Tree Removal Services, Term Contract, West Palm Beach, FL

Tree removal shall consist of the complete removal from the site and the proper disposal of trees and all its logs, branches, brush and other debris, including cutting, loading, hauling, and disposing of by the successful bidder at no additional cost to the County. Additionally, the successful bidder shall either completely remove the stump (stump shall be considered as the part of the tree trunk including root ball left after the tree has come down), or grind it to be 6" below finished grade, or leave stump level with existing grade and chemically treat it for sufficient time to permanently eliminate any and all secondary growth from the stump. Trees included in these specifications shall include standing, leaning and fallen trees. It shall be the successful bidders responsibility to have access to the appropriate equipment (e.g. bucket trucks, stump grinders, chipper units, articulating wheel loaders with grapple and grapple log trucks) to perform the work requested uninterrupted from start to completion. Successful bidder shall, on date of service, leave the site in a condition equal to that which existed prior to the commencement of all operations. Debris generated shall not be disposed of or deposited in any County trash and/or garbage receptacle, or in areas adjacent to County properties. Backfilling of holes created by the removal of trees shall include all fill and installation required. Successful bidder shall, within twenty-four (24) hours of notification by the County representative, visually inspect the site(s) with the County representative where work shall be performed. At such time, trees to be removed shall be measured (as outlined in the following paragraph) and marked. A written quote with an itemized breakdown, shall be submitted to the County representative within twenty-four (24) hours of visual inspection. To determine Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) successful bidder shall measure the diameter of the tree to be removed at 4 above the adjacent ground by using a caliper, forestry tape, or measuring the circumference and using the geometric conversion of: CIRCUMFERENCE pi (3.1416) = DIAMETER. In the event a tree branch is below 4 , each individual leader at 4 will be measured separately and added together to establish the final DBH. DBH will not include any empty space between leaders (leaders shall be considered as the growing apex or main shoot of the tree). In the case of trees with multiple adventitious roots (aerial roots) such as ficus trees, the main leader measurement will determine the DBH. Adventitious roots (aerial roots) will not be included in the measurement unless the root diameter exceeds 6. Trees 1" DBH and greater shall be paid for at the unit price for tree removal based on price per inch of diameter, as outlined on the Bid Response page(s). Palm Tree heights shall be measured from the ground up to the point where the vegetation/palm frond growth begins. Herbicide used for stump treatment shall be a systemic herbicide such as Triclopyr (Garlon 4). Herbicide shall be applied at recommended label rates. A red dye shall be used to mark identification of treated stumps. All herbicide treatments shall be at least 95% effective in preventing re-sprouting of treated trees. If 95% kill rate is not achieved for any area of the project after two (2) months past completion, additional treatments of the exotic trees/stems in the problem area shall be the responsibility of the successful bidder until a 95% kill rate is achieved for a minimum of two (2) months. Tree removal shall require the successful bidder to load and haul from the site and recycle all vegetative material associated with the tree and stump removal and chip all debris from all limbs with a diameter of 12" or less. At the Countys discretion, the County may choose to keep all chipped material that is generated from the job. Otherwise successful bidder will load and haul from site and recycle all vegetative material. An area that has four (4) or more trees (regardless of size) in close proximity as defined by a single or adjacent property boundary shall be classified in the "over 3 trees" category. In all other cases the "up to 3 trees" category shall be used. Trees shall be classified as being encumbered when located near any overhead and/or underground utilities, located within or near protected plant species, manmade structures or located in a remote area not accessible by wheeled machinery. The successful bidder shall be responsible for contacting the appropriate utilities for location of any buried or aerial utilities in the work area which could be damaged by successful bidders operation. Trees that are located at such distance (across the street, etc.) from an encumbrance so that by topping the tree it will safely clear the encumbrance, shall be classified as free of encumbrances (as solely determined by the County representative). Undesirable trees located amongst protected species of plants may need to be removed, by the successful bidder, using specialized equipment (crane, etc.) to minimize impact/damage to the protected species. It is imperative that the successful bidders arborist be on site to make sure proper pruning techniques are followed, to identify native versus exotic species, and ensure that state regulations pertaining to protected species are followed. The successful bidder shall be responsible under the direct supervision of their Arborist, for providing all pruning associated with tree removal services in proximity of protected species at no additional charge to the County. Native vegetation, protected plant species, and sensitive lands shall not be impacted during the removal of an unwanted tree, unless provided for under a permit. When applicable, the County shall acquire all necessary permits. The successful bidder shall take all necessary steps to comply with all permits and environmental regulations associated with the project. When clearing exotic (nonnative) trees for the enhancement/restoration projects, a representative from the County shall be present at the start of the project to supply technical support.