Scope of work Spring 2023 Tree Seedling Planting revised.pdf

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ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

ILLINOIS DIVISION OF FOREST RESOURCES

Reforestation Areas

Region 1 / Fulton and Peoria Counties Banner Marsh SFWA 36 acres New Tree Planting 2023

2023 Spring IDNR Reforestation Scope of Work:

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forest Resources (IDNR) seeks an experienced reforestation contractor (Contractor), having direct experience successfully planting hardwood reforestation seedlings on 15 acres or more in open fields on specified row spacings within the last 5 years and provide at least two references that verify that experience by providing owner’s name, valid phone number, mailing address and property legal description, address, or GPS coordinates. Contractor shall also have no less than two tenured (1 year+) employees that hold a valid Illinois Department of Agriculture commercial pesticide applicators license which will be checked prior to work starting. Contractor must also be an experienced reforestation herbicide applicator having treated hardwood tree planting fields to control grasses and weeds from around live hardwood seedlings and provide at least one herbicide application reference to verify this experience on 15 acres or more within the last 5 years. Contractor should provide all experience documentation at time of bid. Contractor shall own or have available all equipment necessary for mechanized planting of seedlings such as tractor/s and pull behind tree seedling planter/s.

Contractor must pick-up 26,200 live, cold-dormant 1-0 tree seedlings stock (unless otherwise noted) from Mason County State Tree Nursery, transport, handle and store, according to IDNR Technical Specification 002; plant at density of 726 seedling trees per acre in rows 10 feet apart with seedlings spaced 6 feet apart within those rows and in accordance to IDNR Technical Specification 001 in one county and location in West Central Illinois as shown in the 2 maps provided between April 1, 2023 and May 15, 2023.

Contractor is to complete installation of all seedlings, with a two man or more crew, no later than May 15 2023 and pre or post herbicide treatments with post treatments being no later than June 15 unless otherwise approved in writing by an IDNR Forester; district forester with contractor will determine whether herbicide treatments will be pre one or more weeks prior to planting or post planting prior to June 15, 2023; District Forester contacts for each site will be provided after contract is awarded; contractor shall acquire District Forester written or email approval upon planting and herbicide treatment completions; the planting of the seedlings may not be sub-contracted, and contractor will complete this scope of work in the following described sites;

Start date – April 1, 2023 or after winter frost has left soil

Banner Marsh SFWA (all three sites within ½ mile radius) 10.5-acre site (40.520532, -89.886394) 10.5-acre site (40.529701, -89.874678) 15-acre site (40.551426, -89.804912) Was previously farmed, now left to grow up. Parts are being mowed. Broom sedge, goldenrod, cocklebur, other grass. A bit of fescue (minor). Vegetation about 6”-2’ tall; Recommend mix of foliar herbicide (ie glyphosate or similar) and pre-emergent at time of planting, in rows (48” wide strips).

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Contractor must supply all herbicide products, necessary additives and adjuncts to treat up to 36 tree planting acres; apply herbicide product or product mix to planting area, during or after successfully planting of the 26,200 seedlings; use herbicide products, application rates and timing recommended, agreed or approved in writing by an IDNR Forester to suppress and control annual weed and grass competition in 4-foot-wide continuous bands centered over each 10 foot tree row or by boom spray over entire planting site without injuring trees; wear appropriate Personal Protection Equipment when applying herbicide products or mixes; assure treatment is working and effective over 70% of each application row area across at least 90% of the all treated acres by June 15, 2023 unless otherwise approved in writing by an IDNR Forester; and use only licensed herbicide products, rates and timing according to the original product labels for the target of releasing planted, live or live dormant hardwood tree seedlings from grass and aggressive weeds present or expected.

In addition to following Technical Specifications 001 and 002 the contractor must mix well all the seedling species designated for each site, before planting any sections of the field or rows on that site, so that all species designated for the site occur randomly in each row planted and are present randomly on all portions of site overall as could be measured in a typical survival check or in a random 10th of an acre plot.

Contractor is to complete installation of all 26,200 seedlings by target completion date of May 15th, 2023, unless otherwise approved, and is to pick up the seedlings from Mason Nursery just prior to planting, and notify Mason Nursery one week in advance of seedling pickup by number of seedlings for each species, Site Name, and date/time of pickup, as per the following breakdown;

The provided seedlings of the following species have been chosen, designated, and ordered specifically to be mixed and randomly placed within the following sites:

Banner Marsh SFWA Start date – no sooner than Apri 1, 2023

Banner Marsh SFWA 36 Acre Sites

Species seedling numbers White Oak 5,000 Black Walnut 2,200 Bur Oak 5,000 Overcup Oak 3,000 Pecan 4,000 Red Oak 5,000 Swamp White Oak 2,000

Total 26,200

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The contractor is responsible for having the water necessary to protect the seedlings when and if water is necessary. No well heads, spigots or water supply exists in the fields specified. The IDNR Forester will make available the nearest water source that the state IDNR has available to them or controls if contractor has and uses their own containers and means to transport water containers in and out of the work sites.

The contractor must follow or meet standards set forth in the two technical specifications attached to this procurement opportunity in handling and transporting live, cold-dormant seedling stock and the transplanting/planting of that stock. The contractor will be required to sign and operate within the bounds of a signed state contract containing the information and documents within this procurement opportunity as well as ingress and egress standards, general rules for working on state land, operating and equipment protocols, requirements for having appropriate first-aid, emergency supplies, PPEs such as first aid kits, spill kits, protective wear and other standard contracting obligations.

The planted stock must have a final survival rate of 80% for each overall site. The weed control and suppression must be at least 70% effective over 90% of each field by June 15. The completion of the project areas will be approved in writing by June 24, 2023 by the oversight DNR District Forester or Site Supervisor of that project area.

The contractor is responsible to pick-up and transport tree seedling stock from the Mason State Tree Nursery in Mason County, Illinois to each site and care for seedling stock until stock is successfully planted in the ground. The live, cold-dormant stock will be packaged by species in bundles of 100.

The designated seedlings for each of the sites will be pulled and organized by site name by the Nursery upon notification by the contractor to schedule a pick up date. Upon notifying Mason Nursery for seedling pick up the Contractor shall confirm the planting site name/s and acres, the seedling species and count, for each order to be picked up. The seedling order should be confirmed to be correct by contractor at the time of pick up and before leaving Mason Nursery.

The IDNR Division of Forest Resources must be specifically invoiced for the individual planting site by the title, Banner Marsh SFWA Reforestation Planting Spring 2023, given of the area in this Scope of Work for tree planting work and the herbicide application promptly after the work is completed and no later than June 30, 2023. All invoice billings for this contract shall be electronically mailed to Michael Brunk at michael.brunk@illinois.gov.

mailto:michael.brunk@illinois.gov