RMRS FIA Genetic Tree Sampling

1 US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Statement of Work -- 1 of 9 -- 2 Contents Project .......................................................................................................................................................................3 General Information ....................................................................................................................................................3 1.0 Scope of Work ...................................................................................................................................................3 2.0 Background .......................................................................................................................................................3 Contractor Requirements .............................................................................................................................................4 3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks ..........................................................................................................................4 4.0 Government Furnished .......................................................................................................................................6 5.0 Deliverables / Schedule ......................................................................................................................................6 6.0 Optional Tasks for Future Expansion ...................................................................................................................7 7.0 Travel................................................................................................................................................................8 8.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel .................................................................................................................................8 9.0 Security Requirements........................................................................................................................................9 10.0 Data Rights ......................................................................................................................................................9 11.0 Section 508 – Electronic and Information Technology Standards .........................................................................9 Attachment .............................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. -- 2 of 9 -- 3 Project Genetic Sampling for pine species that are difficult to reliably identify in the field. General Information 1.0 Scope of Work The scope of work is to provide genetic testing services to accurately identify tree tissue samples of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) and limber pine (Pinus flexilis). This work supports the USDA Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program by improving species data accuracy for these morphologically similar trees, which are impossible to distinguish in the field when cones are absent. Period of Performance: Base year will be Award Date – May 14th , 2027 Option Year 1 will be May 15th , 2027 – May 14th , 2028 Option Year 2 will be May 15th , 2028 – May 14th , 2029 Option Year 3 will be May 15th , 2029 – May 14th , 2030 Option Year 4 will be May 15th , 2030 – May 14th , 2031 Deliverable items will have specific timelines for submission listed under 5.0 Deliverables / Schedule section 5.2. 2.0 Background The accurate identification of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) and limber pine (Pinus flexilis) presents a significant challenge for the USDA Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. Whitebark pine was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in December 2022, which elevates the need for precise and defensible species data. The similarity in the needles, bark, and overall morphology of these two species makes them impossible to distinguish through field observation unless cones are present. However, cones are rarely a reliable diagnostic tool. They are frequently absent because whitebark pines do not produce them for up to the first 80 years of life, and cones on mature trees are a highly sought-after food source for wildlife. A pilot study conducted by RMRS-FIA confirmed the unreliability of field identification. Results showed that field identifications in areas of species overlap were correct only 83% of the time, with limber pine identification being correct in just 60% of cases. These accuracy rates fall well below the nationally standardized Measurement Quality Objective (MQO) of 95% for correct tree species identification. Consequently, genetic analysis is the only viable method to achieve the data quality required for monitoring these critical species. White pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola), a non-native pathogen, is a primary driver of decline in both target species and a central reason whitebark pine was listed as threatened. Genetic resistance to the rust is uncommon and varies widely across the landscape (for example, the limber pine Cr4 resistance allele occurs at roughly five percent overall, ranging locally from zero to nearly fourteen percent), and the frequency and distribution of that resistance will largely determine restoration success under the National Whitebark Pine Restoration Plan. Because FIA plots are the only systematic, statistically designed sample of these species across their range, an assay that also returns blister-rust- resistance (CR gene) information would convert the same tissue samples into a landscape-scale estimate of resistance- allele frequency, directly usable for seed-zone and core-area restoration prioritization. This added genetic information therefore carries program value well beyond species identification alone. -- 3 of 9 -- 4 Contractor Requirements 3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks 3.1 Overall Scope: The contractor shall provide all necessary personnel, equipment, fac…