B08_Attach_1_Performance_Work_Statement_2024_0329.pdf

Performance Work Statement (PWS)

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PROJECT TITLE:

Princess Ditch Trail Hazard Fuels Project

Redding Bureau of Land Management (BLM), California Northern Operations District (CA-NOD)

Contents Section 1.0 Background on the Government’s Requirement

Section 2.0 General Scope of Work

Section 3.0 Overall Objective(s)

Section 4.0 Specific Tasks

Section 5.0 Delivery / Performance Schedule

Section 6.0 Government-Furnished Property, Materials, Services

Section 7.0 Security and Administrative Matters

Section 8.0 Technical Exhibits and Definitions

EXHIBIT: Performance Requirements Summary (PRS)

Princess Ditch Trail Overview

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Section 1.0 Background on the Government’s Requirement

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Redding Field Office is requesting hand thinning, hand piling, and pile covering of hazard fuels within Redding CA. in Shasta County along

5.83 miles of the Princess Ditch Trail and Placer Connector Trail in the area of Mule town

rd. and Placer St. (road A16). Heavy accumulations of hazard fuels on public lands adjacent to recreation trails, roadways, and private lands have created elevated wildfire threat to infrastructure and resources. Established fuel breaks along trails, roadways, and adjacent to infrastructure will improve access for first responders, evacuation of the public, and create tactically viable control features for use in fire suppression or prescribed burning.

This scope of work defines the requirements for the contractor to provide forestry or hazard fuels personnel to cut, pile, prune, and pile cover vegetation within the project area.

Section 2.0 General Scope of Work

Services include hand cutting with power saws, hand piling cut material, pruning of leave trees, and pile covering of live and dead standing or fallen vegetation on up to 130 acres of public land within Shasta County, CA. The Contractor shall accomplish all cutting, piling, pile covering, and leave tree pruning within the designated treatment area in accordance with the specification. The contractor shall avoid cutting within designated exclusion areas.

Place of Performance

Project Location:

• Township 31N Range 6W Section 10, 14, 15, 22, & 23

• The services under this contract will be performed at the Princess Ditch Trail Fuels project area which is in Shasta County, CA and contains approximately 130 acres of hand cutting, piling, and pile covering treatments on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Redding Field Office (see attached map). The project area is located approximately 5 miles South/ Southeast of

Redding, CA.

Driving Directions to project Area:

From Redding head west on county road A16 (Placer St.) for 6 miles turn Right on Mule town road will be on the right. Turn there and head up to the Oak Knoll Parking area.

Hours of Operations

The Contractor will coordinate their hours of operation with BLM, but the Contractor is not restricted to operating during regular BLM office hours. Chainsaw work may not begin until ½ hour after sunrise and must end ½ hour after sunset on any given working day.

Other hours of operation restrictions may be implemented during high fire danger or during previously scheduled events.

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Security of Equipment and Property

The Contractor may leave equipment at the work site with approval from the COR. The

Contractor shall be responsible for equipment if it should be lost, stolen or damaged. At the close of each work period, government facilities, equipment, and materials shall be secured. All personnel employed by the Contractor in the performance of this contract, or any representative of the Contractor entering the government worksite, shall abide by all security regulations.

Section 3.0 Overall Objective(s)

The objective of this work is to reduce wildfire threat by constructing hazard fuel breaks along exiting infrastructure on public land administered by the Bureau of Land

Management Redding Field Office.

• Fuel breaks will be constructed by hand severing, hand piling, leave tree pruning, and pile covering live or dead standing and dead downed vegetation.

• Fuels breaks will focus on breaking continuity of vertical and horizontal fuels stands to limit unchecked fire spread in overstocked stands.

• Pruning of Leave Trees will occur within the fuel break treatment area.

Special considerations/ modifications will be given to cultural sites, wildlife habitat, recreational areas of concern, and riparian exclusion areas. Considerations and/or modifications to the treatment specifications in these areas would result in a reduction in workload. (e.g., a reduction in DBH, leave tree stem spacing and or required vegetative material to be piled.)

Section 4.0 Specific Tasks

All tasks will occur through the entirety of the project area, approx. 130 acres total.

Task 1: Hand sever using power saws live and dead standing or fallen vegetation 100 feet on each side of the Trail (for a total of 200’ wide fuel break)– see treatment map below.

• Selectively hand cut live standing trees up to 8 inches Diameter at Breast Height

(DBH) to create 30ft stem spacing of live standing leave trees less than 8 inches

DBH post treatment. Selectively hand cut live standing shrubs to create a 30ft stem spacing of live standing leave shrubs post treatment.

o Live standing tree species greater than 8 inches DBH and live standing leave shrubs will not be used to create 30-foot stem spacing profile of live standing leave trees less than 8 inches DBH post treatment.

o Live standing leave trees regardless of DBH size will not be used to create the 30-foot stem spacing profile of live standing shrubs post treatment.

o No live or dead limbs shall be left on the stumps after cutting. Stumps shall be cut level or perpendicular to the vertical angle of the stump and at a

PWS Page 4 height not exceeding 6 inches from ground surface measured on the uphill side.

o All live conifers and hardwoods 8 inches DBH and larger are reserved from cutting or girdling.

o All living deciduous oak trees regardless of diameter will not be cut and may be used in creating post treatment 30-foot stem spacing profile.

o No hand cutting of live trees will occur within flagged exclusion areas.

• Hand cut, limb and buck standing dead fuels up to 18 inches DBH and downed dead fuels up to 10 inches diameter, downed material greater than 10 inches diameter will be bucked to create maximum contact with ground surface and left on site. Un-piled logs and slash (greater than 10 inches) will be set back 10 feet from trails, infrastructure, or roadways.

o No dead standing vegetation less than 18 inches DBH will be left uncut, unless identified as a wildlife tree (marked with red and white candy stripe flagging). Dead standing vegetation will not be used in creating 30ft stem spacing post treatment profile.

o Downed material greater than 10 inches will be limbed and the limbs piled along with other material less than 10 inches.

o Dead standing vegetation less than 18 inches DBH and downed material less than 10 inches will be cut within riparian buffer areas, however piles must be placed outside of riparian buffer area.

o No hand cutting of dead and down vegetation will occur within flagged exclusion areas.

• Hand cutting within riparian buffers is acceptable but will be limited to cutting only non-riparian vegetation and with the following specifications:

o Selectively hand cut live standing trees up to 6 inches DBH to create 15ft stem spacing of live standing leave trees less than 6 inches DBH post treatment. Selectively hand cut live standing shrubs to create a 15ft stem spacing of live standing leaves shrubs post treatment.

o Live standing tree species greater than 6 inches DBH and live standing leave shrubs will not be used to create 15-foot stem spacing profile of live standing leave trees less than 6 inches DBH post treatment.

o Live standing leave trees regardless of size will not be used to create the 15-foot stem spacing profile of live standing shrubs post treatment.

o Dead standing vegetation up to 18 inches will be cut, no dead standing material less than 18 inches will remain post treatment and will not be used in post treatment spacing profile.

o Downed dead material up to 6 inches diameter will be cut. Downed material larger than 6 inches will be limbed and the limbs piled along with other material less than 6 inches diameter.

o Stream channels are excluding from cutting and removal of any vegetation, live or dead.

o No riparian vegetation would be cut as part of the treatment, regardless of diameter.

o No hand cutting will occur within flagged exclusion areas.

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Criteria for Selection of Leave Trees/Shrubs:

Considerations on the selection of leave trees shall be based first on the species listed on the prioritized preference list (listed below), second on achieving the 30ft post treatment stem spacing profile for live standing trees less than 8 inch DBH (or less than 6 inch DBH within riparian buffers) and live standing shrubs, and third based on tree characteristics

(listed below).

• Order of leave species preference:

1. Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii)

2. Black Oak (Quercus velutina)

3. Gray Pine (Pinus sabiniana), Coffeeberry (Frangula californica)

4. Interior Live Oak (Quercus wislizeni), Knob Cone (Pinus attenuate), Toyon

(Heteromeles arbutifolia).

• Characteristics used in the selection of leave trees/shrubs include the following:

o Has no apparent damage to the main bole.

o Is not visibly dead/dying.

o Demonstrates good vigor and is disease/bug free.

o Has at least 40 percent crown ratio or largest crown ratio if none greater than 40 percent are present

Task 2: Pruning of Leave Trees within the identified treatment area shown below.

• Pruning of all leave trees and leave snags to a height of 8 feet above ground level.

o Live and dead limbs and branches shall be cut cleanly and as close to the bole of the tree as possible. Scarring of leave tree bark or tree bole should not occur.

o Tree limbs and branches attached to the bole above the designated pruning height but have limbs or branches extending into the pruning height area, shall be pruned so they do not extend below the designated height (8ft.).

o No pruning of Blue Oaks will occur.

Task 3: Hand pile all cut material and downed slash within treatment area – see attached treatment map. Burn piles will not be built with riparian buffers.

• Cut material and slash between 1/2 inch and 10 inches in diameter and greater than

2 feet in length will be utilized to construct burn piles. Burn pile dimensions shall range from a minimal footprint of 6 foot by 6 foot to a maximum footprint of 12 foot by 12 foot. Burn piles shall be constructed at a minimal height that is equal to the width the pile footprint.

o Slash less than 1/2 inch in diameter or less than 2 feet in length shall be left on the ground. Slash left on the ground shall not exceed 6 inches in depth.

o Burn piles will be compact, free of interior open spaces, free of dirt or other non-combustibles.

PWS Page 6 o Burn piles will be trimmed of any material that protrudes beyond 2 feet from the outermost compacted edge of the burn piles footprint.

o Burn piles will be placed a minimum of 6 feet from leave trees, trails, fence lines, roadways, and unit boundaries.

o Burn piles will be placed a minimum of 6 feet from powerline drip lines.

o All roads, trails and ditches designated on the project map(s) shall be kept free of slash and piled material.

o No hand pilling will occur within flagged exclusion areas.

• Cut material and slash between 1/2 inch and 6 inches in diameter and greater than 2 feet in length from within riparian buffers will be moved and piled outside of riparian buffers and placed within adjacent treatment unit boundaries and will be piled to the specification stated above.

Task 4: Hand pile covering all created piles.

• All hand piles shall be covered with a minimum of 6-foot by 6-foot piece of 4-mil thickness black polyethylene plastic or forestry slash paper (Kraft paper). Hand piles shall be covered such that at least 80 percent of the pile’s surface area shall be covered. All four corners and the middle of the cover material shall be anchored with slash or other debris. The cover material must be placed in the top¼ of the pile.

o BLM will provide pile covering material at the onset of project operations.

The contractor will request additional pile covering material from the COR as needed to cover piles at prescribed specification.

Section 5.0 Delivery / Performance Schedule

Prework Meeting:

At the prework meeting the BLM COR and/or BLM resource specialists will provide an initial briefing on cultural resource sensitivity, critical plant species identification, and recreation concern.

Sensitive resource areas will be flagged and/or identified on maps provided at the pre-work meeting. However, if this protection measure proves inadequate to protect the sensitive resource areas, or if new concerns are identified, Discovery of such areas by either party shall be promptly reported to the other party and operations shall not resume at that location until the significance or potential significance of the area is determined, and BLM has approved to start work under the appropriate mitigations. Updated maps will be provided after each change to the contractor.

Mapping:

Unit boundaries are not marked. A shapefile and PDF Map of the treatment area, including exclusion areas and riparian buffers (for perennial streams only), for GPS/ Avenza will be provided at pre-work meeting and updated maps provided as changes are made, and contractor will be required to accurately work within boundary of unit. Trailheads, intersections, and trail spurs are identified with recreation signage.

Additional Information:

The Contractor is responsible for organizing and directing all the equipment and personnel needed to fully accomplish the work. The Contractor shall develop and submit

PWS Page 7 a Treatment Plan and Schedule to accomplish the project objectives prior to starting any work. The Treatment Plan and Schedule will be agreed upon by both parties at the Pre-

Work meeting. The Contractor shall notify the BLM COR a minimum of 2 weeks prior to initiating work. All changes to the Treatment Plan and Schedule will be agreed to prior to the changes taking effect. The Treatment Plan and Schedule shall include as a minimum the following items:

1. Cutting Plan – Discussed in more detail at Pre-Work meeting.

2. Safety Plan – To include traffic control, identification of hazards, and trail closures if applicable.

3. Fire Prevention Plan – For prevention and control of fires, with detailed list of personnel and equipment.

Statutory Compliance

The Contractor agrees to conduct operations under this contract and other related business activities in compliance with federal, state, and local statutes, standards, orders, permits or other regulations. Failure to comply will be grounds for default in accordance with the Default clause. The contract shall govern if such laws conflict with or preclude performance of contractual requirements.

Improvements

The Contractor shall comply with the rules and regulations governing the operation of premises which are occupied and shall perform the contract in a manner that will not interrupt or interfere with the conduct of BLM business.

Before any camp, quarry, borrow pit, storage, or service area other than shown on drawings is opened or operated lands administered by the BLM, written permission shall be obtained through the BLM and COR. A camp is interpreted to include the campsite or trailer parking area of any employee working on the project for Contractor. Such permission, if granted, shall be without charge to Contractor. Contractor must remove and dispose of all said improvements when no longer needed.

Wildlife Resources

The Contractor shall comply with seasonal restrictions administered by the Bureau of

Land Management project design features. The project area contains suitable nesting habitat for a multitude of species protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

The regional nesting season for raptors protected under the act with the potential to occur within the project area runs from January 1 through August 31; for non-raptors, nesting season in the region occurs from mid-February through August 15.

Project activities that involve tree removal, vegetation disturbance, or other activities likely to cause disturbance to nesting birds within either of these timeframes will require the following design features:

A. Pre-project surveys

Project activities conducted during either nesting season will require surveys to determine the presence of active nests within or adjacent to project areas, no more than 7 days prior to commencing work. Surveys will be conducted by a qualified

PWS Page 8 biologist and should begin as early as possible within the nesting season, when visibility due to lack of foliage is highest.

B. Implementation of Avoidance Measures

Where nests are found, a buffer of 250 feet should be established around the nest and maintained until birds have fledged or breeding activities have ceased. If it is determined that a smaller buffer would be sufficient to prevent impacts to nesting birds, buffer size may be adjusted by a qualified biologist, in coordination with

United States Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS). The buffer would be monitored by a biological observer until project work has ceased, or the nest is no longer active. Any incidental take of a migratory bird will be reported to

USFWS. No treatments and no on-site work will be permitted from March 15 until September 1 of any given year of project implementation.

Any active raptor nest found will be reported to the Wildlife Biologist and project activities ceased within a 0.5-mile buffer until surveys indicate that project activities would not disturb nesting and/or breeding activities.

Sensitive Vegetation and Riparian Areas

Riparian areas require a modified treatment specification (see task 1 and 3 above) in order lessen impacts of treatments and to protect the functionality of those systems. Buffer widths are determined by stream types such as perennial and intermittent. Perennial streams require a riparian buffer of 150 feet from each side of the stream channel within the project area and intermittent streams within the project area will require a buffer of 50 feet.

Perennial stream riparian buffers will be identified on the project map. Intermittent stream however will not be identified on the project map. The contractor will be responsible for identifying intermittent streams within the project area and adjusting treatment specifications accordingly. Intermittent streams are streams that ceases to flow in very dry periods.

Archeological Resource Protection

No fuels reduction operations will occur within flagged exclusion areas. Archeological features are protected by federal law and are prohibited from excavation, disturbance, damage, or collecting. Should previously unidentified archeological resources be found or uncovered, the contractor must make immediate contact with COR and stop all fuels reduction operations in the immediate area of discovery.

Protection of Improvements

The Contractor shall protect roads and other improvements (such as fences, roads, trails, telephone lines, and ditches) whether designated on the project area map or not.

Protection of Improvements Not Owned by the BLM

The Contractor will notify all utility companies, or other parties affected, and plans for all necessary adjustments of the public utility fixtures, pipelines, and other appurtenances affected by Contractor’s operations.

When Contractor’s operations are adjacent to properties of railway, telegraph, telephone, or power companies, or other property, work shall not begin until all necessary arrangements to prevent damage have been made by the Contractor.

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The Contractor will cooperate with all owners of above-mentioned property. In the event of interruption because of accidental breakage, the Contractor shall promptly notify the proper authority, and cooperate with that authority in the restoration of service.

Protection of Land Survey Monuments

The Contractor shall protect all known survey monuments, witness corners, reference monuments and bearing trees against any damage during Contractor’s operations.

Safety

The Contractor will follow all United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Standards that pertain to the operations set forth in this contract under Subpart

R, Special Industries Standards 1910.266 Logging Operations Standards.

Sanitation and Servicing

The Contractor shall take all reasonable precautions to prevent pollution of air, soil, and water by Contractor’s operations. If facilities for employees are established within the project area, they shall be operated in a sanitary manner. Contractor shall not service

PWS Page 10 tractors, trucks or other equipment on BLM lands where servicing is likely to result in pollution to soil or water.

Contractor shall remove from BLM lands all refuse resulting from use, servicing, repair, or abandonment of equipment. If the contractor’s operations or servicing of equipment result in pollution to soil or water, Contractor shall conduct cleanup to restore the polluted site to the previous observed conditions, and approved by the COR.

Section 6.0 Government-Furnished Property, Materials, Services

General:

The Contractor shall furnish all personnel, materials, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform the work tasks defined in this Performance Work Statement, except for those items specified as government furnished property and services.

Materials:

The Contractor shall furnish all materials necessary to meet the requirement of this contract except for those items specified as government-furnished property and services.

Equipment:

The Contractor shall furnish equipment necessary to meet the requirement of this contract except for those items specified as government-furnished property and services.

Section 7.0 Security and Administrative Matters

Regular Work Hours:

Unless otherwise specified work hours under this task order shall be limited to the time between one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset each day.

Work may be done on Saturday, Sunday with notification to the COR, however work will not occur on Federal holidays unless authorized by the COR.

Federal Holidays:

The following Federal Legal Holidays are observed:

New Year’s Day Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

President’s Day Memorial Day

Independence Day Labor Day

Columbus Day Veterans Day

Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day

Juneteenth National Independence Day

Fire Danger Season:

The Contractor shall take every reasonable precaution to prevent a wildland fire from occurring from his or her actions on this project. The Authorized Officer may, under certain conditions, require fire prevention and control measures in addition to those

PWS Page 11 required by applicable state laws and regulations. This may include but will not be limited to changes in daily work schedules or full closure of operations due to extreme fire risk.

Section 8.0 Technical Exhibits and Definitions

Standard Definitions:

Physical Condition

The Physical appearance of Federal equipment or facilities that considers cracks, chips, dents, abrasions, rust, corrosion, general cleanliness, vibration, operating temperature, and discoloration and other items as identified by the COR.

Physical condition may be determined by visual as well as diagnostic means.

Contracting Officer (CO)

The Secretary of the Interior or designated authorized representative who is the only agent capable of signing a federal award or obligating funds.

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)

The Contracting Officer’s designated representative as indicated in a delegation of authority letter.

Quality Assurance (QA)

Surveillance of Contractor performance to determine performance requirements are met.

Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) (see Technical Exhibit below)

The PRS identifies the key performance indicators of the Contract that will be evaluated by the Government to assure Contract performance standards are met by the Contractor.

Quality Control

Those actions taken by the Contractor to control the production of goods or services so that they meet the requirements of the performance work statement.

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EXHIBIT: Performance Requirements Summary (PRS)

Work Tasks to be

Performed

Acceptable Quality

Level

Method of Surveillance Consequences, Remedies, and/or Deduction(s)

Task(s):

1: Hand Sever

2: Hand Pile

All trees, brush, and downed material up to 8 inches in diameter for live and dead standing up to 18-inch diameter must be hand severed using power saws in accordance with the specification listed under

Section 4 of this task order.

All cut material and downed slash from

1/2 to 10 inches in diameter and greater than 2 feet in length must be piled in accordance with the specifications listed under section 4 of this task order.

The COR and/or Project Inspector (PI) will conduct government inspections. The Contractor (or designated representative) is encouraged to be present to observe inspections. Summary results will be made available on request. Government inspections will consist of:

a. Compliance Inspections Visual compliance inspections of work tasks will be made on a periodic basis across the project area. Such inspections are not final and do not constitute acceptance by the

Government.

b. Final Inspections

Final inspections for payment will be made on the completed project unit unless otherwise agreed upon in writing. Contractor shall request a final inspection.

Inspection requests shall be verbal and documented within the diary or in writing and pursuant to FAR

52.246-4, shall include results of Contractor’s quality inspections. Inspections will be completed within ten

(10) calendar days after the notice is received for each item. If a formal request for an item inspection is within the ten (10) working days since the previous request, the time will not start until the time for the previous inspection expires.

The Contractor will be responsible for ensuring his or her crew can identify leave trees and cut to desired spacing distances.

The contractor will be made aware of the deficiencies and documented in the COR’s diary. Deficiencies will need to be corrected within 48 hours unless the BLM representative states otherwise.

Incentives/Disincentives

a. Contractor will be required to rework the area at no additional cost to the Government.

b. The Government will charge to the Contractor any additional cost of subsequent inspection of reworked area.

c. Positive or negative Performance rating at the end of the contract (this will have definitive impacts on the

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3. Pile Covering

All piles created within the project area must be covered under the specification outlined within section 4 of this task order.

See above

See above

Exclusion Areas

Placer West Fuels

BLM Lands (Redding FO)

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 Feet

Princess Ditch Trail Overview