Mechanical Site Prep Drum Chopping 12444726Q0069

Statement of Work

DIVISION 100 – General Information

1.10 Scope of Work – This is an invitation for the completion of Mechanical Site Preparation with a Double Drum Chopper for site preparation and vegetation Management in accordance with specifications and provisions of this contract. Contractors will furnish equipment, materials, tools, labor, transportation, and supervision. No materials, labor, or equipment will be furnished by the Government unless specifically identified in the Government-furnished Property Clause.

1.20 DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION –

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

Require Work - (Schedule Work Item 001)

Optional Work - (Schedule Work Item 002)

Area# Acres Treatment Area# Acres Treatment 10-1 397* Chop Twice* 32–7 246 Chop Once 11-2 35 Chop Once 32–9 48 Chop Once 11-13 75 Chop Once 32–24 21 Chop Once 11-14 45 Chop Once 35-29 43 Chop Once 45–14 113 Chop Once 35-32 17 Chop Once 45–15 55 Chop Once 62-4 31 Chop Once 45-16 44 Chop Once 62-5 20 Chop Once 45-17 21 Chop Once 62-6 56 Chop Once 45-18 75 Chop Once 62-13 14 Chop Once 45-23 27 Chop Once 62-49 23 Chop Once 59-6 44 Chop once 102-4 43 Chop Once 59-23 40 Chop Once 102-5 76 Chop Once 59-27 52 Chop Once 102-6 44 Chop Once 62-8 17 Chop Once 102-7 8 Chop Once 62-9 32 Chop Once 102-28 17 Chop Once 61-13 96 Chop Once 102-30 8 Chop Once 62-47 7 Chop Once

Total 1,175 (1,572*) acres Total 715 acres

Summary of Require and Optional Work:

Total: Required - Chop Once (1,175 acres); Chop Twice (397 acres) = 1,572 acres

Optional – Chop Once (715 acres) = 715 acres

Schedule of Work:

Period of Performance: November 16, 2026 – February 26, 2027

All possible areas are within the boundaries of the Ocala National Forest, Marion, Lake Putnam County, Florida. (See attached maps).

All areas are delineated on the ground by natural discernible features and/or roads. Buffer strips may be delineated by flagging or other means.

If the original areas listed in the above table need to be modified, the Contracting Officer reserves the right to modify those areas at the current contract price with the same type and amount of work in other areas similar in topography and conditions within the Ocala National Forest 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.

DIVISION 200 – Contractor Requirements

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS

2.10 - Equipment

All equipment proposed to be used for the work shall be of proper type, sufficient size, operated at sufficient speed, and in such mechanical condition as to meet 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.

During the performance period of the contract if the COR inspects or documents unsatisfactory equipment or equipment not meeting the contract objectives, they may order the removal and/or require replacement of the equipment. Any unsatisfactory equipment must be replaced in 48 hours.

2.20 - Safety Equipment

Tractors must be equipped with Roll-Overprotective Structures and fire extinguishers.

2.30 - Operational Specifications

2.31 - Single Chop - Areas designated on maps and on 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. 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. 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.

All brushes 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 at 4 ½ feet above the ground 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. Each row of chopping must overlap the preceding row by a minimum of 6 inches.

2.32 - Double Chop –Areas designated on the table above as “Chop Twice” will be chopped a second time a minimum of three weeks after the first chop (“Chop Once”) is completed. The equipment requirements and description of chopping described in Section 2.31 apply to the double chop areas.

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

2.40 – Order of Work

Contract work will be completed in the following order:

1. Double Chop Area 10-1

2. Recent Sale Areas (starting point is Area 11-14 progressing south). A change in order of work may be approved by the COR, remain flexible with order of work.

DIVISION 300 – RESOURCE PROTECTION

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

3.20 - 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. They shall schedule and conduct operations 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 into the area 35 feet from the edge of wetlands. See contract map for wetlands that require a 700 feet buffer from the edge. COR and Inspector can aid contractors 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.

Contractors shall remove from National Forest land any trash, cans, etc. deposited because of contracting operations.

3.30 - 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)

3.40 - 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.

3.50 - 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.

3.60 – 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.

3.65 - Access Roads –When moving from area to area, equipment must be transported on roads designated on the area map. Other access routes must be approved by the COR. The 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. 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 101-1 for 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 5 times + or -.

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