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• TO: James E. Chandler County Administrator DE RTMENT HEAD CONCURRENCE: �, ObertNrKeating -JTP" Community Develop ern _ or FROM: Roland Ni DeBloisrAICP Chief; Environmental Planning DATE: January 7, 1998 SUBJECT: Staff Request for Board Approval of a Contract with Georgia-Pacific Corporation for the Removal of Pine Tri from the Wabasso Scrub Conservation Area, in Fulfillment of Scrub Habitat Mitigation Requirements for the C.R. 512 Widening Project It is requested that the information herein presented be given formal consideration by the Board of County Commissioners at its regular meeting of January 13, 1998. DESCRIPTION AND CONDPPIONS The CR 512 road widening project, nearing completion, impacted approximately 3 acres of scrub jay habitat (near Sebastian Elementary School). In 1996, as part of the road widening permitting process, the County obtained an "incidental take" permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to impact the 3 acres of scrub. As a condition ofthe FWS permit, the County must mitigate the CR 512 scrub impacts by restoring scrub habitat on the Wabasso Scrub Conservation Area property. The ±111 acre Wabasso Scrub property, located at the northwest corner of Kings Highway and CR 510, was purchased by the County under its environmental lands program with a 509/6 cost -share grant from the Florida Communities Tryst (FCT). A condition of the Wabasso Scrub FCT Grant Award Agreement is that the County restore and manage scrub habitat on the property in coordination with the FWS. As such, CR 512 scrub mitigation on the Wabasso Scrub property is consistent with the intended management of the conservation land. A main component of the CR 512 scrub jay habitat conservation plan (HCP) is the removal of sand pines (and some slash pines) from ± 32 ams of the Wabasso Scrub property, in order to "open up" the tree canopy to allow establishment of low -growing oak snub, which is the prime habitat of scrub jays. Subsequently, periodic prescribed burns will be conducted as part of habitat maintenance. County staff has investigated the most cost-effective means to thin the sand pine canopy on the subject property in fiil6llment of management commitments. As a result, county staff has negotiated a contract with Georgia-Pacific Corporation for selective removal of pines, which contract is hereby presented to the Board for approval consideration. ALTERNATIVES & ANALYSIS There are basically two alternatives regarding the removal of pine trees from the Wabasso Scrub Property- The first alternative is for the County, using either county staff or a private contractor, to cut the trees and dispose of the debris at the county landfill (or burn the debris with a debris burning permit). This first alterative would require an expenditure of county funds for such costs as staff time and equipment, or private contractor fees, as well as possible landfill tipping fees. The second alternative is for the County to seek a timber company that sees the timber as a commodity such that the company would remove the trees at no cost to the County, and in fact would pay the County some amount for the timber. Since the second alternative is more cost-effective and environmentally sound than the first alternative, county staff sought out a timber company for the task. In seeking timber companies that might be interested in the Wabasso Scrub pine thinning project. staff coordinated with the Division of Forestry. Environmental land management staff from nearby counties were also contacted to identify potential timber companies. Stairs finding was that the Wabasso Snub property is considered a small project from the timber harvesting perspective; therefore, it was difficult to find a company interested in the job, particularly since the property is remote from other timber removal projects. Georgia-Pacific initially expressed this concert. However, this past year, Georgia-Pacific was awarded contracts with Brevard County and the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) to remove timber from public lands in southern Brevard County. Because of the relative close proximity of those job sites to the Wabasso Scrub property, Georgia-Pacific was able to justify its mobilization and time to consider timber removal from the Wabasso Scrub property. Based on the explained circumstance that Georgia-Pacific is able to enter into a contract with the County largely due to proximity of its other job sites, coupled with the fact that the County incurs no cost under the proposed contract, staffs position is that it is justified for the County to contract with Georgia-Pacific without going through a formal bidding process. C� JANUARY 13, 1998 -53- BOOK PLE I-L