Forest Resource Survey

STATEMENT OF WORK FOREST RESOURCE SURVEY 1. BACKGROUND A new forest resource survey (forest inventory) for the Mississippi River Project, St. Paul District fee title lands is required. Lands to be surveyed under this contract are located between Mississippi River mile 816 near Hastings, MN and river mile 614 near Guttenberg, IA. Generally, these lands are located in the river floodplain and accessible mainly by boat. This type of survey will provide foresters and land managers with the site and stand specific information on diversity, forest health, structure and invasive species needed to make sound management decisions and plans. The forest inventory currently on file no longer reflects current conditions in many areas due to the age of the data and massive changes due to flood events in the last two decades. These lands are owned by the Corps of Engineers and co-managed with the US Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. 2. PURPOSE The purpose of this Statement of Work (SOW) is to obtain forest resource information on the Corps-owned lands. The information will be used to support forest management decisions. Forest resource data collection shall include basal area per acre, vegetation species, heights, tree diameters, canopy density, tree age and growth rates, number of snag and mast trees per acre, and general forest health classifications. 3. OBJECTIVES The general objectives of this project are: - a. Establish forest sample plots and obtain geographic coordinate data for each plot center. - b. Obtain descriptive forest information from each sample plot (i.e. vegetation species composition, heights, stand age, forest health, site conditions, etc.). - c. Obtain a characterization of mid and understory vegetation within the forest. - d. Obtain copies of all forest resource survey data in digital format and in an appropriate computer software package. - e. Identify and document all invasive plant species on sample plots. 4. REQUIREMENTS The Contractor shall furnish all labor, materials, equipment, transportation, supplies, and supervision needed to perform all field sampling and documentation to accomplish the tasks described in this scope of work. The Government is relying upon the expertise of the Contractor and/or its subcontractor, to comply with all applicable regulations. Contractor will provide a professional forester that meets contract requirements to oversee the data collection. a. General Sampling Methods (1) Use data collection Global Positioning System (GPS) units for inventory. The type of GPS units used is up to the Contractor, however a Trimble data dictionary has been established for this application and will be provided to the Contractor if that method is used. Manual data sheets will be used if the Trimble unit is not used and all data will be transferred into a Microsoft Excel file (.xls format) provided to the Contractor by the Government. Prism plot data can be entered on the GPS unit without GPS position as long as a GPS point is created for the fixed plot. (2) Exact land areas to be included in the survey will be provided to the Contractor by the Government with maps, access points, sample grid overlay, and acreages. (3) GPS coordinates and data will be recorded and provided under the format: Universal Transverse Mercator projection, Zone 15, North American Datum 1983, with units in meters. b. Plot establishment (1) Maps provided for fieldwork shall display the boundaries of terrestrial areas defined by the latest Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center land cover and Corps fee title. They shall delineate forested and other terrestrial lands referred to in the remainder of this document as "non-forested" lands. Non-forested lands are defined as dominated by herbaceous and/or multiple fork shrub species and greater than 15 acres in size. Forested and non-forested lands will be sampled at a different rate, though the protocol at the plots will be identical. (2) The contractor will reference government provided maps showing sample grid point locations with the appropriate spacing. This is for a reference to sampling intensity only (not exact target locations) and provides the requisite number of plots for a given area. (3) Systematic sampling will be employed on forested and non-forested lands in a grid pattern in the field using compass and pacing for determining plot location. For forested sampling areas: plots will be 5 chains (330) feet) apart thus establishing one plot, on average, for every 2.5 acres. For non-forested sampling areas: plots will be 10 chains (660) feet) apart thus establishing one plot, on average, for every 10 acres. Randomly selected starting plot should be at least one chain inside edge of sampling area. A randomly selected UTM coordinate starting point may be provided to crew to assist in establishment of grid. The most statistically valid way to establish the grid orientation is randomly. Lining the grid up with the prevailing shape or topography of an area will bias the sampling. It may be easier to walk/sample the center of a ridge, but it won't be as random. (4) Forested sampling areas less than 8 chains across in one direction should be sampled using a zigzag pattern. Reference the map to determine/double check the number of points needed to sample the area. A randomly selected starting plot should be at least one chain inside the forest edge. Continue chaining until you reach the edge of the sampling area (forested edge usually) at which point you will turn 90 degrees and continue chaining until you have walked a total of 5 chains since your last plot. See diagram for an example. (5) Plots need to be completed at locations derived from compass and pacing. For example, points falling on the forest edge should be done in place and not relocated further interior to the edge. If inventory plot falls on forest edge, it needs to be documented in miscellaneous column under fixed plot. c. Forester Field Tools- Field tools will be the following unless otherwise specified by the Contracting Officer. (1) Wedge Prism/Angle Gauge- Optical device used for estimating basal area and determining "count" trees for the variable radius (or prism) plot. Ten basal area factor will be used. The only difference between the wedge prism and the angle gauge is positioning over plot center. Prism needs to be directly over plot center. With the angle gauge, the observer's eye needs to be directly over plot center. (2) Clinometer- Hand held instrument for measuring vertical angles to determine tree height. Standing a distance of one chain (66 ft.) from the base of the tree, heights can be measured directly. If there is no line of site to the tree top from one chain, then the height can be estimated from a 33 foot standoff by dividing that resulting value by two. (3) Loggers tape- Tape has tree diameter in inches on one side, and other side measures length in tenths of a foot. will be used to measure standoff distances for clinometer measurements and for measuring the DBH of aged trees. (4) Compass- Used to follow directional transect grid lines to determine where plots are established. (5) Biltmore stick- Graduated for direct reading of tree diameters at breast height. (6) GPS- Used to input plot data while recording locations. (7) Increment borer- Hand operated drill with a hollow bit that extracts a wood core from the stem of a tree. Increment borer will be used to determine age and growth ring index for the age plot. d. Definitions- (1) Plot- generic reference for general location where prism, fixed, and possibly age data is collected from. (2) Plot center- The center point referenced/used in collecting prism and fixed data. (3) Prism - Variable radius plot where area of the plot is directly proportional to the basal area of the tree it represents. Radius of the plot increases as the increase of diameter in tree being surveyed. (4) Fixed plot - Fixed radius plot is used to sample trees that are less than the specified breakpoint diameter. Fixed plot is an area of a measured distance from plot center to a defined radius. (5) Age - Annual rings are counted to determine the origin of the tree by extracting an increment core from the tree using and increment borer. (6) Count tree -10 Factor Wedge Prism or Angle Gauge is used to determine visually whether or not the tree should be sampled and thus considered a "count tree" using standard forestry practices. The "limiting distance" in feet for determining whether a particular tree should be a "count tree" can also be physically determined and measured by multiplying the diameter at breast height in inches by 2.75. If the actual distance to the tree from the plot center is less than the "limiting distance", then the tree is a "count tree". (7) DBH - Diameter at breast height (DBH) which is 4.5 feet off the ground. The height at which tree diameter measurements will be taken unless special cases apply. Please reference pages 26 to 36 in the Forest Service's "Timber Cruising Handbook", publication number FSH 2409.12 for further guidance on measuring DBH which includes details on special case situations. (8) The data collection is split into three categories. These are listed as separate features in the Trimble data dictionary and labeled as: "Prism", "Fixed Plot", and "Age". Each plot location shall include the collection of prism and fixed plot data. Every 5th forested plot and every 5th non-forested plot shall also include the collection of age data. This is regardless of what sampling area the plots are in (the counting towards the increment of the 5th plot doesn't start over at a new sampling area or new day). (9) Prism - 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 factor prism or angle gauge. The data for each "count" tree will be individually recorded in a separate point or feature on the GPS unit. The GPS point does not need to be collected directly at the count tree but somewhere within the plot vicinity. The following data 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. Prism plot center will coincide with the similarly numbered fixed plot. Trees on the "border" of the variable radius plot (where it can't be visually determined whether they are in or out) shall be measured and included in every second instance. PL_NUM - Plot number for each prism plot should coincide with fixed plot numbering. All "count" trees within an individual plot will have same plot numbering. TR_SP - Tree species of "count" tree selected from menu pick list of common names. If there are no count trees in the plot, select "no trees" in this field. TR_DIA - Measurement of tree diameter at breast height (DBH), 4.5 feet from ground, to nearest inch. Tools that may be used include: diameter tape, logger tape, or Biltmore stick. The US Forest Service timber cruise handbook provides protocols on the measurement of unusual situations or problem trees. If there are no count trees in the plot, select zero for this field. TR_CL - Tree canopy class menu pick list to include: dominant (top of canopy), co-dominant (top of canopy and similar height to neighbor), intermediate (top of canopy extends into lower canopy of dominant trees), suppressed (top of canopy below bottom of dominant canopy.) If there are no count trees in the plot, select "no trees" in this field. TR_HLTH - Tree health menu pick list to include: healthy, stressed, significant decline, and dead. If there are no count trees in the plot, select "no trees" in this field. Healthy tree has a vigorous canopy with no dieback, no 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 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. TR_MISC - Miscellaneous comments may be added as necessary allowing up to 60 characters to be entered. TR_CREW - Select crew leader from pick list. Crew leader's initials will be populated in database. TR_DATE - GSP automatically populates current date. TR-TIME - GPS automatically populates current time. (1) Fixed Plot - GPS point will be collected at plot center. PL_NUM - Plot number starts at one each day for each individual GPS unit. Fixed plot numbers will automatically populate as fixed plots are conducted throughout the day using the Trimble data dictionary. OV_CLSR - Overstory closure will 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 within plot area. There is a tolerance level of plus or minus 5 foot in determining tree height. UND_HT - Understory height average of tree species in an area inside 16.7 feet from plot center. Heights are categorized in feet from a pick list: 2-5, 5-10, 10-15, 15-20 etc. Trees need to be greater than 2 feet tall to be recognized as understory. Tree cover less than 2 feet tall may be documented under ground cover or notable. UND_COV - Understory coverage noting presence/absence of trees 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) and four 1/1000th acre plots (3.7 radial feet) in cardinal directions at 13 feet from plot center (see diagram). Possible scores consist of 0 (no trees in 1/50th acre plot) to 5 (trees in each of small plots and 1/50th acre plot). One point for any regenerating tree stem within 1/50th acre plot and one point for each cardinal direction plot with regeneration present. If regeneration is present in any one cardinal direction plot and no where else in the plot, it will still receive a 2 score (one for 1/50th acre and one for cardinal direction). UND_SP1 - Understory species 1 referencing most dominant woody species from menu pick list of woody vegetation greater than or equal to 2 feet tall less than or equal to 4 inches in diameter within 1/50th acre plot. UND_SP2 - Understory species referencing 2nd most dominant woody species from menu pick list of woody vegetation greater than or equal to 2 feet tall less than or equal to less than 4 inches in diameter within 1/50th acre plot. UND_SP3 - Understory species referencing 3rd most dominant woody species from menu pick list of woody vegetation greater than or equal to 2 feet tall less than or equal to less than 4 inches in diameter within 1/50th acre plot. GRD_SP1 - Dominant herbaceous species within 1/50th acre plot. Enter official USDA species code. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort: family. GRD_SP2 - Second most dominant herbaceous species within 1/50th acre plot. Enter official USDA species code. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort: family. GRD_SP3 - Third most dominant herbaceous species within 1/50th acre plot. Enter official USDA species code. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort: family. 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 should 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. Enter official USDA species code. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort: family. 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 should 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. Enter official USDA species code. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort: family. 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 should 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. Enter official USDA species code. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort: family. 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 should 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. Enter official USDA species code. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort: family. 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 should 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. Enter official USDA species code. If species cannot be determined, enter the code for Genus or at last resort: family. FP_MISC - Fixed plot miscellaneous comments may be added as necessary. There is space to allow for 60 characters to be entered as necessary. Enter codes from list that other stakeholders would like people conducting inventory to document in the fixed plots as the occasion occurs. FP_Crew - Select crew leader from pick list. Crew leader's initials will be populated in database. FP_Date - GPS automatically populates current date. FP-Time - GPS automatically populates current time. (2) Age - Data on aged tree should be collected every 5th plot with a GPS location taken 3 to 6 feet away from the tree. PL_NUM - Plot number coinciding with prism plot number. AGE_SP - Species of aged tree. Tree chosen should be representative of the stand within plot area. Tree selection should not be made specifically on ease of reading rings. 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. AGE_ORIG - Origin year of tree will be recorded. Current year minus ring count on tree core minus 3 years for growth to DBH. AGE_GRW - Growth rate indexes number of rings within outer 1 inch of tree excluding tree bark. AGE_MISC - Allows for up to 60 characters to be entered as necessary. AGE_CREW - Select crew leader from pick list. Crew leader's initials will be populated in database. AGE_DATE - GPS automatically populates current date. AGE_TIME - GPS automatically populates current time. e. GPS/Data Collection Unit (1) Trimble GPS unit with Pathfinder Office and TerraSync software is required. (2) Data could be recorded on paper if available satellites are limited as long as the plot center was marked with a GPS unit. And the data could be manually entered later by the Contractor at no additional expense to the Government. f. Data Storage- GPS/Data collection units need to be charged daily and downloaded daily. Data downloads need to be completely backed up daily on a computer. Long term data storage and data delivery to the Government will include redundant digital storage and hard copy printouts of data. 5. QUALITY STANDARDS AND ASSURANCE Contractor will complete their own Quality Control monitoring and corrections. The Government will complete Quality Assurance monitoring based upon a comparison of Contractor field data with Government collected field data. The contractor will mark plot and label plot center in a temporary manner on all plots to facilitate random Quality Assurance inspections. One acceptable manner of temporary plot marking is labeling flagging w/ the plot number, tying on a local stick, and pushing the stick in the ground at plot center. The Government will notify the Contractor at least one day in advance to arrange for quality assurance inspections. These random inspections will involve Government resample of Contractor sample plots and a comparison of data to determine acceptable or non-acceptable quality. The Contractor will provide inventory data and GPS locations for the Government inspected plots within 5 business days. A copy of each Quality Assurance inspection will be forwarded to the Contractor. The standard for accurately collecting plot data by category are as follows: 90% of prism plots, 90% of fixed plots, and 90% of age plots meeting the maximum allowable degree of deviation for all data elements. Not meeting that standard may involve re-performance or deduction to the satisfaction of the Contracting Officer. Exceeding the allowable error for any item in a specific plot means that that particular plot/table doesn't meet Quality Assurance standards when compiling inspection results for a series of plots. The following tables will be used to determine whether an individual plot or count tree was recorded within the maximum allowable degree of deviation. a. Prism b. Fixed c. Age 6. DELIVERABLES Copies of all deliverables will be submitted to the Government. Field data sheets, digital data, and other documentation of the project are the property of the Government and will not be distributed or sold by the Contractor to sources outside the Corps of Engineers without prior approval. The Contractor shall submit the following as deliverable materials: a. Provide copies of all original GPS/data files in Trimble Pathfinder Office format containing all of the information recorded on the GPS units and plant ID codes as per instructions above. Provide copies of all hard copy field data sheets if used. b. Provide compiled records in a digital Microsoft Excel file (.xls) with all the records compiled under three separate tables for : "Prism", "Fixed", and "Age" data. All plant/tree species codes should be in official USDA species code format in the excel file. A unique identifier for individual plots/records will be used in this compiled file to ensure data from the same location taken under the "Prism", "Fixed", or "Age" data collection will have the same plot number. Here is an example unique plot id with explanation to follow: P18C06_20JUL2011_1_05 (1) "P18"- for Pool and two character pool number (2) "C06"- for Compartment and two character compartment number (3) "_20JUL2011"- underscore, two character day, three character month, and four character year (4) "_1"- underscore and one character gps unit id (5) "_05"- underscore and two character plot number c. Two (2) copies of the data printed from Excel for the Prism, Fixed Plot, and Age tables. d. An ASCII text file (.txt) containing GPS coordinate data for each plot using the unique identifier as described above. 7. GOVERNMENT-PROVIDED EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES In support of this contract, the Government will provide the Contractor a copy of the most current aerial photos, maps for forested and non-forested terrestrial areas designated for sampling, document explaining special considerations for tree diameter measurements, and a Microsoft Excel file (.xls) containing appropriate data entry fields and local plant list. The remaining maps and information will be provided after the proposal process is complete and the number of plots and acreage has been established. 8. GOVERNMENT POINT OF CONTACT Randall Urich US Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Section 1114 So. Oak St. La Crescent, MN 55947 +1 (555) 000-0000, ext. 2 (desk) +1 (555) 000-0000 (cell) contact@example.gov 9. SCHEDULE OF WORK The Contractor shall have 2 years from the date of contract award to complete this contract. Field data collection must occur during the vegetation growing season to ensure effective identification and sampling of plant species, especially herbaceous. Fall or winter data collection when plants are in senescence will not be allowed. The Contractor shall submit all data as prescribed above in accordance with the following schedule: a. 1st Submittal - Within 10 business days after 1st approximate 150 acres surveyed and Quality Control checked. b. Remaining submittals sent within 10 business days after each approximate 500 acres surveyed and Quality Control checked. 10. SUBMITTALS NEEDED FROM CONTRACTOR - a. Completion of bid schedule - b. Documentation of Professional Forester qualifications - c. Identification of staff and/or subcontractor staff - d. Safety plan - e. Quality Control Plan 11. BID SCHEDULE Contractor will need to complete bid schedule during proposal process. ITEM SERVICE COST/UNIT QUANTITY UNIT TOTAL 0001 First 500 sample plots 1 Plot 0002 Between 501 and 1000 plots 1 Plot 0003 Between 1001 and 2000 plots 1 Plot