ScopeofWk_Wyandot_Willard_Woody_Corridor_mgt.pdf

Woody Corridor Management through Woody Vegetation Removal and follow-up Herbicide Application at Wyandot and Willard Marsh Wildlife Areas in Northwest Ohio

History and Overview

The ODNR, Division of Wildlife is seeking contractors to Selectively cut and remove trees within woody corridors at

Wyandot Wildlife Area, located in Crawford Township, Wyandot County, and Willard Marsh, Richmond Township, Huron

County, Ohio. These areas are made up of clay-loam soils and is surrounded by productive farmland. The matrix of farm fields and woody corridors provides ideal upland wildlife habitat, though some of these corridors are in need of management. In order to keep these woody corridors at an ideal successional stage, the taller trees need to be removed to open the canopy and let the understory cover thicken and produce better early-successional habitat.

A web map of the property boundaries found within the attached maps and landcover can be found online at:

https://gis.ohiodnr.gov/MapViewer/?config=ODNRLands. Polygons, where spraying is planned, are included in Figure 1 and these are available in an electronic format (Google Earth KML file) upon request.

Methodology and Timeframe

Task 1. Woody Vegetation Removal: This scope of work will be for the selective removal of trees between 3 inches and

18 inches in DBH within several woody corridors on Wyandot Wildlife Area and Willard Marsh Wildlife Area. In order to help improve these woody corridors for upland wildlife species, all trees between the size of 3 inches in diameter breast height (DBH) and 18 inches in DBH need to be cut within 6 inches of ground level. All stems between 6 inches in DBH and 18 inches in DBH should be removed to avoid a buildup of woody debris in the woody corridor. Additionally, all cottonwoods, silver maples, and invasive shrubs (e.g. autumn olive and bush honeysuckle) within corridor areas need to be cut or girdled regardless of DBH size and treated with a labeled herbicide at the cut. At the contractor’s option, cut woody debris of any species smaller than 6 inches in DBH can be loosely piled less than 8 feet tall (not windrowed) or scattered within the footprint of the woody corridor as slash for woody cover if not removed.

Piles should be spaced far enough apart so that there is room to drive ORV’s in between piles for follow-up spraying as described in task 2. Additionally, the contractor should avoid cutting white oaks in these areas. Some white oaks and other leave trees have been flagged in these areas to so that they can be avoided and left uncut. All tree felling work needs to be completed by March 31st, 2025. Felled trees may be piled in grass fields or within the woody corridor areas for later removal if needed. Crop fields should be cleared of tree debris greater than 3 inches in diameter by May 1st, 2025 so as not to inhibit spring farming activities. All removal of felled trees in disturbed areas of corridors and grass fields may later be completed by June 21st, 2025. Cutting areas are delineated in figures 2 and 3. These are prioritized as far as order of importance. Staging areas where felled trees can be piled for later removal are also included in figures

2 and 3. Operating heavy equipment in tilled farm fields adjacent to corridor areas should be avoided unless the ground is frozen. Ruts exceeding 6 inches in depth must be back graded or refilled to repair at ground level. Most heavy equipment traffic should be focused within the woody corridor or grass fields adjacent to the corridor that have herbaceous cover (labeled as staging areas in figures 2 and 3).

Task 2. Follow-up Spot Spraying: Woody invasive species, such as autumn olive, privet, ailanthus, and bush honeysuckle, should be selectively sprayed with backpack sprayers or ORV spot sprayers between May 1st and June 21st, 2025, as a follow-up treatment to reduce invasive species and promote native vegetation regrowth in cut areas. Care needs to be taken to minimize damage to hardwood regrowth or native woody vegetation. Spray areas in figures 2 and 3 need to be initially treated with herbicide and touched up (i.e. retreat vegetation showing no mortality signs > 10 days after the first application) prior to June 21st, 2025. The contractor needs to have a certified commercial pesticide applicator license for treating the sites as described in task 2 (figures 2 and 3). Field staff (i.e. trained service persons) employed by the https://gis.ohiodnr.gov/MapViewer/?config=ODNRLands contractor must be skilled in basic plant identification and able to apply herbicides effectively to target vegetation, while avoiding non-target, native vegetation.

The use of GPS-enabled phone or other equipment is recommended for this project but not required. An electronic KML file for Google Earth Pro on an iphone or another GPS-enabled device is available upon request.

Please submit a quote in Ohiobuys. The quote should include a bid for the entire 7.86-acre area. The work in these areas will be prioritized by average vegetation height, starting with the areas of tallest vegetation (areas are prioritized in figures 2 and 3).

All work shall be conducted Monday through Friday unless prior approval is obtained from the ODNR, Division of Wildlife project manager. All work will need to be completed outside of deer-gun seasons and prior to the above stated deadlines for each task. Extensions for work may be granted at the discretion of the project manager. The contractor is required to contact the ODNR, Division of Wildlife project manager at least two business days prior to initially entering the property for work. The vendor will not receive payment until all products and services have been received as per the above specifications and deadlines listed in this document. If the successful bidder does not initiate or complete the work as specified above, the ODNR, Division of Wildlife reserves the right to pro-rate the payment or cancel the purchase order. A site visit is required prior to bidding. Thank you for your interest and please don’t hesitate to give me a call with any questions during the bidding process!

Justin Harrington (project manager)

Assistant Wildlife Management Supervisor

ODNR, Division of Wildlife, District Two

952 Lima Avenue, Findlay, Ohio 45840

Office: 419-429-8361

Cell: 419-236-3463

Email: Justin.Harrington@dnr.state.oh.us mailto:Justin.Harrington@dnr.state.oh.us

Figure 1. Overview map of Wyandot and Willard Marsh Wildlife Areas (left and right red dots and polygons respectively) in Wyandot and Huron Counties Respectively.

Figure 2. Map of areas delineated for woody corridor management on Wyandot Wildlife Area.

Coordinates for Google Maps: -83.381730 40.928043

Priority 1 – 2.36 ac Priority 1 Staging area

Priority 2 Staging

Area

Figure 3. Map of areas delineated for woody corridor management on Willard Marsh Wildlife Area.

Coordinates for Google Maps: -82.753986 41.032719

P ri o ri ty

S ta gi n g ar e a

Priority 1 – 1.5 ac

Priority 1 Staging area