The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida Forest Service is seeking sealed bids for the sale of timber. This is a third-row operator select thinning of 584 acres of planted slash pine in the Richloam Tract of the Withlacoochee State Forest, located in Sumter County, Florida (see attached maps). The timber available for harvest will be every third row and select trees in remaining rows to reach a target basal area of 50 square feet per acre. Timber to be removed in select rows will be harvested based on the following criteria: diseased, damaged, defective, forked, and suppressed trees shall be harvested first, followed by a portion of the intermediate and co-dominant trees to reach the desired basal area. In areas where planted rows cannot be followed, an operator selection to a residual pine basal area of 50 square feet per acre shall be conducted, leaving the best formed and largest trees. Additional planted pine areas adjacent to the identified planted pine on the map within the state forest boundaries may be harvested to the same specifications, per agreement of the forester in charge and contractor. Timber marked with orange paint is excluded from the sale and shall not be harvested. Sale boundaries are designated by roads, distinct stand type changes, wetlands, forest boundaries, or orange paint. The estimated pine volumes for this sale are 15,514 tons of pine pulpwood/mulchwood, 2,415 tons of pine chipn-saw and 205 tons of pine sawtimber. Due to the proximity and inclusion of wetlands within the sale perimeter, all best management practices (BMPs) will be strictly adhered to.
