10. GSER IRSC_A001_Questions and Answers.pdf

Giant Sequoia Emergency Response IRSC - 12363N23Q4001

Sierra NF, High Sierra RD Sequoia NF, Hume Lake & Western Divide RDs

Amendment 001 Questions and Answers

Notification: Appendix B will be Amended prior to the new extended offer date of 01/05/2023. Needed changes were identified and it is anticipated that Amendment 002 will be posted prior to 12/23.

• A finalized Right of Way agreement for accessing Unit 3 of Black Mountain Grove (work Item 1b for 25 acres) has had unanticipated delays. This unit was separated as its own work Item if the ROW could not be obtained.

Contractors should be prepared to provide pricing for Unit 3 as a Hand Fuels Treatment with long walk-ins using the same specifications as Item 7a. Contractors will be provided enough time to adjust bids if no ROW can be attained prior to offer due date.

• Percent Net Scale will be changed from 12 to 25.

• Inspection procedures for DxP compliance need to be adjusted/corrected.

All interested contractors are highly encouraged to send their remaining questions or potentially unanswered questions to Curtis Yocum at curtis.yocum@usda.gov no later that 12/16/2022 to ensure all contractor questions can be answered prior to the Holiday season.

The following notes are a compilation of questions asked prior to the posting of solicitation, during site visits, and after solicitation was posted.

Question: If a contractor is looking to bid on the mastication portion should he anticipate having to masticate the piles?

Answer: The intent is to burn these piles this winter prior to operations starting. If piles are not burned, contractors will masticate around the piles and leave them to be burned by FS. Contractors WILL NOT be required to masticate previously constructed piles.

Question: Fireline?

Answer: We are still trying to Iron that out in certain groves we will have Fireline required around them in other areas we were thing we want the fire to creep around a little bit so we might not require a Fireline. It will be outlined specifically in Appendix A

Question: Does stump treatment need to be done?

Answer: Yes, its mandatory and everything greater than 3 inches.

Question: Can Cull logs be left in landing?

Answer: See Appendix A specs for the answer per grove and Item. Cull logs must be removed when mandatory removal of included product.

Question: Will there be disposal sites on the fs land?

Answer: No designated disposal sites, slash piles on the landing are ok. All cull logs must be hauled off when required removal. Products and slash not required to be removed will be piled.

Question: Will the haul roads support a chip Van? A little 40-footer?

Answer: Contractor must make that determination if chips can be removed when TSA chips are being requested.

Question: Is that the only road into Black Mountain Grove?

Answer: It is the only road into Black Mountain.

mailto:curtis.yocum@usda.gov

Sequoia NF, Hume Lake & Western Divide RDs

Question: Pretty much all heavy equipment has to be hauled up from the bottom?

Answer: For Black Mountain Grove, yes.

Question: What is your accountability? Per load or how you going to handle it?

Answer: Load Count

Question: No waiver to LOP’s?

Answer: No waiver for LOP’S!

Question: Is hazard tree next to road? Is there hazard trees to the Sequoias larger then 20 inches that we are going to be required to take or cut? Are these snags over 20 inches going to be flagged to be removed?

Answer: Yes, in certain incidences. There are trees greater the 20 inches that are required to be cut and/or removed. If it is greater than 20” DBH and meets the cut spec then the tree will to be agreed upon by COR and contractor, but no these trees will not be marked unless determined as a need to mark by FS.

Question: If it’s too rotten to bunk it’s not safe right? We can leave it on the landing, right?

Answer: Yes, some of those cull logs that are rotten and are not safe to haul may be piled with slash. Contractors will work with our sale admin/COR staff regarding those logs.

Question: Can we use magnesium chloride on the road?

Answer: No

Question: Are dead Sequoias staying?

Answer: Not cutting Sequoias. COR/Sale admin need to approve. Written approval only.

Question: Do you have acreages for the various units within each project?

Answer: We are adding a table for this with Amendment 001

Question: Within Division A of Appendix B the minimum specifications for sawtimber is 12% net scale. This is a 12% normally used in cubic foot scale specifications. Is this 12% correct or an oversight?

Answer: This was an oversite. It will be corrected in Appendix B to reflect 25% Net Scale.

Question: How much mastication is involved with the units?

Answer: On Hume Lake Ranger District the mastication would be less than 200 acres in Indian Basin Sequoia Grove and would need to be in conjunction with felling and removing trees.

Question: What are the specifications for the fire line construction in the manual and mechanical units?

Answer: See Appendix A for specifications.

Question: In the campground, how will water-lines locations be identified? and what is pile size?

Answer: Waterline locations will be marked with flagging or paint, see appendix A for pile specs.

Question: Where will logs be hauled to?

Sequoia NF, Hume Lake & Western Divide RDs

Answer: For the appraisal, McFarland was the location used, but any available market may be used. Specify in technical proposal delivery points for each product.

Question: In areas where the falling crews cut high stumps, are we required to recut them to the contract stump height?

Answer: Yes. See Appendix A Specs.

Question: Can in-lieu practices for skidding of merchantable/non-merchantable material be proposed, such as masticating and/or chipping and broadcast of wood chips on site without moving to a landing or piling within cutting units be acceptable? Intent is to limit ground disturbance and provide a wood chip ground cover for heavy equipment tracks. Based on observed volume of wood material in units, sufficient area to achieve burn piles locations and size according to specifications might not be available in all areas.

Answer: Yes, please outline in the technical proposal how you will go about completing and performing this type of work. Chip depths will not be able to exceed 4 inches. And fuel loading needs to be reduced to a point where we can perform an effective prescribed burn.

Question: Can larger wood be processed on landings using alternative disposal methods such as curtain burners? It is likely that there will not be adequate number and space of existing landings or potential new landings to accommodate all of the material to be removed.

Answer: Yes, please outline this in your technical proposal.

Question: What is the "treatment of stumps" according to C6.41#?

Answer: All green stumps, treated with Borate.

Question: Mastication Item 8: Who identifies the 15% untreated clumps? Contractor or USFS staff?

Answer: Determined by the COR in agreement with the contractor. Prioritizing rocky or wet areas that are inoperable.

Question: Hand Fuels Treatments: Can cut material be chipped and broadcast if there is inadequate space to create piles given the pile specifications within the cutting unit?

Answer: On the Sequoia NF, yes. This will be determined by agreement with the COR. Contractor should outline how he will go about performing this work.

On the Sierra NF, No. These are hand treatment units due to the spotted owl activity center and the forest management plan and how it says we will have equipment within these areas.

Question: Is there an inventory of how many Giant Sequoia and Sugar Pine trees >20"DBH there are within the hand-fuels treatment areas?

Answer: There is an inventory of the Sequoia trees on the Sierra but not the sugar pine, this can be provided to the awarded contractor. There is no inventory of the sugar pine or sequoia trees on the Sequoia.

Question: Can the USFS/USDA provide a map, GPS, or other document showing access points for the work areas?

Answer: Most likely yes to the awarded contractor, but more information is needed for this request.

Question: Will use of USFS facilities be made available to the contractor? Such as campgrounds, showers, restrooms, lodges, etc.

Sequoia NF, Hume Lake & Western Divide RDs

a. If so, what facilities within/near the project area and would use rates apply?

b. Will contractor need to purchase park passes for each vehicle that is associated with the project?

Answer: Contractors are allowed to disperse camp, they have to follow all the rules any forest recreationalist would have to follow (proper camp fire permits etc). If contractor proposes to use a camp ground, the same fees apply to them that would apply to any visiting guest. Fees vary by camp site. Contractors will not need to purchase a park pass for each vehicle. We will issue a letter or a sticker for the contractors to go thru admin lane at the Big Stump Entrance, we will also coordinate with the park to ensure there are no issues associated with this.

Question: In the event of a non-contractor controlled event, such as locked gates, restricted access, wildfire, etc. how will the deadline be handled for work to be completed be handled?

Answer: Excusable delays is found within the solicitation on page 8. The FS will follow this clause for all occurrences of a delay and determination of if it is excusable. Extensions of time may be granted for excusable delays.

Question: In regard to landing locations that are “agreed upon” does the USFS/USDA have current points in mind?

a. Can those be shared via map or other means?

b. How many landing locations per grove are to be had?

Answer: A map of landings will not be produced at this time. The FS has several potential landing locations identified in the logging plan that can be shared with the awarded contractor as a working map. Number and size of landings will be relative to each grove and unit access points.

Question: What is an acceptable height of chips or slash that can remain on the ground, assuming the use of a chipper to broadcast chips? The resource concern is that grasses and forbes can't sprout/germinate through chips greater than

4" thick.

Answer: Acceptable chip depth is 4 inches.

Question: We were unable to attend a site visit and wanted to know if there were any questions answered then that can be shared.

Answer: Questions asked and answers provided from pre-solicitation site visits have been added to this document and/or incorporated into the contract already.

Question: Will there be multiple awards, and if so, do we have to bid on all of the bid items?

Answer: There may be multiple awards on the contract if it is in the best interest of the Government. How to bid on the contract is outlined in the solicitation on page 6 right after the itemized tables.

Question: I was unable to find in the solicitation what the "utilization size" of the timber and products to removed actually is. In one spot it refers to "Division A" and in another spot refers to "Appendix B", but I see neither in our version of the solicitation. Maybe you have already added this?

Answer: The utilization specs are located in appendix B on page 2, it also shows the break down of volume by Sequoia

Grove.

Question: Will you be awarding only portions of it if there are not bids on all the work, or if the funds do not cover the entire project?

Sequoia NF, Hume Lake & Western Divide RDs

Answer: We anticipate receiving competition for all items of the contract and have required bids to be submitted ensuring award of all work can be made. We have funding to cover the entire project based on the Independent Government Cost Estimate. The FS anticipates awarding all work of this contract. This is deemed an emergency by the chief of the Forest Service.