127EAS24Q0078 Combo with attachments(for post to GPE).pdf

127EAS24Q0078

USDA Forest Service Southwestern Region

Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services prepared in accordance with (IAW) the format prescribed in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

Solicitation 127EAS24Q0078 is issued as a request for quote (RFQ).

This procurement is being issued as a 100% SMALL BUSINESS SET ASIDE.

North American Industrial Classification Standard (NAICS) 115310, Size standard of $34 Million.

This solicitation document incorporates provisions and clauses of those in effect through Federal

Acquisition Circular 2024-05 and Agriculture Acquisition Regulation (AGAR) last updated 11 March

2021. The result of this requirement will be a firm fixed priced (FFP) contract.

ATTACHMENTS:

1. Schedule of Items (SOI)

2. Evaluation Criteria

3. Statement of Work

4. RFQ Provisions and Clauses

5. Contractor Reps & Certs

6. Project Maps

7. Fire Plan

8. Wage Determination

CONTRACTOR MUST SUBMIT:

Completed and Signed SOI

Technical Approach Document

Quality Control Plan

Biological Monitor Resume

Contractor Representations and Certifications

• Please see evaluation criteria for further information.

There will be a site visit for this requirement on 28 June 2024 starting at 1030 PDT. All wishing to attend the site visit will meet at the 29688 Auberry Road, Prather CA, otherwise know as the High Sierra Ranger

District and will proceed from there to the project location. Please RSVP for the site visit by emailing olivia.roe@usda.gov.

All questions pertaining to this acquisition shall be asked no later than, 5 July 2024 at 10:00AM, PDT.

Questions shall be sent to Perry Rinato via email at perry.rinato@usda.gov. Email must be titled, “127EAS24Q0078 – RFQ Question”.

Quotes are due to Perry Rinato via email at perry.rinato@usda.gov no later than, 12 July 2024 at

10:00AM, PDT. Quote emails must be titled, “127EAS24Q0078 – RFQ Submission”.

mailto:olivia.roe@usda.gov file:///C:/Users/perryrinato/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/1SN56QDG/perry.rinato@usda.gov file:///C:/Users/perryrinato/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/1SN56QDG/perry.rinato@usda.gov

Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep

It is the responsibility of the offeror to view the website for any changes or amendments to this RFQ.

Failure to comply with quote submission instruction may result in disqualification from consideration for award.

Schedule of Items/Price Schedule

SCHEDULE OF ITEMS

PROJECT Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep

UNIT Southwest Zone

SOL # 127EAS24Q0078

ITEM

NO.

DESCRIPTION

UNIT

of

ISSUE

UNIT

QTY

UNIT

PRICE

TOTAL PRICE

BASE: Units 2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 15, 22, 24, 30,31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38 & 102 . Treatment and preparation for future tree planting IAW the Statement of Work.

Acre

BASE: Biological monitor to oversee work for Yosemite Toad compliance.

In units 2, 5, 6, 10,11,35, 38, & 102.

IAW the statement of Work.

Day

Option: Units 3,4, 16, 18, 20, 23, & 36.

Treatment and preparation for future planting. Green Thinning and Regeneration areas outside base IAW the statement of Work.

Acre

Option: Biological monitor to oversee work for Yosemite Toad compliance.

In unit 3. IAW the statement of Work.

Day

Option: Units 25, 27, 28. Steep slope units. Treatment and preparation for future tree planting IAW the statement work

Acre

TOTAL $_________________

NOTES 1. Responses for quantities less than those listed in the numbered items may be rejected

2. Responses without prices for each item and sub-item may be rejected.

Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep

PRICE SUBMITTED BY

Signature Phone:

Vendor Fax:

Address Email:

Cage

Code POC:

UEI

Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep

Evaluation Criteria

The Government intends to award a firm fixed price contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the

Government, price and other factors considered.

Offerors that do not submit all sections of evaluation factors may not be considered for contract award.

Responses should be submitted on the most favorable terms that the offeror could make to the

Government.

The Government reserves the right to reject any or all offers or to make award without conducting negotiations.

The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

Technical, Past Performance, and Price.

The Government will evaluate proposals using a tradeoff process to determine the best value to the

Government. This process permits tradeoffs among cost or price and non-cost factors and allows the

Government to determine a quote the most advantageous proposal based upon the evaluation factors specified in the solicitation.

The Government will evaluate quotes based on the perceived value of the quoter’s provided technical submissions, past performance, and quoted price.

The Government may use confidence ratings and/or perform a comparative evaluation (comparing offers to each other) to select the contractor that provides the best value, considering the evaluation factors in this solicitation. If confidence ratings are used, they will use the definitions below:

Confidence Rating Definition

High Confidence

(Low Risk)

The Government has high confidence the vendor understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach, and will be successful in performing the contract with little or no Government intervention.

Some Confidence

(Moderate Risk)

The Government has some confidence the vendor understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach, and will be successful in performing the contract with some Government intervention.

Low Confidence

(High Risk)

The Government has low confidence the vendor understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach, or will be successful in performing the contract even with

Government intervention.

Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is

Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

Please submit with your quote the following:

Price Quote:

- A completed SOI. (Schedule of Items document)

Technical and Past Performance Information: The technical proposal shall address the evaluation factors in 52.212-2. At a minimum technical proposal shall include the following documents:

- Technical Approach Plan. The technical approach document shall address the evaluation factors in 52.212-2. At a minimum technical approach shall include: A technical approach document that shall be provided as part of the quote and address the contractor’s proposed plan of accomplishing the required work by detailing the steps, equipment, manpower, key personnel, general timeline and/or any other relevant factors the contractor plans to use for this project. The document shall not be longer than 15 pages in total length.

- Resumé for Biological Monitor

- Quality Control Plan. Describe specific supervisory self-inspection, and safety measures you will use to ensure contract requirements are met.

Past Performance: Past performance is to be considered performance of forestry site preparation work of a similar nature to what is required for this project.

- Provide a list of no more than 3 similar projects completed by your firm over the past three years. Include a brief description of the project, dollar amount, year completed, and project owner contact information (name, phone, and email). The government may use past performance information from any available source. If a company does not have past performance information available, information may be provided for predecessor companies, key personnel, or subcontractors. In the event that there is no past performance information available, the offeror will receive a neutral rating in this factor.

Representations and Certifications – Fill in the check boxes for provisions 52.204-24 and 52.212-3 found in this solicitation and include a copy with your offer.

Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep

Sierra National Forest, High Sierra Ranger District

Tamarack Site Preparation

Statement of Work

Description of Work:

The intent of this contract is to treat fire impacted stands, remaining fuels and prepare the identified areas for future tree planting in the Tamarack area of the High Sierra R.D. on the Sierra National Forest. Work on this project shall be done in a manner that does not damage residual trees and vegetation not specified to be treated or other resources.

This treatment requires the contractor to fell standing dead trees, to thin, where appropriate, stands of surviving conifer saplings and to treat the created and existing slash, brush and remnant Creek fire right of way material. The remnant Creek fire material may consist of piles of slash not appropriately placed, log decks, and other natural material that will need to be piled in a manner suitable for burning. Created slash is the slash created by the contractor’s activities. Existing slash is the slash already present on site. This includes trees that have fallen or already have been felled, branches or tops that have fallen and live and dead brush. It is expected that 90% of vegetation within the units will be treated. All the slash is to be treated. One example of this treatment would be to pile the material for future burning. Alternative proposals for treating this material are encouraged and will be considered, they must meet the objectives of reducing the dead material and preparing the site for planting. The project is on the Tamarack ridge area of the High Sierra R.D. on the Sierra N.F.

Background:

In the fall of 2020, the project area burned in the Creek fire. This fire impacted over 300,000 acres of the

Sierra N.F. In the project area the fire burned at various intensities. Most stands in the project burned at high intensity. In some units you will see stands where the fire has killed most of the above ground vegetation on site. In other areas, the fire damaged the stand, leaving it susceptible in the coming years to beetles and droughts. Post fire mortality has played a role in this area, creating a need to treat the stands imminently. This project is designed to prepare identified areas for planting and to treat the remaining fuels.

This project has occupied, unknown occupied and critical habitat for the Yosemite toad. The Yosemite toad, Anaxyrus canorus, is a species endemic to the higher elevation (greater than 6,400 feet) aquatic habitats of California in the Sierra Nevada (Brown et al. 2015). The species has disappeared from approximately 50 percent of its historical range (Brown et al. 2015). The current abundance of the species is unknown, but there is evidence that abundance has declined significantly based on studies conducted in a few occupied habitats (Sherman and Morton 1993, Brown et al. 2015). Based on a considerable decline in distribution and abundance coupled with population fragmentation, the species was listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a threatened species in 2014 (79 Federal Register 24255). Critical habitat was designated for the Yosemite toad in 2016 (81 Federal Register 59045). Due to this, there are species specific design criteria within this contract that need to be followed for compliance with the Endangered

Species Act (ESA) laws and regulations.

Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep

In the winter of 2023, the weather was extremely impactful on the stands and the road systems on the forest. Many roads received extensive damage, causing access issues. The forest has been working to provide temp repairs to the roads, and while many roads do have a temp repair applied to them, they can easily be damaged again.

Project Location:

The area to be treated is on the Tamarack Ridge area of the High Sierra Ranger District, Sierra National

Forest. The main access road is off of Highway 168 just east of Shaver Lake. From the prather office follow Highway 168 to the “top of the 4 lane”, continue towards Shaver Lake and through the town of

Shaver Lake. Continue through Shaver Lake towards Huntington Lake, once past the Shaver Lake damn, continue on Highway 168 towards Huntington Lake. You will pass the Tamarack snowpark on your right which will provide access to part of the project about 1/8 of mile on the left will be the Coyote snowpark which provides the majority of the project access. .

There is orange paint present in some of the areas, these are not indicative of the unit boundaries. Unit boundaries will need to be referenced using georeferenced maps. Maps will be provided that can be georeferenced. The contractor MUST USE GPS and georeference the files provided for the boundaries.

The contractor must provide their own devise for using this program. The contractors device is expected to have an accuracy of +_ 30 ft.

See vicinity and project area maps.

Location Description:

Units contain standing dead and down conifers and live conifers in various size classes and shrubs of various species and sizes within a variety of vegetation types, density and heights, logging and debris slash.

The contractor will be provided with a GPS File that can be used with commercially available handheld

GPS devises or a GEO Referenced PDF map that is compatible with Smart Phone applications such as

AVENZA PDF MAPS or GAIA Maps. The contractor must provide their own devise for using this program. Acres will be measured in GIS or with a hand-held GPS unit.

Note: Moving between segments may or may not require use of a transport. If the road surfaces are dirt it is usually acceptable to walk the equipment on that road, if however, the road surface is paved or chip sealed or otherwise improved it probably is not allowable to walk the equipment on these roads. It WILL NOT be allowable to walk equipment across or on Highway 168 unless it is rubber tired. Some roads are not suited for a long transport. Some of the roads are also in poor repair. It is recommended that the contractor examine the routes to the units to determine the transport needs. If any damage is caused to the roadbed, regardless of surface type, the contractor will be responsible for the repairs. Example, large ruts in a dirt road may require a grader at no additional cost to the government.

A. Accessibility: Work site access instruction as given here is for information only. It shall be the responsibility of the Contractor to determine the most suitable route to the project area. The

Government will not provide special maintenance or snow plowing to open roads or keep roads open.

Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep

B. The Contractor shall be responsible for obtaining all permits necessary for the transportation of equipment on Federal, state, county, and private roads. Some roads at the project site are controlled by private companies, and use will rely on their permission.

C. Boundaries: A GPS file with the designated track areas will be provided. It is up to the contractor to provide a means of displaying and following this GPS file, and to complete the contract to specification.

D. Examination of Project Work Area: The contractor is strongly encouraged to inspect the project work area. The Government has provided estimates of treatment area acreages. It will be assumed that the contractor has satisfied itself as to the nature of the work to be performed and the character of all conditions to be encountered. The attached maps (Section D) are intended to show only the general size and location of the project units.

E. "non-work areas" exist within the boundaries identified for treatment. These "non-work areas" may consist of rock areas, groups of trees, or other special areas such as excessively steep slopes that either may not require actual treatment or may be inaccessible for treatment. If more than one-half acre of untreated "non-work areas" are found to exist, the Forest Service will measure the acres actually treated within the specified boundaries after work is completed. This measurement of actual work completed will be used to determine the total number of acres treated for payment, and a modification will be completed to reflect the exact number of acres treated.

F. Avoidance areas may exist within the contract, these may be flagged with various color combinations of flagging (Blue/Black candy stripe with white, or dayglow green and orange) when such areas are encountered, they will be avoided and work will not occur within these areas. The contract Equipment Exclusion Zones for creeks and meadows are represented with a georeferenced map and must be always used. Any contractor not adhering to EEZs could face a work shut down.

Maps:

Any maps included in the appendices are general in nature and are not to be considered as definitively identifying locations. The contractor shall be required to have a Global Positioning System (GPS) and a mobile electronic device with GPS capabilities (i.e. smart phone, tablets) with a program capable of reading a .pdf map for each piece of equipment and/or crew. The government will provide a file with location information compatible with a program that can read the geo referenced maps. Devices using GPS must have submeter accuracy and be capable of accepting/uploading shapefiles or track logs compatible with

ARCPRO 3.1 or newer. Due to the fire and several past attempted contracts, there is paint in places. It needs to be noted that the boundaries are to be followed using the GPS and georeferenced files and not the paint.

Required Outcomes:

Treat the stands and prepare the identified areas for future tree planting. Felling of snags (leaving 4 per acre, snags should be the largest available and >20” dbh) within the project site and the treatment of the slash and brush. Treatment can be completed through the use of hand and or mechanical treatments.

Priority Of Work and Work Conditions:

The Forest Service may specify the priority of work by item or sub-item (unit) within an item, without additional cost. Nothing in this section shall be construed to take away any of the Government's rights

Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep under the Suspension of Work Clause (52.242-14). Work may be performed at any time during the period of the contract, except during the following conditions:

A. In accordance with the fire plan.

B. When the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) determines that adverse weather has made access or project production, unacceptable, too dangerous or ground damaging, or continued vehicular travel would cause unacceptable road damage.

C. Between dusk and dawn (unless otherwise agreed upon by the Forest Service and the

Contractor).

D. On Saturday and Sunday (unless otherwise agreed upon by the Forest Service and the

Contractor).

E. Contractor shall limit treatment operations within 300 feet of residences to weekdays and non-holidays only, between the hours of 7:00 am and 7:00 pm. Servicing and maintenance of machinery and equipment is excluded from this limitation.

F. Operations shall not occur during or 48 hours after a storm event (0.01 of precipitation or greater) unless authorized by the Forest Service. The Forest Service may require the review of soil and conditions by soil scientist before operations can resume after a storm event. By written agreement, operations may occur if ground conditions are frozen.

G. Soils in the operating area must be dry enough to prevent rutting by a single pass of the equipment.

H. Contractor's equipment shall not cross meadows, "wet" stream channels, or other non-work areas, except by prior, written agreement with COR.

I. Limited Operating Period (LOP). There are a number of limited operating periods applicable to this project. These include Goshawks and Yosemite toads. LOPS are listed in Resource

Protection. All units are subject to the species limited operating period unless it is adjusted or waived by the District Biologist. Surveys are conducted in the spring to determine the presence of the species of interest. If not present the LOP may be waived for specific unit(s).

General Information:

Treatment requires the thinning of green trees, felling of snags (leaving 4 per acre) within the project site and the treatment of the slash and brush through the use of hand and or mechanical methods.

All the contractor’s activities must be accomplished without damage to resources or improvements.

The contractor is responsible for completing an 8-10ft fire line around the perimeter of units.

The project is paid for by the acre. Acres will be measured in GIS or with a hand-held GPS unit.

The Contractor must have on site a representative able to speak fluent English and understand the written

English language.

List of Units

Base

POLY_ID ACRES

2 221

5 52

6 80

7 27

10 97

11 19

12 21

15 42

22 45

24 141

30 290

31 87

32 255

33 152

34 45

35 129

37 47

38 55

102 156

Optional

3 92

4 112

16 66

18 27

20 72

23 61

36 54

Steep

25 124

27 45

28 86

*Acres have been adjusted to exclude areas where work cannot be performed.

Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep

Licenses and Insurance:

The contractor shall obtain and maintain all appropriate insurance and licenses including but not limited to the following.

Worker’s Compensation Insurance: The Contractor shall provide evidence of Worker’s Compensation

Insurance or a valid reason that exempts the Contractor from the requirement. NOTE: The Contractor working alone is not required to carry the insurance.

If the contractor fails to provide the documentation within 10 calendar days after contract time begins, the contract may be terminated for cause in accordance with FAR 52.212-4.

MSPA Card (Form WH510): This contract [ x] does [ ] does not require the contractor to be registered with the US Department of Labor as a Farm Labor Contractor. The Contractor shall provide a current Form

WH510 or legible copy.

Contractor-Furnished Equipment:

The Contractor shall provide all transportation, equipment, tools, personnel, and supplies necessary to complete this project. Equipment shall be furnished on a fully operational basis, of modern design, and in good operating condition, with a competent, fully qualified operator. The Contractor shall be responsible for all fuel, lubrication, repair, and replacement for its equipment. All chainsaws and other motorized equipment shall be equipped with Forest Service approved spark arrestors and meet Calif. Division of

Industrial Safety specifications. The required equipment shall meet the following specifications:

A. The contractor may propose any equipment that can do the job to the specifications (without resource damage). The equipment must be able to work slopes up to 35% with possible short runs at a greater slope. There are areas where the equipment may need to work in tight spacing between living trees or protected resources. This contract includes the option items of steep sloped units. These units may propose Tethered or winch-assisted logging operations. In these cases, the following applies:

1. Steep slope operations using tethered or winch-assisted ground-based equipment will be limited to slopes less than 60 percent.

a. Equipment should traverse steep slopes straight up and down with no sidehilling, equipment is allowed to weave between leave trees.

b. Equipment must maintain traction to reduce soil displacement or rutting.

c. Equipment, when able, should operate over continuous slash covered areas.

Untethered, conventional logging operations:

1. Skidding and dozer piling operations are limited to slopes less than 35 percent, except where supported by on-the-ground watershed staff evaluation.

a. No adverse (uphill) skidding on slopes greater than 35 percent.

b. Favorable (downhill) skidding may occur on short, steep stretches up to 45 percent when less than 100 feet in length.

2. Feller buncher, grapple piling, and mastication operations are limited to slopes less than

45 percent.

The contractor must be able to work between the trees without damaging the standing live trees. The equipment shall have an OSHA approved rollover protection system. If piling is to be done with a tractor, it shall be equipped with a brush rake which is strong enough to pile the material, push brush from the ground and place this material in a pile that is properly constructed and free of dirt. Piling is not to be done with a regular dozer blade. An alternative to the brush rake would be a grapple system capable of picking the slash up to place in the piles. The fire line is to be constructed with a regular blade. In the past, equipment such as feller- bunchers, processors, skidders, tractors, and excavators have been used to complete similar work.

B. Be equipped with the tools and supplies necessary for making emergency and routine repairs and servicing.

C. Power or hand saw(s) may be needed for felling, slash pile maintenance and to prepare material to be piled.

D. Machine cutting/piling equipment shall be of the low ground pressure type.

E. All equipment must be in good running condition with no excessive fluid leaks or overheating.

F. All chainsaws or other motorized equipment shall be equipped with Forest Service approved spark arresters. Spark arresters are not required on equipment powered by exhaust-driven turbo-charged engines or motor vehicles equipped with a maintained muffler as defined in

California Public Resources Code, Section 4442 and 4443.

G. Contractor shall be required to have a Global Positioning System (GPS) and a mobile electronic device with GPS capabilities (i.e. smart phone, tablets) with a program capable of reading a .pdf map for each piece of equipment and/or crew. A good program example is

Avenza. Devices using GPS must have sub-meter accuracy and be capable of accepting/uploading shapefiles or track logs compatible with ArcPro.

Inspection Of Equipment:

The Government reserves the right to inspect the contractor’s equipment at any time during contract performance. If the equipment is not in proper working condition or is in need repairs, it shall be rejected for use on Forest Service land. The decision of the Contracting Officer shall be final as to whether equipment is in suitable condition for acceptance.

Cleaning Of Equipment:

The Contractor shall certify in writing via email to the COR that off-road equipment is free of noxious weeds prior to each start-up of contract operations and for subsequent moves of equipment to contract area.

The certification shall indicate the measures taken to ensure that off-road equipment is free of noxious weeds and shall be identified.

The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer’s Representative at least 5 working days prior to moving each piece of equipment on to National Forest Land, unless otherwise agreed. Notification will include identifying the location of the equipment’s most recent operations. Unless the prior location of operation is known to be free of noxious weeds as documented in a Weed Risk Assessment (Section D), Forest Service may assume that the equipment is contaminated with noxious weed seeds. In general, because of the magnitude of the yellow star thistle infestation and other noxious weeds in northern and

Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep central California, equipment coming from off-forest sites will be considered contaminated and cleaning/washing will be required. Upon request of Forest Service, arrangements will be made for Forest

Service to inspect each piece of equipment prior to it being placed in service.

If the Contractor is working in a Forest Service project area that is known to be infested by noxious weeds, the contractor must clean off-road equipment prior to moving equipment into another Forest Service unit that is not infested with noxious weeds.

Contractor shall ensure that the equipment moved on to National Forest Land is free of soil, vegetative matter, or other debris that could contain or hold seeds. Contractor shall employ whatever cleaning methods necessary to ensure compliance with the terms of this provision and shall notify Forest Service prior to moving each piece of equipment onto National Forest Land. Notification will include identifying the location of the equipment's most recent operations. Upon request of Forest Service, arrangements will be made to inspect each piece of equipment prior to it being placed into service. This will prevent the introduction of the seeds of noxious weeds onto National Forest Land.

Definitions:

A. Brush – Live scrub vegetation, though some may be over 20 feet tall or woody plants such as

Arctostaphylos species i.e. (manzanita), Ceanothus species i.e. (deer brush) and various other species. This does not include small conifers.

B. Chips - The woody residue resulting from the mechanical shredding/chipping activity. Residue size is usually less than 2 inches, but occasionally is up 2 feet in length.

o Chip size for mastication.

o FINE TREATMENT

a. 75% <=6 inches (15.2 cm) in length

b. 20% >6 inches (15.2 cm) and <2 feet (.6 m) in length

c. 5% 2 feet (.6 m) through 6 feet (1.8 m) in length

d. With accumulations not exceeding 12 inches (45.7 cm) in depth

C. Conifer- A cone bearing tree with needles or leaf scales including, but not limited to ponderosa pine, sugar pine, incense cedar, Douglas fir, giant sequoia, and bull pine (also known as Grey pine); does not necessarily have cones at any given time.

D. Controlled - area within contract boundaries designated to be protected from all Contractor operations, these areas will be flagged on the ground and avoided during all operations.

E. Cross-Raked – Removal of mounds and gullies caused by tractor’s slash piling operations in order to prevent erosion of topsoil. Usually performed crossing from side to side of the unit, contour to the slope.

F. Cull Log – A non-utilized log over 18 inches in diameter on the small end, and 10 feet in length.

G. Damage Tree (Created) - Any damage created by work under this contract. Includes the stripping or removing of branches and debarking the bole of a leave tree in excess of ¼ of the circumference of the tree.

H. Damage Tree (Existing) – Includes any defect or deformity of a tree resulting from agents such as wind, snow, animals, insects, disease, and equipment. Indicators include dead or broken tops or branches, or debarking extending more than ¼ of the circumference of the tree.

Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep

I. D.B.H. - Diameter at Breast Height, measured 4 1/2 ft. above the ground on the uphill side of the tree trunk.

J. Downed Log –All or part of the trunk of a felled tree greater than 10 inches in diameter at the mid-point and at least 10 feet in length. Includes logs in all of the various stages of decomposition.

K. Ground Cover or Duff Layer - Living or dead vegetation. Usually consists of a composition of cast needles, fine sticks or twigs, live plants, and slash less than 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter large end.

L. Hardwood – A tree with broad, flat leaves including but not limited to oak, maple, willow, alder, cottonwood or dogwood.

M. Horizontal Plane – Acreage measured as though the terrain were level, with no adjustment for changes in slope.

N. Landscape Design- The design of a large area composed of interacting ecosystems that are repeated due to factors such as geology, soils, climate and human impacts.

O. Leave Tree – A healthy looking, well-formed, undamaged tree, to be left undisturbed. Oaks are to be included as leave trees.

P. Limited Operating Period (LOP) - A specified period of time during which certain activities are prohibited.

Q. Logging Slash – Slash/Debris created from previous logging or fuel treatment projects.

R. Mastication – The physical process of cutting, shredding and/or chipping vegetation.

S. Mineral Soil - State of soil, generally below where humus and large organic matter is not present. The absence of combustible material.

T. Noxious Weeds – Those plant species designated as noxious weeds by the Secretary of

Agriculture or by the responsible State official. The primary species of concern for the project area are: Yellow Star-Thistle, Medusa Head, Klamath Weed, Bull Thistle and Italian Thistle.

Any plant species designated as noxious by the California Department of Agriculture would be of concern if found in the project area. This list can be viewed at www.cdfa.ca.gov/weedhome.

U. Opening – An area where there are no leave trees or snags within 30 feet of each other.

V. Pile – An assemblage of slash and vegetation laid or lying one upon another to create a compact mound, bundle, heap or deck, that is soil free. A pile is created by the dozer pushing slash and vegetation with the brush rake during the piling operations.

W. Plastic Limit – A measurement of soil moisture.

X. Residual Tree or Leave Tree – Live tree(s) to be left standing and undamaged that comprise the forest following the Contractor’s operations.

Y. Riparian Vegetation – Plant species typically associated with and found in wet drainages. They include, but are not limited to alder, willow, cottonwood, or maple in the over story and sedges and rushes underneath.

Z. Shred/Cut/Chip - The physical process of cutting, shredding and/or chipping vegetation using a cutter head powered by hydraulic or mechanical means.

AA. Slash – Debris consisting of portions of brush and /or trees created naturally, by work under this contract or debris created prior to this contract including all brush and cut trees, tops, trunks, and branches. Material with diameters of 1 inches (cm) and larger, and over 3 feet (cm) in length.

BB. Snag - A standing dead tree with a DBH of at least 16 inches (45 cm) and at least 20 feet (6 m) tall.

CC. Vegetation – A woody plant, live or dead, with no main stem, which does not usually grow higher than 8 feet. For example: ceanothus, manzanita, and choke cherry http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/weedhome

DD. Windrow – A pile which is longer than it is wide.

Traffic control Plan:

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, when Contractor’s Operations are in progress adjacent to or on Forest

Service controlled roads and trails open to public travel, the Contractor shall furnish, install, and maintain all temporary traffic controls that provide the user with adequate warning of hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions associated with Contractor’s Operations. Contractor and Forest Service shall agree to a specific Traffic Control plan for each individual project prior to commencing operations.

Felling:

Felling shall be done so that no live trees, either hardwood or conifer, improvements or other resources are damaged. Dead trees within the unit boundaries shall be felled. The contractor shall fall the clearly dead trees. Trees that appear to be dying shall be felled only if approved by the Forest Service. The contractor shall leave four snags per acre, snags should be the largest available and >20” dbh. All snags that could hit a road or other improvement if they were to fall will be felled. No Snags shall be left within 200 ft of

Highway 168.

Felling may be by hand or machine except in areas too steep for machine work and areas specifically prohibited from machine work. Felling must adhere to all safety practices including PPE. Signs must be placed on the road to warn travelers of the felling activities. They shall be placed in both directions. When falling may impact the road, road guards must be in place for traffic control. Felling must not damage live trees.

Stump heights must be less than 12 inches measured on the low side. Trees hung up during falling must be dealt with till they are safely on the ground. Falling green trees to accomplish this requires COR approval.

The government will determine if this material will be made available to the contractor. Trees shall be felled so that they can be treated as required. Trees felled into the road must be cleared promptly and without damaging the road. The road shall be promptly cleaned of bark and other residual of the felled tree.

All stumps along the roadways will be flush cut. Including stumps that are remnants of previous work.

There are several high stumps, these will need to be recut to meet specifications.

When possible:

A. No cutting of black oaks unless they are a hazard.

B. Do not disturb live trees or dead trees that are leaning (like a ladder) against a mature Black oak or an Incense cedar 30-inch DBH or larger.

C. Prevent damage to protected resources and improvements during felling operations is imperative.

D. Trees shall be felled into a location that facilitates follow up treatments. This includes not felling into streamside management or other controlled areas, areas too steep for future work, across roads or into meadows.

E. Any trees hung up during falling must be dealt with and put on the ground.

F. All project created stumps, including those of shrubs, shall be less than 12 inches high as measured from the uphill side.

Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep

G. All unobstructed stumps shall be severed below the lowest live limb. This includes trees and brush.

H. Effort shall be made to fall in such a manner that the fallen trees are not felled on top of one another.

I. No cutting of felled material to less than 48 inches in length for diameter classes 6 inches and greater.

In and adjacent to meadows, felling will be accomplished in the following manner. Felling can be done up to the meadows edge (see map). If using mechanical equipment, it will not be allowed to turn in the meadow buffer or meadow. Ingress or egress of mechanical equipment would be on the same path within the meadow buffer at 30-foot increments. All material will be expected to be removed and piled outside of the meadow. In Occupied Yosemite toad meadows, this work will need to be coordinated with the monitor.

Skidding:

If the contractor’s proposal includes the skidding of logs the following guidelines apply:

A. Existing skid trails shall be used whenever possible.

B. New skid trails shall be constructed only with government approval.

C. Operations shall be conducted to minimize the number of skid trails required.

D. Skidding shall not damage residual vegetation, other resources or improvements.

E. Skidding on natural surface roads is approved but repair of the road surface will be required.

Skidding may be allowed on oiled or paved roads with COR approval. If allowed the skidding must be completed without damage to the road, curbs and road apron. Road surface must be cleaned promptly including all the bark and dirt left on the road after skidding.

Landings:

If the contractor’s proposal includes the decking of logs at a landing the following guidelines apply:

A. The use of existing landings is preferred. It is desired to minimize both the number of and the size of the landings.

B. New landing construction shall be done only after consultation with and approval by the government. Cutting of living trees shall be avoided during landing construction and only done with government approval.

C. When possible decks and slash piles in the landings shall be placed away from the landings edge.

D. Logs shall be decked not piled.

E. If whole tree yarded, the tops shall be decked. If the landing is too small, it may be necessary to pile the limbs and tops outside the landing.

A fire line around the perimeter of landings and disposal sites is required. It is to be one dozer blade wide

(approx. 10 ft), scraped to mineral soil and water bars placed where necessary and completed in a timely fashion. The fire line shall be around the perimeter of the landing not directly adjacent to the deck or pile.

Piling:

If the contractor’s proposal includes piling of slash for future burning (by the government) the following guidelines apply. This applies to piles in the units, on landings and on disposal sites. Piles in landings and

Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep disposal sites should be placed near the center of the site and not be so big that they would damage timber outside the landing when burned.

A. If piling is the agreed upon slash treatment, the contractor shall pile at least 90% of the slash greater than 3 feet in length and all material over 3 inches in diameter. The piles shall be free from dirt and built in a haystack shape. Manzanita, ceanothus, choke cherry and other live brush over 3 ft tall shall be uprooted and crushed before being placed in a pile, this facilitates making a tightly compacted pile and creating small pieces that are left behind as ground cover, which is often lacking when piling brush. Slash and vegetation may be left in place where vegetation is so close to leave trees that the removal of the vegetation would cause damage to the leave trees. Leave trees and vegetation not specified to be treated shall be left undisturbed.

The Contractor is not required to clear and pile bear clover. It is desired to leave five down logs per acre. These should be over 20” DBH. It is preferred that they not be directly adjacent to a road or burn pile. They should be aligned so as not to roll.

B. Within units, 90% of vegetation must be treated. This means uprooted and piled.

C. If piling with a dozer/brush rake, the brush rake shall be suspended approximately 6 inches (15

cm) above ground level, to retain a 50% soil, duff and smaller fine material ground cover. This material should not be so much as to be a fuels hazard. Materials which are less than 3 inches in diameter and less than 36 inches in length may be left to attain the ground cover requirements. If the slash cover exceeds 50%, the Contractor shall pile the smaller fuels to meet the slash piling requirements. If a grapple tool is used the same cover requirements apply.

D. The Contractor shall cut the slash (both created and existing), as necessary, into lengths that allow piling without injuring the residual crop trees, and the burning of the pile without damaging residual vegetation. The contractor must not damage the standing trees when moving this material. In areas where there are no standing live trees that could be damaged longer material may be piled. In these areas fewer and larger piles facilitate burning.

E. Piles or any portion thereof shall be located in openings at least 15 feet from the nearest leave trees, Control Areas (CA), and 30 feet from snags. There may be areas where pile placement is difficult because of the remaining crop trees. The contractor may have to push the material to a suitable pile location. A suitable location is one where the pile may be burned without damaging the crop trees or other protected vegetation. The size of the pile shall be adjusted to the size of the opening and the size of the surrounding trees. If the opening is large the pile may be large, if the opening is small the pile size must be adjusted. The size of the surrounding trees also is a consideration for the pile size. If the trees are large and the limbs are farther from the ground the pile may be a little larger but if the surrounding trees are smaller with the crown near the pile, the pile must be smaller. More space is required above (uphill) the pile than below. The piles should be worked from all sides.

F. Piles shall be at least 100 feet inside of the project boundary. This is different from individual unit boundaries. The project boundary will be the overall awarded project footprint.

G. Fire line perimeter must be 50 ft from piles.

H. Piles must be 200 ft from highway 168.

I. Piles cannot be within 100 ft of snow park perimeters.

J. Piles cannot be within 75 ft of untreated streams or meadows.

K. Piles cannot be created on top of OHV or OSV trails (see map). It is acceptable to be adjacent to them.

L. In areas with where there are identified sensitive plants (see map), cutting may occur, however piling must occur outside of the identified polygon on the map. If the COR finds piles within

Sierra National Forest HSRD Tamarack Site Prep the sensitive plant areas, the contractor will need to move the pile at no additional cost.

Material may be skidded in these areas.

M. Piles shall be compact and be as free of dirt as possible. If, in the judgment of the Contracting

Officer’s Representative or other designated official, if the piles contain excessive soil, the piles shall be broken apart, re-piled, and the soil dispersed over the area. To create a more compact pile, push large logs piled parallel in the base of the pile and continue to push additional slash on top. The length of the pile shall be approximately equal to its width, and the height shall be at least half of its diameter. Materials overhanging the pile’s edge that are greater than 6 feet (2 m) in length, shall be cut off and placed into the pile. When building piles with log like material care should be taken to build the pile so the logs will not roll both during the pile construction and as much as possible during burning.

N. If material is cut into lengths less than 48 inches for sizes 6 inches in diameter and above, it must be removed to a disposal site or landing for piling and cannot be piled on a sloped (>15%) ground.

O. All materials partially pushed over, hung up, left in an unsafe position, shall be either reworked with the tractor or felled by hand.

P. Soil disturbance caused by the Contractor’s operations which may cause erosion shall be cross raked on the contour.

Q. Existing water bars shall be left intact. The Contractor shall avoid water bars or lift the implement blades prior to driving over them. The Contractor shall restore, at no cost to the

Government, water bars in skid trails, fire lines, spur roads, roadblocks, and other items affected by his/her operations. Erosion work must be completed in a timely manner. This means that the erosion structures must be maintained and in working condition when a weather event is predicted regardless of progress of the other work.

R. Grapple piling shall adhere to the same specifications as stated for tractor piles. To minimize ground disturbance the contractor shall operate in a fashion that maximizes the use of the boom and minimizes the amount of area the machine tracks over. The operator shall work the pile from all sides. This will help prevent fire from creeping out of the pile when burned. The pile shall not be connected to areas of un-piled material (example: non-work areas, areas with only small ground cover, snag patches, streamside zones, unit boundaries).

S. Fire lines: If piling of material is part of the proposal fire lines must be constructed around the units. This can be around each individual unit, when possible, the contractor shall use singular control lines to encompass larger consolidated acres of piled vegetation. Multiple control lines containing numerous smaller piles across a common area may only be permitted if a larger singular control line is not practicable. Use of roads, rock and existing topographical features as part of the control lines is allowed.

o For example, if five acres are covered with piles, the five acres shall be lined with a control line around the perimeter of the 5 Acres.

o Any deviations may only be permitted with approval from the COR or Contracting

Officer. The fire line shall be 8-10 feet wide and constructed to mineral earth. Where appropriate water bars shall be installed. The water bars need to be completed before anticipated rain events. The fire line must be constructed without damage to residual vegetation or other resources.

T. Hand piling may be required in some of the areas. The piles shall be well constructed in a haystack shape and the material in the pile densely placed. Hand piles are the least preferred pile type.

U. Piles may not be constructed on top of snags, rocks, or logs.

V. No mechanical or hand piling of slash within streams, meadows, or riparian vegetation.

In units that are within 1,250 meters of known occupied Yosemite toad meadows (see map) the following applies:

A. On a daily basis, check around equipment for individuals that may have moved into the area prior to moving machines. If federally listed species are in the project area, activities will be temporarily halted until the individual(s) can be moved to a safe location. Notify the forest or district aquatic biologist of any sightings as soon as practical. Personnel shall avoid injuring, harassing, or harming sensitive species.

B. No piling will occur in open dry areas with lupine unless area is surveyed and approved by the forest or district aquatic biologist for use (protection of Yosemite toad adult terrestrial habitat).

C. Do not pile on or around old stumps within up to 20 feet of known occupied or proposed critical Yosemite toad habitat for protection of summer and overwintering terrestrial habitats.

D. If not removed, slash related materials will be piled (by hand, or if suitable, by machine). Do not lop and scatter.

E. No chipping of materials shall occur in known occupied habitat unless it is chipped on site into a holding truck and removed to a non-occupied location.

F. Mastication will not occur in known occupied aquatic threatened, endangered or sensitive habitats unless a site-specific plan is developed to minimize impacts to upland habitat or individuals.

G. Logs left on site cannot be a dispersal barrier.

MEASUREMENT: Piling will be measured by the acre. All units must be treated in an end state as part of the final treatment. Piling is one treatment that may be applied to the overall unit.