PWS_-_Okefenokee_NWR_Hazard_Fuel_Reduction_Project.pdf

United States Department of the Interior

Fish and Wildlife Service

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge 2700 Suwannee Canal Road

Folkston, Georgia 31537

(912) 496-7366

OKEFENOKEE NWR HAZARDOUS FUELS MITIGATION PROJECTS- PWS

Contract Specifications:

Furnish equipment with operator, other labor, supplies and materials to complete mechanical clearing of all vegetation to 6 inch below ground surface to eliminated hazardous fuels within the specified areas and provide acceptable clearance near park facilities & private property to allow future prescribed burning.

The two total project areas are approximately 40 acres in size.

The objective of this project is to reduce the risk of destructive wildland fire thru the mechanical treatment and reduction of hazardous fuels accumulations. The two project treatment areas are in management units that present unique constraints to fire management operations due to the proximity of park improvements and adjacent private lands. The resulting fuel reduction from this project will improve the refuges’ ability to safely conduct prescribed burning and wildfire suppression operations in the treated areas while improving and restoring critical upland habitat for red cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise, and indigo snake.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT LOCATION:

Understory fuels treatments totaling 40 acres are required within the scope of this project. Treatment areas are located within Compartments 1 and 8 of the refuge (figure 1). Additional acres may be included if funding is available.

Fuels will be treated by mowing or mastication of understory shrub component within designated management units of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The primary vegetative community represented within the treatment areas is mesic pine flatwoods with mature loblolly / longleaf pine overstory. The understory typically has heavy accumulations of shrub vegetation composed of saw palmetto, gallberry, woody shrubs and grape vines forming a dense, continuous understory cover ranging 4 to 15 feet in height. Fuels will be mowed as close as possible to the ground surface (≤6 inches) without actually penetrating the soil. All longleaf pine, saplings thru mature trees, will be excluded from cutting.

The effort required to meet project quality standards may vary throughout the treatment areas depending upon understory fuel density, accessibility to treatment area and proximity of sensitive features or resources. Only Low Ground Pressure equipment (less than 5 lb/ft²) will be considered for use on this project.

Compartment 1, unit 0111 (5700 Okefenokee Swamp Park Rd, Waycross, GA 31503)

Compartment 1 treatments will involve mowing or mastication of understory shrub component within management subunit 0111 totaling 12 acres (figure 1). The treatment area is located on west side of the service road adjacent to private lands on which the Swamp Park facilities and operations occur. The park will remain open to the visiting public during treatment operations.

Access to and from subunit 0111 treatment area will be from the Swamp Park Road and the Swamp Park maintenance access road. These roads will be utilized for ingress and egress from the treatment area only.

Equipment staging areas will be identified to the selected bidder prior to work commencement.

Compartment 8, units 0866, 0865, 0867 (17515 Highway 177 Fargo, GA 31631)

Total treatment area is 28 acres (figures 2). There are three different management subunits within Compartment 8 that are identified for mechanical fuels treatment. Units 0866, 0865, & 0867 are all located within the boundaries of Stephen Foster State Park. The objective in fuel reduction within the park is to increase the safety of park visitors and facilities. Due to park visitors and facilities, sewer lines, cable, etc mulching in this unit will have to be done with extreme care.

Access to Compartment 8 treatment areas will be from GA Highway 177. Staging areas for equipment and transports will be identified during onsite inspection and/or prior to commencement of work.

Treatment area boundaries and exclusion areas within treatment areas will be clearly delineated prior to commencement of treatment operations. Location of all infrastructure improvements including all buried, surface level and aerial: electrical, phone, water, cable, gas and sewer lines will be identified. Designated refuge personnel will coordinate with the selected contractor on a regular basis to insure that treatment objectives are being met and to address any logistical or operational problems. Due to the high visitation at this remote park, the start date of work commencement would have to be discuss.

DESCRIPTION OF WORK:

Work will be performed to mechanically to cut and grind all vegetation, shrub, small pines and hardwood trees less than 10 inches in diameter inside the two project areas. Reduce and remove fuels, particularly ladder fuels. Mastication of dead and down woody material along with mastication of understory and trees less than 10 inches will be completed on the 35 acre sites.

Reference the attached map for a detailed location of work. The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Technical Field Representative (TFR) will designate with flagging or other means the location for the work to be completed. No boundary tress or survey witness trees or markers are to be cut or damaged.

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS: All equipment proposed to accomplish 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 satisfactory results.

The equipment on site should be equal to brand name machinery such as “John Deere”, or “Caterpillar” with heavy-duty mulching head capable of mulching/masticating trees up to 10-inch diameter measured at ground level. Equipment should be high flotation low ground-pressure and have a minimum horsepower of 190 capable of cutting 6 to 8 inch trees, and grinding 6 inches below surface.

CONITIONS OF WORK:

The four treatment areas are all within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Due to the sensitive nature of the habitat on this property the selected contractor will be required to follow certain guidelines:

1. Contractor will provide and have on site a portable hazardous spill containment kit(s). In the event of a fuel, oil, or other hazardous spill the contractor should immediately contact refuge staff and do all possible to contain and stop the leak.

2. Many fragile plant and animal species occur in each of the treatment areas. A refuge staff person will orient the operator to those species before work is to begin and care should be taken to avoid them when possible.

3. All trash from the equipment (oil containers, paper, parts containers, etc) should be removed from the property each day.

4. The equipment being used should contain at least one fire extinguisher at all times. If a fire is started by the equipment the refuge fire management office should be notified immediately.

5. All equipment working on the refuge will be equipped with a functioning backup warning device.

6. Refuge staff will verify the number of acres that were treated by the contractor.

7. All mechanical equipment brought onto the refuge must be thoroughly cleaned prior to arrival for the prevention of exotic plant introduction. Refuge staff will inspect all machinery before work commences.

8. All roads, streams, fields, rights of way, and openings will be kept clear of debris.

9. All Refuge wildlife is protected and must not be harmed or harassed.

10. Oil and fuel spills must be promptly cleaned to the Refuge or Park satisfaction. Even minor spills should be reported to the Refuge

11. Cutting operations will not be permitted when wet ground conditions result in ground rutting or erosion. The contractor will fill in all ruts or erosion damage when requested by the Refuge representative.

12. The Refuge Manager shall have the authority to temporarily halt all operations at any point due to inclement weather or for other pertinent reasons. Additional time equal to the shutdown period may be extended to the contractor.

13. Trash burning and warming fires are not permitted.

14. Contractor shall take all precautions necessary to minimize damage to roads, culverts, stream crossings, gates, signs, and other Park or Refuge property.

15. Contractor shall minimize scarring or other damage to mature trees. Trees which are significantly injured as a result of carelessness shall be paid for at double the current market value.

16. The Refuge reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

17. A pre-entry conference between the Refuge representative and the selected contractor is required prior to any mowing operations. The Refuge will make arrangements for this meeting. The purpose of the meeting will be to review the conditions of the terms, and to clarify and answer any questions either party may have.

18. Contractor will not harass or disturb any wildlife. All gopher tortoise burrows will be avoided.

19. The contractor will notify refuge or park personnel immediately if a suspected cultural site is discovered during operations. Removal or disturbance of culturally and/or historically significant items will not be permitted. Theft or wanton disturbance or destruction of cultural and/or historical artifacts is a federal offence.

20. A mulching machine is to be used that will spread the chips across the work area.

21. The contractor will have responsibility for any property damage done during the contract period.

22. It shall be the responsibility of the contractor to haul the equipment to the site and remove it at the end of the project

23. The contractor shall be responsible for providing fuel and operator on a daily basis.

24. Contractor must be prepared to commence operations within 30 days of accepting the award for mechanically fuel reduction. The actual start date will be negotiated based on soil moisture conditions at the job site and park visitation. The project will be completed within a period of three months. The contractor may be issued an extension due to weather or other circumstances beyond contractor's control

25. If there are any changes to the contract a modification must be completed first. All changes must be within the general scope of the contract. John Doe, Contracting Officer Representative shall issue and sign all modifications to the contract. Once the change has been negotiated, the COR shall prepare a contract modification and have it signed by the contractor.

The project is not complete until the Contracting Officer Representative signs the Release of Claim form accepting the project.

The primary contact for the project is:

Project Inspector: Reginald Forcine, FMO, USFWS Work 912-496-7366 Ext 237 E-mail: reginald__forcine@fws.gov Cell 912-614-4041 Fax 912-496-3332

It is highly recommended that all prospective bidders examine the areas thoroughly before bidding.

Arrangements for inspection of the hazardous fuel reduction areas may be made by contacting Refuge FMO Reginald Forcine, 2700 Suwannee Canal Road, Folkston, GA 31537 or by telephone 912-614-4041 or 912-496-7366, Ext. 237. Inspections can be completed on (Dates) TBD mailto:reginald__forcine@fws.gov

OKEFENOKEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE FUELS REDUCTION PROJECT MAPS:

Figure 1

Figure 2