Attachment1.pdf

Service RFP

MRD – Site Prep

SECTION C--DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

DIVISION 100 - GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

100 - SCOPE OF CONTRACT

A) The objective of this contract is to have site preparation (felling work using approved equipment such as chainsaws, brush cutters or other hand tools) and any resulting required slash disposal work accomplished in designated units on the Marienville Ranger District of the Allegheny National Forest.

The Marienville Ranger District. The Marienville Ranger District is located South of Route

666. The district is bordered by borough of Tionesta on the West the Town of Wilcox on the East and the Clarion River to the south.

B) This solicitation requires tree felling, slash treatment, and related work in compliance with its terms, specifications, and provisions. The work will occur in forested units that may vary in tree size and densities. The work sometimes follows a timber harvest and may require working in logging slash. The dense stocking and/or slash can impede walking and working with chainsaw or brush cutting equipment. Contract work in some project units will result in large numbers of undesirable stems being felled. The contractor shall furnish operating supplies, tools, labor, equipment, transportation, supervision, and incidentals needed to successfully complete the units.

110 – ACCESS

Project units may be reached by Forest Roads that are accessible by standard pickup during the normal working season. There may be some units which may require foot travel for access. The Government assumes no obligation to plow snow or do special maintenance to keep roads open. (In instances of severe blowdown blocking road access, the Forest Service shall be notified.) The Contractor is responsible for any damage caused by their operations. Some project units may be on a gated road and require signing out a key with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

Keys will be made available to successful offerors at the post award prework meeting.

111- IDENTIFICATION OF PROJECT

Unit boundaries are marked by existing painted two or three stripe. In some cases if the paint is no longer visible, “orange” ribbon/flagging marks the boundary, unless the unit is fenced in which the fence will be the boundary and protected areas will be flagged on the interior of the fence. (In some cases, fence perimeters may not be the boundary. Those units will have special instructions addressed on the unit map and in the Project Specification Table.

Units will be identified by orange cards with Project Title & Unit number(s) identified, see card example below. All cards will be read, ensured they are at the correct location and initialed by the Contractor or Contractor’s Representative (CR) prior to starting work in the unit. This is to ensure that contractor is at correct unit.

Example of Project/Unit identification card. The contractor must sign to acknowledge they are at a correct unit prior to start of project work:

120 – SAFETY

It is the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that the work environment is safe for themselves as well as their employees. If the contractor feels that a requirement of this contract would place them or their employees in an unsafe environment, then work should stop on that unit and the contractor should contact the COR immediately. Work on other units of the contract that the contractor does not view as unsafe should continue.

The contractor is required to follow all applicable OSHA standards while working on the job site.

In addition, the successful contractor and employees are required to wear and use the following personal protective safety equipment/clothing to include a hardhat, leg and foot protection, ear protection, eye protection and hand protection while working the project.

130 – NOTIFICATION

The Contractor is required to keep the COR currently informed of their work schedule and physical location of their work force to permit ready location and timely inspection of accomplished work.

The contractor shall also notify the contracting officer at least weekly of the progress being attained on this project. This notification can be either e-mail, oral or written.

DIVISION 200 - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

200 – SPECIES REQUIRING TREATMENT

201- Desirable Species: The following desirable species are to be protected: All oak species, yellow poplar, cucumber, white ash, red maple, sugar maple, black cherry, basswood, all hickory species, butternut, American chestnut, black walnut, red pine, white pine, and hemlock. Care shall be taken to not damage or cut Desirable Species, unless otherwise noted in the Project Specification table by the COR.

202- Vegetation to be cut:

1) Striped Maple (Acer pensylvanicum): All live Striped Maple of any diameter which is taller than 1foot in height shall be felled and completely severed from the stump.

2) American Beech (Fagus grandifolia): All live beech taller than 1 foot in height and less than

6.0 inches in diameter at a point 4.5 feet (breast height) above the ground shall be felled and completely severed from the stump.

3) Pin (Fire) Cherry (Prunus pensylvanica): All live Pin Cherry of any diameter which is taller than 1 foot in height shall be felled and completely severed from the stump.

4) Black (Sweet) Birch (Betula lenta) and Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis): All live birch taller than 1 foot in height and less than 6.0 inches in diameter at a point 4.5 feet (breast height) above the ground shall be felled and completely severed from the stump. (Follow above instructions, unless otherwise informed by the COR or designated on the task order project specifications table.)

5) Blue Beech (Carpinus caroliniana) and Ironwood (Ostrya virginiana): All live Blue beech and Ironwood of any diameter which is taller than 1 foot in height shall be felled and completely severed from the stump. (Follow above instructions, unless otherwise informed by the COR or designated on the task order project specifications table.)

6) Other Competing Tree Species: Other live tree species may be identified in an individual Task Order to be cut.

7) Non Native Invasive Species (NNIS): All NNIS greater than 1 foot in height encountered inside the contract area boundary must be completely severed from the stump within 6 inches of the ground. NNIS species include: Amur honeysuckle, Autumn olive, Bell’s honeysuckle, Marrow’s honeysuckle, Tartarian honeysuckle, Oriental bittersweet, Tree of Heaven, Multiflora rose, Border privet, Common barberry, Japanese barberry, Common buckthorn, Common privet, European privet, Glossy buckthorn, Japanese Barberry, and Winged euonymus.

Note: 1) There may be minor changes to these species in certain units (ie: no birch cut in a particular unit or red maple to be cut in a unit). Any changes that apply to specific units will be identified in the Project Specification Table. 2) There may be units where we cut competing vegetation only if it is 5 foot or higher (as opposed to 1 foot or higher). These units will be identified by their task number which is detailed in the project specifications table.

210 - STUMP HEIGHTS

Stump heights shall be a maximum of 6 inches, unless designated in writing by the COR. Stump sprouts (multiple stems) will be cut as close to the ground as possible. Stumps will be cut in a manner which results in a flat (parallel with the ground) surface. Angular stump cuts will not be allowed.

220 - BOUNDARY TREES

Boundary trees are not to be felled unless specified by the COR. Unit boundary trees are usually marked with an orange painted 3 stripe on the trees. Flagging may also be utilized to indicate the boundary of the project unit. The flagging will usually be orange; however, in some cases the flagging may be a different color. If a different color is used it will be addressed by the COR in the project specification table.

Trees attached to fences and any stems on a red blazed FS property boundary line are not to be felled.

230 – SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

231 - Other trees marked with marking paint, unit boundary flagging, enclosed in tree shelters, or attached to fencing shall not be felled unless otherwise indicated by the COR.

232- Only live trees will be cut; all snags encountered will be retained unless they are a hazard to contractor safety.

233 - Lodged (hung up trees) shall be pulled or cut down to meet slash disposal requirements as discussed in section 240, 241 & 242.

240 - SLASH DISPOSAL

All units will be treated without lopping unless indicated with the appropriate Task Number on the project specification table. Felled slash shall be removed from recreational trail and private land. Felled slash shall be removed from pipelines, powerlines, well openings, ditch lines, ditch banks, maintenance trails, fence maintenance trails, fences, stream courses, seep, forest roads, oil/gas roads and historic railroad grades unless otherwise approved by the COR.

There may be units in the contract where the slash disposal may be a specified distance from an improvement (trail, road, pipeline, etc.). All of these units will be identified in the project specification table.

241 – Slash disposal without lopping –

Slash shall be placed on or near the ground surface, so that it will not lean against or be suspended by an uncut tree or deer fencing. Do not pile cut trees or brush on top of desirable trees.

All preferred species trees will be released from all slash so they are standing straight up on their own.

242 – Slash disposal with Lopping –

All slash will be lopped/cut down to three feet from the ground surface.

All preferred species will be released from all slash so they are standing straight up on their own.

No slash shall be left hanging in trees and will be laid horizontal to the ground to within three feet of the ground.

250 - PROTECTION, USE, AND MAINTENANCE OF IMPROVEMENTS

Cut trees shall be felled and pulled away from pipelines, oil, gas and mineral development, wells, power lines, trails, fences, survey monuments, roads, streams, and any other improvements that may be designated by the COR. If such improvements are damaged by Contractor's Operations, Contractor shall restore them to conditions existing prior to damage.

260 – MEASUREMENT

261 - Measurement - The acreages have been measured on a horizontal plane within the established boundaries. All unit boundaries have been established using GPS technology.

262 - Remeasurement – If the Contractor feels there may be an error in measurement, they may at any time after award request remeasurement of any treatment unit. The request shall be made in writing. Remeasurement will be made on the established unit boundaries. If remeasurement indicates a variance of 10 percent or less, the Contractor shall bear the cost of remeasurement and payment will be based on the original acreage. If remeasurement indicates a variance greater than 10 percent, payment will be based on the remeasured acreage and the Government will incur the cost of remeasurement.

270 – RESERVE AREAS

Reserve Areas are exclusions within the unit boundaries that are uncut. These areas are generally designated with white three-striped paint. No trees shall be cut within these reserve areas unless they are an invasive species. Any invasive species found within the reserve area boundary shall be cut!

In rare instances a COR may require additional stems to be cut in a reserve area. Those instances will be addressed on the project specification table. All reserve areas shall be included in the total unit acreage unless otherwise noted.

290 - PROGRESSION OF WORK

A contractor will only work on one unit at a time unless they have multiple complete crews then they can work on other units after informing COR. Work has to be completed in one unit before leaving to work on another.

There may be instances when some units may be identified by the COR to be worked and completed during a specific time or in a specific order. Those units will be designated on the project specification table, or at the prework conference.