which no variety exceeds 40% or is less than 20%, and 10% Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis). Generally recommended Seeding Dates: 4/1-5/15, 9/1-11/1.

g. Seeded areas shall be maintained by the contractor until a grass coverage of 95% is established.

9. Adverse Weather Conditions:

No planting shall take place during extremely hot, dry, windy, heavy rain, or freezing weather.

10. Clean-Up:

a. During installation, keep the site free of trash, pavements reasonably clean and work area in an orderly condition at the end of each day. Remove trash and debris in containers from the site no less than once a week.

a. Immediately clean up any spilled or tracked soil, fuel, oil, trash or debris deposited by the Contractor from all surfaces within the project or on public right of ways and neighboring property.

b. Once installation is complete, wash all soil from pavements and other structures. Ensure that all tags and flagging tape are removed from the site.

c. Make all repairs to grades, ruts, and damage by the plant installer to the work or other work at the site.

d. Remove and dispose of all excess soil, plants, packaging, and other material brought to the site by the Contractor.

11. Traffic Lane Closures:

If lane closures are required for tree delivery, the Contractor shall determine how often (days, locations, how many lanes, and duration) they will need the space in road to make the tree deliveries and if they are unloading in the same spot or many spots. The lane closures under a permit will require a management of traffic (MOT) plan (MUTCD standards to include devices such as a crash attenuators and arrow boards) and schedule during non-rush periods to be provided so NPS can review and approve. US Park Police may be required to be present based on the location of the lane closure. Lane closures shall be performed during non-rush hour traffic between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or potentially on weekends.

12. Final Acceptance of Work:

a. At the end of the Maintenance period NPS will observe the work and establish that all provisions of the contract are complete, and the work is satisfactory.

i. If the work is satisfactory, the maintenance period will end on the date of the final observation.

ii. If the work is deemed unsatisfactory, the maintenance period will continue at no additional expense to NPS until the work has been completed, observed, and approved by NPS.

iii. Acceptance by NPS will be for general conformance to specified size, character and quality and not relieve the Contractor of responsibility for full conformance to the contract documents, including correct species.

iv. Any plants that are deemed defective as defined under the provisions in this SOW shall not be accepted.

b. Contractor’s Quality Assurance Responsibilities: The Contractor is solely responsible for quality control of the work.

13. Period of Performance:

NPS anticipates the period of performance for this Contract to be thirty-six (36) months.

14. NPS Project Officials:

The following is a list of project officials that will be associated with this Task Order:

· Contracting Officer (CO)- Tim Wind:

E-Mail Address- Tim_Wind@nps.gov Telephone Number-(303) 969-2070

· Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)-Todd Lanning:

E-Mail Address- todd_lanning@nps.gov Telephone Number-(970) 225-3523

· GWMP Project Manager-Brent Steury E-Mail address- brent_steury@nps.gov Telephone Number- (703) 289-2541

Attachments

1. Pesticide Use Proposal Form (PUPS)

2. Recommended Procedures

TECHNICAL AND COST PROPOSALS

Separate technical and cost proposals shall be submitted. Technical proposals should include:

· a brief narrative on the proposed approach to the wetland enhancement requirement described in this SOW,

· a brief narrative on the institutional capacity (e.g., staff, equipment) to efficiently complete a project of this size and duration, and

· statements responding to the technical evaluation criteria (described in Section IV).

Cost proposals shall be itemized according to task, and should include detailed information on:

· labor categories cross-referenced with key personnel, levels-of-effort per labor category,

· labor category rates, and

· options shall be prepared as a stand-alone cost estimates including all the items listed here.

This detailed breakdown shall be provided for all project work elements and for all members of the Contractor team, including subcontractors.

Figure 1. Locations of Potomac River Boundary Channel Restoration Project, Arlington, Virginia.

Figure 2. VA-1 Invasive removal (location is indicated by the shaded area around the trees) and planting plan.

Figure 3. VA-2 Invasive removal (location is indicated by the shaded area around the trees) and planting plan.

Figure 4. VA-3 Invasive removal (location is indicated by the shaded area around the trees) and planting plan.

Figure 5. VA-4 Invasive removal (location is indicated by the shaded area around the trees) and planting plan.

2 | Page image1.jpeg image2.jpg image3.jpg image4.jpg image5.jpg