Statement of Work.doc

STATEMENT OF WORK

FOR

FIRE BREAK MAINTENANCE, TIMBER STAND IMPROVEMENT, REFORESTATION, AND BURN PIT

PART 1 GENERAL

1.1 Project Scheduling: The contractor will coordinate work schedule with the Base Forester. The services to be performed will be as needed throughout the fiscal year and as funding is available through the fiscal year. Access to the Grand Bay Weapons Range will have to be coordinated with the Base Forester and Range Control. The contractor will need to keep a Range radio (supplied by Base Forester) while working on the range to coordinate access and communicate with Range control. Work conducted on the range will have to work around the military schedule which limits access on most weekdays. Access to the range is most available on weekends, holidays, designated no-fly days, 2 weeks in the spring, 2 weeks in the fall, and often a half day on Fridays. Otherwise, weekday access is very limited, but this is subject to change from day to day.

1.2 Project Scope: Work consists of furnishing all labor, maintenance equipment/tools, materials/supplies and protective equipment required to perform the following actions on timberlands located on main base and Grand Bay Range.

a. Maintenance of existing firebreaks and creating new fire breaks using a rubber tire tractor with a root rake (tractor should be sufficient in size similar to a Case 621 for example). This work will mostly involve using the root rake teeth to rake limbs, litter, roots and debris off the upper surface of the existing firebreaks and periodically moving the debris to the sides of the firebreaks leaving mostly bare soil on the surface of the fire break. In addition, designated dead snags will need to be pushed over away from the break when they are close to the break. Also, small trees and bushes that are encroaching into the fire break from the sides will need to be pushed out away from the fire break. Limbs or trees fallen across the break will also have to be pushed out of the breaks using the root rake while minimizing soil disturbance. Occasionally, new firebreaks (8-10 feet wide usually) will need to be created with the root rake through existing woodland which will require uprooting saw palmetto, small trees and bushes.

b. Maintenance of existing firebreaks using a farm tractor (70 hp min.) and a harrow (7 ft. wide min.). This harrowing work will be done on firebreaks that have been maintained in recent years, but have since become covered in pine straw, grasses, leaves, and small sticks. The harrowing will be done on the surface enough to leave the surface with mostly bare soil sufficient to stop a creeping prescribed fire under calm weather conditions.

c. Perform mowing (bush hogging) with farm tractor of middles between tree rows in pine plantations of natural pine volunteers and hardwood saplings, as well as mowing the brush on shoulders adjacent to woods roads and fire breaks where designated by the Base Forester.

d. Perform road maintenance and/or minor road reconstruction activities on logging roads that may have been slightly damaged or severely rutted due to timber harvesting operations or other activities performed under the direction of the Base Forester.

e. Perform emergency type services such as debris clean-up from storms using rubber tire tractor and root rake, and possible assistance in wildfire suppression with rubber tire tractor or crawler tractor.

f. Perform hazard tree removals when administrative decisions require immediate attention (to be negotiated with CEO as needed on a case by case basis).

g. Usually one time per year (maybe 2 times per year), construct a burn pit 30 feet long, 9 feet wide and 8-10 feet deep with a track hoe in an area designated by the Base Forester. An air curtain destructor will be rented by CEO and setup on site adjacent to the burn pit under the direction of the Base Forester. The contractor will need to supply diesel fuel to keep the air curtain destructor running approximately 8-10 hours per day (machine uses about 5 gallons per hour). The contractor will need to feed the burn pit with already accumulated landscape debris on site, using a track hoe with a thumb. In conjunction, a rubber tire tractor with root rake should be used and supplied as need by the contractor to move debris around closer to the track hoe and shake out dirt when needed. When completed, fill in burn pit if deemed necessary by the Base Forester.

h. Root Raking/Piling: Perform site preparation activities involving piling debris with a root rake and rubber tire tractor (similar in size to a Case 621 tractor for example) into round piles or small windrows while minimizing the soil in piles. Also, root rake logging debris near old loading ramps (0.2-0.5) acre into several round piles away from standing trees where they can be safely burned at later date.

i. Roller Drum Chopping: Perform roller drum chopping in either site preparation operations or beneath existing mature timber to chop down brush and small hardwoods.

j. Perform machine tree planting of containerized longleaf pine on site prepared areas (usually at 605 trees/acre approximately).

k. Perform hand planting of containerized longleaf pine, or bare root slash pine or bare root loblolly pine (usually at 605 trees/acre approximately).

l. Perform machine planting of bare root slash or loblolly pine seedlings on site prepared areas at approximately 605 trees/acre.

PART 2 – PROJECT DETAILS

1. All the above work will be accomplished in a timely manner, and in a quality that meets with

Air Force standards. A Natural Resources Management Element employee will monitor all work operations on a periodic basis and will report to the Element Chief, or his representative, the status and progress of the job being performed.

PART 3 – SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

1. The contractor and the Base Forester shall jointly perform an inspection of the work site prior to work commencement. Exact location and specific duties shall be verified during this inspection.

2. After completion of each work operation, the Base Forester who will serve as the Natural Resources management Element representative will inspect the contractor’s performance to assure all job duties were accomplished to his satisfaction.