IFB 89028 - Timber Sale, Rice Creek Conservation Area

This timber sale involves a combination of logger select thinning, marked thinning, and seed-tree cutting within the Rice Creek Conservation Area managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District in Florida. The project includes specific stands of planted pine designated for different thinning treatments: third row thinning to achieve a basal area of 50 square feet per acre in planted stands, second thinning in stands 3805007 and 3805009 with a target basal area of 45-50 square feet per acre, and a natural pine stand (3805008) also aimed at reaching a similar basal area. The seed-tree cut area (stand 804016) will involve harvesting all merchantable pine except for twelve seed trees per acre, which will serve as a seed source for regeneration. The selection criteria prioritize removing diseased, defective, and suppressed trees first, then intermediate and co-dominant trees to meet the desired basal area. The estimated timber volume includes approximately 120 tons of pine mulch, 10,380 tons of pine pulpwood, and 360 tons of chip-n-saw, though these figures are not guaranteed to be present in the harvest. The contract, posted as IFB 89028 with solicitation number ITB-09681, was made available on July 15, 2024, with a response deadline of July 29, 2024. It is valued between $500,000 and $1,000,000 and is managed by the Florida branch of the St. Johns River Water Management District. Interested parties can contact Breanna Pierce via email or phone for further details. The project emphasizes sustainable forest management practices, including selective harvesting to promote healthy stand regeneration, with specific volume estimates and operational guidelines outlined for the timber removal process.