Statement of Work M M remeasure.docx

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Statement of Work

Contents

Project Tree Remeasurement at Matlock and Molalla LTSP affiliate sites

General Information

1.0 Scope of Work

Conduct remeasurement of tree DBH and heights at two sites located near Molalla, OR and Matlock, WA (total trees = 3,747). Provide all personnel, equipment, supervision, transportation and operating supplies to perform all contract work in accordance with the specifications and plans required as outlined below.

2.0 Background

The Matlock and Molalla research sites are part of a study to examine productivity of planted Douglas-fir in response to woody-debris manipulation and competing vegetation control. The study has been periodically remeasured since inception in 2003; this contract is being established to conduct the 20-yr remeasurement. The Molalla site is owned by Port Blakely Tree Farms, Inc. and is located near Molalla, OR. The Matlock site is owned by Green Diamond Resource Company and is located near Matlock, WA.

Each site consists of 24 plots of 100 measurement trees each. The Molalla site was partially burned in 2020 – only (21) plots remain to be measured. Plots 5, 14, and 23 will be excluded due to extensive fire damage. There are 499 trees at Molalla that were partially burned in 2020 and will require additional assessment of crown condition (if alive).

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

All plots have PVC posts at the exterior corners. Interior plots corners (measurement trees) are also marked with PVC. The SW interior measurement plot corner PVC is painted blue and has a tag with the plot number. It is nearest the lowest numbered tree of the plot (figure 1) and measurement trees nearest the plot corners have been marked with blue flagging. At the northern end of each measurement plot are 3 extra rows of tagged trees that do not need to be measured. The measurement trees have stamped metal tags attached to zip-ties that are either stapled at breast height (1.3 m aboveground) or tied to the branch closest .to breast height. The tree numbering pattern will facilitate the identification of trees with missing tags. Mean size of the tree is given in table 1.

Attributes to be measured on all trees include stem diameter at 1.3 meter height above ground and damage codes as needed. Height and height to live crown will be measured for a subset of 30 trees per plot. Trees that were dead at the last measurement do not need to be measured again.

Figure 1. Tree numbering pattern

Table 1. Plot summaries from last measurement

* Three plots severely burned in 2020 are not included in summary values

3.1. Specific work

Description of Work:

1. Code all trees with appropriate Tree Class (see attachment 5).

2. Measure all trees that were measured previously for dbh (diameter at 1.3 m).

A) Diameters shall be recorded with a precision of 0.1 cm.

B) Measure DBH at 1.3 m from ground level on the uphill side. If a wound or branch make this location unrepresentative of the tree’s size move it up or down the minimum amount and record a “DBH high” or “DBH low” comment code.

D) Dead trees shall be measured for diameter the first measurement after they die.

3. Measure height and height-to-live crown (HLC) on live trees identified for height measurements in the datafile (30 total per plot); note that most of these trees have heights listed from previous remeasurement but not all. Tree height is the height from the ground to the top of the leader. HLC is the height from ground to the point on the stem bole where 50% of the branches at a whorl are alive. Do not measure trees for height or HLC that have dead tops or broken boles (record ‘Tree Class’ code as ‘13’). Select another tree on the plot of approximately the same diameter that is not already a height tree. Measure the new tree for Ht and HLC. Record height and HLC to nearest 0.1 m. Heights and HLC’s are to be measured with an accuracy of 0.2 m if the measurement point is less than 15 m, and 0.4-m if the measurement point is greater than 15-m high.

4. Code all trees for condition or damage using standard codes provided by PNW (Attachment 5). Code crown vigor on all trees at Molalla that were assessed for fire damage in 2020 (499 total; list provided)

5. Attach a write-on tag with the correct tree number for any trees with missing tags.

6. Reflag corner trees of each plot (currently flagged in blue)

7.. Provide notes on plot condition and describe the need for additional maintenance.

Data from the most recent measurement will be provided as a comma delimited file or spreadsheet. The 2024 re-measurement data is to be given to PNW electronically with each variable in a separate field (as a comma delimited file or spread sheet).

4.0 Government Furnished

4.1. Information: The Government will provide data from the most recent measurement (2018) in a comma delimited file or spreadsheet. Maps and other data necessary for orientation will be provided; note that plot corners are flagged with blue flagging and the SW interior plot corner is marked with PVC containing a tag with the plot number listed on it.

4.2. Services: The Government will identify specific tasking and priorities associated with the contract. All taskings and priorities provided by the Government shall be in accordance with Section 3, Technical Requirements.

4.3. Materials: The Government will provide the following property:

4.4. Access: The work is being conducted on private industrial land that requires a gate key for access. Gate keys will be provided by the Station to the contractor upon award of the contract; keys shall be immediately returned following completion of the work and prior to contract payment.

5.0 Deliverables / Schedule

The required deliverable for this contract is the recorded diameter and height (for a subset of 30 trees per plot) of each tree by plot and site in an electronic format with each variable in a separate field (as a comma delimited file or spread sheet). Finished data files will be checked for completeness and completed work will be inspected by a PNW forester to determine if precision standards have been met (Table 2) prior to acceptance of the job. Error rates greater than acceptable shall require re-work by the Contractor to meet satisfactory performance.

Table 2. Performance Standards Summary

Tree Measurement Plots

The Contractor shall be required to (a) commence work under this contract within 10 calendar days after the date the Contractor receives the Notice-to-Proceed, (b) prosecute the work diligently, and (c) complete the entire work not later than May 15, 2024. Weather is expected to be less restrictive at the Matlock site (elevation 380 feet). than the Molalla site (elevation 1740 feet).

6.0 Travel

Travel will be required to each of the site locations in order to conduct the work. All costs associated with travel are the responsibility of the contractor.

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel

The Contractor shall provide adequate crew supervision and serviceable equipment to all workers in order to satisfactorily accomplish project.

8.0 Safety and Environmental Requirements

8.1. Safety Requirements:

The Contractor shall work in a safe manner and fully comply with ALL applicable Federal and State regulations and requirements

9.0 Data Rights

NA

10.0 Section 508 – Electronic and Information Technology Standards

NA

11.0 Technical Contact

Name: Rob Slesak Email: robert.slesak@usda.gov Telephone number: 360-753-7717

Attachment Appendix A contains directions and maps of the project areas, and codes for tree damage, crown vigor, and plot condition image1.png image2.png