2.Appendix A_SIMON.pdf

Simon Stewardship IRSC Solicitation 12363N21Q4021 Black Hills National Forest, SD Mystic Ranger District

APPENDIX A

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR SERVICE WORK ITEMS

SECTION I – DESCRIPTION OF WORK:

The objective for the Simon Stewardship in the McVey Project area is to remove the planted off site seed stock that is not regenerating and replant native Black Hills seed stock after commercial harvests, prescribed fire and fuels reduction treatments in order to maintain and increase the forest resilience to disturbance while producing future timber, forage and habitat outputs in support of Forest Plan goals.

The Simon Stewardship project will address the above by commercial and non-commercial timber activities.

The project’s goods will be a combination of removing commercial sawtimber products and commercial removal of products other than logs (POL). The services being performed will be non-commercial machine piling of surface fuels; precommercial thinning with mastication of conifer trees for timber stand improvement; piling of activity created fuels and fuels for fuels reduction while increasing the suitability for planting and road maintenance associated with commercial timber activities. Other services include one gate replacement and noxious weeds treatments.

Objectives shall be obtained by accomplishing the following:

1. Remove all non-native planted Ponderosa Pine stock ≥6” DBH via commercial timber harvesting in designated cutting units within the Contract Area.

2. Protect residual native Ponderosa Pines that survived the McVey burn to leave as a seed source.

3. Mechanically pile activity created slash and residual surface fuels to be burned by FS within the

Contract Area to facilitate prescribed burning operations and improve sites for planting.

4. Mechanically thin small diameter Ponderosa pine at or below 5.9” DBH in units along system roads in the project area.

SECTION II – WORK ITEMS

Mandatory Item 1: Cut and Remove Included Timber Cutting Units 1-8, 10-18, 151 and 152 (1,464 Acres) *See Appendix B*

Mandatory Item 2: Machine Piling Units M1-M9, M81-M83 and M9 (1067 Acres)

Piling of existing and activity created slash ≥2” in diameter and ≥3’ in length up to and including 24” in diameter. Tracked and/or rubber-tired equipment may be used unless otherwise specified.

All service units are designated virtually on project maps. A tolerance of +/- 33’ from digitally references boundaries is allowed. Private property boundaries are painted with two horizontal orange stripes at breast height.

Piles shall be a minimum of 6’ high by 6’ wide and created throughout units.

80% of all slash both existing and activity created ≥2” in diameter and ≥3’ in length up to 24” in diameter shall be piled.

Surface fuels shall be piled and mixed with slash generated from commercial activities to facilitate burning.

Piles shall be placed in openings and a minimum 15’ from any other machine pile or leave tree marked timber. Trees >6” DBH within 33’ of machine piles shall be cut and added to the pile to minimize tree mortality and facilitate burning unless agreed to by COR.

No piles shall be constructed within 100’ from all roads, trails and Stream Management Zones (SMZ), 200’ from private property and improvements as identified on project maps and 300’ from all structures unless approved by project COR.

Piles shall be compact, free of dirt with no protruding limbs and no material common between piles nor shall piles be created on top of stumps.

Slash not piled shall be oriented so it will not freely roll downhill and shall be at least 66’ from a slash pile.

Mandatory Item 3: Precommercial Thinning with Mastication Units M81, M82 and M83 (79 Acres)

Mechanical thinning of live ponderosa pines 1’ in height up to 5.9” DBH to an average of 16’ x 16’ spacing with a range of 12’-18’ and piling of all existing and untreated activity created slash ≥2” in diameter and ≥3’ in length up to and including 24” diameter.

All service units are designated virtually on project maps. A tolerance of +/- 33’ from digitally references boundaries is allowed.

Trees greater than 7” in diameter shall not be considered in spacing of residual trees, but no trees between 1’ tall and 5.9” DBH shall be left within the dripline of any tree greater than 7”.

Mulch depth of masticated material shall not exceed 6” in depth. Piece size in treated material shall not exceed 6’ in length.

Stump height shall not exceed 6” or 4” above an obstruction and shall be cut to less than a 30-degree angle, trees shall be severed below the last live limb.

Slash shall be removed from fences, survey monuments and corners as it is created.

Hang up trees shall not be left.

Hardwood species shall not be cut unless they pose a hazard.

Up to 20% of the acreage may require hand thinning due to ground features such as rock and/or steep slope. Manually treated slash shall be treated to a depth not to exceed 18 inches.

Slash not piled or treated shall be oriented so it will not freely roll downhill and shall be at least 4’ from a slash pile.

Mechanical operations adjacent to ATP in unit M82 are restricted to when the ground is snow covered or frozen. No piling may occur adjacent to ATP and all manually treated activity slash shall be removed from ATP.

Refer to item 2 performance standards for machine piling

Mandatory Item 4: Road Maintenance

See Appendix C for Road Maintenance Requirements and Snow Removal Requirements.

Mandatory Item 5: Gate Replacement See Exhibit A for Performance Specification, Inspection and Acceptance Standards

Optional Item 6: Machine Piling Units M10, M12, and M14 (262 Acres) See item 2 for performance specifications.

Optional Item 7: Precommercial Thinning with Mastication Units M84, M85, M86, M87 and M88 (161 Acres) See Item 3 for performance specifications.

Optional Item 8: Noxious Weeds Treatments (127 Acres) See Attachment for Noxious Weeds Treatment Performance Specifications, Inspection and Acceptance standards

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) The government reserves the right to prioritize the order in which units are treated.

(2) All operational restrictions in Appendix B, C6.312# apply to service work units.

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

(4) When the soil moisture is below plastic limits or protected by at least 1’ of packed snow or 2” of frozen soil. Soil moisture exceeds the plastic limit if the soil can be rolled into 3mm threads without breaking or crumbling.

(5) When snow depth creates a situation where requirements cannot be met and/or work cannot be inspected, as determined by the COR.

(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.

(7) When soil moisture conditions create excessive risk of damage to the soil.

(8) When seasonal operating restrictions for active raptor nests are in effect. All active nest sites and areas of restriction are shown on CAM and listed in the solicitation under Clause 24. Protection Measures Needed for Plants, Animals, Cultural Resources, and Cave Resources. Restrictions would apply:

(9) If new nests are discovered.

SECTION IV – INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

CONTRACTOR QUALITY CONTROL PLAN (QCP)/CONTRACTOR SELF INSPECTIONS

The Contractor shall conduct self-inspections on all aspects of work. The field inspections shall be spread throughout the project area. The Contractor shall provide the Government with an acceptable method of self-inspection. This method shall be accepted and approved by the Government prior to the Notice to Proceed being issued. The Contracting Officer may observe the Contractor's inspection at any time and shall otherwise have unlimited access to the inspection data.

The self-inspection process shall be documented and submitted prior to the Notice to Proceed.

The Contractor Quality Control Plan (QCP) shall specify:

How quality will be monitored to assure performance standards are met.

How the work will be supervised.

How results of the monitoring will result in quality performance.

Identify the personnel responsible for performing quality control.

The Contractor shall notify the COR when units are started, when problems are encountered and when contract work needs government oversight.

At any point during the project, the Contractor and/or Project Manager may 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 five working days, excluding weekends and federal holidays.

GOVERNMENT INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

Government Quality Assurance Surveillance Inspection (QASP): The Government will inspect service tasks completed by the contractor (or Subcontractor) as a basis for acceptance and payments, and to provide recommendations to improve quality work while work is in progress. The COR, or a designated inspector may make periodic inspections while work is in progress to assure itself of contract compliance and to confirm that the Contractor is performing quality control in accordance with its QCP and that Contractor monitoring results in quality performance of contract objectives. The Government will assure quality is being met through random plots and visual inspections.

The COR, or designated inspector, will determine compliance with contract specifications through informal visual inspections. In the event a Walk-through Inspection indicates work to be in noncompliance with specifications, the Quality Assurance Plan (QASP) will be implemented. If the QASP indicates noncompliance, prompt corrective action and/or rework shall be required.

Each Unit shall meet quality standards. Units will not be averaged with other units for acceptance or payment.

Request for Inspection: All work included in the contract specifications is subject to inspections by the Government at periodic intervals throughout the performance of this contract. Treatment inspections are for the sole benefit of the Government and shall not release the Contractor of the responsibility of providing quality control measures to assure that the work strictly complies with the contract requirements.

The Contractor shall notify the Government of unit completion and request an inspection of the competed unit, the Government will have 14 days to start inspection for payment. Timeframe to complete inspections will depend upon number of acres to inspect and availability of inspectors.

Acceptance: Acceptance of the work under the contract will be made after Government inspection and the Contracting Officer has made the determination of satisfactory compliance with the specifications.

All required contract specifications shall be satisfactorily completed in each unit before acceptance will be made. Acceptance and payment will be only for identified unit acreage in the specifications. Any request for deviation would require a modification.

Rework and Re-inspection after Rework: The Government will conduct an initial inspection on requested units and one re-inspection for each unit. If the contractor fails to meet the minimum Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) (Refer to Table 1), the contractor shall rework the unit. Any time the contract requires more than two inspections per unit, the contractor will be charged for additional inspections which will include mileage and hourly rate of Inspector or Inspectors. When inspections indicate the performance objectives were not met, the work will be deemed unsatisfactory. The Government may require the Contractor to perform the services again in conformity with contract requirements, at no increase in contract amount. When the defects in services cannot be corrected by reworking, the Government may:

a. Require the Contractor to take necessary action to ensure that future performance conforms to contract requirements. Payment maybe withheld until the Contractor has provided the Government with corrective Quality Control measures to prevent future deficiencies.

b. Reduce the contract price to reflect the reduced value of the services performed.

c. Inspections after rework will be made in the same manner as the first inspection.

The cost to the Government for inspections necessitated by the additional rework(s) will be deducted from the Contractor payment(s).

Government Inspection Procedures – Machine Piling

Units M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7, M81, M82, M83, M9, M11, M10, M12, M13 and M14

1. In the event inspection indicates work to be less than AQL, the Government will immediately notify the Contractor, in writing, and order them to improve the quality of subsequent piling. If the quality of subsequent piling is not raised to minimum AQL within five business days after receipt of such written notice, the Contractor’s right to proceed may be terminated and the contract considered in default.

2. In each unit, the Government will examine the area and record findings on the items listed below:

a. Unit contract acres

b. Actual acres treated.

c. Number of piles present.

d. Number of piles that do not meet contract specifications

3. Work quality for machine piling will be calculated as follows:

On each plot, the items listed below will be examined and recorded.

o Inspections will be made on a random series of 1/4 acre (41.5’ radius) plots.

o Each inspection plot will be subdivided into four (4) quadrants based on cardinal directions. Each quadrant will be evaluated for compliance.

o Work Quality Percentages are derived from data developed from inspection plots. The total number of satisfactory quadrants divided by the total number of quadrants (number of plots multiplied by four) inspected determines the quality rate. This rate is multiplied by 100 to provide the work quality percentage.

| No. of satisfactory quadrants | X 100 = % slash pile quality | No. of inspected plots X 4 |

Unsatisfactory Piling

1. If work quality falls below AQL, the CO will notify the Contractor, in writing, and may order rework to improve the quality. The Contractor shall have five days after receipt of Notice of Noncompliance to complete rework to minimum AQL unless otherwise stated.

2. When work quality falls below AQL, the Government may elect to do one of the following:

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

(b) If Contractors work fails to meet AQL after rework, the Contractor’s right to proceed may be terminated and the contract considered in default.

3. Repeated failure to produce work quality at or above the 90% AQL will be considered reason for contract termination and default action.

Government Inspection Procedures – (Plots) Precommercial Thinning with Mastication

Units M81, M82, M83, M84, M85, M86, M87, M88

1. In the event inspection indicates work and/or rework to be below AQL, 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 1/20th acre fixed area plots (26.3’ radius) along transects to record whether service work 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 QASP and transects on a unit map.

6. A Minimum of one plot per two acres shall be taken.

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

8. At each 1/20th acre plot, the Government will examine the plot area and record findings on the items listed below:

e. Plot number

f. Number of trees to be left on plot based on spacing.

g. Number of trees actually left on plot.

h. Number of satisfactory trees.

i. Number of deficient trees.

j. Number of excess trees.

- Stumps containing live limbs which are not in accordance with specifications herein will be counted as deficient trees.

- Cut trees which are still attached at the stump will be counted as deficient trees.

- Trees meeting cut specifications that are not cut will be counted as excess trees.

- Trees not meeting spacing requirements and exceed the cutting specifications will be considered excess tree.

Unsatisfactory Mechanical Thinning

9. If work quality falls below AQL, the CO will notify the Contractor, in writing, and may order rework to improve the quality. The Contractor shall have five days after receipt of Notice of Noncompliance to complete rework to minimum AQL unless otherwise stated.

10. When work quality falls below minimum AQL because of inadequate spacing or excess/deficient trees, the Government may elect to do one of the following:

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

(b) If Contractors work fails to meet AQL after rework, the Contractor’s right to proceed may be terminated and the contract considered in default.

11. Repeated failure to produce work quality at or above the 90% AQL will be considered reason for contract termination and default action.

Reinspection Upon Contractor Request

1. If Government inspection results are unacceptable to the Contractor, The Contractor has five business days to make a written request to the CO that a reinspection be performed. 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.

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

ITEM DESCRIPTION SCHEDULE UNIT Min AQL

1 Cut and Remove Included Timber MANDATORY ACRE 100% 2 Machine Piling MANDATORY ACRE 90%

Precommercial Thinning with Mastication

MANDATORY ACRE 90%

4 Road Maintenance MANDATORY MILE 100% 5 Gate Replacement MANDATORY EACH 100% 6 Machine Piling OPTIONAL ACRE 90%

Precommercial Thinning with Mastication

OPTIONAL ACRE 90%

8 Noxious Weeds Treatment OPTIONAL ACRE 90%

SECTION V – PAYMENT METHODS

Method of Measurement for Acreages

Acreages were determined by using Global Positioning Systems (GPS). 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 decides to remeasure or,

c. The Contractor exercises their option under the following Remeasurement provisions:

Remeasurement

1. The Contractor may request, in writing, remeasurement of any units under this contract if they feel 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 – Item 2 Machine Piling and Item 6 Optional Machine Piling

1. If the Walk-through Inspection indicates acceptable work quality, the Contractor will be paid 100 percent of their bid rate.

2. If formal inspections are used, the rate of payment to the Contractor will be calculated as follows:

(a) For work quality of 90 percent or higher, 10 percent (adjustment for statistical variation) will be added and the Contractor will be paid 100 percent of their bid rate.

(b) For work quality from 85 to 89 percent, the 10 percent will be added to the work quality percent and the Contractor will be paid the total multiplied by the bid rate.

(c) For work quality 84 percent and less, the 10 percent will not be added and there will be no payment made to the Contractor.

(d) If, after rework, the percentage of satisfactory work is between 85% and 89%, payment will be made by the actual percentage. If the percentage is less than 85%, the work is unacceptable, and no payment will be made.

Acceptance and Payment – Item 3 and Item 7 Precommercial Thinning with Mastication

Procedure for determining overall quality of work of each unit shall be:

(Quality of Thinning % + Quality of Piling %)/2 = _______%

Precommercial Thinning with Mastication:

1. If the Walk-through Inspection indicates acceptable work quality, the Contractor will be paid 100 percent of their bid rate.

2. If formal inspections are used, the rate of payment to the Contractor will be calculated as follows:

(a) For work quality of 90 percent or higher, 10 percent (adjustment for statistical variation) will be added and the Contractor will be paid 100 percent of their bid rate.

(b) For work quality from 85 to 89 percent, the 10 percent will be added to the work quality percent and the Contractor will be paid the total multiplied by the bid rate.

(c) For work quality 84 percent and less, the 10 percent will not be added and there will be no payment made to the Contractor.

(d) If, after rework, the percentage of satisfactory work is between 85% and 89%, payment will be made by the actual percentage. If the percentage is less than 85%, the work is unacceptable, and no payment will be made.

Acceptance and Payment –Item 4 Road Maintenance

1. If the Walk-through Inspection indicates acceptable work quality, the Contractor will be paid 100 percent of their bid rate.

2. Only one rework opportunity will be allowed for this item.

Acceptance and Payment –Item 5 Gate Replacement

1. Full payment will be made when visual/or measurement inspection indicates specifications have been met.

Acceptance and Payment –Item 8 Noxious Weeds Treatment

1. Refer to Addendum D

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 + 10 % Statistical Variation (SV) = % Payment rate

4. Examples:

(a) 2 Trees Deficient + 4 Trees Excess 6 ------------------------------------------------ = --------- = 5.22% = 5% Unsatisfactory work 115 Trees to be left 115

100% – 5% = 95% Work Quality 95% + 5% (SV) = 100% Payment rate

(b) 16 acres Deficient 16 -------------------------- = --------- = 16.84% = 17% Unsatisfactory work 95 Contract acres 95

100% – 17% = 83% Work Quality - - No payment made

(c) 11 piles Deficient 11 --------------------------- = --------- = 11.96% = 12% Unsatisfactory work 92 Piles in Unit 92

100% – 12% = 88% Work Quality 88% + 10% (SV) = Rework will be requested if not satisfactory after rework - 98% Payment rate

* Stewardship Credits will be earned first, whenever practical. Forest Service Funds will be used if the availability of Stewardship Credits is exhausted or if appropriated dollars are obligated to a specific item.

Re-Inspection Costs

If rework of task(s) is required, the Contractor will be assessed the costs incurred by the Government in performing such activities. The table below lists charge rates for Government re-inspection of work.

Activity Charge rate

Government wages (per employee performing re- inspection) $50.00/hour

*Government mileage $0.56/mile

*Mileage reimbursement rate in effect January 1, 2021 is $.56 per mile.

Mileage rates change periodically and the most current mileage rates for assessed damages at the time will be used. Most current mileage rates can be found at the General Services Administration website http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/104715.

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.

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.

CUTTING UNIT: See Treatment Unit definition.

DAMAGED TREES: Trees damaged beyond recovery. A tree that is larger than 2’ 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’ 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.

DEFICIENT TREES: Cut trees in hand thinning units that are still attached at the stump and or stumps containing live limbs which are not in accordance with specifications.

DIB: Diameter inside bark.

EXCESS TREES: Trees in hand thinning units that meet cutting specification and were not cut and or trees that should have been cut based off spacing specification that were left standing.

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

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

IMPROVMENTS: buried cable, electrical boxes, powerlines, utility lines, buried gas lines, fences, range pipelines, private property, etc.

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.

MACHINE PILES: Piling of existing and activity created slash ≥2” in diameter and ≥3’ in length up to and including 24” in diameter via both tracked or rubber tired machines.

MASTICATION: Treatment of trees and slash utilizing mechanical equipment to separate limbs from the bole of the tree and shred, mulch, fragment, compact, thin, and otherwise rearrange and reduce the size of created and pre-existing slash or trees.

NOXIOUS WEEDS: Refers to controlling the spread of leafy spurge in contract area.

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.

POL: Product other than logs, ponderosa pine 6” DBH – 8.9” DBH.

PRECOMMERCAL THINNING: Live ponderosa pine/white spruce trees 1 foot in height up to and including 8.9 inches DBH shall be cut unless they qualify as a desirable leave tree or they are needed to maintain the specified average spacing intervals. However, in no case shall any live ponderosa pine/white spruce tree 1 foot in height up to 8.9 inches DBH be left closer than as specified in the task order to any other pine or white spruce. Refer to performance standards for prescribed size and spacing. Trees in these size classes shall be cut if one or more of the following conditions exist:

Trees with deformation so pronounced that one straight eight-foot piece cannot be cut from the bottom twelve feet of the tree.

Trees with active peridermium cankers anywhere on the tree bole.

Trees with broken tops and live crown ratios less than 30%.

Trees which are overtopped and growing into the crown of an adjacent larger tree.

Trees without broken tops with live crowns less than 20%.

Bark beetle infested trees or trees exhibiting signs of mountain pine beetle, or ips beetle infestation less than 9"DBH.

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

NATIVE TREES: Trees that survived the McVey burn and are designated as leave trees for future seed source.

RESERVE TREES: Individual trees within a treatment area that are protected from cutting by Leave Tree Marking.

RESIDUAL TREES: See Native Trees.

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

SLASH: See Surface Fuels.

SURFACE FUELS: 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 CO 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.

Exhibit A

Gate Specifications