1240BK25Q0080 Attachment 2 Statement of Work.pdf

Umpqua National Forest, North Zone Stocking Surveys

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

SECTION 1 – GENERAL

1.1 Description

The objective is to gather stocking level information on planted and natural conifer seedlings from plots established in stands on the Umpqua National Forest using the U.S. Forest Service Common Stand Exam Protocols, using a tablet running Android 11 operating system or newer to collect the data and a GPS unit to document plot location.

This contract requires regeneration stocking exam field data collection on selected planted and naturally-regenerating fire burned stands on the North Zone (Diamond Lake and North Umpqua Ranger Districts) of the Umpqua National Forest in compliance with its terms, specifications and provisions.

Most of the plantation units are located within the 2020 Archie Creek and 2017 fires which burned at a high and mixed severity respectively. These units may have been planted anywhere between 2021-2024. Naturally-regenerating units are located across a wide geographic area and may have been burned in 2020, 2017, 2009, or 2004. The stocking exams will be completed to determine regeneration levels, planting success, available seed sources and additional treatment needs for meeting minimum stocking standards for each unit. Slopes may be in excess of 80%. Stands may have considerable amounts of dead slash, standing fire killed/weakened trees with overhead hazards and live or dead brush.

1.2 Project Location

Operations shall be confined to lands within the Umpqua National Forest. Vicinity maps showing project location and other information regarding specific items will be provided with the contract.

The location of the units, access to the areas, size of each unit, and other information pertinent to this contract are contained in vicinity maps, unit maps, and schedule of items. Broadly, survey units are scattered along the Steamboat Creek drainage accessed via Steamboat Creek Road FS-38 and the North Umpqua River drainage, accessed from Highway 138 between Glide, OR and Diamond Lake. Unit boundaries are not delineated on the ground and units will not be posted. GIS shapefiles and maps will be made available to determine boundaries of units and locations of plots, which have been predetermined by the government.

Due to overlapping work by other shops on the Forest, there may be portions of other lines or boundaries in the area marked with flagging, tags, and/or posters. These should be disregarded to only follow the unit boundaries and plot locations dictated by the unit maps provided.

1.3 Access to Project Areas

Detailed small-scale maps show local roads. The designation of open roads on the map is not guaranteed due to potential differences between the time when the road was last inventoried and the contract award. Access to the project area is by all-weather and seasonal roads. Some stands do not have direct road access; therefore, walking up to 1/4 mile may be necessary. Any known walk-in distances greater than 1/4 mile are noted on the schedule of items.

1.4 Definitions

Stocking survey: These will be plantation (planted ≤5 years ago) and natural regen surveys in recently burned (≤5 years ago) units. These data will be used to monitor the success and condition of recently planted and naturally regenerating trees, to report and calculate survival statistics, predict growth, estimate seedling damage potential, calculate unit stocking levels, and assess unit conditions.

Pretreatment exam: These are first-entry post-fire exams in units that have yet to be planted or surveyed. These data will be used to determine planting needs and site conditions affecting planting activities by assessing the stocking levels and condition of naturally regenerating seedlings, coverage of remnant live overstory trees, coverage of competing vegetation (brush), and soil/terrain factors.

Old Burn Survey: These are first-entry post-fire surveys in units that burned more than 15 years ago and have not been planted or surveyed. These data will be used to assess site conditions and naturally regenerating trees to inform future, more intensive surveys and management activities.

Planted tree: Planted trees will be identified by spacing and the presence of a scalp. Data regarding species and spacing will be provided on unit maps and shapefile attribute tables. Planted species are diverse and include Douglas-fir, incense cedar, sugar pine, western white pine, ponderosa pine, western hemlock, mountain hemlock, Englemann spruce, and Pacific silver fir. Planted trees were planted 1-4 years prior to survey and should not exceed 4.5’ in height. Plots (50th acre) should have between 1-6 planted trees depending on location and planting density. A reference table for planting density has been provided below.

Spacing vs TPA Spacing (ft) 12x12 13x13 14x14 15x15 16x16 17x17 18x18 19x19 20x20

TPA 303 258 222 194 170 151 134 121 109

Crop tree: Those trees which are most likely to survive to maturity. Crop trees will be identified in both planted and natural stands. A crop tree:

• Must be a conifer (or yew)

• Does not have a degree of disease or damage, by insects or otherwise, that will severely reduce its growth, cause it to die within the next 10 years, or cause excessive deformity

• Measures between 0.5 feet and 4.5 feet in height

• Is not closer than 5 feet from another crop tree.

Excess trees: Trees that qualify as a crop tree and represent excess stocking levels in the plot (>4 crop trees).

Brush: This only includes species in the genus Ceanothus, mainly Ceanothus velutinus (snowbrush) and Ceanothus integerrimus (deerbrush). These may be referred to as their common names as noted above.

SECTION 2 – GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY, MATERIALS, SERVICES

The Government will furnish the following property and services to the Contractor as available and appropriate.

The Contractor shall be liable for any loss of or damage to such Government furnished property until completion and final acceptance of work required under this contract, upon which time all contracted related materials and property are returned to the Government.

The following property will be provided to the Contractor:

Table 1. Government furnished property

Description Location Date Available USDA Forest Service Common Stand Exam User Guide (User Guide) and Common Stand Exam Region 6 Field Guide and Appendices (Field Guide)

Available on internet at https://www.fs.usda.gov/nrm/fsveg/index.shtml.

The Government will not provide printed copies

Anytime

Printed maps, if requested (Forest scale maps and individual stand maps)

Ranger District Contract Prework

Table of stand information including settings, acreage, and number of plots required

Ranger District Contract Prework

CSE Software, “Exams Mobile” app for tablets running Android 11 and later

Google Play Store Anytime

Exams Mobile User Guide and Workflow Ranger District Contract Prework

Fire Plan Template Solicitation 1240BE25Q0080 Offeror Submit with Quote

SECTION 3 – CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS/SERVICES

The Contractor shall furnish all labor, supervision, equipment (except those designated as Government-furnished), transportation, and incidentals for Stocking Surveys on the Umpqua National Forest.

SECTION 4 – PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT TASKS

4.1 Technical Specifications and Performance Standards

A. Survey Techniques

1. Data Parameters

a. Plot data: 1/50th acre (16.7’ radius) fixed plots will be installed at pre-determined locations.

Data will be collected using CSE software and protocol. Only coniferous trees (plus yew) will be considered. Species, count, height, planted tree damage, and DBH if applicable will be measured. In plantations, planted trees will be differentiated from natural seedlings. The plot will be assessed for its stocking level: are there sufficient crop trees and are they well-spaced?

The protocol for assessing stocking class is described in section 4.1.B below.

b. Photographs: One photo per plot will be taken for Old Burn surveys. Photos will be oriented toward the center of the unit and capture the nature of regeneration and the composition of the stand. Azimuth will be recorded in plot remarks.

c. Plot remarks: Data will be recorded using CSE software and protocol. Plot remarks only need to be provided for plots with significant amounts of unplantable area from live overstory conifer cover, rocky ground, or other conditions that would affect planting activities. These should be recorded as percent of total plot affected (overstory cover recorded as percent of plot in the dripline of overstory tree crowns). This is where photo direction azimuth (+/- 20°) is recorded for Old Burn plots.

d. Setting remarks: Data will be recorded using CSE software and protocol. Remarks will estimate the qualities of the stand as a whole as the data collector has observed it, both within plots and walking between plots. The following remarks will be required for each type of survey:

i. Stocking survey

1. Estimated % cover and height of brush

2. Estimated % cover of live remnant overstory

3. Estimated % unplantable terrain

ii. Pretreatment exam

1. Estimated % cover and height of brush

2. Estimated % cover of live remnant overstory

3. Estimated % of unit averaging 200 tpa (“stocked”)

4. Are understocked areas plantable? Y/N

iii. Old burn survey

1. Estimated % cover of pre-fire trees

2. Estimated % cover of post-fire trees

3. Estimated % plantable ground

2. Plot Locations

a. Plot locations shall be determined by the Forest. The given plot latitude and longitude will be provided in a spreadsheet or in a geographic point file as needed. The actual latitude and longitude of plot locations will be documented by the use of a contractor supplied GPS unit capable of at least a 10 meter accuracy (GLONASS capability recommended). The GPS must be able to set to NAD 1983.

b. Plot intensity. Plots have been placed at the following approximate density:

i. Stocking Surveys

1. Plantations: 1 plot per 2 acres, minimum 3 per stand

2. Natural Regeneration: 1 plot per 4 acres, minimum 3 per stand

ii. Pretreatment exams: 1 plot per 5 acres, minimum 2 per stand

iii. Old burn surveys: 1 plot per 15-20 acres, minimum 2 per stand

c. Plot centers shall be located greater than 50 feet from the stand boundary or from identifiable roads or waterways. If a plot falls into one of these areas, the contractor shall offset the plot location and make note of this in the data file.

d. Plot centers shall be identified with a wire flag or flagging (which can be tied to a stick or other item inserted into the ground) with the flag at least 4-6 inches above the ground. Two strips of flagging shall be tied no less than 4 feet above the ground opposite each other around plot center for ease of plot center location. Flagging will not be tied to the leader of conifer trees. Flag and flagging colors shall be decided upon at the prework meeting. The plot and stand number shall be marked on the wire flag or flagging with a waterproof marking pen.

Plot center is defined as that point where the wire or stick enters the ground. This point shall be used for limiting distance measurements and inspections.

3. Data Collection

a. All measurement shall be made in accordance with the USDA Forest Service Common

Stand Exam Region 6 User Guide. Where there are discrepancies between the contract and the User Guide, the contract shall have precedence.

b. All plot data shall be recorded at each plot using the Exams Mobile app. Completed exams shall be delivered to the Forest Service as electronic files with the .db extension as created by the CSE software, Exams Mobile.

B. Detailed Survey Form Instructions and Performance Standards

At each plot location, the Contractor shall examine the plot area and record their findings on the items listed below. The following measurements or data entries shall be recorded. Tolerances for all measurements and data entries and the error value for each entry outside of allowable tolerances are shown below.

Complete details on the required fields can be found in the User Guide and Field Guide. Unless otherwise stated in the contract, the following fields must be completed for each setting (stand). Information on necessary procedures to complete these fields is available in the User Guide. Some of the data for these fields will be provided by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and is indicated as “Provided” below.

Table 2. Required survey forms and performance standards

Field Required Comments Tolerance Penalty

Setting Design Form:

Proclaimed & AD Region

X Provided +/-0

Proclaimed & AD Forest

X Provided +/-0

District X Provided +/-0

Location X Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Stand ID X Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Project Name X Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Owner X Provided +/-0 State X Provided +/-0 County X Provided +/-0

Date X +/-0 Not Acceptable

Exam Level X Provided +/-0

Acres X Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Examiner X +/-0 Not Acceptable

Exam Purpose X Provided +/-0 Prec. Protocol X Provided +/-0 Lat-Long Reference Datum

X Must Use NAD83 +/-0

Setting Remarks X See description Sample Design - Tree Tab:

Selection Method Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Expansion Factor Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Starting Azimuth Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Subpopulation Filter

Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Subpopulation Variable

Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Subpopulation Min Value

Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Subpopulation Max Value

Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Plot Data:

Region X Provided +/-0 Proclaimed Forest X Provided +/-0 District No. X Provided +/-0

Location Code X Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Stand Number X Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Project Name X Provided +/-0

Plot Number X +/-0 Not Acceptable

Latitude X +/- 10 meters Error = 1 tree Longitude X +/- 10 meters Error = 1 tree Use Field: Plot Stocking Class

X See description below +/-0 Error = 1 tree

Tree Data Form:

Region Provided +/-0 Proclaimed Forest Provided +/-0 Ranger District Provided +/-0

Location Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Stand Number Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Plot Number Provided +/-0 Not Acceptable

Date +/-0 Not Acceptable

Status (Live/Dead) X +/-0 Error = 1 tree

Species X +/-0 Error = 1/2 tree

Tree Count – fixed radius plot

X 1/50th acre plot.

Natural stands: Live standing trees 0.3 feet tall to 6.99”

DBH.

Plantations: All live and planted dead standing trees 0.3 feet tall to 6.99”

DBH.

1-4 trees: +/-0 5-15 trees: +/- 16-25 trees:

+/-3 25+ trees: +/-5

Error = 1/2 tree for each beyond tolerance

DBH

X

Estimate for trees 4.5ft tall and greater

0.3-6.99”: +/- 1” 7.0-19.99”+ :

+/-2” 20”+ : +/-6”

Error = 1/4 tree

Height

X

All trees – estimate

0.3-4.49’: +/-

0.5 foot.

All other trees: +/-20%

Error = 1/4 tree

Use Field:

planted/natural

X See description below +/-0 Error = 1/2 tree

Damage Category X Planted trees only +/-0 Error = 1/4 tree

Damage Severity X Planted trees only +/-10% Error = 1/10 tree

Plot Remarks X See description +/-0

1. User-defined Fields Two user-defined fields are available for collection based on the exam technique.

a. Plot user-defined field: stocking class

The stocking class incorporates considerations of planted and natural seedlings/saplings, overstory trees, and unplantable areas. Determine which of the planted and natural seedlings are crop trees (see definitions), and identify excess trees, occupied spaces (by overstory trees), and unplantable spots to categorize the plot into one of the following categories:

• S: Stocked. There are 4 crop trees on the 50th acre plot with no excess trees.

• SP: Stocked Partially. There are fewer crop trees on the plot than is required for Stocked due to management activity or natural cause (log deck, rock, meadow, overstory tree, etc.)

that occupies planting space. There may or may not be excess trees. Capture the cause of the partial stocking in the plot remarks.

• SE: Stocked plus Excess. There are 4 crop trees on the 50th acre plot and undamaged excess trees are present.

• U: Unsatisfactorily Stocked. There are fewer crop trees on the plot than is required for Stocked, and the plot is capable of growing trees. Excess trees may or may not be present.

Capture the cause of the partial stocking in the plot remarks, if known.

• O: Open plot. No live crop trees are present and the plot is capable of growing trees.

Excess trees may or may not be present. Capture the cause of the partial stocking in the plot remarks, if known.

• X: Non-plantable. The plot is located on non-plantable ground or is completely covered by overstory tree canopy. Capture the cause of the partial stocking in the plot remarks.

b. Tree user-defined field: Planted/Natural: Identify if the plot tree has been planted or was naturally regenerated.

2. Fatal Errors

The following errors are considered “fatal” errors and will result in the affected stand(s) being returned to the Contractor for rework.

a. Any plot where the plot center location cannot be located because of improper labeling of the plot center or missing GPS coordinates, or for other reasons attributable to noncompliance with the contract specifications.

b. Any form where the field’s penalty is labeled “not acceptable” in Table 2 or information provided by the Government is not correctly transferred.

3. Calculation of Quality Percent

The total number of incorrect “tree penalties” divided by the total of number of trees tallied on the inspection x 100 will determine the percentage of unsatisfactory work. 100% minus percentage unsatisfactory work = % satisfactory work.

4.2 Inspection, Acceptance and Payment

A. Government Quality Assurance Plan

The Government will make periodic inspections while work is in progress on a sample of completed exams. The Contractor shall notify and provide the electronic data files to the Government when no more than 200 plots are completed and ready for inspection prior to moving out of the general area. Incomplete stands will not be accepted for inspection until all plots are completed.

At each inspection plot, the Government Inspector shall examine the plot area and record their findings on the items identified in Section 4 Table 2.

Table 3. Quality Assurance Plan

Task Quality Standard Acceptable Quality Level Stocking Survey Plots See Performance Standards 90%

B. Payment

Whenever the stand quality meets or exceeds 90 percent, the work will be acceptable and payment will be made at the unit price.

C. Unsatisfactory Performance If all required information is not correctly completed, or if the percentage of work quality falls below 90 percent, the government will immediately notify the Contractor in writing and order improvement of the quality of work. The Contractor shall reevaluate all of the plots in the unsatisfactory submission and rework them as needed to meet the 90 percent minimum acceptable specification within 5 consecutive workdays after receipt of written notice of unsatisfactory work.

D. Contractor Requested Re-inspections If the Government initial inspection results are not acceptable to the Contractor, a re-inspection may be requested. The request must be submitted in writing within 5 calendar days after receipt of the original inspection results. This re-inspection will be on the original inspection plots. The Contractor is encouraged to accompany the Government during the re-inspection. Results of this re-inspection will supersede the original inspection.

E. Inspection of Returned Stands After the Contractor has reworked the entire stand, the government will perform a re-inspection of the work. If the second Government inspection reveals that the rework does not meet contract specifications and work acceptability, the actual costs of the second inspection will be borne by the Contractor. Costs of re-inspections will be based upon the Inspectors hourly wage rate, vehicle mileage and associated administrative costs. The Contractor will have only one opportunity to rework unacceptable stands. If a stand fails to pass government inspection after rework, no payment will be made for that stand.

(End of Attachment)