Juvenile Tree Spacing Program – Chilcotin Training Area

The Chilcotin Training Area (CTA), located north of the small community of Riske Creek and about 47 kilometers west of Williams Lake, consists of approximately 41,000 hectares (ha) of land owned by the Department of National Defense (DND) and is used as a military training area. The management of forest resources on this property is the responsibility of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) through an Order-in-Council P.C. O.I.C 1961-807. CIRNAC has collected royalties from the permitted sale of timber from the CTA land and is responsible for the management of the Forest in the area.  The Forest Manager for the CTA has identified areas requiring juvenile spacing as part of the CTA silviculture plan. Juvenile spacing is the cutting of undesirable tress within a young stand to allow the future crop trees sufficient space to grow relatively free of competition for water, nutrients and sunlight. The cut trees are usually not removed from the site, as they have no commercial value. Spaced stands also provide good access to humans and animals, increase forage production, reduce the incidence of disease and allow the forest manager to control the tree species composition. This procurement has been set aside under the federal government's Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business (PSAB). In order to be considered, a supplier must certify that it qualifies as an Aboriginal business as defined under PSAB and that it will comply with all requirements of PSAB. This procurement is set aside from the international trade agreements under the provision each has for set-asides for small and minority businesses. Further to Article 1802 of the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT), AIT does not apply to this procurement. CIRNAC wishes to establish up to four (4) standing offer agreements to complete Juvenile tree Spacing for areas in the CTA from the issuance of standing offer(s),approximately March 2020, to March 31, 2023 with an option to extend for two (2) additional, one (1) year periods.