B -- URBAN TREE INVENTORY

URBAN TREE INVENTORY. The following is a Statement of Work and a Request for Quote. The USDA Forest Service requires services in Charleston, SC. and Charlotte, NC from an individual or firm with knowledge and experience in tree inventory work. This announcement is a combined synopsis and solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Part 12, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. All provisions, clauses and statutes or executive orders for the acquisition of commercial items are applicable to this request. BACKGROUND: The USDA Forest Service Center for Urban Forest Research (CUFR) is requesting quotes for municipal tree inventory work in two cities to complement our current research on street tree growth, functionality, value, and management needs. As this inventory data is critical to the Centers mission, we require a high quality product.Over the past four years, the Center has worked in eight different municipalities throughout the Western U.S. to collect data about how municipal trees grow and function in different climes. The culmination of this work has been published as a series of Community Tree Guides with the intent of describing the benefits and costs of planting trees in a specific climate region to assist community officials and tree managers increase public awareness and support for tree programs. In support of STRATUM (Street Tree Analysis Tool for Urban Forest Managers), the scope of this research has been extended to include an additional 12 climate zones throughout the U.S. Consequently, tree inventory data collection will be commensurate. We anticipate contracting collection of these data at the rate of 2-4 municipalities per annum for duration of 4-5 years. This summer (June through September), sample inventories are needed for two municipalities: Charleston, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina. DATA COLLECTION CONTRACTS FOR BOTH CITIES WILL BE AWARDED THROUGH ONE CONTRACT. EVALUATION CRITERIA are in order of descending importance: 1) Past experience of the firm: Provide three recent and relevant examples of contracts for similar services. 2) Profession expertise: Discuss experience of individuals to complete all phases of work outlined above. 3) Price: Provide one lump sum price for all phases of work, inclusive of all travel and expenses. The total price is to be fully loaded, inclusive of direct costs, indirect costs, overhead or G&A, profit, incidental materials costs, tools of the trade, and travel. SUBMISSION of QUOTES and RESPONSES: Interested firms should submit an electronic quote and response to Evaluation Criteria in MS Word prior to noon, on June 2, 2004 to Dave Allasia. Email is ( contact@example.gov ). You must reference Solicitation R5-04-20-042 as the subject. Quotes will be accepted until noon, June 2, 2004. Also include your Tax Identification Number. Award will be based on best over all value to the Government, price and other factors considered. Award may be made without further discussions; therefore, firms are advised to submit their best price quote and response to criteria. The Forest Service will hire one firm to perform the services identified within the scope of work and protocols, below. SCOPE OF WORK: Sample Municipal Tree Inventory for Charleston, SC (approximately 910 trees) and Charlotte, NC (approximately 910 trees). Deliverables (for each city, respectively): 1) Tree Data: Excel spreadsheet containing data for all trees inventoried and corresponding digital image files are delivered on a weekly basis during active field work, where: a. Data field headings correspond in identity with protocols provided b. All records accurately filled for each record and data field using protocols provided. c. Image file folders are dated and individual image files are correctly named in correspondence with data in fields 21 and 23. d. Data has been quality checked for accuracy and inaccuracies remedied A final spreadsheet, complete with all data, and image files to be delivered on or before October 15, 2004. Penalties will accrue for late submittals. 2) Fresh foliar samples: a. Following attached protocols, 10 foliar samples, in fresh condition, for each of approximately 22 species (22 trees x 10 samples = 220 total samples [weight = approx. 30 lbs total]), will be sent to CUFR for processing via overnight shipment. Provided by Center for Urban Forest Research (CUFR): 1) Tree Data: An Excel database containing tree ID and location data (fields 1-9 and 11 [see attached]) for 910 municipal trees in each city. These trees will have been selected at random from the 22 most predominant species in the respective city as recorded in a recent full inventory. As such, random selection will have been stratified to include 30-70 individual trees, representing all size classes, of each of the 22 species. Trees will be individually located throughout the city in the public right-of-way or park locations (i.e., no trees on private property will be included); travel time to and from individual trees may be substantial as individual trees; not blocks or street segments will be inventoried. Of the 37 data fields to be included in the final deliverable, 10 (1-9, 11) [see protocols for details]) will be provided by CUFR to aid you in locating and identifying each of the 910 trees: 1. Zone. 2. TreeID. 3. Spcode (species code). 4. AddressNum. 5. Street. 6. Side. 7. Cell. 8. Onstreet. 9. FromTo. 10. DBHinventory. An Excel workbook containing 30 replacement trees for each of the 22 species will be provided with the same data fields as the original 910 tree data base. These are intended to be used as replacements when desired trees cannot be located due to removal, access, etc. Additionally, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will be developed between CUFR and the municipality that provides the winning bidder with aid in collecting planting date data (fields 35 and 36 [see attached protocols]). However, ultimate responsibility for all data lies with the winning bidder. Detailed protocols for all 37 data fields to be included in the final deliverable are attached (below). 2) Fresh Foliar Sampling: A MOU will be developed between CUFR and the municipality that provides the winning bidder with 40 hours of aerial-lift vehicle and operator usage (free of charge) for the sole purpose of collecting fresh foliar samples. Times of usage will be scheduled by agreement between the winning bidder and the municipality. 3) Kickoff Meeting and Protocol Training: To ensure that protocol clarity and methodology are accurately deciphered prior to data collection, CUFR staff will be available for a single, two-day training of field data collection protocols. This training will coincide with dates and location of a project kickoff meeting between all cooperating parties (including successful firm) the week of June 21, 2004, in Charleston, SC (meeting time and place to be announced). THE PROJECT DURATION WILL EXTEND FROM JUNE 21 THROUGH OCTOBER 15, 2004. Our needs are specific, and may not conform to all aspects of traditional municipal tree inventory data collection; this includes both methods and equipment utilized. Before replying with a bid, please read the attached bid request details and data collection protocols carefully to make sure your company can provide the data described for each field in the format desired. PROTOCOLS FOR TREE DATA AND FOLIAR SAMPLING ARE ATTACHED BELOW. IF UNREADABLE CONTACT SCOTT MACO ( contact@example.gov ) FOR FORMATTED COPIES. REFERENCE CITY FIELD DATA COLLECTION PROTOCOLS: The following data will be recorded for each tree (note: fields 1-9, 11, 35 and 36 are provided by cooperating municipality): 1) ..Zone from inventory, the number of the management area or zone that the tree is located in within a city. 2) TreeID from inventory, unique number assigned to each tree by city in inventory. 3) SpCode 4 to 6 letter code consisting of the first two letters of the genus name and the first two letters of the species name followed by two optional letters to distinguish two species with the same four-letter code. 4) AddressNum from inventory, street number of building where tree is located. 5) Street from inventory, the name of the street the tree is located on from inventory. 6) Side from inventory, indicates side of building or lot tree is located on (see Figure 1): F = Front. M = median. S= side. P = park. 7) Cell from inventory, the cell number where the tree is located (1,2,3, etc). Obtain city inventory protocols to determine what order the trees are numbered in (e.g., sometimes they are assigned in driving direction or, alternatively, as street number increases, depending upon city). Figure 1. Treeloc tree 295 Apple S1 is actually the first tree (in driving direction) on Birch Street side of house 8) Onstreet from inventory (omit if not included as a field in citys inventory), for trees at corner addresses when tree is actually on cross street rather than the addressed street (see Figure 1). 9) FromTo from inventory, the names of the cross streets that form boundaries for trees lining un-addressed boulevards. For example, on boulevards that have no development adjacent to them, therefore no obvious parcel addressing, trees are typically numbered in order. By including closest cross streets in the inventory, one will not have to begin counting trees from #1 in order to locate #333 which is 10 blocks up the boulevard from #1. 10) DBH measure the diameter at breast height (1.37m) to nearest 0.1 cm (tape). Where possible for multi-stemmed trees forking below 1.37 m measure above the butt flare and below the point where the stem begins forking. When this is not possible, measure DRC as described below. Saplings (DBH/DRC 2.54 - 12.5 cm) will be measured at 1.37 m unless falling under multi-stemmed/unusual stem categories requiring DRC measurements (per FHM Field Methods Guide). DIAMETER AT ROOT COLLAR (DRC) adapted from FHM Field Methods Guide: For species requiring diameter at the root collar, measure the diameter at the ground line or at the stem root collar, whichever is higher. For these trees, treat clumps of stems having a unified crown and common rootstock as a single tree; examples include mesquite, juniper, and mountain mahogany. For multi-stemmed trees, compute and record a cumulative DRC (see below); record individual stem diameters and a stem status (live or dead) on a separate form or menu as required. Measuring DRC: Before measuring DRC, remove the loose material on the ground (e.g., litter) but not mineral soil. Measure just above any swells present, and in a location so that the diameter measurements are reflective of the volume above the stems (especially when trees are extremely deformed at the base). Stems must be at least 1.0 ft in length and 1.0 inch in diameter to qualify for measurement; stems that are missing due to cutting or damage are not included in measurement. Additional instructions for DRC measurements are illustrated in Figure 2. Computing and Recording DRC: For all tally trees requiring DRC, with at least one stem 1.0 inch in diameter or larger at the root collar, DRC is computed as the square root of the sum of the squared stem diameters. For a single-stemmed DRC tree, the computed DRC is equal to the single diameter measured. Use the following formula to compute DRC: DRC = SQRT [SUM (stem diameter2)] Round the result to the nearest 0.1 in. For example, a multi-stemmed woodland tree with stems of 12.2, 13.2, 3.8, and 22.1 would be calculated as: DRC = SQRT (12.22 + 13.22 + 3.82 + 22.12) = SQRT (825.93) = 28.74 = 28.7 11) DBHinv the DBH from the city inventory, usually expressed as classes from 1 to 9, but class system specific to city. Sometimes expressed as DBH to nearest inch. 12) GroPerp = measurement of planting space perpendicular to street to closest 0.1 m. Enter NA for unrestricted rooting areas like parks, vacant lots, schools, institutions, and front yards where at least one side of tree crown does not intersect hardscape (see Fig. 4). 13) GroPar = measurement of planting space parallel to street to closest 0.1 m. when growing space is cutout or other location where there is no place for roots to break out into larger rooting area (e.g., lawn area, or large empty lot with soil). If area under drip line does not intersect hardscape, record as NA (see Fig. 4). Figure 4. Grospace 2 for this tree would be recorded as NA because crown width (parallel to road) does not intersect hardscape. 14) CrnDiaPar (crown diameter) crown diameter measurement taken to the nearest 0.5 m parallel to the street. The occasional erratic branch should not be included (see Fig 5). 15) CrnDiaPerp (crown diameter) crown diameter measurement taken to the nearest 0.5 m perpendicular to street. The occasional erratic branch should not be included (see Fig 5). Figure 5. Erratic branch (in box at left) is omitted from crown diameter measurement. 16) Setback distance from tree to nearest air-conditioned/heated space (be aware that this may not be same address as tree location). Evaluate as: 1 = 0-8 m 2 = 8.1-12 m 3 = 12.1-18 m 4 = >18 m 17) MtncRec the recommended maintenance for the tree: 0 = none 1 = young tree (routine) 2 = young tree (immediate) 3 = mature tree (routine) 4 = mature tree (immediate) 5 = critical concern (public safety) 18) MtncTask maintenance task -- the highest priority task to perform on the tree: 1 = stake/train 2 = clean 3 = raise 4 = reduce 5 = remove 6 = treat pest/disease 19) TreeOr Tree Orientation taken with compass, as in Figure 7, the coordinate of tree taken from imaginary lines extending from walls of the nearest conditioned space (heated or air-conditioned space, may not be same address as tree location): 1 = N = North (337.5-22.5'X) 2 = NE = Northeast (22.5-67.5'X) 3 = E = East (67.5-112.5'X) 4 = SE = Southeast (112.5-157.5'X) 5 = S = South (157.5-202.5'X) 6 = SW = Southwest (202.5-247.5'X) 7 = W = West (247.5-292.5'X) 8 = NW = Northwest (292.5-337.5'X) Figure 7. Shows imaginary lines extending from walls and associated tree orientation. 20) CarShade Number of autos where any portion of any parked automotive vehicle is under the trees drip line. Car must be present: 0 = no autos 1 = 1 auto 2 = 2 autos, etc'K 21) Image1 select position for best possible photo of tree crown, keeping in mind that you must try to obtain two perpendicular views of the tree that are as free of background noise as possible. Try to position yourself so the tree crown is as isolated as possible from neighboring tree crowns and other crowns in background: a. distance from tree that photo is taken at increments of 5 m (5,10,15, 20 meters, etc) and accurate within 0.05 m. b. camera zoom should be set to full wide angle c. first image must include entire tree (bole and crown) for backup measurements and should fill as much of viewfinder as possible d. kneel to take images so more sky is included in background 22) Dist1 Measure distance from camera back (the point where image is actually recorded) to point equivalent to center of tree bole (Figure 8). Measure accurately within 0.05 meter. Figure 8. Showing how to measure distance (in 5 m increments) between camera back and tree center). 23) Image2 taken as perpendicularly (90'a) as possible to Image 1 (#21). 24) Dist2 distance as per #22 for Image 2. 25) LandUse Area where tree is growing: 1 = single family residential 2 = multi-family residential (duplex, apartments, condos) 3 = industrial/institutional/large commercial (schools, gov, hospitals) 4 = vacant/other (agric., unmanaged riparian areas of greenbelts) 5 = small commercial 26) LocSite location type: 1 = Front yard 2 = Planting strip 3 = Cutout (tree root growth restricted on all four sides by hardscape within dripline) 4 = Median 5 = Other maintained locations 6 = Other un-maintained locations 7 = Backyard 27) TreeHt from ground level to tree top to nearest 0.5m (omit erratic leader as shown in Fig. 9) with range pole, altimeter or clinometer. Figure 9. Tree with erratic leader that should not be included in height measurement. 28) CrnBase with altimeter, average distance between ground and lowest foliage layer (omitting erratic branch) to nearest 0.5m. 29) BoleHt with altimeter, distance between ground and location at bole where first set of branches connect. This is generally higher up the bole than the crnbase measurement. 30) Shape visual estimate of crown shape verified from each side with actual measured dimensions of crown height and average crown diameter (See Figure 10): 1 = cylinder = maintains same crown diameter in top and bottom thirds of tree 2 = ellipsoid (horizontal or vertical; also includes spherical) - V for ellipse the trees center (whether vertical or horizontal) should be the widest) 3 = paraboloid - V widest in bottom third of crown 4 = upside down paraboloid - V widest in top third of crown Figure 10. Shapes of trees. 31) WireConflict utility lines that interfere with or appear above tree 0 = no lines 1 = present and no potential conflict 2 = present and conflicting 3 = present and potential for conflicting 32) SwDamg sidewalk damage categories will be determined for each city during study preparation. City forester will be asked 1) dimensional measurement at which sidewalk is heaved enough to grind or ramp and 2) at what degree of damage does city move from temporary to permanent repair. Example: 0 = None = heaved <1.90 cm (3/4 inch) = no repair 1 = Low = heaved 1.90 to 3.8cm (3/4-1.5 inch) = ramp/grind 2 = Medium = heaved 3.8 to 7.6 cm (1.5 - 3 inch) = replace/permanent repair 3 = High = Heaved >7.6 cm (3 inch) = removal and replacement Note: Be careful NOT to assess damage adjacent to newly planted trees as damage associated with that tree. 33) CondWood Structural (woody) health of tree as per adaptation of CTLA tree appraisal: 4 = No apparent problems = Good 3 = Minor problems = Fair 2 = Major problems = Poor 1 = Extreme problems = Dead/dying 34) CondLvs Structural (foliage) health of tree as per adaptation of CTLA tree appraisal: 4 = No apparent problems = Good 3 = Minor problems = Fair 2 = Major problems = Poor 1 = Extreme problems = Dead/dying 35) PlantDate Date tree was planted (for data analysis, assumptions of age at planting will be obtained from city forester for 1.5 caliper trees). a. remind city forester to record planting date, not tree age. Cooperating municipality should provide info on typical age for each species at planting. b. Provide city with list of trees to be aged'Xlist should be sorted for aging by management area, street, and address (in this order) to simplify locating them c. You should convert DBH (metric) into DBH (inches) for the citys use 36) Accuracy accuracy of tree age; when trees are being aged by city: a. Forester should then specify accuracy of estimated planting date using classes: 1 = within a year 2 = within 2-3 years 3 = within 4-5 years 4 = within 6-10 years 5 = over 10 years. 37) Notes: any pertinent notes that help explain something that is unusual about the tree that may affect growth of the tree. 38) dbh1, dbh2, dbh 3, etc., are for individual stem diameter entries for multi-stemmed trees being recorded using DRC methods. These cells are linked to the formula in field #10 (DBH) column calculating the final DBH. REFERENCE CITY FOLIAR SAMPLING PROTOCOLS: For each of the approximately 22 species selected for inventory in each city, one tree'Xtypical of species in age, size, and condition'Xwill be selected for foliar sampling using the following protocols: 1. Take one (1) set of 10 random quadrat (the cube [30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm]) samples from each tree -- 3 from lower third of tree, 4 from middle section and 3 from top. From each strata, at least one sample will be from the outer, middle and inner portions of the foliated crown. 2. If tree is taller than the bucket can reach, take 3 from bottom, 4 from about the middle height that the bucket can reach, and 3 from full bucket extension. Preferable to find a younger (shorter) tree. 3. Connect cube to pole (broomstick will work) with duct tape. This is so you can hold the pole against a front corner of the bucket and keep your hands free to clip leaves. 4. Clip leaves along the outside of the cube, then pluck those that are completely inside the cube. See drawing below. 5. Each of the 10 samples should be stored in its own zip lock bag, with as much air pushed out of bag as possible. 6. Samples should be labeled with collectors name, species code, sample number, and date of collection. Therefore, for example, in permanent marker, the bags for Acer platanoides collected on July 29 by J. Doe should be marked as follows: J.Doe ACPL 1/10 072902, J. Doe ACPL 2/10 072902, J. Doe ACPL 3/10 072902 ....to J. Doe ACPL 10/10 072902. Also, place on label a two-letter code noting the crown location leaves were taken from: LO = lower outer crown LM = lower middle LI = lower inner MO = middle outer crown MM = middle middle MI = middle inner UO = upper outer UM = upper middle UI = upper inner 7. It is best to pre-label all bags before starting and roll each set of bags up with a rubber band binding them and a note saying which species it is. 8. After collection, bags are immediately stored out of direct sunlight in an ice chest - Vdon't put directly on top of ice, put a paper bag between ice and zipped bags. 9. Store leaves for 3-5 days maximum. Ship FEDEX overnight so leaves arrive on a WEEKDAY. This is vital so leaves can be refrigerated upon arrival. Use large FEDEX boxes (about size of moving box for books) ...the fewer packages the better for keeping leaves cooler in transit. End of Solicitation.