Attachment 1 RGNF Conejos RD SOW.pdf

Conejos Ranger District (RD) Rio Grande National Forest (RGNF) Weed Treatment Statement of Work

1. General Information

1.1 Background

Provide all personnel, equipment, certifications, supplies, water, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform noxious weed treatments as defined herein, except for those items specified as government furnished property and services. The contractor shall perform to the standards in this contract. Specific treatment areas on the Rio Grande National Forest – Conejos Peak Ranger District are identified in Appendix D & E. The successful offeror will perform the work following a pre-work meeting with the Contracting Officer, the Forest Noxious Weed Program Manager and the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), clarifying the terms and conditions of the contract.

1.2 Scope of Work

The scope includes the treatment of approximately 84 acres of noxious weeds in areas of the Conejos Peak Ranger District of the Rio Grande National Forest, and reporting of those treatments, in compliance with terms, specifications, conditions and provisions contained herein. Weeds shall be sprayed primarily by spot spraying. Work shall occur when the target plants are actively growing, and weather conditions allow them to be susceptible to herbicide effects.

The scope includes the following treatment and reporting types:

1. Vehicle or ATV/UTV-accessible treatment/reporting of noxious weed occurrences

2. Backpack-accessible treatment/reporting of noxious weed occurrences

1.3 Period of Performance

The period of performance will be from date of award to October 1, 2024, the exact period of performance will be determined and provided upon the issuance and award of the resulting contract.

1.4 Quality Control:

The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program to ensure services are performed in accordance with this contract. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor’s quality control program is the means by which they assure themselves that their work complies with the requirement of the contract. The quality control program is to be delivered at the time of proposal. After acceptance of the quality control plan the contractor shall receive the contracting officer’s acceptance in writing of any proposed change to their QC system. The Quality Control Plan (QCP) will be the responsibility of the Contractor to provide for review and approval prior to starting any on-site work. Unless otherwise specified in the resulting contract, the Contractor shall provide the QCP within 10 days following contract award to the Contracting Specialist and/or Contracting Officer Representative for review and acceptance.

1.5 Place of Performance

Noxious weed treatments will occur on National Forest Service (NFS) lands in areas of the Conejos Peak Ranger District of the Rio Grande National Forest, including but not limited to sites within past or future timber management areas, trailheads and campgrounds and along roadsides. General treatment areas are identified on the maps in Appendix D & E. For efficient completion of this project, the contractor may set up a base camp along nearby Forest Roads (see Appendix C for camping requirements). Most backcountry roads are accessible by four-wheel drive vehicles between the months of May through October. The Contractor is expected to respond to sensitive resource conditions, i.e. walk areas when road conditions are poor/wet. The government assumes no responsibility to maintain roads in passable conditions. Additionally, some treatment areas may be only accessible by ATV/UTV. ATV/UTVs may be used to access roads and trails in accordance with the Motor Vehicle Use Map for the Conejos Peak Ranger District. Use of off-road areas or closed roads may be available on a case-by-case basis. Other areas such will require significant and, in some cases, challenging walking for treatment with backpack sprayers.

The terrain within the project area will vary. Moderate to steep slopes can be anticipated. Substantial dead and down material can be anticipated in the past timber sale treatment units (post-treatment).

Water may be obtained from nearby communities. Do not plan on taking water from project area water sources. Some sites will require handgun application with long hose pulls, and still others will require backpack sprayers. Some weed occurrences are adjacent to streams. Project boundaries can be determined from maps or GIS data as requested. It is the contractor’s responsibility to be aware of land ownership boundaries. This contract is for treatment of NFS lands only.

1.6 Special Qualifications

Only Colorado State Qualified Supervisors, Certified Applicators, or Trained Technicians will be allowed to apply herbicides. The Contractor shall provide a copy of all licenses and certifications to the Contracting Officer. This certification shall be provided to the Contracting Specialist and/or Contracting Officer Representative for review and acceptance within 10 days after award.

1.7 Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings

Post Award Conference: As specified in the contract, a Post Award Conference will be requested and completed within 14 days following contract award and will be held via Microsoft Teams (virtual). The Contractor must attend as well as any key personnel required in the performance of the work that will serve as a point of contact for the Government.

Periodic Progress Meetings may be scheduled and required as necessary to discuss performance, schedule, or any other work requirements necessary in the performance of this work.

1.8 Key Personnel

The Contractor shall follow the solicitation instructions and provide key personnel information as well as adhere to the clause provided.

1.9 Record Keeping, Reporting and Payment

The Government has unlimited rights to all documents/material produced under this contract. The contractor shall maintain separate pesticide application records (PAR) for each site containing all applicable information as required by the State of Colorado and shall provide a copy of the PAR for the COR’s review in the time frames required by the contract specifications (see Section 5). A separate PAR must be completed for each List A species. Only Forest Service PAR forms (see Appendix F) will be accepted unless otherwise agreed upon with the Contractor at the pre-work meeting. Pesticide application record forms shall be completed in full. This information, along with corresponding treatment location information, and field inspections, will be the basis of payment.

The contractor shall collect daily location information for each site, including locations of areas searched and areas sprayed. Additionally, separate location information must be completed for each List A weed species site. GPS polygons are the preferred format (.shp). Provide these records at 14-day intervals with corresponding Pesticide Application Records (PAR). The GPS data and the PAR must be easily linked by a unique identifier.

2. Definitions

2.1 Technical Definitions – Noxious Weed Species

Species Known to Occur in or around the treatment areas:

Scientific Name Common Name Colorado List Acroptilon repens Russian knapweed List B Bromus tectorum Cheatgrass/downy brome List C Carduus nutans Musk thistle List B Cirsium arvense Canada thistle List B Cirsium vulgare Bull thistle List B

Cardaria/Lepidium draba White top List B Lepidium latifolium Perennial pepperweed List B

Leucanthemum vulgare Oxeye Daisy List B Linaria dalmatica Dalmation toadflax List B

Verbascum thapsus Common mullein List C All other species included on the Colorado State Noxious Weed A, B and C lists.

3. Government Furnished Property, Materials, Services

The Government will provide the following item(s) of Government property to the Contractor for use in the performance of this contract. This property shall be used and maintained by the Contractor in accordance with the provisions of the “Government Property” FAR clause contained elsewhere in the contract.

1. Electronic files of any or all of the following, as requested by the contractor:

a. Maps covering the priority treatment area showing known occurrences of noxious weeds.

i. Maps of areas and species to be treated will be provided at the pre-work meeting and may be adjusted during the spraying season to reflect new weed locations.

b. Shapefiles of the weed treatment polygons.

i. In some cases, GPS coordinates of known weed locations maybe provided.

c. Format for Pesticide Application Record (PAR) form.

2. Forest Service access codes, key, or gate information, as necessary.

4. Contractor Furnished Items/Services

The contractor shall furnish everything, excluding items in Section 3, required to perform this contract.

5. Performance Tasks and Critical Subtasks

The following tasks are to be performed to the quality performance requirements shown on the Performance Requirements Summary table in Section 7.

The contractor shall use herbicides according to product labels to spray herbicide on noxious weeds on the Rio Grande National Forest – Conejos Peak Ranger District as follows:

• Spray herbicide on noxious weeds at the optimal stage of development for herbicidal action to take place using ATV/UTV or other vehicle methods. Not all noxious weed locations are known.

Some species may require both early summer and fall applications. Priority species and sites will be reviewed during the pre-work meeting.

• Spray herbicide on noxious weeds at the optimal stage of development for herbicidal action to take place using backpack sprayers to reach difficult sites beyond of reach of long hose pulls from vehicles. Not all noxious weed locations are known. Some species may require both early summer and fall applications. Priority species and sites will be reviewed during the pre-work meeting.

Submittals. The contractor shall provide the following submittals:

• Complete Pesticide Application Record (PAR) for each day, for each site, documenting herbicide, carrier, and adjuvants used and acres treated for each noxious weed species. (See Appendix F for required form). A separate Pesticide Application Record must be completed for each List A weed species site. Provide these records at 14-day intervals with corresponding location files recording areas treated.

• Daily location (e.g. spatial data) information for each site or area sprayed. Additionally, separate location information must be completed for each List A weed species site. GPS polygons are the preferred format (.shp) and must be easily linked to the PAR with a unique identifier. Provide these records at 14-day intervals with corresponding PAR.

6. Government Publications/Industry Standards/State Standards/Government

Standards/Technical Exhibits

6.1 Technical Specifications:

6.1.1 It is the responsibility of the contractor to obtain the proper certification and or licensing by the State of Colorado. Only contractors certified by the State of Colorado will be considered.

6.1.2 Contractor shall ensure all equipment moved onto National Forest System land are free of soil, seeds, vegetative matter, or other debris that could contain or hold noxious weed seed. The Forest Service may request inspection of equipment prior to it being placed into service.

6.2 Spraying Specifications

6.2.1 Infestation levels are estimated and infestation sizes can vary year to year as stated above, the contractor should work through the priority treatment area table in Appendix D until all indicated areas requiring treatment have been achieved and work has been completed and accepted by the COR as directed in the contract.

6.2.2 Herbicide, surfactant, and dye shall be applied in accordance with manufacturers and EPA label instructions and specifications. A minimum of 20 gallons/acre delivery rate or greater is recommended for all treatments. Any volume less than 20 gallons/acre delivery rate must be approved by the COR.

Marker dye is required for all treatments.

6.2.3 Contractor must certify that spray equipment can be and is accurately calibrated and the products applied at required label rates.

6.2.4 Target weed species shall be sprayed at optimal stage of development for herbicidal action to take place. Timing will be consistent with factors such as target species growth stage, product formulation and weather.

6.2.5 Weeds shall be sprayed primarily by spot spraying.

6.2.6 Spraying must be done in a site-specific manner to minimize impacts to non-target vegetation and address any environmental concerns. No applications will be applied directly to water.

6.3 Liability/Safety Specifications:

6.3.1 Preparing tank mixes, cleaning spray equipment or disposing of herbicide containers shall not occur at any Forest Service facility.

6.3.2 The contractor is responsible for the proper use and storage of all chemicals during the performance of this contract.

6.3.3 Forest Service is not responsible for safety of the Contractor nor any assistants, nor liable for damage to crops, water aquifers, human or animal contamination.

6.3.4 Posting is required at all developed sites such as campgrounds, parking areas, and trailheads.

Contractor shall remove the signs at developed sites as dictated by the chemical labels.

6.3.5 Burned areas can be hazardous. The Contractor shall ensure that all personnel wear appropriate personal protective equipment during all activity in burned areas.

7. Performance Requirement Summary

TASK/ SUBTASK PERFORMANCE

STANDARD

ACCEPTABLE

QUALITY

LEVEL (AQL)

MONITORING

METHOD

DISINCENTIVES

FOR NOT

MEETING

STANDARDS

Treatment

5.1.1 Spray

herbicide on noxious weeds using vehicle, ATV/OHV methods

All noxious weeds shall be chemically sprayed at the plant stage most conducive to herbicidal action.

90% acceptable level of performance (90% of the occurrences shall be sprayed).

Perform periodic on-site inspections

Rework at contractor’s expense.

Payment will be deducted 2% for each percentage point of AQL less than 90%. No payment will be made for less than 70% AQL; Poor performance rating will be given.

5.1.2 Spray

herbicide on noxious weeds using backpack equipment methods

All noxious weeds shall be chemically sprayed at the plant stage most conducive to herbicidal action

90% acceptable level of performance (90% of the occurrences shall be sprayed).

Perform periodic on-site inspections

Rework at contractor’s expense.

Payment will be deducted 2% for each percentage point of AQL less than 90%. No payment will be made for less than 70% AQL; Poor performance rating will be given.

Reporting

5.2.1 At every

14-day interval, provide complete Pesticide Application Records for each day, for each site, using the required form. A separate Pesticide Application Record will be completed for each List A species site. Each Pesticide Application Record will have an associated GPS boundary of the treatment area.

All Pesticide Application Record forms will be completely and accurately filled out, recording herbicide, adjuvant, and dye use and acres treated for each species. All forms will have associated spatial data which includes the GPS’d boundary of the treatment area.

Provide at 14-day intervals.

100% acceptable level of performance (100% of the completed forms and associated spatial data shall be provided at 14-day intervals)

Review submitted data for technical accuracy, completeness and compliance with time requirements.

Rework at contractor’s expense.

Payment will be deducted 1% for each day that Pesticide Application Record forms that meet the performance standards are not provided at 14-day intervals.

5.2.2 At every 14-

day interval, provide location information for each day, for each site, to document areas searched and/or sprayed.

All location information will be technically sound and reflect actual area searched and/or treated.

Information will be provided at 14-day intervals.

100% acceptable level of performance (100% of the spatial data shall be provided at 14-day intervals)

Review submitted data for technical completeness and compliance with time requirements.

Rework at contractor’s expense.

Payment will be deducted 1% for each day that spatial data that meet the performance standards are not provided at 14-day intervals.

Appendix A: Commonly Used Herbicides

2, 4-D + Clopyralid (Curtail)

Aminopyralid (Milestone) 40.6% ai

Chlorosulfuron (Telar XP) 75% ai

Imazapic (Plateau) 23.6% ai

Indaziflam (Esplanade 200 SC/Rejuvra) 19.05%

Surfactant (Dyne-amic)

Surfactant (Glacier EA)

Surfactant (Premier 90)

Dye (Hi-light, Blazon)

Appendix B: GPS Datum

All GPS information will be in NAD83, Zone 13N UTM projection.

Appendix C: Camping Requirements

1. The contractor shall ensure all camp equipment, ATVs/UTVs and vehicles are free of dirt, vegetative material and weed seeds prior to entering the Forest.

2. Contractor is required to pressure wash all off-road equipment prior to moving onto the Contract Area to ensure that all equipment is free of soil, seeds, vegetative matter, and other debris that could contain or hold noxious weed seeds. Equipment shall be considered free of soil, seeds, and other such debris when a visual inspection does not disclose such material.

Disassembly of equipment components or specialized inspection tools will not be required.

3. Camping in wet meadows is not allowed.

4. Camp areas will be secured a minimum of 100 feet from all lakes, streams, and trails.

5. All camp areas will be kept clean and orderly, and all bear attractants will be properly stored.

Appendix D: Priority Treatment Areas Table

Area Name Priority

Estimated Known Infested Acres

Species Known to Occur

Notes

Cat Creek 1 10.7

Acroptilon repens;

Bromus tectorum;

Cardaria draba;

Cirsium arvense;

Convolvulus arvensis

Roadside treatments should be easily accessible by truck. Portions of a couple infestations extend downslope of the road and may be untreatable due to steep terrain.

Jacobs Hill 2 2

Bromus tectorum;

Cardaria draba;

Cirsium arvense

Infestations along 252 east of large private property should be easily accessible by truck.

The remaining infestations along 252 and 258 west of private property require ATV/UTV.

Fox Creek 3

0.7 Acroptilon repens;

Bromus tectorum;

Cardaria draba;

Cirsium arvense;

Verbascum thapsus

Half of the infestations are along the roadside and should be easily accessible by truck, half will need to be a combination of ATV/UTV or backpack spraying

Trail Gulch 4 1.1

Cirisum arvense;

Verbascum thapsus

Infestations are most easily accessible by a combination of UTV/ATV and backpack spraying.

Osier 5

1.4 Carduus nutans, Cirsium arvense, Linaria dalmatica

Roadside treatment should be easily accessible by truck.

FSR 250 6

9.1 Carduus nutans;

Cirsium arvense;

All treatments will be roadside and should be easily accessible by a truck.

FSR 247 to Three Forks

TH

12.1

Cirsium arvense

Roadside treatments should be easily accessible by a truck. Portions of a couple infestations extend downslope of the road and may be untreatable due to steep terrain.

FSR 117 8 2.7

Cirsium arvense;

Leucanthemum vulgare

All treatments will be roadside and should be easily accessible by a truck.

Spruce Hole 9

34.2 Cirsium arvense;

Cirsium vulgare;

Approx. 30 of these acres will need to be done via backpack spraying.

Leucanthemum vulgare

Upper South Fork TH

10.1 Carduus nutans;

Cirsium arvense;

Convolvulus arvensis

Backpack spraying

TOTAL 84.1 acres

Appendix E: Priority Treatment Area Maps

Appendix F: Pesticide Application Record Template

PESTICIDE APPLICATION RECORD

*Required

Applicator Information:

*Agency/Contractor *Applicator Name/Phone/Email *CO License #:

Site Information:

Forest/District Location ID/Timber Sale Name

*GPS type & buffer distance

*Target Pest(s)

Site notes:

Application information:

*Application Date *Application area

(acres) *Calibrated volume (gallons) *Volume applied

(gallons) *Dilutent Used

(i.e. water)

*Application Site/License

Category *Application Equipment Application Type (i.e. spot vs.

broadcast)

Temp (°F) Wind speed

(mph) Wind Direction Cloud Cover Relative

Humidity (%) Distance to water (ft)

*Product/Trade Name *EPA Registration # *Product Rate *Product Rate Unit of Measure

(lbs/acre OR oz/acre)

*Adjuvant Name *Rate Applied *Rate Applied Unit of Measure

(lbs/acre or oz/acre)

General Treatment Notes:

Pesticide Application Reporting Instructions

Application logs of the actual applications are required for all pesticide treatments on NFS lands.

There are three possible scenarios for:

Application Information:

1. Single Product: A single formulation/a.i. is used, with or without any adjuvants.

2. Product Mix: A commercial pesticide formulation or product with two or more Active Ingredients

(a.i’s). A record is created with one product name and two a.i.’s.

3. Tank Mix: Two or more pesticide products custom-mixed in a single spray tank by an applicator. A record is created with two chemical a.i.’s, and a % solution or two a.i. rates are recorded for each chemical.

4. Two Applications with one Product: When a pesticide product is applied on different parts of a site requiring different equipment and calibrations, multiple records are required (one for each).

Agency/Contractor: The name of the organization, business, or contracting entity applying the pesticide.

Applicator Name/Phone/Email: The name(s), phone, and email contact for the person applying the pesticide(s).

CO License #: The CO QS license # associated with the person applying the pesticide.

Location ID/Timber Sale Name: The site-specific location ID. It is a good idea to make sure this location ID corresponds to the associated spatial point/line/polygon.

GPS type and buffer distance: Polygons are the preferred format but, in some cases, data may be captured by different geometries. On this form, please indicate whether this PAR is associated with a point, line or polygon spatial feature. If data was taken as a point or line, a buffer distance is needed.

Examples include: “polygon”; “line (10-ft buffer on either side of road)”; “point (0.5-acre buffer)”;

“point (200 ft buffer)”.

Target Pest(s): Include all species targeted by the tank mix on-site for this daily log.

Site notes: Any notable site information.

Date of Application: The actual date of application MM/DD/YYYY.

Application Area: The non-overlapping area (acres) where pesticides are applied on a particular date.

This should come from your spatial data (i.e., buffered point or line, or actual acreage from polygon).

Calibrated Volume: The acre-volume of mix to be applied based on calibrated output of applicator, equipment, and application method. The area-volume (gallons per acre) should be used to determine the mixing rate.

Volume Applied: The total volume (diluents, pesticides, and adjuvants) applied on-site for a specified date, in gallons.

Diluent: Enter the carrier for the pesticide. For most applications the dilutant will be water.

Application Site/License Category: Forest, Rangeland, ROW, etc.

Application Equipment: Backpack sprayer; Mobile Ground Sprayer, etc.

Application Type: Broadcast or spot spray

Temperature: Temperature at time of treatment in degrees Fahrenheit.

Wind speed: Wind speed at time of treatment in miles per hour.

Wind direction: Wind direction at time of treatment.

Cloud Cover: Relative cloud cover during treatment (no clouds, partly cloudy, mostly cloudy, etc.)

Relative Humidity: Relative humidity at time of treatment.

Distance to water: Estimated distance to water from treatment boundary.

Product Trade Name: The name of the pesticide product applied to the site. You may enter multiple product names if the products are components of a tank mix.

EPA registration number: Enter the EPA registration number for the product using. You may enter multiple EPA registration numbers if the products are components of a tank mix.

Product Rate: The label rate in which the product is to be applied, typically expressed as ounces or pounds of product per acre. Product Rate along with Calibrated Volume is used to determine a mixing rate. Calibrated volume is required when using product rate.

Product Rate Unit of Measure: Ounces per acre or pounds per acre.

Adjuvant Name: Trade name of the adjuvant or surfactant used with the tank mix, if applicable (i.e., Glacier EA).

Rate applied: The rate in which the product is to be applied, typically expressed as ounces or pounds of product per acre.

Product Rate Unit of Measure: Ounces or pounds per acre.

General treatment notes: Narrative field to allow the user space for additional information on the treatment (i.e., year 2 treatment of this site)