Specifications include, but are not limited to: The County of Erie, New York (the “County”) is currently seeking Proposal Statements from qualified landscape architecture, planning, forestry, and/or other appropriate firms interested in developing an update to the Erie County Forest Management Plan 2023. ● Update the 2003 Forest Management Plan, with consideration for the 2019 Parks Master Plan recommendations and priorities, the publications listed under the “Existing Reports to Reference” section of this RFP, and the public commentary. ● Facilitate public engagement for input on the goals, objectives, and recommendations. ● Delineate and diagnose the Forest Lot stands. ● Assess the ecological communities and their trajectories. ● Inventory the Bureau of Forestry assets and recommend maintenance. ● Identify existing and recommend additional recreational and educational opportunities. ● Establish BMPs following current local and regionally appropriate industry standards and scientific research for forestry management applications, including, but not limited to: sustainable harvesting, wildlife management, ecological community restoration, invasive species management, trail maintenance, erosion and sediment protection, and natural resource conservation. ● Prescribe management actions for each of Forest Lot and provide estimates on the costs, timelines, and value of management. ● Develop a formal project timeline or a Gannt Chart to include milestones, tasks, and deliverables to be completed. ● Attend a project kickoff meeting with County staff and steering committee to discuss scope of project, roles, deliverables, and schedule. ● Facilitate meetings with County staff and steering committee monthly, or as needed, to provide guidance and discuss progress and scope of work. Coordinate with County staff to schedule meetings. Meeting duties include, but are not limited to: o Identify goals, objectives, management strategies, needs and constraints, industry standards, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and data to be collected. o Periodic meetings to discuss plan development and milestones. o Provide County staff and steering committee with written meeting minutes for all meetings. ● Report progress to County staff via email on a bi-weekly basis. Provide updates in a consistent form that identifies changes from previous updates. ● Provide draft documents in editable file formats (Microsoft Office documents) for County review, no less than five (5) business days prior to the next scheduled progress update meeting. The County’s comments and edits are to be included in the subsequent submission.
