CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the Award of Bid 17-210, Emerald Ash Borer Insecticidal Treatment, to The Care of Trees for an amount not to exceed $324,680 and for a one-year term.
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DEPARTMENT: Department of Public Works
SUBMITTED BY: Richard Dublinski, Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
In 2012, the City implemented a comprehensive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) management program consisting of four major components - the annual inspection of ash trees to assess their health, the treatment of healthy ash trees, the removal of poor ash trees that no longer benefit from treatment, and the replacement of removed ash trees with a diversity of species. After six years, the comprehensive management program has proven to be an efficient, cost-effective method to manage the EAB. Since treatment began in 2012, nearly 80% of the trees have survived.
As part of DPW’s EAB containment strategy, staff inspects and assesses the extent of EAB damage throughout the city. Beginning in 2012, trees were rated on a five point scale ranging from good condition to dead. Trees in good condition show little or no sign of EAB and have the highest chance of surviving. These trees continue to be treated and monitored. Marginal trees have serious signs of EAB but have a chance to survive. The marginal trees are re-evaluated before treatment next year. Poor or dead trees are no longer worth preserving and require removal.
Through a combination of Tree-Age and Xytect, the City treated 9,661 trees (138,504 diameter inches) at a total expense of $404,991 in 2017. There are approximately 13,000 city parkway ash trees. TREE-age treatments are applied once every two years, so not all ash trees are treated every year.
The results of the 2017 inspection were:
• 94% of the parkway ash trees exhibited only minor or no EAB damage.
• 5% of the parkway ash trees exhibited moderate signs of EAB.
• 1% of the parkway ash trees required removal.
DISCUSSION:
The Department of Public Works issued Bid 17-210 Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Insecticidal Treaments seeking contractor(s) to provide the application of insecticidal treatments to help control the spread of the EAB within the city. As stated previously, this maintenance of the ash trees is conducted on healthy parkway ash trees.
The City uses different treatment methods for EAB depending on the size of the tree, Imidacloprid (Xytect) for smaller trees and TREE-age for larger trees. Both treatments are administered in the spring and early summer. The Imidacloprid treatments are applied as a soil drench and are an acceptable method to use for smaller diameter trees. These treatments are less effective on larger diameter trees, especially if the trees are already infested. The city has approximately 6,100 trees that are receiving Imidacloprid treatments each year. In general, Imidacloprid will be used for trees that are less than 18 inches in diameter.
The most effective treatment method, especially for larger diameter trees, is the TREE-age treatment. TREE-age treatment lasts two years and the chemicals are injected directly into the tree, which research shows is the most effective way to treat larger diameter ash trees. In 2018, DPW will begin to treat some trees on a three-year TREE-age cycle instead of a two-year cycle and will closely monitor the results. The City has approximately 3,400 parkway ash trees that will receive TREE-age treatments in 2018. TREE-age will be used for the trees that are 18 inches and greater in diameter (12 inches or greater for white ash).
Advertisement Date: 11/15/2017 Notices Sent: 78
Opening Date: 12/11/2017 Planholders: 10
Bidders:
The following firms submitted bids:
|
Company Name |
Imidacloprid (Xytect) Treatment |
TREE-age Treatment |
|
The Care of Trees |
$68,800 |
$234,000 |
|
Bartlett Tree Experts |
$76,000 |
No Bid |
|
Kinnucan |
$73,600 |
$305,400 |
|
Kramer Tree Specialist |
$113,600 |
No Bid |
|
SavATree |
$146,400 |
$443,400 |
|
Skyline Tree Service |
No Bid |
$353,400 |
Treatments:
#1: Basal System Soil Injection with Xytect 75 WSP
#2: Trunk Injection with TREE-äge
The cost for an Imidacloprid (Xytect) treatment is $.86 per inch compared to $3.90 per inch for TREE-age. This is a 13% decrease in the cost of Imidacloprid compared to 2017, and an almost 30% reduction in the cost for TREE-age. The award amount is higher than the bid amount because revised diameter estimates have resulted in an additional 400 trees moving from Imidacloprid to TREE-age as they are now greater than 18 inches in diameter.
The contractor will be required to notify homeowners with trees that receive treatment with a door hanger (provided by the City) indicating what treatment has been used at the time of application. The Contractor is allowed to have their logo and phone number displayed on the door hanger. In order to ensure that the treatments are applied properly, the awarded contractor of the tree care company must be accredited by the Tree Care Industry Association for the proposed work.
The term of this contract is February 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018 with two, one year extensions.
FISCAL IMPACT:
CIP#: N/A
On November 27, 2017 City Council reached consensus to remove all items classified as Category 1 reductions. This included $50,000 from the Department of Public Works’ annual Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) treatment. Initially, this reduction was expected to put 50% of trees receiving Tree-Age treatments on a three-year treatment cycle instead of 25% of trees. However, due to the reduction in pricing, the Department of Public Works will be able to continue the program as originally planned, and 25% of the trees will be put on a three-year cycle.
Emerald Ash Borer Insecticidal Treatments are expensed to the operational service account below. A total of $340,000 has been budgeted for EAB treatments in CY2018. The requested award of $324,680 is within the budgeted amount for this expense.
|
Account Number |
Fund Description |
Total Budget Amount |
|
31251100-531308 |
General Fund |
$1,388,045 |