High Sierra Planting and Bass Lake Hoedad Planting

3/9/2017 - THERE IS NOW ONE AMENDMENT TO THIS SOLICITATION. The proposal due date has been extended to March 17, 2017 by 1:00 p.m. AS O F 02/17/2017 THERE ARE NO AMENDMENTS TO THIS SOLICITATION. AN AMENDMENT WAS UPLOADED IN ERROR TO THE WRONG PROJECT. NOTE: The proposal due date has been changed to March 14, 2017 by 1:00 pm. The complete solicitation package will be available for download on February 15, 2017, at www.fbo.gov. This project is a total small business set-aside. The compelete specifications will be available for download at www.fbo.gov in the near future. The Contractor shall furnish all equipment, labor, supplies, supervision, transportation, and incidentals necessary to perform the work in accordance with the specifications, terms, and conditions contained within. The hoedad planting (Item 1) will take place on the Bass Lake Ranger District. The auger planting and release (Item 2 & Option Items) will take place on the High Sierra Ranger District. At this time the option items are not funded. The option items will be done in part, in whole or not at all to the degree funding becomes available. The number of trees for each item is an estimate and may vary significantly. The objective is to plant all the trees that the Districts have available. It is possible that additional or alternate sites will be used to achieve this goal. The Soaproot project was harvested in the last several years, thinning and piling was completed last year. These areas have also been impacted by the ongoing tree mortality event the District is experiencing. At this time burning of the piles has not been completed. It is possible that it will be by the expected start of this contract but it is more likely that it will not. Planting will go on regardless. It will be necessary to work around the piles. This may reduce the number of trees planted per acre. Option item 1: The Aspen fire burned more than 20,000 acres on the High Sierra R.D. during the summer of 2013. Harvest of the burned and dying trees occurred during the summer of 2014 continuing into 2015. At this time twelve units have been identified as planting opportunities for this contract (see maps). It is possible that we will find other opportunities that we may substitute or add to those areas identified on the maps. The goal is to plant all our seedlings. The listed units are recently harvested stands that have been prepared for planting (post- harvest) by felling the small dead trees and piling the slash for burning. The burning has been completed. It is also possible that areas that have been harvested but received no post- harvest treatment or areas where no activity occurred after the fire but are in need of planting maybe identified. The acres on the maps are the gross acres of the entire unit, in some units the entire unit may not be plantable. This may be due to poor soil, wet areas, areas where the fire did not kill the trees and areas that have natural regeneration of conifers occurring. In some units only sections required additional site preparation, it was determined at that time that the rest of the unit was either not in need of planting, not plantable or plantable as it was. In these cases ground that is plantable will be planted regardless of the lack of additional site preparation. If plantable ground is adjacent to the marked units we may plant that as well. Option Items 2 & 3 area requires manual release of the planted seedlings on the soaproot and aspen projects. It is anticipated that manual release will be necessary on much of this ground. Units will be evaluated during planting to determine the priority units or sections of units. This may include all or some (or possibly none) of the planted areas. This work will be paid by the acre. The actual planted area in each unit that requires release will be measured after planting and this measured acreage used for payment of the manual release. The decision to release or not will be made within 30 days of planting. Note: Prospective bidders are encouraged to inspect the project sites prior to submitting a quote. For information on road, ground conditions, and/or maps prior to site inspection, contact Ray Acker at the High Sierra R.D. Ranger District, (559) 855-5355ext. 3312. At this time of year access to the Aspen project area is through a locked gate so it will be necessary to contact Ray Acker. Also access may not be possible depending on road conditions as these roads are not maintained during the winter. In addition to the possibility of snow covered roads there is a high likely hood of falling trees blocking the road especially to the Aspen project. The contact for the Bass Lake (Item 1) is Francey Blaugrund (559) 877-2218 ext 3282.