Attachment B - Plant Acquisition Specifics.pdf

Attachment B Plant Acquisition Specifications

Attachment B

PLANT ACQUISITION SPECIFICATIONS

Table of Contents

Part 1 – GENERAL

1.1 Description

1.2 Definitions

1.3 Minimum Qualifications

1.4 Performance

1.5 Quality Control

1.6 Inspections

1.7 Times and Conditions

1.8 Measurement and Payment

Part 2 – PRODUCTS

2.1 Plant Material

2.2 Growing Containers

Part 3 – EXECUTION

3.1 Examination

3.2 Collection

3.3 Nursery Operations

3.4 Handling and Storage

3.5 Shipment and Delivery

3.6 Disposal of Undelivered Plant Material

Table

Table B-1 Container Top Growth Standard

PLANT ACQUISITION SPECIFICATIONS

Part 1 - GENERAL

1.1 DESCRIPTION

Furnish all labor, material, equipment, and services necessary to provide complete collection, propagation, maintenance, storage and delivery of plant material, according to this Scope of Work and as directed by the Contracting Officer.

1.1.1 Collection Zone

Collection Area: The It is preferred that the propagules (Seeds and Cuttings) for the required species and number of plants to be provided under for this contract must have been are collected within the Sacramento Valley or surrounding foothills. If propagules are not available for the propagation of plants under this contract, seeds and cuttings from other areas may be used.

Plants already growing may be used for this contract. Such plants must meet quality and size requirements stated herein.

1.2 DEFINITIONS

The following terms referenced herein are defined as follows:

1.2.1 Contractor: The nursery contractor awarded herein.

1.2.2 Installation Contractor: A contractor independent of this contract that will receive and install the plants grown by the nursery contractor.

1.2.3 Nursery: The nursery contractor’s location where the plants will be grown and stored.

1.2.4 Project Site: The location where the plants will be installed by the installation contactor.

1.2.5 COR: The Contracting Officer’s Representative.

1.2.6 Government: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District.

1.2.7 Delivery: The act of transporting the plant material to the project site and placing it in the appropriate delivery area, as coordinated with the installation contractor. Delivery is not complete until the hardening-off requirements have been satisfied.

1.3 MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

The plants must be grown at a plant nursery, which performs activities required here with 5 years, minimum, experience in, and have the facilities to perform, collection, propagation, maintenance and storage of the plant material indicated in Attachment A. The Contractor must possess a current California State Nursery License.

1.4 PERFORMANCE

1.4.1 Declaration of Material Availability

The Contractor is responsible for ensuring that the propagules, for the plant species required in

Attachment A, are available for collection, propagation and delivery in the specified container sizes within the time required. The Contractor must declare in writing, in his/her bid to the Government, the unavailability of any viable propagule for the indicated species and its resulting impact to on-time delivery. The Government reserves the right to disqualify any bid based on the Contractor’s declaration of the unavailability of plant source material at the time of award.

1.4.2 Warranty

All container grown plants must be guaranteed to be healthy, without insects or disease, and in a vigorous growing condition at the time of delivery.

1.4.3 Plant Growth Standards

The container plants top growth must be in proportion to its root development. The plant must exhibit proper form for each species and meet all the branching standards as indicated herein.

Plants that do not meet all the minimum requirements will be rejected by the Government and must be the responsibility of the Contractor to secure acceptable material at no additional cost to the Government.

Species Form and Top Growth: Tree species must be grown with a single, non-headed leader. The plants top growth must be sufficiently large enough for the specified container it is being grown in. The nursery must time the germination and propagation of the propagule so that it is at the proper size at the indicated delivery time. See Table B-1 CONTAINER TOP GROWTH STANDARD for specific container/species seedling top growth standards. The Contracting Officer may reject undersized and oversized material.

The plant must have a main leader with caliper, development and growth so that it is not spindly and is able to support itself in an upright position. The plant must be in a healthy condition without signs of stress, disease, pest or mechanical damage.

Top Growth Standards: plant species must have top growth as indicated herein for the following container sizes:

Table B-1

Container Top Growth Standard Botanical Name Common Name Container

Size Top

Growth

TREEPOT4

Acer negundo boxelder Treepot4 18-24” Alnus rhombifolia white alder Treepot4 18-24” Fraxinus latifolia Oregon ash Treepot4 18-24” Juglans hindsii California walnut Treepot4 18-24” Platanus racemosa Western sycamore Treepot4 18-24” Populus fremontii Fremont cottonwood Treepot4 18-24” Quercus lobata Valley oak Treepot4 18-24” Quercus wislizeni Interior live oak Treepot4 18-24” Salix gooddingii Goodding's willow Treepot4 18-24” Salix Laevigata red willow Treepot4 18-24”

DEEPOT40

Artemesia douglasiana Mugwort Deepot40 6-12” Baccharis pilularis Coyote brush Deepot40 6-12” Baccharis salicifolia mulefat Deepot40 10-18” Cephalanthus occidentalis common button bush Deepot40 10-18” Cercis occidentalis Western redbud Deepot40 8-16” Clematis lingustifolia Clematis Deepot40 6-12” Frangula californica spp. tomentella Coffeeberry Deepot40 12-18” Heteromeles arbutifolia toyon Deepot40 8-16” Marah fabacea wild cucumber Deepot40 6-12” Rosa californica California wildrose Deepot40 6-12” Rubus ursinus California blackberry Deepot40 6-12” Salix exigua sandbar willow Deepot40 10-18” Salix gooddingii Goodding's willow Deepot40 10-18” Salix laevigata red willow Deepot40 10-18” Salix lasiandra pacific willow Deepot40 10-18” Salix lasiolepis arroyo willow Deepot40 10-18” Sambucus mexicana Blue elderberry Deepot40 10-18” Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus common snowberrry Deepot40 10-18” Vitis californica California wild grape Deepot40 6-12”

TREEBAND

Achillea millifolium Yarrow Treeband 6-12” Artemesia douglasiana Mugwort Treeband 4-12” Carex barbarae Santa Barbara sedge Treeband 6-12” Dicheolostemma capitatum Blue dicks Treeband 4-12” Euthamia occidentalis Western goldenrod Treeband 6-12” Grindelia camphorum Gum plant Treeband 6-12” Juncus balticus Baltic rush Treeband 6-12” Jjuncus effusus common bog rush Treeband 6-12” Leymus triticoides Creeping Wildrye Treeband 6-12” Lupinus albifrons Silver bush lupine Treeband 6-12” Muhlenbergia rigens Deergrass Treeband 3”-6” Oenothera hookerii Evening primrose Treeband 6-12” Schoenoplectus acutus var. occidentalis tule Treeband 6-12” Schoenoplectus californicus California bulrush Treeband 6-12” Stipa Pulchra Purple Needlegrass Plug 4”-8”

Root Development: The plants root system must have a main root that is unkinked and free from swirling. Secondary roots must be well developed and be capable of binding the root and soil mass together and retaining its shape when removed from its container.

1.5 QUALITY CONTROL

1.5.1 Supervision

The Contractor is responsible for direct supervision and actions of the Contractor's personnel and the personnel of any subcontractors. The Contractor must provide all quality control for the deliverables.

1.5.2 Removal of Unacceptable Plant Material

Plant material not meeting the Contracting Officer's approval must immediately be removed from the project site at the Contractor's expense. The Contractor must incur any additional expenses required because of material not meeting the requirements of this Scope of Work.

1.6 INSPECTIONS

1.6.1 Nursery Observations

The COR will conduct visits (at his/her option) to the nursery to observe the progress of the plants growth and general nursery operations. Additional, informal, visits to the nursery may occur at other times and may be unannounced.

1.6.2 Planting Site Inspection

Immediately after plant material delivery to the project site, the COR, Contractor and the installation contractor must inspect the plant material for injury, disease, and insect infestation.

At the Contractor's expense, all plant material problems must be corrected, within 5 working days of the date of the initial delivery.

1.6.3 Plant Approvals

Final approval of all plant material by the Contracting Officer will be reserved until time of delivery at the delivery site. Plants that are substandard in the opinion of the Contracting Officer will not be accepted. The actual number of plants grown will allow for a small amount of destructive sampling for each species at this observation.

1.7 TIMES AND CONDITIONS

The Contractor's strict conformance to the project schedule, is essential for the success of this project. Refer to the Supply Work Statement, Table B TARGET PROJECT SCHEDULE. The Contractor must be responsible for coordinating and scheduling the collection, propagation, maintenance, storage and delivery of material necessary to complete the work and for ensuring that subcontractors do the same as quickly and efficiently as possible in conformance with the project schedule. The project schedule must be as follows, unless otherwise directed by the Contracting Officer:

1.7.1 Growing Period

The Contractor must time the plants growing and maintenance to ensure the plants are at the required size at delivery. Each species growth rate and required container size at delivery must be considered when the propagule is germinated and/or transplanted to final container sizes.

1.7.2 Delivery Period

See Supply Work Statement, Table B TARGET PROJECT SCHEDULE

1.8 PAYMENT

See Supply Work Statement, paragraph 12 Payment and Invoices.

Part 2 – PRODUCTS

2.1 PLANT MATERIAL

2.1.1 Plant Species and Quantities

The Contractor is responsible for providing each of the following species at the quantities and in the container sizes as indicated in Supply Work Statement, Attachment A PLANTING

SCHEDULE.

2.1.2 Substitutions

Substitutions will not be allowed, unless, approval is given in writing by the Contracting Officer.

It is the Contractor’s responsibility to document why they were not able to secure the required amount of plants and/or species and submit to the Contracting Officer. The Contractor must make recommendations of substitute species to be used and where they can be secured.

2.2 GROWING CONTAINERS

Provide, grow and deliver plants in commercially available containers made of durable plastic fabrication and designed to create a deep root system. Containers must have interior vertical ribs that train roots downward and guard against swirling. The bottom of the containers must be have a bottom with large open space for air-pruning. Substitution of container type and size must be subject to approval by the Contracting Officer’s Representative. Container sizes referenced herein must be as follows:

2.2.1 Treepot4s

Treepot4s must have a capacity of 173 cu.in, and be 4" sq x 14" depth.

2.2.2 Deepot40s

Deepot40s (D40) must have a capacity of 40 cu.in, and be 2.5” dia. and 10” depth.

2.2.3 Treebands

Tree Bands must have a capacity of 20 cu. in., and be 2.25" sq x 5" depth.

2.2.4 Plugs

Plug containers must have a capacity of between 6 to12 cu. in., and be between 1.25” to 1.75" sq in width and 5” to 8.5” in depth.

Part 3 – EXECUTION

3.1 EXAMINATION

3.1.1 Verification of Collection Site Conditions

Determine and verify collection site conditions before the start of collection. Adjustments necessary to accommodate or to minimize impacts on these conditions must be made at the Contractor's expense.

3.2 COLLECTION

3.2.1 Site Access Approval and Permits

The Contractor must be responsible for obtaining and paying all fees for site access and any plant collection permits required for this project.

3.2.2 Collection Procedures and Methods

Plant material must be collected and propagated according to standard collection, propagation, and nursery standards. Plants must be nursery grown of healthy, vigorous stock free of insects and disease. At the time of collection, cutting material must be marked and bundled by species, to differentiate plant species at the time of planting.

3.2.3 Material Sources

The Contractor is responsible for the collection of required plant material. Propagules must be collected from multiple representative material sources to ensure the genetic diversity and viability of the material. The Contractor must select appropriate material for propagation of the required plants. Diseased and unhealthy donor material must be avoided. The Contractor’s collection efforts must leave minimum impacts to source sites. At no time must material sources be denuded of plants or stripped of all seed. If the timing is not right for viable seed collection, the Contractor must coordinate and get permission with the COR prior to any cutting collection.

3.2.4 Collection Site Cleanup

The Contractor must clean up all areas of debris that was caused by their plant material collection operations or disturbed as a result of their presence. Upon completion of their operations, the Contractor must remove any debris, excess material and dirt, and extraneous equipment resulting or used during their operations.

3.2.5 Dust Control

The Contractor must perform a good faith effort to minimize the creation of dust at all times during collection operations. At no time must vehicles or equipment exceed a speed that causes dust disturbances to the adjacent properties.

3.3 NURSERY OPERATIONS

3.3.1 Growing Conditions

The Contractor must provide all housing, equipment, materials, nutrients, water, propagule and care to ensure each plant develops properly. The plants must be grown in a nursery environment, which has proper housing and shade structures for propagating each required plant material.

Plants must be grown in such a manner to allow air pruning of roots emerging from container bottoms.

3.3.2 Insects and Disease

All plant material must be free of insects and disease. If a target species is prone to disease, extra effort in surface cleansing during preparation may be requested to retard infection. Routine surface cleaning of collected material is expected.

3.4 HANDLING AND STORAGE

3.4.1 Handling Material

At all times, the Contractor must handle all material professionally to ensure that the plants and planting supplies are not damaged during storage, handling, and shipping.

3.4.2 Nursery Storage

Before delivery, all plants must be stored in such a manner to prevent damage from sunlight;

moisture, or contact with vehicles, equipment and tools. Shade, frost, and wind protection must be used if necessary to protect the health of the plants. Plants must be maintained and kept in healthy condition at all times.

3.5 SHIPMENT AND DELIVERY

3.5.1 Delivery Responsibility

Deliver the correct species and numbers of plants to the project sites. Upon delivery to the project site, all plant material will be observed by the COR to prevent the acceptance of damaged or otherwise unsuitable plant material. Plants must be delivered in the container sizes indicated in Attachment A. Unacceptable plant material must be replaced with plants of similar size and species within 5 working days at the Contractor's expense. Coordinate specific delivery time and location with the COR.

3.5.2 Delivery Vehicles

Delivery vehicles must have closed beds to minimize windburn to plant material during transport.

3.5.3 Hardening-off Plant Material

Before delivery of the plant material, all plant material must be hardened-off for a minimum of 2 weeks to project site conditions/temperatures. This includes plants grown in shade houses or greenhouses to prevent leaf or stem burn from occurring after delivery.

3.6 DISPOSAL OF UNDELIVERED PLANT MATERIAL

It must be the Contractor’s responsibility to dispose of all rejected, surplus or unused plants at no cost to the Government. The Contractor must coordinate with the Government prior to taking disposal action.