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STATEMENT OF WORK

NATURAL RESOURCES HABITAT RESTORATION and GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

April 2023

This work consists of actions to control invasive plant species in Argonne’s large area habitats including but not limited to wetlands, woodlands, prairies, interface areas, and man-made features that utilize native plants for functional benefits. This work consists of controlled burning, cut stem-herbicide treatment, mechanized clearing, or other specialized herbicide applications to target species within habitats, weeding, broadcast or drill seed application, and planting which requires the essential skill of plant identification of 500 or more native and non-native species. Work on weekends is not typical but may be conducted to utilize optimal conditions for the execution of this contract.

Work is typical of invasive species control of plants in the Chicago region and entails mechanical and chemical control methods. Mechanical control would be conducted by machine and human labor. Chemical control entails the use of herbicides as appropriate to the species under control effort. All anticipated work and material purchasing is generally defined in the cost schedule, which would enable immediate implementation of the contract. The evolution of control methods may warrant a line and cost addition to the price schedule upon discussion with vendor, technical representative, and Argonne buyer. Some planting of native forbs, shrubs, and trees in the form of seed or potted stock may also take place under this contract.

Controlled burns shall be performed, and this includes any related work such as clearing firebreaks, watering and flapping to protect habitat boundaries and supplemental propane torch burning. The burn(s) will take place under the appropriate conditions and may be performed on a weekend to avoid scheduling and traffic issues. If needed, signs will be placed to detour traffic around the burn.

Herbicide applications shall be specific to control invasive species within all habitat types and shall include all target species selected by Argonne’s Natural Resource Manager and/or the Technical Representative. Specific target species include but are not limited to species of buckthorn (Rhamnus sp.), honeysuckle (Lonicera sp.), and herbaceous species such as garlic mustard, teasel, and crown vetch. Landscape work of weeding and planting may occur as part of this work contract where Argonne’s weed plant community affects man-made landscapes.

Burn Operations

The following conditions are to be met to ensure a safe and effective burn. The goal is to reduce the non-native herbaceous and woody species. The Contractor agrees to the following services:

1) All personnel shall have the Argonne Contractor Safety Orientation course before performing any work.

2) A high-risk Job Safety Analysis (JSA) must be submitted and approved by Argonne before the “Notice to Proceed” is issued. No work shall take place prior to the issuance of the “Notice to Proceed.” Work outside of the Scope of Work and JSA will not be permitted.

3) Burns shall be conducted by a competent persons having the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) fire fighter S-130/190 training. The competent personnel will also have performed at least three (5) burns of similar nature and complexity.

4) All personnel shall have safety equipment in compliance with NFPA 1977, Personal Protective Equipment Standards for Wild Fire Fighting. No fire shelters are required.

5) All personnel shall have received suitable training or shall have suitable experience in conducting burn operations.

6) The contractor shall designate a Safety Officer. The Safety Officer is responsible for assurance that all burn plans and particular safety plans are complete in advance of burn and are adhered to during the burn.

7) The contractor shall prepare and submit a burn plan to Argonne in advance of operations and no less than one week prior to a burn. The plan shall state the conditions for the burn such as wind direction, equipment, and notifications. Argonne will approve the burn plan before the burn is conducted.

8) The contractor shall have a mobile telephone (cell phone) during the burn.

9) The contractor will follow the requirements of the IEPA air permit issued to the Department of Energy for the Argonne site.

The following burn cessation standards shall apply:

1) Total – all burning material within the burn area will be completely extinguished prior to the crew leaving the site. The contractor will be responsible to return if any extinguishing work is required.

2) If weather conditions are abnormal during the burn season, few or no burn windows may result. In this case, work performed shall be billed for work performed to plan and prepare for burn operations.

3) The following situations or conditions have caused this in the past:

a. Requirements by Argonne or local authorities for more than 12 hours’ notice of burning operations;

b. Restrictions by Argonne or local regulatory authorities on the day of the week or time of day (other than those in the IEPA permit);

c. Restrictions due to mitigation required for smoke sensitive asthmatics living within the site and living adjacent to the burn. We expect this to be addressed by internal notifications at the site and coordination with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County;

d. Any other restrictions by local authorities, and

e. Unusual or unsuitable weather conditions

4) In specific instances where, on the day of the approved burn, “burn or no burn” decisions must be made because of insufficient safety conditions, the technical representative will make the decision, in consultation with the Argonne Fire Department or designee.

Argonne will provide the following:

1) Coordination for training and gate passes.

2) Argonne will provide map of area(s) to be burned.

3) The TR or designee will provide on-site coordination during the burn.

4) Argonne will coordinate the notification to the site and to the affected program and support groups.

Work must be completed by the end of the spring burn season in Spring.

Herbicide Application Operations

Contractor shall provide hand wicking, spraying of herbicide, hand wicking, and cutting of invasive species at designated areas around the Argonne site. The areas of concern are woodlands, prairies, and some wetland areas in Argonne’s undeveloped areas, but other areas may be identified throughout the term of the contract. The main target species are buckthorn, honeysuckle, and white mulberry but other species may be treated as approved by the Argonne Technical Representative. Extreme care is required to prevent drift and spillage to avoid impacts on the native species.

The target species shall have either stumps or stems treated with an herbicide.

The applications of herbicide shall be done in daylight hours approved by the Technical Representative. The contractor’s workers are required to be licensed State of Illinois herbicide/pesticide applicators. Contractor shall submit a copy of this license as part of the contract submittals.

Contractor shall provide Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for all IEPA approved herbicides used, and specify the quantity of each type of material used. Disposition of empty chemical containers and residual chemicals will be the contractor’s responsibility. The total amount of herbicide used will be summarized and provided to the TR at the end of this project. A delineation of each work area will also be submitted at the end of the project.