The vendor is required to provide professional land management services including to land management, forest resource management, wildlife management, exotic and invasive species management, permitting assistance and prescribed fire management.
- The services of professional consultants to provide the following:
• Land management
1. Conduct field surveys and data collection for natural resources on existing and potential conservation areas.
2. Identify, describe, and map natural community types, using agency natural community classification system contained in the guide to the natural communities of state.
3. Conduct field surveys and inventories of endangered and threatened plant and animal species, population estimates and recommend strategies for habitat and species enhancement.
4. Develop comprehensive management plans and operational plans, which may require collection of data, maps, surveys, or other pertinent information, deemed necessary in order to incorporate all aspects of an ecosystem based land management program; the management and operational plans may include to:
a. Land use, management, and maintenance
b. Natural resources
c. Resource management including timber, endangered and exotic species and wildlife management
d. Resource restoration
e. Historic and archaeological resources
f. Recreation and visitor use
g. Revenue generation
h. Statutory and administrative requirements
i. Plan implementation
j. Financial and budgetary coordination
5. be responsible for applying for and securing all required permits from other agencies for upland, freshwater, estuarine and coastal/dune restoration or management projects.
6. Provide contract administration, execution, management and oversight on sub-contractors implementing various restoration or management projects.
7. Provide native plant material to include preparation, delivery, installation, watering, i.e. trees, palms, shrubs, grasses, wildflowers, and aquatic plants.
8. Provide vegetative management services such as mowing, mulching, and/or shredding using wheeled and tracked machines with rotary and drum mower heads for various sized vegetation, i.e. hydro axe, ftx250, brontosaurus, heavy deck mower.
9. Provide roller chopping services.
10. Assist in the programming and coordinating of in-house reviews and public participation programs.
11. Assist in preparation, application, and administration of any grants and funding.
• Forest resource management
- Conduct forest mapping which may require aerial photo interpretation, surveying, services, field reconnaissance, observation and stratification of forest features.
- Conduct forest inventories for property appraisals of possible land purchases.
- Implement potential sales of forestry products, which incorporate all aspects of harvesting and administration, including to:
1. Timber marking
2. Conduct timber inventory
3. Mark sale boundaries
4. Assist potential buyers in tract reconnaissance
5. Develop sale proposal, establish minimum bid price and solicit bids
6. Protect county interest during contract negotiations
7. Act as county agent for contract execution
8. Monitor all harvesting activities
- Prepare and implement reforestation and groundcover revegetation projects for habitat improvement.
- This may require different mechanical methods as well as herbicide application. proposer to provide seedling or containerized native plants material to include preparation, delivery, and installation, i.e. forest plants: slash pine, long leaf pine, loblolly pine, wiregrass, etc.; dune plants: sea oats, bitter panic grass, railroad vine, etc.;
- Wetland plants: bald cypress, water tupelo, cord grass, needle rush, etc. proposer shall have a state    commercial applicator license.
• Wildlife management
- Conduct surveys and inventories of game and non-game animals; this may include, but not limited to the implementation of track count surveys, night count surveys, rookery counts, trapping and baited stations for camera observations; evaluate populations of game species and make recommendations in regards to recreational hunting.
- Develop, manage and evaluate approved recreational hunting programs on various conservation lands.
• Exotic and invasive species management
- Inventory exotic and invasive plants and animals and make recommendations for the eradication or control of these species through the use of trapping, firearms, pesticides, prescribe fire, mechanical and manual means.
- Proposers conducting exotic and invasive plant control should have a state commercial applicator license with a minimum category for aquatic weed or natural areas.
- Implement and manage control measures, including but not limited to aerial spraying, backpacks, and stump treatment, or hand removal recommended for the eradication or control of exotic or invasive plant species.
- Application of herbicides may occur on a wide variety of habitats, from aquatic systems to scrub.
- Develop recommendations for re-vegetation of treated areas, which will improve habitats and will also benefit or compliment wildlife management goals.
- Contract Period/Term: 3 years