Specifications include, but are not limited to: a. Contractor shall provide flights to conduct annual aerial surveys of Vermont forests for the purpose of mapping defoliation, dieback and general forest health conditions. Surveys typically occur annually in summer but may occur at any time of the year following specific events that affect tree health. The State shall contact Contractor at least 2 weeks prior to initiating the annual aerial survey and individual flights shall be scheduled on a day-by-day basis based on availability of State staff and weather conditions. At least two State of Vermont personnel will fly along with the Contractor pilot. From altitudes of 1,500-2500’ above ground level, the pilot will fly established grids to allow State staff to identify possible damage areas and plot the location on tablet computers. Flight duration is generally 3-4 hours, but may be up to 6 hours. Expected annual survey time is 35-40 hours. b. The State may be required to participate in aerial suppression efforts to help control damaging forest pests. While the actual aerial treatment of forest areas is provided by an aerial applicator, the State may need to provide oversight of the treatment from an aerial observation platform. The State shall contact Contractor at least 2 weeks prior to an aerial treatment and at least 24-hours in advance to schedule survey flights.
