SOW.pdf

2021 Spring Site Preparation Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison NF

SECTION C - Statement of Work

C.1 DESCRIPTION OF WORK

C.1.1. Scope of Contract

The solicitation is for crawler tractor work on the Grand Valley Ranger District of the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests. The Contractor shall furnish all labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, supplies, and incidentals to perform all work necessary on the areas specified in the contract.

All aspects of the work program shall be performed in an organized, systematic manner to ensure services are performed over the entire project areas.

Count and location of ash pits was by determined from field reconnaissance and GPS waypoints, cross checked against aerial photographic imagery taken in 2020. Not all slash piles may have been burned in 2020.

No forest products shall be removed from the project area.

C.1.1.1. This contract is a Performance Based, firm-fixed price contract.

C.1.1.2. The performance period will be from approximately June 1 to July 12 depending upon the running of contract time. Fourty (40) consecutive days are allowed for Schedule Items 1 and 2 in combination. See F.1.1. – Contract Time.

C.1.2. Location, Access, and Description of Units

Spring 2021 Spring Site Preparation – The contracted work will be in one location on the Grand Valley Ranger District.

2021 Sheep and Wooly Flats Site Preparation

Schedule Item 1 is on NFSR 279 and NFSR 121 approximately fifty miles east of Grand Junction, Colorado. The legal description is Sections 34, 35, and 36 of T 10.0 S 94.0 W; Section 1, 2, and 3 of T 11.0 S 94.0 W, NMPM, Mesa County, Colorado. To access the project area, head east from Grand Junction, Colorado on US Highway 70 for 12 miles. Continue east on State Highway 65 for approximately 10 miles and then make a left onto State Highway 330E. Follow 330E for approximately 10 miles and then make a right onto 57 ½ Rd. After 1 mile turned left onto Oe Rd and then after 1 more mile, a right onto 58 ½ Rd. After 1 mile on 58 ½ Rd, turn left onto KE Rd and follow as it becomes 59 Rd. After approximately 5 miles, 59 Rd will transition to NFSR 121. Follow NFSR 121 for 4 miles and then turn left onto NFSR 260. After 1 mile on NFSR 260, continue straight onto NFSR 279. After 2.7 miles on NFSR 279, you will arrive at gate which marks the entrance of the Sheep/Wooly Flats project area.

Work To Be Completed By Treatment Unit

Sale Name Unit Ash Pits Sale Name Unit Ash Pits Sheep Flats 2 11 Sheep Flats 13 27 Sheep Flats 3 20 Sheep Flats A 1 Sheep Flats 4 16 Sheep Flats B 2 Sheep Flats 5 8 Sheep Flats C 2 Sheep Flats 6 12 Sheep Flats D 5 Sheep Flats 7 26 Sheep Flats E 20 Sheep Flats 8 36 Sheep Flats F 11 Sheep Flats 9 6 Sheep Flats G 8 Sheep Flats 10 17 Wooly Flats 1 5 Sheep Flats 11 9 Wooly Flats 2 4 Sheep Flats 12 2 Wooly Flats 4 5 Wooly Flats 5 2

Specifications or Tactics Planned for Use in the 2020 Spring Site Preparation Contract

Specification or Tactic Planned for Use?

Schedule Item(s)

C.4.2.1.3 Rehabilitation of Burned Slash Pile Ash Pits Yes 1

C.2 DEFINITION OF TERMS

These definitions are given for clarification. Addition definitions and method descriptions are located in the Technical Requirements section.

Ash Pits – The footprint and area surrounding burned slash piles which includes ash, partially burned log ends, and shoulders of unburned or partially burned woody debris, and surrounding woody debris mats. The ash pit itself is usually a depression in the ground.

Crushing - Process of breaking up, spreading, and compacting slash to reduce slash height, and spreading concentrations of slash out over a larger area by mechanical means.

Trampling - Process of knocking down cull and undesired trees, brush, and deep slash, spreading and compacting slash to reduce slash height, and spreading concentrations of slash out over a larger area by mechanical means.

Trees which are trampled shall have their root systems either grubbed out of the soil or be so damaged as to eliminate the trees potential for survival.

Scarification - Process by which mineral soil is exposed and disturbed (but not displaced) by mechanical means to create an acceptable seed bed for trees. Soil is disturbed by turning on the tracks, ripping the soil with the brush rake teeth or rippers, by rocking the blade, or by moving woody debris across the ground.

Slash - All existing woody debris, including but not limited to cull logs, chunks, branches, tops, stumps from push-outs or windthrows, and broken understory trees or brush resulting from natural accumulation, timber felling, logging, thinning, and clearing. Trees severely damaged by the Contractor shall be treated as slash. Tree stumps imbedded naturally in the soil are not considered slash.

Heavy Slash Concentrations - Areas where accumulated larger-diameter slash results in piles or windrows which equal or exceed the following dimensions: average depth of two (2) feet and cover a ground surface of 100 square feet.

Slash Mats – Areas of deep, compacted, organic material generated during timber harvest operations. Slash mats include cull logs, tops, branches, bark, foliage, and other finely ground organic material, mixed with soil. Untreated slash mats are not suitable seed beds for trees and are not practical to plant trees in.

Slash Piling - The concentrating and compacting of excess amounts of woody debris and slash such that piles may be consumed by burning. Piles must be reasonably dirt-free, compacted, and piled sufficiently tight to facilitate complete burning. Piles in some areas may be left unburned to provide habitat for wildlife.

Road Closure – Treatment to road ways to make them unusable by motorized or mechanized traffic. The road bed is capable of vegetation production. Drainage is adequate to minimize soil erosion and sedimentation.

Road Obliteration – Treatment to road beds to make them no longer strongly evidence as a travel way, and capable of natural vegetation production. The road prism is usually recontoured back to natural slope.

Snow Removal – Removing snow from road ways to allow more rapid snow melt and drainage. Removal is normally not down to the road surface in order to protect road surface material from erosion.

C.3 GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

C.3.1. GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED PROPERTY

There is no Government-furnished property for this project.

C.3.2. OTHER GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED SERVICES

Erosion control seed and seed application will be provided by the Government.

C.3.3. PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS

All work under this contract shall be performed in a skillful and workmanlike manner. The Contracting Officer may require the Contractor to replace any employee whom the Contracting Officer determines to be incompetent, careless or otherwise objectionable.

C.3.4. PROGRESSION OF WORK

Contractor shall perform the work in a progressive, orderly manner. All road closure, site preparation, brush piling and/or crushing work on one unit shall be completed before work is started on another unit, unless wet ground conditions halts work, or if more than one piece of equipment is on the job.

Past experience in this type of site preparation and road closure work has provided insight into the expected production rates (varying some for terrain, ground condition, and needed treatments). Failure to meet expected production rates could be cause for the Contracting Officer to direct the replacement of operators or pieces of equipment, changes in methodologies, or stopping work on the contract.

C.3.5. PROTECTION OF IMPROVEMENTS AND RESOURCES

The Contractor will protect all structural improvements such as cattle guards, gates, fences, ponds, ditches, signs, and roads. The Contractor will restore any improvements damaged by the operation in a timely fashion.

Improvements will be restored to pre-operation condition at the expense of the Contractor. Equipment will not cross meadows, live streams, springs, primary roads, or any other non-work areas except as designated by the Contracting Officers Representative. Movement of equipment between work areas will only be allowed on open designated roads. Cross country travel is not allowed to prevent establishment of new OHV routes.

C.3.6. ROAD DAMAGE

Vehicles shall not be operated on roads in the contract area if ground or weather conditions during operation causes lateral displacement or flowing of soil and deep rutting. Such conditions usually develop where frozen ground is thawing, when snow is melting, and during or immediately following rain storms.

C.3.7. USE OF ROADS BY THE CONTRACTOR

In addition to wet weather operating restrictions, it is the intent of this contract that the work be performed with the present system of existing roads. An existing road is one with a distinguishable roadbed that permits vehicle travel without major improvements to the road. Distinguishable roadbeds that are now reforested (have at least 300 stems/acres) with trees at least 3-feet tall, or that would require major earth work to permit vehicle travel are not considered existing roads for the purpose of this contract. Limited improvement of existing roads is permitted to allow for safe vehicle access (e.g., filling or smoothing ruts, removing roadside trees or obstacles and removing trees less than 3-feet tall or obstacles from the roadbed).

Upon written approval of the Forest Service, the Contractor may open closed roads to access a work area. Any closed roads opened by the Contractor will be returned to the closed condition in which it was found (e.g., replacing rocks, stumps or logs/slash previously scattered on the roadbed and restoring drainage or barrier structures removed or altered to permit vehicle travel).

Where seasonal road closure gates are closed to limit public motorized traffic during spring snow melt, the Contractor will be required to close and lock the gate after passing through.

C.3.8. CLEANING OF EQUIPMENT

In order to reduce the spread of noxious weeds to the project area and other public lands, crawler tractors and other equipment will be cleaned by the Contractor prior to moving the equipment onto public lands and the project area.

Equipment will be cleaned of mud, dirt, and accumulations of organic material which may harbor seed or plant parts of noxious weeds. Steam cleaning is an acceptable method of reducing the import of noxious weeds. Belly pans must be cleaned prior moving in. Fluid leaks shall be repaired prior to moving onto site.

C.3.9. TRANSPORTATION OF EQUIPMENT

Equipment must be moved between work sites in such a manner as not to damage permanent road surfaces. A lowboy trailer is considered an acceptable method. Any other method must be approved in writing by the Contracting Officer. Maximum gross vehicle weight and vehicle width allowed is 82,500 lbs. and 10 feet.

Equipment on a trailer may be wider, but will need to be flagged and placarded with “Over Size Load” signs per State laws. The minimum road or bridge width to be encountered on this project is twelve feet six inches. The Contractor is responsible for transporting Government furnished property or Contractor furnished property to, between, and from all work sites.

The Contractor is responsible for obtaining all necessary permits, licenses, etc., for operating and transporting equipment.

C.3.10. LEAVE TREES

In cutting units, all live trees shall be left standing to the maximum extent possible. Standing dead true fir and aspen (live or dead) 8-inches dbh and larger, and standing dead Engelmann spruce 10-inches dbh and larger, will be protected.

C.3.11. SLASH DISPOSAL

Slash resulting from work on this contract shall be removed from streams, drainages, power lines, telephone right-of-ways, private land, and from within 10-feet of property corners. Slash may be left in road ways which are to be closed. Slash falling upon cut and fill slopes along permanent open roads in the work area shall be removed from cut and fill slopes and scattered into the units in a manner so as to not form piles or windrows. Remaining slash shall be treated to lie within eighteen (18) inches of the ground.

C.3.12. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

The contractor shall train workers in the safe operation and use of equipment that the worker may use before the worker begins using such equipment.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) including hard hats, eye protection, hearing protection, dust masks, gloves, and sturdy work boots should be worn during equipment operations. Personal protective equipment shall be maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition. Defective or damaged personal protective equipment shall not be used.

In any area where the worker is exposed to the potential for flying or falling objects, the contractor shall provide a hard hat, at no cost to the employee, and the contractor shall assure that the employee wears the hard hat. The hard hat must meet the minimum requirements of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard Z89.1-1997.

The contractor shall provide, at no cost to the employee, eye protection where there is potential for eye injury due to flying objects. This eye protection must meet the minimum requirements of ANSI standard Z87.1-2003.

The contractor shall provide, at no cost to the employee, hearing protection where there is a potential for hearing loss due to high intensity noise for example, chainsaw operation.

Dust or particle masks should be worn during ash pit rehabilitation operations to minimize the inhalation of wood ash.

Refer to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations at 29 CFR 1910.266(d) Logging Operations and 29 CFR 1910 Subpart I (1910.132, 133, 135, 136, and 138).

C.3.13. CAMPING PERMITS

Work camp locations will be approved in advance by the Contracting Officers Representative with a District Ranger approved camping permit. Contractors will be required to maintain the camp site in clean, orderly, sanitary condition. Leakage of fuel and oil will be cleaned up and disposed of.

C.4 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

C.4.1. EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATIONS

Past experience has shown that a D-4 to D-5 class dozer is effective for completing the required work. Other types of heavy equipment maybe substituted for the requested type after approval by the Contracting Officer. As a minimum, other types of heavy equipment must meet the standards outlined below for crawler tractors.

Crawler Tractors

Crawler tractors must be equipped with operable Forest Service approved spark arrestor or turbo charger. As a minimum, the tractor(s) shall be equipped with an open canopy, roll-over protective structure (ROPS), logging type, including brush deflector, overhead canopy and rear screen in accordance with SAEJ-395. The tractor will also be equipped with an operable standard brush rake and track grousers (minimum of two inches high). Experience has shown that crawler tractors should be equipped with belly pan and track guards.

Engine size may range from 90 to 120 net engine H.P. Equipment smaller than 90 H.P. may not be powerful enough to complete work in a timely fashion or be able to move through stands without getting hung-up. Lighter equipment may not be able to crush woody debris or be able to pile slash as required (push and lift slash). Smaller equipment is generally more maneuverable between stumps and residual trees. Experience has shown that a crawler tractor in the Caterpillar D-4 to D-5 size class (or equivalent size in other manufacturer lines) works best in this type operation.

The crawler tractor must be equipped with a brush rake – clearing blade (with teeth) or brush rake. Heavy duty rock rakes with top guards to permit high piling are satisfactory. Tooth spacing shall be a maximum of 18-inches and a minimum of 12-inches between teeth. This tooth spacing is necessary to allow debris, rocks, pine cones, and dirt to filter through and not be pushed into the piles.

The dozer must be equipped with rear mounted, hydraulically lifted ripping teeth.

Other Equipment Required

a. Spark arrestor or turbo charger meeting either (I) USDA - Forest Service Standard 5100-1a: or (II) the 80 efficiency level determined according to the appropriate Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) recommended practices J335 and J350.

b. Fire Extinguishers and Tools on Equipment - while in use, each internal combustion engine including tractors, trucks, yarders, loaders, welder, stationary engines, or comparable heavy equipment shall be provided with at least the following:

One chemical fire extinguisher meeting one of the following specifications:

1. Two and one-half pound or larger size of the dry chemical type, minimum 10: BC rating.

2. Five pound or larger size of the carbon dioxide type, minimum 10: BC rating.

One shovel, sharp, size 0 or larger, round-pointed with the handle at least 36 inches long.

One axe, sharp, double-bit 3-1/2#, or one sharp Pulaski.

Extinguishers, shovels and axes shall be mounted so as to be readily available from the ground. All tools shall be maintained in a serviceable condition.

c. Hobbs Meter.

d. Fluid Leaks – the equipment shall be free of leaking hydraulic fluid or oils. Minor leakage of fluid within normal limits may be accepted by the Contracting Officers Representative. When leakage becomes severe, the Contractor will stop operations and repair the leak. Severe leakage is where fluid reaches the ground, creating pools or stained soil. The Contractor will be responsible for cleaning up and removing fluid spills.

C.4.2. WORK SPECIFICATIONS

For the rehabilitation of burned slash pile ash pits, the treatment area is the ash pit footprint, and the area surrounding the ash pit covered by compacted woody debris (slash mats) and logging slash. The treatment of the surrounding area may extend 30 to 100-feet out from the ash pit.

The outer boundaries of the cutting units are marked in orange tree marking paint. Georeferenced PDF versions of unit maps are available upon request for operations.

The specific type of treatment in a cutting unit or along a road segment will be determined by the Contracting Officers Representative based on site-specific conditions. More than one treatment method may be used in a single cutting unit or along a single road segment as site conditions dictate. Due to adverse ground conditions and desirable regeneration, some areas for non-treatment will be designated by the Contracting Officers Representative.

Not all of the different treatment sections below will be utilized during this contract. They are included to describe scenarios where a different tactic maybe employed to gain the desired result. The variety of tactics are included so that where additional “finesse” type work is encountered, the matching treatment tactic can be utilized.

C.4.2.1. Methods of Site Preparation for Reforestation and Fuels Treatment

C.4.2.1.3 Rehabilitation of Burned Slash Pile Ash Pits

In areas where slash piles have been burned in recent years, ash pits exist which will not naturally vegetate for a prolonged period of time. These untreated ash pits do tend to be preferred by several species of undesirable noxious weeds to become established in an area. The ripping and mixing of the ash pit is intended to break-up and mix heat sterilized soil such that desirable vegetation will become established. The established desirable vegetation will deter noxious weed establishment.

For the rehabilitation of burned slash pile ash pits, the treatment area is the ash pit footprint, and the area surrounding the ash pit covered by compacted woody debris (slash mats) and logging slash. The treatment of the surrounding area may extend 30 to 100-feet out from the ash pit.

The Contractor will rip the charcoal bed and soil below, break up surrounding woody debris slash mats, stir and mix the ash, soil, and woody debris, smooth out humps and piles of dirt and ash, scatter remaining logs and poorly burned log ends across the burned area, and scatter/crush remaining fuels in the area.

C.5 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY (2021 Spring Site Preparation)

PERFORMANCE

WORK

STATEMENT

PERFORMANCE STANDARD

(Acceptable Quality Level)

MONITORING

METHODS

EFFECT OF NOT

MEETING

PERFORMANCE

STANDARD

Rehabilitation of Ash Pits C.4.2.1.3

The ash and charcoal bed has been ripped and mixed with mineral soil, the site smoothed, and surrounding residual woody debris mats scattered, spread, or broken-up.

Visual inspection by Government Inspector.

Rework the area at no additional cost to the Government.

C.4.1. EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATIONS