W912ES23Q0106 Forestry Resource Survey - St. Paul District 20Sep23.pdf

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W912ES23Q0106 20-Sep-2023

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W912ES23Q0106

Section SF 1449 - CONTINUATION SHEET

SCOPE OF WORK

1 GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 Background

A new forest resource survey (forest inventory) is needed for forested lands on the Upper Mississippi River within the footprint of the US Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District. This survey will provide foresters and land managers with site and stand specific information on diversity, forest health, structure and invasive species needed to make sound management decisions and plans. The forest inventory data collection utilizes a combined variable‐radius point sampling protocol to collect a variety of forest overstory metrics and a fixed‐area plot protocol to collect general information on understory trees and herbaceous communities.

Variable‐radius plot data collected includes, but is not limited to, tree species, health, crown class, diameter, and basal area per acre as well as tree height and age on a small subset of canopy trees. Fixed‐area plot data collected includes canopy density, understory height, tree regeneration, and a general assessment of herbaceous plants.

This contract will be awarded as one base contract with one option.

1.1.1 Scope of Work

The Contractor will measure sampling points at locations identified by the Government while collecting actual geographic coordinate data at the center of each sampling point. Data will be collected based on the specifications listed in the sections below. The Contractor will then provide forest resource survey data in the digital format described below.

1.1.2 Location of Work

Lands to be surveyed may occur between Mississippi River mile 847.5 just south of Lock and Dam 1 (Minneapolis, MN) and river mile 612 just south of Lock and Dam 10 at Guttenberg, IA, though the majority of lands will occur south of Lock and Dam 2 (river mile 815) in Hastings, MN. Occasional plots may occur on other lands adjacent to the Mississippi River floodplain.

1.1.3 Period of work

The initial contract period shall be from November 2023 – August 2024, with an additional option exercised as if contract work is deemed satisfactory and funding is available, for additional samples from March 2024 – October 2024. On-site performance may occur any time between March 1 and November 30 of a given contract year, though no inventory work shall be conducted if the ground is snow-covered.

2 REQUIREMENTS OF PERSONNEL

The Contractor shall furnish all labor, supervision, materials, equipment, transportation, and supplies needed to perform all field sampling and documentation to accomplish the tasks described in this statement of work.

2.1 Qualifications of Supervisory Personnel

The Government is relying upon the expertise of the Contractor and/or its subcontractor to complete this work. Consequently, the Contractor shall ensure that an individual meeting the professional qualifications described below is on staff to oversee and provide supervision of data collection for all field crews collecting data throughout the period of performance of this contract, hereafter referred to as a Qualified Inventory Supervisor. This Qualified Inventory Supervisor will be required to be present in the field with the field crews a minimum of 1 day per 5 sampling days and 25% of the field season. The Contractor shall submit the appropriate qualification documents (based on the list below) with their quote to confirm that a qualified individual is available to manage field data collection. An individual will meet the qualifications required for a Qualified Inventory Supervisor for purposes of this contract if any one of the following criteria can be met (a‐f):

a. An individual who holds current Society of American Forester’s (SAF) Certified Forester (CF) credential. Documentation: A copy of the individual’s CF credentials plus a resume or biosketch describing the individual’s experience.

b. An individual who is currently an SAF Candidate Certified forester with a minimum of one year field experience related to forest inventory. Documentation: A copy of the individual’s CCF credentials, plus a resume or biosketch describing the individual’s experience.

c. An individual with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in forestry or Bachelor of Science – Forestry (B.S.F.) from a SAF Accredited Forestry program plus a minimum of one year of professional field experience in forest inventory. Documentation: A copy of the individual’s diploma or academic transcripts indicating successful completion of an applicable program and a resume or biosketch describing the individual’s experience.

d. An individual with an Associate’s degree from a SAF Accredited technical program, plus three years of professional, independent field experience in forest inventory.

Documentation: A copy of the individual’s diploma or academic transcripts, indicating successful completion of an applicable program, plus a resume or biosketch describing the individual’s experience.

e. An individual with any other degree and 5 years of full‐time, independent forest inventory field experience. Documentation: A resume or biosketch describing the individual’s applicable education and experience.

f. An individual with any other degree and 3 years of full‐time, independent forest inventory field experience plus a minimum of 1 year of field forest inventory experience under the supervision of a qualified an individual who would qualify as a Qualified Inventory Supervisor per the specifications in this scope of work.

Documentation: A resume or biosketch describing the individual’s applicable education and experience.

For all documentation of applicable experience, the contractor shall provide specific information to verify the level of experience, including:

- Project name, location, duration, and approximate hours worked for applicable experience.

- Brief (1 paragraph) description of specific work

- Organization for whom work was conducted (e.g., name of agency)

- Organization for whom the individual was employed at the time that experience was gained.

A list of SAF accredited institutions can be found at:

https://www.eforester.org/Main/Certification_Education/Accreditation/Main/Accreditation/Accreditation_Home.asp x?hkey=acede682-0ce7-4202-85e6-e3371eb38cdc

All individuals identified by the contractor as Qualified Inventory Supervisors will also be required to complete a pre-work, on-site certification of capability, as described in the Quality Standards and Assurance section (Section 4) below.

2.2 Personnel Reporting

The Contractor must also provide a list of all other personnel and their qualifications, whether staff or subcontractors, who will be responsible for field data collection. This list is due no later than 10 business days prior to the start of work.

Any changes or updates in staffing shall be provided to the Government in writing within 10 calendar days of the change along with the required qualification documents.

3 GENERAL SAMPLING METHODS

3.1 Sampling Description and Information

3.1.1 Sampling Areas

Maps showing the sampling locations and points are included in Attachment 1. All points shown on these maps shall be sampled, unless 1) the plot center falls in a location that would be considered as non-forested as described in Attachment 2, Appendix A, and the government concurs that the sampling the plot does not provide any relevant information for the dataset or 2) the plot center falls at a location in a body of water that is permanently greater than 3 feet deep and cannot be sampled by foot. Plots that fall into deep water during high water conditions will not be dropped unless it can be demonstrated that those plots would be deeper than 3 feet during normal flows; such plots should be surveyed during normal flows. Dropping of any plot requires the concurrence of the Government and surveying of additional plots to meet the minimum plot requirement as necessary.

Sampling points are distributed at a rate of approximately 1 point per 2.5 acres of forested area, or roughly 330 feet between points. To minimize bias, the sampling grid has been created with points oriented in a north‐south direction across all sampling areas and will not be altered based on local conditions, unless the point location is determined to be by the Government to be inaccessible or is non-forested and determined by the Government to be not relevant.

Determination of whether a plot is forested or non-forested will be made by the Government based on the latest US Geological Survey‐Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center (USGS‐UMESC) Upper Mississippi River System Land Cover dataset (http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/management/dss/umrs_land_cover_viewer.html). Some sampling points may be located in areas that were forested in previous inventories and are now classified as non-forested based on the USGS Landcover Dataset; if dead trees are still present on a plot that is classified as non-forest, that plot will be considered forested and shall be sampled.

The Contractor will sample each sample point provided as specified in any given contract line item. The exact locations to be included in the survey will be provided to the Contractor by the Government as an ArcGIS geodatabase and shapefile after contract award. All GIS data will be in the NAD1983 UTM Zone 15N projected coordinate system, with units in meters. Sampling location maps in Attachment 1 are intended to show the sampling locations, but some plot numbers may not be visible on the printed maps. The ArcGIS geodatabase and shapefile will include all final plot locations and plot numbers – it is the Contractor’s responsibility to ensure that all data collected corresponds to the plot numbers in the ArcGIS layers and to produce any additional maps from the GIS layers that may be needed to accurately record those plot numbers.

The Contractor must be prepared to move to different locations within the overall project area within 5 business days’ notice to address priority inventory needs of the Government.

In the event of prolonged periods of high water that prevent access to a large proportion of the sampling areas for a period of time long enough to prevent completion of the total required number of plots, the Government may provide the contractor with a backup set of plots that are accessible in other locations anywhere within the Location of Work section above.

3.1.2 Quantity

This contract will be executed as a base contract with 500 sampling points and a base option of 500 sampling plots (+/- 15%) See clause 52.211-16.

A sampling point consists of a Fixed Plot and a Prism Plot and, at every fifth sampling point, an Age Plot. Both the Prism Plot and the Age Plot are placed in the same location as the Fixed Plot.

Details of these plot designations are provided in the Data Collection section below. Sampling points will be grouped into Sampling Areas; these areas will group points by spatial location and will be used to streamline data submission and quality assurance procedures. Sampling areas are shown in Attachment 1.

Sampling quantities and performance periods for the base contract and each contract option are shown in the table below.

Option CLIN YEAR ON-SITE PERFORMANCE QUANTITY

Base 0001 2023-2024 11/1/2023 - 11/30/2023, 3/1/2024 - 8/1/2024 500 points

Base Option 1002 2024 3/1/2024 – 10/31/2024 500 points

3.1.3 Site Access

All sites to be surveyed as part of this contract are accessible across public land or through public waters from public boat landings. However, some sites may be easier to access through private land or areas with otherwise restricted access. It will be the Contractor’s sole responsibility to gain permission to access sites, although the Government may provide pertinent information to assist the Contractor with determining how to gain access.

As needed, the Contractor shall provide their own boats to complete the work. The boats must be licensed to operate in the States of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. The Contractor shall not access sites via non‐public lands without approval from the landowner. The Contractor shall also not access sites via any public lands or waters with access restrictions that prohibit transit through an area (such as Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Closed Areas).

3.1.4 Plot Establishment

The Contractor will be provided with an ArcGIS geodatabase and shapefile with locations for all sampling points as described above. The Contractor shall navigate in the field to the point using a GPS unit or field computer capable of 1.5-meter accuracy (as described in the field tools section below).

Points shall not be arbitrarily relocated in the field. Points falling within the forested sampling area but near the edge of a non‐forested area (as defined above and in Appendix A of Attachment 2 – Figures and Tables) shall be done in place and not relocated further to the interior. Any such edge points shall be sampled using a modified walkthrough technique which is described in the data collection Prism Plot paragraph below. The Contractor will not independently add or remove sampling points without prior government approval.

Upon locating the plot center in the field, the Contractor shall mark and label the plot center using a wooden stake a minimum of 36 inches tall, 3/8 inch thick and 1 inch wide, such as survey lath. All such wooden stakes shall be painted at the top with orange paint and shall be labeled with the unique Fixed Plot number and the sampling date. All surveyed plots shall be marked accordingly to facilitate random QA inspections (as described in Section 4, below). This plot center shall be the center for the Fixed, Prism and Age plots as described in the following paragraphs. The Government may alter the plot marking requirements; however, if plot marking requirements are changed, the Government will supply the Contractor with the necessary materials at no additional cost to the Contractor.

3.1.5 Field Tools

Field tools shall be the following unless otherwise specified by the Government. The Contractor shall be responsible for providing all field tools. The Contractor shall utilize standard procedures for the use of all measurement tools unless otherwise specified. Standard procedures will be considered to be those defined in the U.S. Forest Service Timber Cruising Handbook (hereafter FS‐TCH), publication number FSH 2409.12. A full version of the FS‐TCH is available online at:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/cgi-bin/Directives/get_dirs/fsh?2409.12, and a digital copy may be provided to the Contractor at the time of Contract award at the Contractor’s request. For each tool and for some definitions below, either a reference in the FS‐TCH or, if no reference is available in the FS‐TCH, a short description will be provided. Where a description is provided in this contract, that description supersedes any content in the FS‐TCH.

1. BAF 10 wedge prism or angle gauge (FS‐TCH Ch. 30, Sec. 35.21a)

2. Clinometer (FS‐TCH Ch. 10, Sec. 13.24)

3. Compass (No reference in FS‐TCH) ‐ Used to follow directional transect grid lines to assist in the determination of where plots are established. A compass will also be used to identify the location of the first tree in the variable‐radius sample to be measured as well as the location of fixed‐radius plots.

4. Diameter tape (FS‐TCH Ch. 10, Sec. 13.11)

5. GPS (FS‐TCH WO AMENDMENT 2409.12‐2000‐4 Ch. 50, Sec. 52.2 – The contractor will be required to use a GPS unit capable of 1.5 m accuracy and must provide the Government with documentation of the GPS unit to be used at the time of submitting a bid.

6. Increment borer (No reference in FS‐TCH) ‐ A hand operated drill with a hollow bit that extracts a wood core from the stem of a tree. An increment borer shall be used to determine age and growth ring index for the age plot.

7. Paint sticks (No reference in FS‐TCH) ‐ A paint “marker” used to mark trees as they are measured. These tools reduce error by providing evidence that a tree has already been measured.

3.1.6 Definitions

1. Sampling point ‐ generic reference for general location where prism, fixed, and possibly age data are collected from.

2. Plot center– The center point referenced/used in collecting prism and fixed data.

3. Prism plot (FS‐TCH Ch. 30, Sec. 35.1, pp. 107‐109) – A variable radius plot sample where the area of the plot is directly proportional to the basal area of the tree it represents. The radius of the plot (the “limiting distance”) increases proportionally to the diameter in tree being surveyed. Multiple trees will be measured and recorded for each prism plot.

4. Limiting distance (FS-TCH Ch. 30, Sec. 35.22a, p. 113-115) - Limiting distance is another term for plot radius, which is the maximum distance a tree can be from the point and still be in (a sample tree). Limiting distance is a function of tree DBH and an angle gauge constant called the plot radius factor (PRF). All plots sampled in this contract will use a basal area factor (BAF) or 10, which has a PRF of 10.

Limiting distance can then be calculated as: tree diameter (inches) * PRF.

Alternatively, a limiting distance table can be consulted.

5. Diameter at breast height (DBH, FS‐TCH Ch. 10, Sec. 13.11, p. 20 and Sec. 14.13,

pp. 25‐36) – Diameter at breast height (DBH) which is 4.5 feet off the ground.

This is the height at which tree diameter measurements shall be taken unless special cases apply. If special cases are encountered, the Contractor shall follow procedures in the FS‐TCH to determine the proper location for tree diameter measurements. In cases of abnormalities at 4.5 feet, the contractor shall measure diameter at the closest point above or below the abnormality that is representative of tree diameter, rather than calculating DBH at 4.5 feet as outlined in the FS‐TCH.

In instances where an unusual tree is encountered that does not fit into the special cases described in the Timber Cruising Handbook, the Contractor may use professional judgment to best determine DBH and shall record the tree in the TR_UNUS field described in the Prism Plot data collection section below.

6. Count tree (FS‐TCH Ch. 30, Sec. 35.21a‐35.22, pp. 110‐115) – In each prism plot

10 BAF Wedge Prism or Angle Gauge is used to determine visually whether or not the tree should be sampled (“in” or “out”) and thus considered a “count tree.” All trees at a distance equal to or less than the limiting distance from the center (not the face) of the tree to the plot center at BAF 10 shall be counted, and no trees at a distance greater than the limiting distance at BAF 10 shall be counted. There is no minimum diameter for count trees. For each prism plot, the total number of count trees will be called Total Trees (Attachment 2, Table b) for quality assurance assessments and the contractor’s number for Total Trees will be compared to the Government’s Total Trees.

7. Fixed plot ((FS‐TCH Ch. 30, Sec. 34.1, p. 93) –The fixed radius plot is used to estimate characteristics of trees that are less 4” DBH and to classify site conditions.

Fixed plot is an area of a measured distance from plot center to a defined radius.

Only a single record will be recorded for each fixed plot.

8. Age plot – Annual rings are counted to determine the origin of the tree by extracting an increment core from the tree using an increment borer. Only a single record will be recorded for each age plot.

9. Woody Vegetation – Any perennial vegetation with hardened, lignified stems. This classification includes trees, shrubs and lianas, with the exception of poison‐ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) which shall be considered non‐woody for this contract.

Perennial herbaceous plants with hardened annual stems shall not be classified as woody.

3.1.7 Data Collection

As described above, each sampling point includes a Fixed Plot and a Prism Plot. Every 5th sampling point includes an Age Plot. A specific description of sampling protocols for each plot type is given below. The allowable values for each sampling variable are provided in Tables a., b., and c in Attachment 2 – Figures and Tables).

3.1.7.1 Fixed Plot

A GPS point will be collected at the fixed plot center.

PL_NUM – This is the unique point number provided for each sampling point by the Government. This number will be populated by the Contractor to all Prism Plots and Age Plots associated with a sampling point, but is unique for each Fixed Plot.

DWD – Approximate cover (by cover class) of downed woody debris within the 1/50-acre fixed plot (16.7 radial feet from plot center). Downed woody debris is any piece of downed, dead woody material that is partially or fully resting within the fixed plot that has a total length of at least 3.28 feet (including any length that may fall outside the plot boundary) and a diameter of at least 11.8 inches at any point along its length (including any length that may fall outside the plot boundary). Downed wood is distinguished from standing dead wood in that it is not anchored to the forest flood. PERCENT COVER, LENGTH AND DIAMETER SHOULD ALL BE VISUALLY ESTIMATED FOR DWD. Cover classes are:

0: No downed wood 1: <25% of 1/50-acre fixed plot area covered in downed wood 2: 25-50% of 1/50-acre fixed plot area covered in downed wood 3: 50-75% of 1/50-acre fixed plot area covered in downed wood 4: >75% of 1/50-acre fixed plot area covered in downed wood

OV_CLSR – Overstory closure shall be determined through means of ocular estimation in increments of 10 percent for trees in coverage area over the understory plot.

OV_HT – Overstory height is the measurement of co‐dominant canopy layer using a clinometer or other height measuring device within plot area. A single tree at each fixed plot shall be measured for height; this tree shall be a tree that was selected as a “count” tree in the prism plot and shall be representative of the average height of the co‐dominant canopy layer. This tree shall not be leaning, broken, uprooted, or otherwise un‐representative of the canopy. The tree to be used for the OV_HT measurement shall be marked with a single vertical blue slash from a paint stick at 4.5 feet.

UND_HT – Understory height is the average height of tree species (not including shrubs) in an area inside 16.7 feet from plot center, based on an ocular estimation. Understory height is restricted to trees 2 feet tall and greater. If the understory height is less than 2, no data shall be recorded.

UND_COV_50 – Understory coverage noting presence/absence of tree species greater than or equal to 2 feet tall and less than or equal to 4 inches DBH in 1/50-acre plot (16.7 radial feet from plot center). Possible values are 0 (trees absent in 1/50th ac plot) or 1 (1 or more trees present in 1/50th ac plot).

UND_COV_1000 – Understory coverage noting presence/absence of tree species greater than or equal to 2 feet tall and less than or equal to 4 inches DBH in four 1/1000th acre plots (3.7 radial feet) in cardinal directions at 13 feet from plot center (see diagram in Figure 3 in Attachment 2

– Figures and Tables). Possible scores consist of 0 (no trees in 1/1000th acre plot) to 4 (trees in each of the 1/1000th acre plot), with one point for each 1/1000th ac. plot containing 1 or more tree seedlings or saplings.

REG_SP1 – The species of the tallest TREE greater than or equal to 2 feet tall and less than or equal to 4 inches DBH in the northern 1/1000th acre plot, using the appropriate USDA species code. If no tree is present in the plot, record NO TREE.

REG_SP1_HC – The height class of the tree recorded for REG_SP1. Height classes should be visually estimated. Leave this field blank if REG_SP1 is NO TREE. The height class codes are:

1: 2 – 4.5 feet 2: 4.5 – 10 feet 3: >10 feet REG_SP2 – The species of the tallest TREE greater than or equal to 2 feet tall and less than or equal to 4 inches DBH in the eastern 1/1000th acre plot, using the appropriate USDA species code. If no tree is present in the plot, record NO TREE.

REG_SP2_HC – The height class of the tree recorded for REG_SP2. Height classes should be visually estimated. Leave this field blank if REG_SP2 is NO TREES. The height class codes are:

1: 2 – 4.5 feet 2: 4.5 – 10 feet 3: >10 feet REG_SP3 – The species of the tallest TREE greater than or equal to 2 feet tall and less than or equal to 4 inches DBH in the southern 1/1000th acre plot, using the appropriate USDA species code. If no tree is present in the plot, record NO TREES.

REG_SP3_HC – The height class of the tree recorded for REG_SP3. Height classes should be visually estimated. Leave this field blank if REG_SP3 is NO TREES. The height class codes are:

1: 2 – 4.5 feet 2: 4.5 – 10 feet 3: >10 feet REG_SP4 – The species of the tallest TREE greater than or equal to 2 feet tall and less than or equal to 4 inches DBH in the western 1/1000th acre plot, using the appropriate USDA species code. If no tree is present in the plot, record NO TREES.

REG_SP4_HC – The height class of the tree recorded for REG_SP4. Height classes should be visually estimated. Leave this field blank if REG_SP4 is NO TREES. The height class codes are:

1: 2 – 4.5 feet 2: 4.5 – 10 feet 3: >10 feet UND_SP1– Understory species 1 referencing most dominant woody species (including trees, shrubs and vines) of woody vegetation greater than or equal to 2 feet tall but less than or equal to 4 inches in diameter within 1/50th acre plot. It is acceptable for the Understory Species fields to be left blank if there are no woody understory species within the 1/50th ac. plot area.

UND_SP2 – Understory species referencing 2nd most dominant woody species (including trees, shrubs and vines) of woody vegetation greater than or equal to 2 feet tall but less than or equal to less than 4 inches in diameter within 1/50th acre plot. It is acceptable for the Understory Species fields to be left blank if there are no woody understory species within the 1/50 th ac. plot area.

UND_SP3 ‐ Understory species referencing 3rd most dominant woody species (including trees, shrubs and vines) of woody vegetation greater than or equal to 2 feet tall but less than or equal to less than 4 inches in diameter within 1/50th acre plot. It is acceptable for the Understory Species fields to be left blank if there are no woody understory species within the 1/50 th ac. plot area.

GRD_SP1– Dominant herbaceous species within 1/50th acre plot. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort, family. It is acceptable for the Ground Species fields to be left blank if there are no herbaceous species within the 1/50th ac. plot area.

GRD_SP2 – Second most dominant herbaceous species within 1/50th acre plot. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort, family. It is acceptable for the Ground Species fields to be left blank if there are no herbaceous species within the 1/50th ac. plot area.

GRD_SP3 – Third most dominant herbaceous species within 1/50th acre plot. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort, family. It is acceptable for the Ground Species fields to be left blank if there are no herbaceous species within the 1/50th ac. plot area.

NOT_SP1 – Notable species 1 includes listing species of relative importance in terms of most significance to lesser significance within 1/50th acre plot area for management implications.

Species shall be listed in following order as they occur in plot area: invasive woody, invasive herbaceous, previously undocumented woody species, and herbaceous species outside of typical floodplain forest vegetation. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort, family. It is acceptable for the Notable Species fields to be left blank if there are no notable species within the 1/50th ac. plot area.

NOT_SP2 – Notable species 2 includes listing species of relative importance in terms of most significance to lesser significance within 1/50th acre plot area for management implications.

Species shall be listed in following order as they occur in plot area: invasive woody, invasive herbaceous, previously undocumented woody species, and herbaceous species outside of typical floodplain forest vegetation. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort, family. It is acceptable for the Notable Species fields to be left blank if there are no notable species within the 1/50th ac. plot area.

NOT_SP3 – Notable species 3 includes listing species of relative importance in terms of most significance to lesser significance within 1/50th acre plot area for management implications.

Species shall be listed in following order as they occur in plot area: invasive woody, invasive herbaceous, previously undocumented woody species, and herbaceous species outside of typical floodplain forest vegetation. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort, family. It is acceptable for the Notable Species fields to be left blank if there are no notable species within the 1/50th ac. plot area.

NOT_SP4 – Notable species 4 includes listing species of relative importance in terms of most significance to lesser significance within 1/50th acre plot area for management implications.

Species shall be listed in following order as they occur in plot area: invasive woody, invasive herbaceous, previously undocumented woody species, and herbaceous species outside of typical floodplain forest vegetation. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort, family. It is acceptable for the Notable Species fields to be left blank if there are no notable species within the 1/50th ac. plot area.

NOT_SP5 – Notable species 5 includes listing species of relative importance in terms of most significance to lesser significance within 1/50th acre plot area for management implications.

Species shall be listed in following order as they occur in plot area: invasive woody, invasive herbaceous, previously undocumented woody species, and herbaceous species outside of typical floodplain forest vegetation. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort, family. It is acceptable for the Notable Species fields to be left blank if there are no notable species within the 1/50th ac. plot area.

FP_MISC – Fixed plot miscellaneous comments may be added as necessary.

FP_Crew – Crew leader.

FP_Date – Date of Fixed Plot Data Collection. It is recommended that this field is set as an auto‐ populating field for data collection.

FP‐Time – Time of Fixed Plot Data Collection. It is recommended that this field is set as an auto‐ populating field for data collection.

3.1.7.2 Prism Plot

The prism data is intended to capture information on the overstory canopy and includes data on count trees in the variable radius plot using a 10 BAF a wedge prism or angle gauge, with count trees selected using the procedures described in the Field Tools section above. The Contractor shall use the plot center established for the Fixed Plot as the Prism Plot center. All count trees within the plot shall be tallied and measured, and each measured tree shall be recorded with the same PL_NUM as the corresponding Fixed Plot. Most prism plots will have multiple records since multiple trees will be measured for each prism plot.

Trees shall be tallied in a clockwise direction, starting with the first tree east of due north (0 degrees). The Contractor shall mark each tally tree with a paint stick. The first tree tallied shall be marked with three vertical slashes using an orange paint stick at 4.5 feet. Every subsequent count tree shall be marked with a single vertical slash at 4.5 feet, with the exception of the tree marked with a single vertical blue slash for OV_HT in the Fixed Plot. Borderline trees that are determined to be out shall be marked with a single horizontal orange slash at 4.5 ft.

Slashes shall be made in such a way that they are visible from the plot center, but not so large that they are visible from a much greater distance. The data for each count tree shall be individually recorded in a separate point feature on the GPS unit. The GPS point does not need to be collected directly at the count tree but must be collected within the vicinity of the plot center.

The following will be collected for every count tree at the plot location. Plots with no count trees shall be documented by recording a Prism feature and selecting “no tree” for the tree species. As described above, all trees counted as “in” must be measured and recorded. If trees are on the borderline where it is difficult to determine visually whether they are “in” or “out”, the limiting distance must be measured and the determination made based on tree diameter and limiting distance for a BAF of 10 rather than on a visual estimate. Trees for which limiting distance was measured and the trees were determined to be “in” should be recorded as BRDR or BDWK as described in the TR_BDWK field described below.

If a fixed plot center falls near the edge of the forested sampling area (e.g., adjacent to open water or non‐forested marsh), the prism plot shall be measured as a walkthrough plot. The theoretical basis for walkthrough plots for variable radius sampling can be found at:

https://www.nrs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/jrnl/2004/ne_2004_ducey_001.pdf; a graphic illustration of the technique is also included in Figure 1 in Attachment 2 – Figures and Tables. Any trees between the fixed plot center and the forest edge that are closer to the forest edge than to the plot center shall be noted according to the procedure described in the TR_BDWK field (explained below). Any trees that are closer to the fixed plot center than the forest edge, or which are not between the fixed plot center and the forest edge, shall be tallied normally. The determination of distance between the tally tree and the plot center shall be assessed visually. No measurements should be taken. The Contractor does not need to complete any additional processing with the walkthrough information. In summary analyses conducted by the Government, trees recorded as walkthrough trees will be double counted to correct for bias introduced by plots that incorporate a large area outside of the forested sampling area.

PL_NUM ‐ The plot number for each prism plot shall be equal to the associated Fixed Plot number and should be unique to an individual fixed plot. Multiple trees at each Fixed Plot will receive the same Prism PL_NUM, however, the Prism PL_NUM shall not be duplicated at multiple Fixed Plots.

TR_SP ‐ Tree species of “count” tree. If there are no count trees in the plot, record “NO TREES” in this field. If a tree is dead and the species cannot be determined, the TR_SP shall be recorded as “Unknown”. Species should be recorded using the USDA species codes provided in Attachment 3.

TR_BDWK – Designation of “in” borderline trees (brdr) and/or walkthrough (walk) trees for double‐counting (bdwk for both borderline and walkthrough). This field will default to blank.

The objective of this field is to facilitate Quality Assurance procedures and to allow for post‐ processing by the Government of walkthrough trees. All trees that are counted as “in” but fit the criteria for borderline must be indicated as “brdr” or “bdwk” in this field.

TR_DIA ‐ Measurement of tree diameter at breast height (DBH), 4.5 feet from ground, to nearest inch. Diameter must be measured with a diameter tape that wraps around the circumference of the tree. The US Forest Service timber cruise handbook provides protocols on the measurement of unusual situations or problem trees (see DBH definition in the definitions section above). If there are no count trees in the plot, select zero for this field.

TR_UNUS – Designation for a tree as a tree with a particularly unusual diameter that requires a professional judgment call on where to take the diameter and/or on whether a tree should be measured as a single stem or as multiple stems. The default value is blank. If the professional judgment call is on location of diameter only, “yes” shall be selected for the tree with an unusual diameter only. If the judgment call is on the number of stems in a clump, “yes” shall be selected for each of the stems in the clump. For example, in Figure 2 in Attachment 2

– Figures and Tables, in example 3.a, there would be one tree with a designation of “yes” for TREE_UNUS. In example 3.b and 3.c, an individual could make a judgment call that there are either four trees (3.b) or one tree (3.c), since the tree splits at 4.5 feet. If it is determined that there are four trees (3.b), there shall be four records in the data file and each record shall be recorded as “yes” for TREE_UNUS. If is determined that there is only a single tree (3.c), there shall only be one record in the data file and this record shall be recorded as “yes” for TREE_UNUS. There will be no accuracy assessment for this field; it will instead be used to help compare Government and Contractor trees during the QA process.

TR_CL – Tree canopy class menu pick list to include: (D: top of tree’s canopy extends above the general canopy of surrounding trees), co‐dominant (CD: top of canopy is at roughly the same height as the general canopy and the tree has a wide area of unshaded leaf area at the top), intermediate (I: top of canopy is at the same height of or slightly below the height of the general canopy and the tree receives some sunlight, but only a small amount, from above), suppressed (S: top of canopy is completely below the bottom of the general canopy of co‐dominant trees). If there are no count trees in the plot, select “NO TREES” in this field. The canopy class for dead trees or trees with broken tops should be the current position of the highest point of the tree relative to the main canopy.

TR_HLTH – Tree health list to include: vigorous (V), stressed (S), significant decline (SD), and dead (described further below). The “dead” field includes multiple options to assess the mortality agent. If there are no count trees in the plot, select “NO TREES” in this field. Numerous factors are used to determine tree health. Crown dieback is the single most important factor to consider.

The presence of epicormic branching may be used as a component in defining the health class, however, different tree species produce epicormic branches in response to different environmental triggers and epicormic branching is not necessarily an indication of stress or significant decline.

Vines shall only be considered if they are having a substantial impact on crown health and structure. The classes are defined as follows. Vigorous: tree has a vigorous canopy with no dieback, minimal epicormic branching, and no significant disease. Stressed: tree has one of the following factors: dieback comprising of less than 50% or more of the canopy, epicormic branching, defoliation, or significant vine competition. Significant decline: tree has one or more of the following: dieback comprising 50% or more of the canopy, significant epicormic branching, significant defoliation, broken top or major vine competition. Dead: tree is a standing stem with no live foliage or live branches. There is, however, no stand‐alone option for recording a dead tree; one of the five following options must be chosen for each dead tree.

Dead‐insect/disease (D‐ID), Dead‐beaver (D‐B), Dead‐storm (D‐S), Dead‐other (D‐O; Dead‐ other should be used for any tree for which a specific mortality agent can be identified but when that mortality agent doesn’t fit into the three previous categories), Dead‐unknown (D‐U; Dead‐ unknown should be used when the mortality agent cannot be identified).

TR_CAV – Presence or absence of small (<10 inches in diameter) and large (>10 inches in diameter) cavities anywhere on the tree. Values should be recorded as:

N: No cavities present S: 1 or more small (<10-inch diameter) cavities present L: 1 or more large (>10-inch diameter) cavities present B: Both small and large cavities present

TR_MISC – Miscellaneous comments may be added as necessary allowing up to 60 characters to be entered.

TR_CREW – Crew leader.

TR_DATE – Date of Prism Plot Data Collection. It is recommended that this field is set as an auto‐populating field for data collection.

TR_TIME – Time of Prism Plot Data Collection. It is recommended that this field is set as an auto‐populating field for data collection.

3.1.7.3 Age Plot

The age plot consists of the collection of age data from a single tree (hereafter Age Tree) selected on 1/5 of established fixed plots. The Age Tree is selected from the sample of Prism trees at a given fixed plot location. A GPS coordinate shall be taken at the location of the Age Tree, and an increment core shall be taken at breast height to the pith of the tree. Rings shall be counted on the core according to the field descriptions below.

Trees selected as Age Trees shall be representative of the trees in the fixed plot area and shall be a dominant or co‐dominant canopy tree. No trees with signs of past suppression shall be used and trees shall not be selected specifically on the ease of reading rings. No leaning, broken, or otherwise abnormal trees should be used as Age Trees. Every Age Tree shall be marked with a vertical and horizontal blue slash in the form of a cross (+). An Age Tree may be the same as the OV_HT tree in the Fixed Plot. If this is the case, it should be marked with both a vertical blue slash and a vertical a n d horizontal blue slash in the form of a cross (+).

PL_NUM – Plot number coinciding with the unique Fixed Plot number. AGE_SP – Age Tree species.

AGE_DIA – Diameter measured at breast height to nearest tenth of an inch using a diameter tape. The US Forest Service timber cruise handbook provides protocols on the measurement of unusual situations or problem trees (DBH definition in the definitions section above).

AGE_ORIG – Origin year of tree shall be recorded. This shall be calculated as the current year minus ring count on tree core minus 3 years to account for growth to DBH.

AGE_GRW – The total number of rings in the outer inch of the core, excluding bark, shall be counted and recorded to index growth rates.

AGE_MISC – Allows for up to 60 characters to be entered as necessary. AGE_CREW – Crew leader.

AGE_DATE ‐ Date of Age Plot Data Collection. It is recommended that this field is set as an auto‐populating field for data collection.

AGE_TIME – Time of Age Plot Data Collection. It is recommended that this field is set as an auto‐populating field for data collection.

4 DELIVERABLES

The sole deliverables for this contract are the raw and cleaned digital datasets as described above associated with the field-collected plot data. Contract payments will be made only once these digital datasets have been submitted by the Contractor to the Government and the Government has approved those datasets, according to the Quality Assurance Procedures described above.

4.1 Data Submissions

The Contractor shall submit the following as deliverable materials:

1. Provide compiled records in an ESRI ArcGIS feature class in either a file geodatabase or shapefile format compatible with the most current version of ArcGIS Pro, utilizing the Government‐provided template. Other software may be used to create this dataset, but it must be compatible with ESRI ArcGIS software. This template will be provided at the time of the award meeting. The feature classes shall be in the UTM NAD 1983 Zone 15N coordinate system and must include separate feature classes for age, fixed and prism plots. The file name for the geodatabase shall be:

MVP_ForInv_CYyyCLINxxxxSz_yy.mm.dd_Comp.gdb, where CY = contract year, CLIN= contract line-item number, S = submission number per line item, yy = two-digit year, x = CLIN number, z = submission number per line, mm = two digit month, dd = 2 digit day and yy.mm.dd = date of submission (e.g, MVP_ForInv_CY23CLIN0002S2_23.11.30_Comp.gdb). The compiled feature classes shall utilize the Government‐provided template and shall include all fields listed in Tables a., b., and c in Attachment 2 – Figures and Tables. Each field shall include only values in the format described for each field in the “Allowable entries/data format” column in this table. Any fields listed as “required” in the “Entry” column must be entered for each record in each feature class. Any fields listed as “as needed” in the “Entry column” shall be entered only when applicable; these fields should otherwise be left as <Null>. Any data submissions with data that does not match the values listed in the “Allowable entries/data format” column will be considered incomplete, and the Contractor will be asked to correct those files prior to receiving payment.

2. Provide copies of all original GPS/data files in the original format in which the data was collected. All required fields listed in Tables a., b., and c in Attachment 2 – Figures and Tables should be included in the Raw data submission, though incomplete formatting of fields is acceptable in the Raw data. In cases where the Raw data is identical to the

Compiled data, only the Compiled data should be submitted.

3. Provide a spreadsheet listing any points not sampled or walkthrough points that were not sampled as walkthroughs and a brief description of the reason why these points were not sampled accordingly.

The Contractor shall submit all data with the following schedule:

1. The Contractor shall provide the Government with an approximate schedule prior to beginning work in a new sampling area.

2. No data submissions of less than 100 sampling points or more than 200 sampling points will be accepted, unless previously approved by the government, with the exception of the final data submission associated with a CLIN, which will include the remaining number of sampling points not yet submitted. The final data submission may be less than 100 points and up to 299 points. Data shall be grouped for submission by sampling areas. If a sampling area is less than 100 sampling points, it should not be submitted on its own but should be submitted with another sampling area such that the total number of sampling points submitted at one time is equal to or greater than 100. If a sampling area includes more than 200 sampling points, data should be submitted incrementally in submissions of between 100 and 200 sampling points.