2.Appendix A_CaldwellGoldIRSC.pdf

Caldwell Gold Disaster Relief Stewardship IRSC Modoc National Forest Page 1 of 8 Big Valley & Double Head Ranger Districts

APPENDIX A

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR SERVICE WORK ITEMS

SECTION I – DESCRIPTION OF WORK:

The objectives of this project are to rehabilitate and site preparation for future forests, reduce hazardous fuels in order to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire by accomplishing the following:

1. Remove dead hazard trees along the Forest Road system.

2. Remove dead trees from interior units.

3. Mechanically remove all fire killed trees to piles in the contract area to be burned by Forest Service personnel or chipped/removed from contract area.

4. Remove subject to agreement biomass or timber from the Contract Area.

SECTION II – WORK ITEMS

Mandatory Item 1: Cut and Pile Fire Killed Roadside Trees:

Gold Units (139 Total Acres): 304 (18 ac), 333 (20 ac), 346 (85 ac), 724 (15 ac), 846 (12 ac), 946 (4 ac) Caldwell Units (376 Total Acres): 401 (109 ac), 422 (65 ac), 428 (98 ac), 804 (104 ac)

1. All dead trees 3” DBH and greater that meet the following criteria and that are 1 times the tree height from the road shall be felled:

a. Dead (having no green needles).

b. Designated by COR/GTM by agreed to method.

c. Structurally damaged to the point that failure and/or tree mortality is imminent.

d. A probability of 0.7 (70%) will be used for determining trees for removal within designation by damage class Gold (1 to 39) and Caldwell (1 to 9) salvage units. A probability of 0.7 (70%) will be used for determining trees for removal within designation by damage class in roadside hazard Gold units (304, 333, 346, 724, 846) and Caldwell units (401, 422, 428, 804) within 1.5 times tree height from the road edge.

2. All felled trees and downed trees 3.0” DBH and larger and within the treatment area (no more than 1 tree length from road edge) shall be skid or yarded to agreed-upon landing locations to be piled (except as agreed to leave in place, designated contour felling areas for slope stabilization, and/or other sensitive areas identified during operations). Skidding operations shall adhere to C6.42# of Appendix B. Landing locations shall be on relatively flat ground for safe operations,

3. All contractor felled trees and previously felled/existing downed trees 3.0” DBH and larger shall be treated based on the following:

a. All trees 15.0” DBH and larger shall be piled/decked in whole tree or log form.

b. Sorting and processing of logs is not required unless products are being removed as TSA is being removed under Option Item #3.

c. All trees 4” DBH to 14.9” DBH and other large woody fuels such as broken tops shall be treated as slash and piled for disposal and/or burning by FS or chipped. Piles may be located throughout the units and/or at landing locations.

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d. Unless otherwise agreed, slash piles shall not be closer than 10 feet from the edge of decked merchantable logs or 20 feet from the drip line or any residual green tree. Piles will be a minimum of 8 feet in height and 12 feet in diameter where practicable and as compact as possible. If minimum pile size cannot be met without skidding or packing trees up to 80’, trees may be scattered and not piled. Small diameter tops shall be mixed with boles for efficient burning. Piles shall be reasonably free of dirt, stumps, and rocks.

e. Directional felling is required to protect forest resources and improvements.

All units shall include:

Cut trees include all dead trees greater than 3 inches DBH.

Stumps shall be no higher than 12 inches from the ground.

Do not enter equipment within areas to protect flagged with red and black striped flagging.

Do not damage powerlines, fences, culverts, cattle guards, survey monuments, stream courses or other improvements/sensitive features present within the project area.

Do not cut any oak, aspen, or mountain mahogany.

Mechanically cut/pile or remove 12” DBH and greater to be burned by Forest Service or decked/removed from contract area.

All dead trees within 1.5 times tree height from the edge of the surface of the road will be cut/piled.

The Contractor shall cut and deck trees within the unit that do not meet leave tree specifications. If the trees are cut and piled, all piles shall be compact and constructed to promote complete and efficient combustion.

Piles shall be a minimum of 20 feet in height and diameter and constructed to maximize height instead of width. The edge of the piles shall be at least 15' from any leave tree. "Flag and avoid" Equipment is not allowed to track into sites with red and black striped flagging; however, equipment can reach into the site to cut and lift trees out of the site.

Optional Item 2: Cut and Pile Interior Units

Gold Units (229 total Acres): 1 (11 ac), 2 (1 ac), 3 (8 ac), 4 (8 ac), 5 (2 ac), 6 (4 ac), 7 (18 ac), 8 (10 ac), 9 (17 ac), 10 (9 ac), 11 (1 ac), 12 (8 ac), 13 (2 ac), 14 (14 ac), 15 (5 ac), 16 (10 ac), 17 (1 ac), 18 (17 ac), 19 (2 ac), 20 (5 ac), 21 (1 ac), 22 (7 ac), 24 (5 ac), 25 (4 ac), 26 (6 ac), 27 (1 ac), 28 (1 ac), 29 (2 ac), 30 (4 ac), 31 (16 ac), 32 (6 ac), 33 (1 ac), 34 (2 ac), 35 (1 ac), 36 (3 ac), 37 (16 ac), 38 (11 ac), 39 (3 ac) and

Caldwell Units (248 Acres): 1 (152 ac), 2 (4 ac), 3 (17 ac), 4 (25 ac), 6 (11 ac), 7 (9 ac), 8 (17 ac), 9 (13 ac)

Unit boundaries have been designated with BLUE solid flagging and have been marked with ORANGE paint above and below stump height. Boundary trees are painted with a stump mark, one vertical stripe painted on the boundary tree facing into the treatment unit and a vertical stripe on each side of the same tree showing the direction the harvest unit boundary travels. Leave trees are marked with orange paint at DBH.

All dead trees shall be cut/piled:

The Contractor may cut/pile trees within the unit that do not meet leave tree specifications. If the trees are cut and piled, all piles shall be compact and constructed to promote complete and efficient combustion. Piles shall be a minimum of 15’ in height and diameter and constructed to maximize height instead of width. The edge of the piles shall be at least 15’ from any leave tree. ‘Flag and avoid’ Equipment is not allowed to track into sites with red and black striped flagging, however equipment can reach into the site to fell trees and either lift outside the flagged area or leave where felled.

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Optional Item 3: Removal of TSA Products

Remove from Contract Area sawtimber and non-sawtimber trees which meet the minimum tree specifications as identified in Appendix B and have been included as Timber Subject to Agreement (TSA). All provisions of Appendix B shall be applicable to removal of TSA. Slash remaining after removal shall be treated under Item #1 (d) specification above. All trees that have been cut by contractor, felled during fire suppression operations, already downed and/or are required to be decked under this contract and within the contract area are available for removal as TSA. All Right-of-Way (ROW) timber cut is not to be mixed with products that may be added as TSA from NFS Lands. No ROW timber will be included in this contract.

For leave trees, select the largest, tallest, healthiest, best-formed trees. Characteristics used in the selection of leave trees include the following:

i. Has no apparent damage to the main bole.

ii. Is not chlorotic (yellowing of normally green leaves/needles/bracts).

iii. Demonstrates good vigor and is disease/insect free.

iv. Has at least 40 percent crown ratio and 6 inches terminal growth

SECTION III – CONTROL OF WORK

The Contractor agrees to conduct its operations under this contract and other related business activities in compliance with Federal, State, and local statutes, standards, orders, permits and other regulations.

The Contractor shall meet all State and local environmental quality laws applicable to National Forest system lands.

Work may be done any time during the term of the contract, except under the following conditions:

(1) When conditions are such that operations shall be restricted or ceased due to increased fire risk.

(2) When winter recreational opportunities would be disrupted by operations. As a result, no operations will be permitted from November 1 – March 30, on the 49 road unless otherwise agreed to by the Forest Service in writing.

When seasonal operating restrictions for active raptor nests are in effect February 15 to September 15, Gold Units 14, 25, 26, 27. All active nest sites and areas of restriction are shown on CAM and listed in the solicitation under Protection Measures Needed for Plants Animals, Cultural Resources, and Cave Resources. Restrictions would apply:

(3) If new nests are discovered,

(4) Operations may occur when soil is dry; that is, soil moisture in the upper 8 inches is not sufficient to allow a soil sample to be squeezed and hold its shape or will crumble when the hand is tapped.

Operations may also occur when the ground is frozen to a depth of 5 inches, or snow depth is at least 18 inches or machine compacted to 8 inches.

(5) The government reserves the right to prioritize the order in which Units are treated.

(6) If any cultural or archeological sites are discovered during operations of this contract, work will be suspended in the immediate vicinity of the site until a reconnaissance survey is completed by the Forest Archeologist. Areas excluded from treatment shall be deleted from the contract.

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SECTION IV – INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

For All Work Items:

At any point during the project, the Contractor and/or Project Manager may request (documented through email, text, or hand-written request) an in the field consultation with the Forest Service to inspect work progress, review contract specifications, or clarify issues. The Forest Service shall respond to Contractor’s request within 5 working days, excluding weekends and federal holidays.

GOVERNMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN

Government Inspection Procedures - The COR, or a designated inspector (GTM), will make periodic inspections while work is in progress, usually daily at first, as needed to assure work is proceeding satisfactorily. The Contractor shall notify the COR when units are started, when problems are encountered and when contract work needs government oversight.

1. Each unit will be inspected as a separate unit. Unit will not be averaged with other units for acceptance or payment.

2. When units are completed and ready for government inspection, Contractor’s designated Project manager shall request unit inspection in writing, prior to moving out of the general area.

3. The COR, or designated inspector, will determine compliance with contract specifications through informal visual inspections. In the event visual inspection indicates work to be in non-compliance with specifications, prompt corrective action and/or rework shall be required.

Government Inspection Procedures – Formal (Plots)

1. In the event visual inspection indicates work and / or rework to be in non-compliance with contract specifications, a series of verification plots shall be installed by the Government to determine compliance with specifications and percent of satisfactory work for treatment of each unit not meeting specification as observed with visual inspection.

2. Government verification plots will consist of a series of 37.2’ radius fixed area plots requirements are being met and to what extent.

3. Plots and grid will be distributed so that a representative sample is obtained.

4. The COR or designated inspector will mark the center of each plot on the ground using flagging, stakes, or pin flags. Additional flagging will be hung near the plot center so that it may be seen from a distance.

The inspector will include the plot number, their initials and date on the flagging.

5. Plots will be numbered to correlate with the inspection form and transects on a unit map.

6. The minimum number of verification plots, per treatment unit, shall be as follows:

Unit Acreage Minimum No. of Plots 1 – 9 1 plot per 2 acres 10 – 29 10 plots 30 – 59 1 plot per 4 acres 60 – 99 20 plots 100 1 plot per 5 acres

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7. Determination of acceptability of the work performed will be based on Government verification inspections and will be considered conclusive.

8. At each plot, the Government will examine the plot area and record findings.

Unsatisfactory Performance

1. If the work quality falls below 85 percent, the COR will immediately notify the Contractor, in writing, and order him to improve the quality of subsequent tree cutting. If the quality of subsequent tree cutting is not raised above the 85 percent minimum acceptable standard within 24 business hours after receipt of such written notice, the Contractor’s right to proceed may be terminated and the contract considered in default.

2. When the work quality falls below 90 percent as a result of excess trees, the Government may elect to do one of the following:

(a) Order rework to be performed and withhold payment until excess trees are cut and the results of a post-rework Government inspection show work quality to be at least 85 percent or more. No rework shall be performed unless ordered or authorized by the COR.

(b) Order that no rework be performed and payment will either be made at a reduced rate, or not at all, as determined from the Thinning Inspection Report.

3. Repeated failure to produce work quality at or above the 85 percent minimum acceptable standard will be considered reason for contract termination and default action.

Reinspection Upon Contractor Request

1. If Government inspection results are unacceptable to the Contractor, a reinspection may be requested, in writing, within 5 business days after receipt of notice of said inspection results. The same inspection procedure will be used; however, the inspection pattern will be shifted so that new inspection plots will not overlap previously inspected plots.

2. If reinspection results – rounded up to the nearest whole percent – indicate a variance of more than 5 percent from the first inspection, the results of the second inspection will be used to calculate work quality and payment, and the Government will bear the cost of reinspection.

3. If reinspection results – rounded up to the nearest whole percent – are within 5 percent of the first inspection, plots from the initial inspection and the reinspection will be combined and used to calculate work quality and payment, and the Contractor shall bear the cost of reinspection.

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Government Inspection Procedures – Items 1-3

Table 1 – Minimum Acceptable Quality Levels (AQL) of Work

ITEM DESCRIPTION SCHEDULE UNIT Min AQL

1 Cut and Pile Fire Killed Trees MANDATORY ACRE 90%

2 Cut and Pile Interior Unit Trees Optional ACRE 90%

3 Remove Material Optional TON NA

SECTION V – PAYMENT METHODS

Method of Measurement for Acreages

Acreages of interior units were determined by using Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Acreage for roadside units were determined by a linear GPS feature with a buffer of 150 feet. The acreage for each work item will be rounded to the nearest acre and is final unless:

a. The contract is modified or,

b. The Government makes a determination to remeasure or,

c. The Contractor exercises his/her option under the following Remeasurement provisions:

Remeasurement

1. The Contractor may request, in writing, remeasurement of any units under this contract if he/she feels that acreage stated on the project maps is incorrect. The remeasurement must be within the existing perimeter of the respective unit. No variance of the unit perimeters as laid out on the ground for this contract will be allowed. All requests for remeasurement must be made prior to payment for each completed unit. Remeasurement will be performed by the Government.

2. If remeasurement indicates that a variance of ten percent or less exists on units of 1 to 5 acres, five percent or less exists on units of more than five but less than 20 acres, or if three percent or less exists on units of 20 acres or larger, the Contractor shall pay for the actual costs of the remeasurement. Under this condition, payment will be made on the acreage stated on the project maps. If the remeasurement indicates the actual acreage varies by more than the above factors from that stated on the project maps, the payment will be made on the remeasured acreage and the Forest Service will pay for the cost of the remeasurement.

Acceptance and Payment

1. Percentages as calculated herein shall be rounded to the nearest whole percent.

2. No allowance for variation or portion of a variation will be added which will create a percentage greater than 100 percent.

Acceptance and Payment

1. Percentages as calculated herein shall be rounded to the nearest whole percent.

2. No allowance for variation or portion of a variation will be added which will create a percentage greater than 100 percent.

3. Payment rate for work quality at or above 85% will be calculated as follows:

% Work Quality + 5 % Statistical Variation (SV) = % Payment rate

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SECTION VI – DEFINITIONS

ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL (AQL): Acceptance of work will be based on compliance with all specifications corresponding to the appropriate task(s); refer to the Performance Requirements Summary in Section E.4 of the contract. A minimum AQL is required for all service work – hand or mechanical. The minimum AQL will receive a satisfactory performance rating.

BIOMASS TREES: Any conifer material 2 feet in height to 4.9 inches DBH.

BOLE SPACING: The horizontal distance in feet from the edge of one leave tree bole to another leave tree bole, measured from the outside bark of each tree.

CIRCULAR PLOT: A sample plot within a thinning unit that is used to determine the number of desirable trees and other contract specifications.

COARSE WOODY DEBRIS: Woody material left on the ground to meet wildlife habitat requirements.

CROWN RATIO: The ratio of live crown length (tip of leader to base of the crown) to total tree length/height.

CROWN SPACING: The horizontal distance in feet between the dripline of a live crown to another live crown.

CLEARCUT: A cutting prescription in which all trees within a boundary are designated to be cut.

CROWN RATIO: The ratio of live crown length (tip of leader to base of the crown) to total tree length/height.

CROWN SPACING: The horizontal distance in feet between the dripline of a live crown to another live crown.

CUT TREES: Trees that do not possess the characteristics of desirable leave trees and are required to be cut. As described by the contract or otherwise marked to be cut.

CUTTING UNIT: See Treatment Unit definition

DAMAGED TREES: Trees damaged beyond recovery. A tree that is larger than 2 feet in height, and has the top knocked out, is leaning more than 10 degrees, has less than one half of its original limbs, or has approximately 50% of bark removed from the circumference of the bole.

DBH: Diameter at breast height, measured at a point of 4.5 feet above the ground level on the uphill side of the tree.

DECKING: Stockpiling of trees in a designated area.

DEAD/DYING TREES: Trees with the crown foliage changing from green to red, yellow, or needleless. Any tree that has pitch tubes indicating Mountain Pine Beetle infestation.

DESIGNATION BY SPECIES AND DIAMETER (DXSD): A cutting prescription in which species and diameter are used to determine which trees will be left and which will be cut.

DIB: Diameter inside bark.

HANG-UP TREE: Any cut tree suspended above ground level.

HEALTHY REGENERATION: Young, healthy, dwarf mistletoe free conifers, less than 4.9 inches in diameter, free of defect or characteristics listed in Section II, 2.2.2.

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LEAVE TREE: Trees that possess desirable characteristics and that serve to create the basis for designated spacing requirements or are otherwise designated to be left.

NON-SAWTIMBER TREE: For all conifer species, minimum diameter of 5 inches DBH to minimum diameter by species identified in Appendix B, Division A.

OVERSTORY REMOVAL: A cutting prescription where all trees greater than a specified size are cut. Trees less than the specified size are protected.

PAYMENT UNIT: See Treatment Unit.

PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY (PRS): Identifies the key service outputs of the contract that will be evaluated by the Government to assure contract performance standards are met by the Contractor.

PILING: Material moved to an agreed upon location shall be piled for future treatment by Forest Service.

PROGRESSION OF WORK: Work conducted in a progressive, workmanlike and orderly manner by the Contractor.

RESERVE CLUMPS: Groups of trees within a treatment area that are protected from cutting, may also include Individual Reserve trees.

SAWTIMBER TREE: Included timber meeting sawlog size specifications as defined in Appendix B, Division A.2.

SLASH: Woody material existing or created that has accumulated on the forest floor. Woody material includes logs, pieces of logs, tops, and branches.

UNIT: See Treatment Unit.

TEMPORARY ROADS: Non-permanent roads that are constructed by Contractor for the purpose of treatment unit access.

TREATMENT UNIT: An individual area on the ground in which activities will be performed and which may appear as a separate pay item in the Schedule of Items.

UNSATISFACTORY WORK: If work quality falls below the AQL, the COR will issue a work order or notice of noncompliance to the Contractor in writing. Untreated or unsatisfactory treated areas shall be reworked to obtain satisfactory work quality.

WHOLE TREE YARDING: Whole tree logging includes cutting tree and removing the entire tree, including tops and branches, to the landing.

WILDLIFE TREE: Standing tree marked to be reserved as a wildlife tree. Used by birds and small mammals for shelter, nesting, perching, etc.