C05d_A002_12363N26R4014.pdf

(x)

12363N26R4014 x x

1 copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted ; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BE

RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR

OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted , such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

x

363N

WASHINGTON DC 20250-1138

MS-1138

1400 INDEPENDENCE AVE SW

USDA-FS STEWARDSHIP CONTRACTING BR

10/09/20260002

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) is not extended.is extended, Items 8 and 15, and returning

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended , by one of the following methods: (a) By completing

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

FACILITY CODE CODE

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and ZIP Code)

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6)CODE 6. ISSUED BY

PAGE OF PAGES

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.3. EFFECTIVE DATE2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

08/27/2026

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority) appropriation data, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not is required to sign this document and return __________________ copies to the issuing office.

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

This Amendment provides responses to additional questions received and corrected solicitation documents. Past Performance evaluation criteria has been amended in the

Solicitation to align with requested information in the instructions.

Corrected documents are indicated with A002 in the file name with all changes indicated in red text. The offer due date is not extended.

Period of Performance: 06/15/2027 to 10/15/2037

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

MARK T. PHILLIPP

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Previous edition unusable

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9 A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect .

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Amendment 002 Bitterroot Front G-Z Long Term IRSC

Bitterroot National Forest Darby & Stevensville Ranger Districts

12363N26R4014

Q1. Can the Forest Service confirm that the following attachments have been uploaded to SAM.gov? Attachment 10, Mandatory Subdivisions Contract Area Maps 10a–10e, Attachment 11, Optional Subdivisions Planning Maps 11a–11o and Attachment 12, Mandatory Subdivision Cruise Data 12a–12e

A.1. Attachments have been uploaded to SAM and are available for download.

Best practice is to download attachments individually.

Q2. Clarification- The worklist tables and the Summary of Quantities tables (sheet 3) on all four road plan sets carry General Notes only, while the details make the worklist controlling, for example “INSLOPE, OUTSLOPE, OR CROWN WHEN SPECIFIED IN THE WORKLIST” and Drain Dip Detail Note 3.

A.2. The details give general specifics but can be superseded by a worklist call out to change them. There are a couple of more specific answers depending on what detail. The “Road Reconditioning Detail” sheet shows that you will inslope, outslope or crown at 3% for whatever road configuration is existing in the field. For example, if the road is insloped it should be graded with a 3% inslope unless the worklist specifically states it should be crowned at a specific slope or something else. It is similar with the “Drain Dip Detail” which gives the skew and slope unless the worklist specifies something different in a specific spot.

Q3. Clarification- FSSS Section 205, referenced by §204.06(a) but not present in the Square Tin, McCalla-Larson or Spoon McCoy FSSS; FSSS Sections 212 and 602 in the McCalla-Larson FSSS, which prices 2.17 miles of item 21201 and 38 feet of CMP; FSSS Section 304 in the mandatory FSSS; and Sections 158 and 251, both cited in plan General Notes.

A.3. Rock Blasting is not anticipated in any of mandatory road packages. Rock is generally rippable in these areas and we are not seeing area’s within mandatory work areas where we are anticipating blasting will be required.

As much as feasible the Forest Service will work with contractors to move work locations if solid non rippable rock is a concern

Q4. Can the share the temporary road plans and specifications incorporated by Appendix B C5.102# be shared?

A.4. Temp roads for mandatory units utilize existing road prism, no construction of engineered temp roads is required.

Q5. Can the P-line traverse and construction staking data under FSSS §152.04 and §152.05(b)(1) be shared?

A.5. Staking data will be provided after award. Centerline shall be set using GPS technology. The Forest Service will provide a file format as an Avenza Map / File for use with the Avenza Mapping App. Other file formats may be provided upon request. Center Line (P Line / L Line) will be established off of this file and staking notes will be provided off of the established Center Line.

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Bitterroot Front G-Z Long Term IRSC

Bitterroot National Forest

Q6. Can the Forest Service furnish the road-by-road mileage that produces 45.69 miles?

The Hart Trap plan set names approximately nineteen roads by worklist title without stations or per-road mileage, and only road 13226.1 carries plan-and-profile geometry.

A.6. The estimate is in SOI for the Hart Trap optional road work is incorrect. The correct amount should 40.23 miles as shown in the upper right of sheet 3 on the plans. The worklist does show stations and total miles is shown on the “Summary of Quantities & General Notes” sheet. The only road that requires a plan and profile for geometry is Road 13226.1 (new construction) all other work is along existing road geometry.

Q7. Can the Forest Service confirm that the Schedule of Items and SF-1449 quantities for timber products govern proposal evaluation, and which of the four sources offerors should use as the authority where the figures differ?

A.7. All quantity discrepancies have been corrected. Note that all quantities are estimated and non-guaranteed. These are cruised volumes will vary due to potential error in a cruise.

Q8. Division A2 lists no Combined Softwood Non-Saw (Topwood) row for Sharrott Salvage or Square Tin, and the Unit Volume Data “Square Tin” tab shows non-saw CCF as zero throughout, while C2.2# requires topwood removal in all cutting units.

The same omission appears on the five helicopter tabs. Can the Forest Service confirm whether topwood is required in these areas and, if so, correct the volume tables?

A.8. There is no required Topwood removal on Sharrott Salvage and Square Tin.

Topwood removal is required in the following mandatory Implementation Areas: McCalla-Larson, Fred Burr, and Spoon McCoy. For future non helicopter optional area’s Topwood removal will likely be required. Topwood removal will not be required in any helicopter (optional) units. C2.2 is edited to point to division A.2 utilization tables.

Q9. For the optional contract areas, can the Forest Service confirm that the Unit Volume Data provides a single combined volume per area without species-level estimates, and that timber rates for these areas will be set only after cruise through the appraisal process described at page 25 of the solicitation (Forest Product Appraisal)?

A.9. Yes

Q10. Can the Forest Service confirm whether RHCA acres, botany buffers and heritage avoidance areas lying inside flagged units are payable acres under Item 3?

A.10. RHCA, botany, and heritage exclusion area acres are not included in acreage totals and are not payable acres. Botany buffers that are treated but have equipment limitations are included in payable acres.

Q11. Hart Trap Item 3f is 27 acres in the Schedule of Items, 1,952 in the Implementation Schedule and 3,630 in the Unit Volume Data. Brooks Creek is 557 and 155; Rock Lick is 806 and 546. Item 7f (Hart Trap helicopter) is 729 tons, which is 27 acres at

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Bitterroot Front G-Z Long Term IRSC

Bitterroot National Forest

27 tons per acre, so the helicopter line carries the same figure forward. Can the Forest Service confirm which figure governs?

A.11. Acreages have been corrected between the schedule and unit-volume summary. All optional unit acres are estimates.

Q12. Several performance milestones fall before the June 15, 2027 start of the period of performance, or conflict with one another:

a. Page 20 requires McCalla-Larson road reconstruction no later than 9/30/2025; C5.13# states 9/30/2026 for the same work.

b. Page 20 and C6.310# require Sharrott Salvage, and McCalla-Larson Units 27a, 32, 33, 34, 34a, 36, 37a, 40, 41, 41a, 41b and 42, cut and removed by 12/31/2026.

c. Page 20 requires all exercised road reconstruction by 10/15/2028; C5.13# states 10/15/2029.

d. Page 21 requires Spoon McCoy hauling complete by 12/31/2030; C5.13# requires its roads complete by 10/15/2028.

e. C6.4# permits no mechanized felling or yarding in Sharrott Salvage Units 13 and 21 except over snow or frozen ground, which narrows the window for a subdivision required cut and removed by 12/31/2026.

f. The Estimated Implementation Schedule at pages 21–22 runs 2026 through 2031.

g. The SF-1449 and page 35 state completion not later than October 15, 2037;

Appendix B Division A, A15 (Termination Date) and the Schedule of Items notes state October 15, 2036.

Will the Forest Service reissue these milestones, either as periods running from notice to proceed or re-baselined to the June 15, 2027 start?

A.12. Dates have been updated in the Solicitation and Appendix B requirements have been amended or struck. Spoon McCoy dates for hauling and completion of road reconstruction are separate requirements.

Q13. C6.4# names only Sharrott Salvage and McCalla-Larson in the logging sequence.

Can the Forest Service confirm whether a preferred sequence applies to Fred Burr, Square Tin and Spoon McCoy, which appear in the Estimated Implementation Schedule but not in the sequence provision?

A.13. Refer to the contract operations schedule. No preferred sequence has been determined for Fred Burr, Square Tin or Spoon McCoy.

Q14. C6.4# limits tractor skidding to dry soil conditions “as determined by the Forest Service,” and C6.44# allows the Forest Service to discontinue tethered operations where soil disturbance is excessive. Can the Forest Service describe the standard and method it will use to determine soil moisture and compaction on tractor and tethered ground, confirm whether a Forest-wide tethered harvesting policy applies, and confirm that the Contractor may elect full-suspension skyline yarding in lieu of tethered operations where it judges soils to be at risk?

A.14. Two methods will be utilized to judge if soils will be at risk. Visual indicators (signs of rutting or other similar disturbance) and soil moisture testing by

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Bitterroot National Forest sale admin personnel in the field by forming soil into a ball in hand and lightly tossing several times. If soil maintains a ball shape, soil moisture is too high for ground-based skidding, If soil ball breaks apart, soil moisture is suitable for ground-based yarding. Skyline /Tethered ground must be requested and approved by FS to utilize tethered operations. Full suspension skyline yarding in lieu of tethered operations is permitted without request or need for approval. Compaction limits will be determined by Sale Administration personnel in consultation with FS Soil Scientist

Q15. Sheet 3 of each of the four plan sets contains General Notes only, and the worklist sheets carry no table content, while the details make the worklist controlling for cross slope and ditch interception at drain dips. In the Typical Road Drawings, cut and fill slope ratios, clearing widths, surfacing thickness, aggregate grading and cross slope are marked <FILL IN> on Typical Sections 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7, and the two New Construction tables contain headings only. Because FSSS §109.02(b) limits contract quantity adjustment to design errors of fifteen percent or more, an offeror who estimates these quantities absorbs any variance below that threshold.

A.15. The completed road packages have filled in slope/dimensions/skew/etc and All future optional road work will have completed and filled in packages similar to optional Hart Trap road packet. Quantities for optional road reconstruction items are initial estimates and subject to change.

Q16. Will the Forest Service add the complete project-specific drawing and worklist package to the solicitation, and confirm which sheets constitute the full set?

A.16. Completed road packages have been provided for McCalla-Larson, Tin Square , Spoon McCoy and Hart Trap subdivisions. Additional road packages will be provided after completion of road surveys in remaining optional subdivisions.

Q17. FSSS Table 156-1, Temporary Road Closures, is blank in every FSSS. Read literally, no closures are authorized and all reconstruction is performed under live traffic with full MUTCD control, which B6.33 makes unpaid. Can the Forest Service confirm whether temporary road closures will be authorized on the reconstruction roads and, if so, on which roads and for what durations?

A.17. All existing closed roads may be left closed during reconstruction. For existing open roads temporary site closures up to 2 hours are allowed. This is shown in the General Notes on Sheet 3 and in FSSS 156.03. For mandatory road work on open roads there is no work the Forest Service is anticipating that will need an all day or multi day closure, so there are no roads are listed in FSSS Table 156-1 for current road packages. Future road packages may require closing open roads for multiple days, but that has not been determined yet. If reconstruction there is a reason to close an open road while road work is being completed, that can be requested by contractor for the Forest Service to review for possible longer closure. All linear grading is located on existing closed roads.

Q18. FSSS §204.02(a)(1) provides that roadway excavation “includes all material encountered regardless of its nature or characteristics,” and §204.16(a)(2)(b)

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Bitterroot Front G-Z Long Term IRSC

Bitterroot National Forest excludes overbreakage from measurement. Can the Forest Service confirm that rock is unclassified, and that rock excavation, backslope overbreakage, the six-inch over-excavation and topping backfill required by §204.06(a), and reduction of oversize rock under §204.10(b) are included in the unit prices?

A.18. The over excavation, topping backfill and reduction of oversize rock are included in the unit price. If overbreakage occurs that is not included in excavation costs and will need to be determined if it was contactor practices or material/rock characteristics / defects that caused overbreakage.

Q19. No roadway excavation pay item appears in any mandatory subdivision; item 20401 appears only in optional Hart Trap. Can the Forest Service confirm how rock encountered during reconditioning, drain dip construction or linear grading in Square Tin, McCalla-Larson and Spoon McCoy is to be priced?

A.19. This should be priced into work as part of / incidental to the pay item the work is being done under. Drain dips were located in area’s where there wasn’t any visible bedrock or boulders in the fill and can have locations move slightly if rock is encountered. During reconditioning it is not intended for contractor to remove solid/continuous bed rock (broke off oversized rocks will be treated). Linear grading will require some rock removal, but the Forest Service is not expecting the need/require to drill and blast, rock appeared rippable

Q20. Can the Forest Service furnish any geotechnical, rippability or subsurface information it holds for these roads? Physical Data at page 25 states that the indications of physical conditions result from visual observation.

A.20. The Forest Service does not have any additional geotechnical information other than what was observed visually when laying out work

Q21. Section 205 is referenced by §204.06(a) but is not present in the three mandatory FSSS. Can the Forest Service furnish it?

A.21. Rock blasting is not anticipated to be needed in any of the mandatory road packages so it was not included. The Hart Trap new construction road work may require blasting so it was included in its FSSS.

Q22. Optional item 2r(o) is Full Depth Reclamation, 14-foot width, 6-inch depth, 3-inch minus, at 5 miles. Section 304 as replaced lists water as its only material and describes pulverizing in place, adding water, mixing, spreading and compacting.

The Full Depth Reclamation Typical Sections drawing shows on all three sections

“6” COMPACTED THICKNESS PROCESSED CUSHION MATERIAL IAW SECTION

304.”. Can the Forest Service confirm whether the cushion course is required and, if so, identify the pay item, material specification and gradation? Five miles at 14 feet and 6 inches compacted is approximately 6,844 cubic yards. The aggregate items in the same optional package are 3,200 CY of Grading G at 4-inch depth and 500 CY of pit run; neither is identified as cushion material or tied to the FDR mileage.

A.22. The cushion material is the compacted depth of native ground material after processing, it is not extra material brought in. A way to picture it, is more of

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Bitterroot National Forest how deep you will need to grind so that you have a compacted 6” layer of native material over non processed native ground, so the 6 inches is processed ground. We are doing the grinding instead of bringing in other material.

Q23. Section 304 is numbered 303.01 through 303.09 before jumping to 304.10, and §303.03 directs work “in accordance with 303.03 and 303.04,” where 303.03 is that same paragraph and 303.04 is marked “Reserved.” Can the Forest Service confirm the intended text? Section 304 is also absent from the three mandatory FSSS.

A.23. All 303 numbering is a typo and will be corrected in future road packages.

Within the FSSS 304 supplemental everything listed as 303 should be considered as 304. There is no 304 (Full Depth Reclamation) work in the mandatory road packages, so the FSSS is not included in their respective

FSSS.

Q24. FSSS §105.02(a)(2), optional Government-provided sources, contains headings only or “N/A” in every FSSS. Can the Forest Service confirm whether a Government aggregate source is available?

A.24. There is not a government provided source available.

Q25. The Spoon McCoy table at §105.02(a)(1) lists “30207 | Aggregate Surface Course (Gravel) | Jim Hell Pit – Approx 16 miles from project,” but item 30207 does not appear in the Spoon McCoy schedule. Can the Forest Service clarify the intended item?

A.25. There is no 30207 aggregate placement planned for Spoon McCoy.

Disregard FSSS 105.02 Aggregate. A corrected FSSS will be provided at award.

Q26. Waste sites are identified only by radius, “within 1 mile of work site” for Square Tin and “within 5 mile of work site” for McCalla-Larson, while the plan sets require disposal at the waste site identified by the Contracting Officer. Can the Forest Service identify the waste sites, and any borrow sources, so that end-haul distance can be priced?

A.26. Contractors should consider waste site distances in offers. Sites will be staked at time of work within those distances, exact locations are not know at this time. If needed, borrow sites will be located as close to work site as possible

Q27. Table 301-1 and Table 204-1 waive the source qualification battery “when using Government-provided sources.” Can the Forest Service confirm that, absent a Government source, all source qualification and process control testing is a Contractor responsibility?

A.27. Yes. There are multiple commercial sources that regularly provide required information when providing material to Forest Service

Q28. Temporary road mileage is stated three ways. Appendix A Item 3 provides that “Project temp road construction is limited to 26.3 miles for the entire project area.”

Appendix B C5.102# lists six segments totaling approximately 1.85 miles, attributed

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Bitterroot Front G-Z Long Term IRSC

Bitterroot National Forest to “McCalla-Sharrott” and Spoon McCoy. Appendix B C6.27# enumerates temporary roads by unit across all five mandatory subdivisions totaling approximately 10.70 miles, including Fred Burr and Square Tin units that C5.102# does not list.

A.28. C5.102# only lists the segments of temporary roads that fall on existing road prisms. This is not an all inclusive list of temporary roads. C5.102 limits the location of the road placement to existing prisms. New construction temporary road is not included in C5.102#. All temporary road mileage is estimated. The 26.3 miles is total amount we can have in this project including all optional work

Q29. Can the Forest Service confirm the controlling segment list and mileage, and which subdivision “McCalla-Sharrott” refers to?

A.29. This is a typo. Documents have been corrected to reference McCalla-Larson

Q30. Can the Forest Service furnish the temporary road plans and specifications incorporated by C5.102#?

A.30. Utilize Typical Reconstruction for Temporary Road in Historic Road Template Typical Drawings that are attached within provision. For mandatory items there are no additional engineered specifications or plans for temporary roads. Note temporary roads will be located on existing prisms as much as possible.

Q31. Can the Forest Service confirm that temporary road construction, obliteration under C6.632#, scarification under C6.633# and seeding under C6.601# have no separate pay item and are incidental to the per-ton items?

A.31. No separate pay items. This work is incidental under Cut and Removal.

Q32. Design feature SO-10 provides that “the Forest Service will scarify” the traveled surface to 2–6 inches, while C6.633# assigns scarification to the Contractor at 4–14 inches. Can the Forest Service confirm which applies?

A.32. C6.633# lists the appropriate depth of required work.

Q33. C6.601# assigns seeding and 240 lb/acre of Contractor-furnished fertilizer to the Contractor, and C6.27# assigns noxious weed treatment to the Contractor. Neither has a pay item on the Schedule of Items. Can the Forest Service confirm that both are incidental to the per-ton items, and state for how long establishment monitoring of seeded areas is required and against what success criterion? And is there a certain time of the year this shall be applied ?

A.33. Both fertilizing and noxious weed spraying are incidental under cut and removal. Contractor will apply seed and USFS will inspect. No success criteria for germination or monitoring is required. The seed application window listed in C6.601# is May1 to June 15 and Sept 1 to Oct 15, unless approved by FS outside this window.

Q34. Design Feature WL-2 requires coarse woody debris retention by Fire Group, and Appendix B requires snag retention per acre with live replacement trees. Can the Forest Service describe the method it will use to inventory retained down wood and

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Bitterroot National Forest snags at acceptance, so that the Contractor’s quality control plots can use the same method?

A.34. The WL-2 requirement will be met by the silvicultural prescription as stated by designations in C2.3#, C2.38#, C2.351#, C2.355#, and C2.358#. If contractor follows these provisions they will meet WL-2. Appendix A Section 5 Payment Methods has descriptions on how acceptance will be measured.

Q35. C6.412# requires borate treatment of live ponderosa pine stumps larger than 14 inches “in areas shown on Contract Area Map,” and design feature SI-1 states 12 inches in one place and 14 inches in another. Can the Forest Service confirm which units require stump treatment and the controlling diameter, and confirm that the treatment has no separate pay item?

A.35. Requirement for Stump diameter is 14” as stated in C6.412#. This is incidental to cut and removal.

Q36. The Design Features are titled “Bitterroot Front Environmental Assessment – Design Features,” marked “Draft January 2026,” with no signature and no Decision Notice, and each activity card states that compliance is detailed in the Decision Notice. We have identified four conflicts with Appendices A, B and C: the RHCA Category 4 setback (B6.5(e) at 50 feet; FI-1 at 100 feet inside Priority Watersheds, with no list of Priority Watersheds provided); food storage dates (C6.24# at March 31, body text at April 1, WL-4 at March 1); the dry-ground season (June 15 to October 15 in the contract, June 15 to September 15 in SO-01); and the borate stump threshold in Question 19. Can the Forest Service confirm which document controls where the Design Features conflict with the Appendices, and that the numeric values in the Design Features are final for pricing purposes?

A.36. All RHCA setbacks have been followed for mandatory items. If contractor is awarded an optional layout area within a priority watershed that information will be provided before work begins. Food storage order in March 1st to December 1st. This is updated in Appendix B. Dry ground season and SO-01 are two different things being referenced. The normal operating season isn’t a restriction if conditions on the ground prohibit or conversely allow operations on the ground allow work to occur. See previous answer on Borate. Final Bitterroot Front Environmental Assessment documents can be accessed here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/bitterroot/projects/303881

Q37. C6.7# requires whole-tree yarding in all units with landing slash piled for burning.

Would the Forest Service consider mastication or chipping of non-merchantable material in place of piling where it meets the fuels objective, and if so, under what approval process?

A.37. Yes, requests for changes in fuel treatments must be requested in writing and approved by FS.

Q38. Items 7c Fred Burr, 7d Square Tin and 7e Spoon McCoy are optional helicopter line items inside subdivisions that also carry mandatory ground-based and skyline volume, and the minimum acceptable offer rates for those subdivisions appear in the Timber Products schedule. Can the Forest Service confirm whether the https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/bitterroot/projects/303881

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Bitterroot National Forest helicopter volume in those three areas is subject to the minimum acceptable offer rates stated for the subdivision, or will be separately appraised?

A.38. All helicopter work is optional and may be exercised in the future and will be appraised separately. There is no helicopter work in the mandatory items.

Q39. C6.422 requires that helicopter landings be “constructed and rock surfaced, if necessary” so that aircraft and support equipment are fully supported through the operating season. The provision does not name the furnishing party, no aggregate pay item for landing rock appears on the Schedule of Items, and the Contract Area Map that would show pit sources (Attachment 10) is not posted. Can the Forest Service confirm whether landing rock is Contractor-furnished, identify the approved source, and confirm whether it will be a pay item?

A.39. If aggregate is needed it will come from a commercial source and work will be incidental to helicopter removal. Potential helicopter landings are identified on the Optional Maps that have some rocking and clearing already in place.

Q40. The Unit Volume Data workbook contains a “McCalla-Larson (Heli)” tab of approximately 251 acres and 7,500 tons. The Schedule of Items contains nine Item 7 lines, none of which is a 7b McCalla-Larson line, and there is no corresponding Item 3b layout line. Can the Forest Service confirm whether that volume is within the contract scope and, if so, under which pay item it is to be priced? If the workbook tab is in error, can the Forest Service confirm that so offerors do not price it?

A.40. The unit volume table had an error. There is no McCalla Larson optional helicopter and has been removed from the spreadsheet.

Q41. Three populated tabs in the Unit Volume Data workbook, Square Tin (Heli), Bass Creek and Sweeney Creek, do not appear in the workbook’s optional-area summary rollup, although Square Tin (Heli) has a pay line at Item 7d. Can the Forest Service confirm the status of those areas and correct the summary?

A.41. Included as a separate table in tabs on unit volume spreadsheet.

Q42. Appendix B C6.4# requires that helicopters be “equipped with a main rotor system consisting of more than 2 blades.” Can the Forest Service confirm whether an aircraft with two intermeshing two-blade main rotors (Kaman K-MAX) meets this requirement?

A.42. It is unknown at this time where and how much of Optional Item 2r will be located. This will be determined as haul routes and needed work along those haul routes are determined as the future optional area’s are laid out / developed.

Q43. Optional Item 2r comprises nineteen priced sub-items, including approximately 80 miles of roadway reconditioning, 5 miles of full depth reclamation, 3,200 CY of aggregate and 1,200 feet of culvert, and is not assigned to any contract area on the Schedule of Items. Item 2f (Hart Trap) is separately scheduled. Can the Forest Service identify the contract areas and, if available, the roads to which Item 2r

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Bitterroot National Forest applies? Access, aggregate haul distance and mobilization cannot be estimated without a location, and Item 2r is exercisable at the awarded price for seven years.

A.43. It is unknown at this time where and how much of Optional Item 2r will be located. This will be determined as haul routes and needed work along those haul routes are determined as the future optional area’s are laid out and developed.

Q44. The Appendix C maintenance schedules cover the five mandatory subdivisions only. The solicitation states a maintenance obligation for the optional contract areas and directs offerors to Appendix C, but no T-specification assignment, phase table or maintenance matrix appears there for any optional area. Will the Forest Service furnish the Appendix C maintenance schedules for the optional contract areas, or confirm that no maintenance obligation attaches to them?

A.44. Optional Implementation areas/units have not been fully developed and therefore all haul routes are not tallied yet. There will be required road maintenance on haul routes approximately to a similar degree as to mandatory Implementation areas and be accounted for in timber appraisals.

Q45. What is the criteria for criteria for "excessive soil disturbance" under C6.44 (rutting depth, displacement and how are the detrimental soil disturbance limit, and how it is measured?

A.45. Soil moisture will be tested by sale admin personnel in the field by forming soil into a ball in hand and lightly tossing several times. If soil maintains a ball shape, soil moisture is too high for ground-based skidding, If soil ball breaks apart, soil moisture is suitable for ground-based yarding. Skyline /Tethered ground must be requested and approved by FS to utilize tethered operations. Compaction limits will be determined by Sale Administration personnel in consultation with FS Soil Scientist

Q46. Do tethered machines face the same dry-soil, snow and frozen-ground restrictions as ground-based skidding.

A.46. Yes, Same soil moisture standards as ground-based equipment operations.

Q47. Is tethered machine travel limited to a single pass on each corridor or trail? Or may machines make repeated passes followed by a tethered skidder or forwarder on the same corridor?

A.47. There is no limit to the number of passes equipment can travel on a corridor.

Limitations can be caused by soil moisture, compaction, etc.

Q48. In units analyzed for tether, is tethered shovel logging (an excavator-based log loader moving logs to the landing) approved under C6.44? Or is felling and yarding limited to tethered feller-bunchers, skidders and forwarders and traditional skyline yarding?

A.48. C6.44 does not specify which equipment may or may not be used.

Q49. Much of the dead Douglas-fir in Sharrott Salvage (2024 mortality) shows decay and conks and may not be accepted by a mill. Appendix B requires whole-tree yarding

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Bitterroot Front G-Z Long Term IRSC

Bitterroot National Forest and removal of included timber meeting utilization standards. Is timber showing excessive decay required to be removed?

A.49. Timber meeting utilization standards listed in Appendix B, is required to be removed. If high percentages of rot exist, that would not meet those standards.

Q50. May the contractor chip unmerchantable dead material and broadcast the chips on site (in units, on skid trails or on landings) instead of hauling it? If so, what limits apply (chip depth, distance from roads or streams, fuel loading)?

A.50. No.

Q51. In reviewing the GIS package and contract map for the Fred Burr area, we noticed what appears to be a discrepancy in the optional helicopter unit boundaries between the spatial data and the provided PDF maps. Could you please clarify which unit boundary is correct and confirm the intended extent of the optional helicopter unit within the Fred Burr contract area?

A.51. The spatial data provided is the most current data and should be referred to.