IDC (single-award IDV) AG4660C100001KRESS, LANCE W

Description of requirement

THE CONTRACTOR WILL COMPLETE FIELDWORK AND COLLECT DATA INVOLVING FORESTRY PRACTICES DURING FIELD TRIPS TO WORK SITES IN MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTH CAROLINA (SEE BELOW). (TREE HEIGHT AND DIAMETER BRANCH HEIGHT TO GROUND, DIAMETER AND LENGTH) AND SAMPLES (ABOVEGROUND BIOMASS COMPONENTS AND WHOLE AND PARTIALLY DECOMPOSED ROOT SYSTEMS) ON TWO SOUTHERN RESEARCH STATION (SRS-4160) STUDIES. ONE STUDY IS A COLLABORATIVE STUDY WITH MEADWESTVACO CORPORATION LOCATED IN CROSS, SOUTH CAROLINA EXAMINING THE IMPACTS OF GENOTYPE AND SOIL CARBON ADDITIONS ON TREE GROWTH/PHYSIOLOGY AND SOIL PROCESSES. THE OTHER STUDY IS A SILVICULTURE EXPERIMENT EXAMINING THE IMPACTS OF SPECIES AND SILVICULTURE TREATMENTS ON TREE GROWTH, SURVIVAL AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION AND IS LOCATED IN SAUCIER, MISSISSIPPI. SAMPLING PROCEDURES MUST BE CONDUCTED AS CLOSE TO POSSIBLE AS THEY HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY CONDUCTED IN THESE EXPERIMENTS. THE CONTACTOR WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING ON-THE-SPOT DECISIONS REGARDING THE SELECTION OF TREES TO BE HARVESTED AND MODIFICATIONS OF SPECIFIC TECHNICAL APPROACHES BASED ON FIELD CONDITIONS AND THE SPECIFIC ATTRIBUTES OF THE SAMPLED TREES. AN EXAMPLE OF THE LATTER IS THAT THE STATE OF DECOMPOSITION (UNKNOWN FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL TREE UNTIL THE PROCEDURE IS STARTED) OF WHOLE ROOT SYSTEMS FROM TREES DEAD FOR FIVE YEARS, WILL VARY FROM ROOT SYSTEM TO ROOT SYSTEM. THEREFORE, THE METHOD AND PRECISION OF EXCAVATION WILL BE DEPENDENT ON THE STATE OF DECOMPOSITION. ALSO, MEASUREMENTS MUST BE PRECISE AND MADE ON SPECIFIC TREES LOCATED IN COMPLEX EXPERIMENTS; IN MANY CASES SPECIFIC TREES ARE DIFFICULT TO LOCATE/IDENTIFY DUE TO IRREGULAR SPACING AND LACK OF INDIVIDUAL TREE TAGGING. BESIDES ADVISING AND PARTICIPATING IN THE COLLECTION OF DATA, THE CONTRACTOR WILL PROVIDE A REPORT DETAILING ALL METHODS AND PROCEDURES, AS WELL AS ANY ANOMALIES THAT OCCURRED IN PLANNED SAMPLING PROTOCOL DUE TO UNEXPECTED VARIATIONS IN FIELD AND SAMPLE CONDITIONS. THE CONTRACTOR NEEDS TO BE FAMILIAR WITH SOIL TYPES AND TREE SPECIES FROM THESE STATES. THE WORK INVOLVES PHYSICAL EXERTION, SUCH AS REGULAR AND RECURRING BENDING, WALKING THROUGH PLOWED FIELDS OR OTHER UNEVEN SURFACES, AND THROUGH DENSE VEGETATION. IN MANY SITUATIONS THE DURATION OF THE ACTIVITY (SUCH AS MOST OF A WORK DAY) CONTRIBUTES TO THE ARDUOUS NATURE OF THE JOB. THE CONTRACTOR MUST BE ABLE TO WORK IN HOT AND COLD TEMPERATURES, WET CONDITIONS, AND WILL BE EXPOSED TO VARIOUS KINDS OF INSECTS (WASPS, FIRE ANTS, BEES, ETC.). ALL THOUGH THE CONTRACTOR WILL NOT BE OPERATING ANY EQUIPMENT, THEY MUST BE FAMILIAR WITH FOREST SERVICE FIELD SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR WORKING AROUND CHAINSAWS, BACKHOES AND TRACTORS. HE/SHE MUST ALSO BE FAMILIAR WITH AND BE ABLE TO USE THE TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT FOR FIELD FORESTRY APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING DATA LOGGERS, HYPSOMETERS AND DIAMETER TAPES. THE CONTRACTOR MUST BE ABLE TO WORK WITH A DIVERSE GROUP OF PEOPLE WITHIN THE FOREST SERVICE AND OTHER AGENCIES.