Project Information

Bid Title

2026 Spring Ash Tree Cut RFP 2026.01.23

Issuing Agency

Town of Shelburne

Location

Vermont

Published Date

Jan 23, 2026

Closing Date

Feb 20, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

2026 Spring Ash Tree Cut RFP 2026.01.23

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Town of Shelburne

REQUEST FOR BIDS and BID FORM

Shelburne Ash Tree Removal – Spring 2026

January 23, 2026

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: To remove Ash trees within the rights-of-ways along several

Town roads: General Greene Road, Munroe Road, Harbor Road, Longmeadow Road, and at

Shelburne Bay Park, as well as to cut down and leave 3 trees in the Shelburne Dog Park.

DEADLINE FOR BID SUBMISSION: Sealed bids for the project known as “Shelburne Ash

Tree Removal – Spring 2026” from pre-qualified contractors shall be accepted until 5pm,

prevailing time on February 20th, 2026. Bids may be submitted electronically as a PDF to

Rachel Tobler at rtobler@shelburnevt.org and treewarden@shelburnevt.org . Alternately, bids

may be submitted to the Attention of Rachel Tobler, P.O. Box 88, 5420 Shelburne Road,

Shelburne, Vermont 05482 and marked in the lower left-hand corner: Shelburne Ash Tree

Removal – Spring 2026.

Bid opening will occur immediately after the bid submittal. The time of receiving and opening

bids may be postponed due to emergencies or unforeseen conditions.

TAX EXEMPT STATUS: The Town of Shelburne is exempt from State of Vermont Sales Tax.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS: The contractor is responsible for the removal of up to 71 ash

trees within the town roads rights-of-ways and on town land within the bid area defined as

follows:

BID AREA: Total Bid Areas: 71 Trees

Bid Area A: 12 Trees (cut and removal)

Bid Area B: 54 trees (cut and removal)

Bid Area C: 3 trees (cut and leave)

Bid Area D: 2 trees (cut and removal)

Below is a list and number of the Ash Trees for removal and have been spray painted RED on the

trunk. Any questions about specific trees should be directed to the Shelburne Tree Warden,

David Hall at treewarden@shelburnevt.org.

Bid Area A = 12 Trees

Hullcrest Neighborhood

3 Munroe Drive (2 of which are double stemmed)

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Request for Bids: Ash Tree Removal – Spring 2026

Shelburne Bay Park – beyond 1st parking area

4 in grassy area - 3 south of parking road, 1 north of parking road

3 among the oak trees, north of entrance and on east side of road

1 on edge of parking area

General Greene Road

1 by the pathway between 86 and 120 General Greene Road

January 23, 2026

Bid Area B = 54 Trees on Harbor Road

Along Harbor Road moving from Shelburne Farms towards Shelburne Point

8 from Pheasant Drive to 35 mph sign, all on south side of road

3 from 35 mph sign to next driveway - 2 on north side of road, 1 on south side of road

13 from next driveway to Morgan Road - 8 on south side and 5 on north side

16 from Morgan Road to the “no parking sign” by guard rail - 1 on south side and 15 on

north side

Along Harbor Road from “no parking sign” towards Shelburne Point

2 by guard rail, north side of road

4 In ROW bordering “ash tagged area”, north side of road

3 trees by 3946 Harbor Road, north side of road

1 large tree by fire hydrant, north side of road

3 trees in a row, north side of road

1 tree near 4064 Harbor Road

Bid Area C = 3 Trees (cut and leave) in Shelburne Dog Park

3 trees marked with red paint and yellow tape.

Bid Area D = 2 Trees on Longmeadow Drive

2 trees marked with red paint.

For Bid A: 12 Trees

For Bid B: 54 Trees

For Bid C: 3 Trees

For Bid D: 2 Trees

Total: 71 Trees

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Request for Bids: Ash Tree Removal – Spring 2026

January 23, 2026

- The Town of Shelburne inventoried Ash trees within public road rights-of-way. This provides

approximate inventory and is available online here:

https://ccrpc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/bfb4653c350d42679eb5827b5f8a7db6

- It is also available on the VT ANR Natural Resources Atlas online for the Town of Shelburne

here: https://anrmaps.vermont.gov/websites/anra5/

- As of 2018, emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, has been confirmed within

Vermont’s borders and in Shelburne in 2024. To provide an assurance of compliance with

state and federal EAB laws the contractor shall adhere to the following.

- Known EAB infestation areas are changing rapidly. Therefore, the contractor shall consult the

online version of the EAB Infested Area Map (Located here:

https://www.vtinvasives.org/land/emerald-ash-borer-vermont) on the same day cutting is to

occur. If the project is located with an EAB infested area, ALL tree material, regardless of

species, within the project area shall be handled in accordance with a document developed by

the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation and the Vermont Agency of

Agriculture titled “Recommendations to SLOW THE SPREAD of Emerald Ash Borer When

Moving Ash from the Infested Area”,

(https://vtinvasives.org/sites/default/files/images/SlowSpreadWoodVT.pdf ). Tree material

shall not be moved out of state.

- The contractor shall have an Arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture or

Licensed Forester on staff to identify Ash trees in the bid areas identified above. Those

identified ash trees would be subject to the above referenced recommendations, however

other tree species would not.

- A few trees may have barbed wire or fencing material embedded in their trunks and some

have poison ivy vines. Tree fellers need to take these hazards into consideration.

- The contractor will be responsible for traffic control and must have Vermont State certified

traffic controllers on duty at the time of cutting. Safe felling of trees will require the

contractor to periodically block traffic. Traffic blockage should be minimized. Proposals must

describe the contractor’s plan for controlling traffic.

- The Town of Shelburne will be responsible for contacting landowners and advising them of

the cutting.

- Native trees and shrubs in the cutting area must be protected from damage as much as

reasonably possible. The Town will rely primarily on natural regeneration to replace ash

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Request for Bids: Ash Tree Removal – Spring 2026

January 23, 2026

trees. To that end native trees and shrubs within the cutting area will be preserved through

directional felling and careful positioning of harvesting equipment. The Town recognizes that

some loss of regeneration is unavoidable, but this loss should be minimized.

- Incidental removal of invasive woody plants such as buckthorn and honeysuckle are allowed

and encouraged but not required.

- Felled trees and woody debris must be removed with the exception of instances where the

landowner has requested to keep wood and/or chips (see below). Felled trees may either be

chipped and/or bucked into logs for removal. Chips and logs may be transported to alternate

locations at the discretion of the contractor, conditional on those locations being legal and

subject to the permission of the owner of the site. The winning contractor is encouraged to

consider donating lots to charitable organizations such as Wood4Good in Jericho.

- Affected landowners have first claim to chips and wood and some may exercise their option

to keep this material. Landowner requests for chips and wood will be processed through the

Town (Client) the approved requests will be communicated to the contractor. If landowners

request woody material from felled trees, this material must be set out of the roadway so as

not to impede passage or create a safety issue for motorists, pedestrians, or bicyclists. The

contractor must ensure that no debris is left on site where it might block ditches or in any

way impede road crews from regular maintenance practices such as ditch clearing or grading

of gravel roads.

- The contractor shall work with the Tree Warden and Town to identify the staging area, if

needed.

- Chipped material can also be taken by truckload to nearby landowners who are not

necessarily affected landowners, if requested by a nearby landowner. Such requests will also

be processed through the Town or Tree Warden.

- Stumps must be cut to less than 6” from the ground as a safety measure to minimize damage

in case of vehicle collision.

- All work shall be completed Monday through Saturday only and actual date / time will need

to be reviewed and approved by the Town.

- Ash trees less than 6” DBH are generally not part of this contract but may be removed at the

discretion of the contractor. This may be desirable to clear a felling area, to clear a zone for

chain saw operators, to create space for stacking logs, or other purposes.

4

Request for Bids: Ash Tree Removal – Spring 2026

January 23, 2026

INSURANCE: Prior to starting work the selected bidder will be required to provide a Certificate

of Insurance with general liability coverage of no less than $1,000,000 per occurrence and

$1,000,000 per aggregate, naming the Town of Shelburne as an additional insured. The selected

bidder will also be required to provide a Certificate of Insurance with excess liability coverage of

no less than $2,000,000. Additionally, the selected bidder will be required to submit a Certificate

of Insurance with Workers Compensation coverage, unless the selected bidder has no employees,

in which case a Non-Employee Work Agreement and a Liability Hold-Harmless Agreement will

need to be signed.

BID: Bid shall include the following components:

1. Separate costs for Bid Area A, Bid Area B, Bid Area C and Bid Area D

2. Cost for Bid Area A & B combined.

3. Cost for Bid Area A & B & D combined

The Bid Form must be submitted along with any other information the bidder wishes to include.

CONTRACT COMPLETION DATE: The Contract shall be completed on or before June 15,

2026.

SITE VISIT: No site visit is planned. If interested contractors would like to do a site visit, they

should contact David Hall, Tree Warden, at (802) 238-6162 or treewarden@shelburnevt.org

BASIS FOR SELECTION:

All proposals will be evaluated by a selection committee consisting of Town of Shelburne staff

and the Town of Shelburne Tree Committee. Proposals will be reviewed based on a

demonstration of overall project understanding and a demonstrated ability to provide high

quality services in a timely manner. Lowest price will be a top, but not the only criterion.

Traffic management strategies and plans is emphasized.

The Town reserves the right to seek clarification of any proposal submitted and to select the

proposal considered to best promote the public interest.

All proposals become the property of the Town of Shelburne upon submission. The cost of

preparing and submitting a proposal is the sole expense of the consultant. The Town reserves

the right to reject any and all proposals received as a result of this solicitation, to negotiate with

any qualified source, to waive any formality and any technicalities or to cancel the RFP in part

or in its entirety if it is in the best interest of the Town. This solicitation of proposals in no way

obligates the Town to award a contract.

The Town of Shelburne is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages proposals from

qualified minority and woman-owned businesses. The selection of a vendor shall be made

without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national

origin, physical or mental condition, HIV status or political affiliation.

5

Commodity Codes

• NAICS 561730Landscaping Services

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