2. Banquet-Plateau DxP IRSC Appendix A.pdf

Banquet-Plateau DxP IRSC San Juan National Forest Page 1 of 10 Dolores Ranger District

APPENDIX A

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR SERVICE WORK ITEMS

SECTION I – DESCRIPTION OF WORK:

The objectives of this project are to increase forest resiliency and resistance to bark beetle epidemic, increase age class diversity, promote recovery of forest vegetation, reduce the risk of high severity wildfires, and provide wood products for both commercial and non-commercial uses by accomplishing the following:

1. Cut and remove ponderosa pine live saw timber 9.0” DBH – 19.9”DBH (Banquet Contract Area) or 21.9” DBH (Plateau Contract Area)

2. Cut, skid, and deck ponderosa pine dead sawtimber and live/dead non-sawtimber. 5.0” DBH – 19.9”DBH (Banquet Contract Area) or 5.0” DBH - 21.9” DBH (Plateau Contract Area)

SECTION II – WORK ITEMS

Cut and Remove Included Timber:

Banquet Contract Area – Mandatory Item 1a; Optional Item 3a:

Mandatory Units 1, 2, 3, 10,11, 12, 15 (490 Acres); Optional Units 4-9, 13-14 (732 Acres).

Plateau Contract Area – Mandatory Item 1b, Optional Item 3b:

Mandatory Units 4-10,13-18 (521 Acres); Optional Units 1-3,11-12 (361 Acres).

Cut and remove from Contract Area sawtimber trees which meet the minimum tree specifications as identified in Appendix B. Road Maintenance shall be commensurate with use per the requirements of Appendix C. All Appendix B are applicable to this item.

Cut and Remove Included Timber Tables Banquet Contract Area Plateau Contract Area Unit Acres Estimated

Sawtimber Volume

(CCF)

Unit Acres Estimated Sawtimber Volume

(CCF)

1 66 516 1 26 213 2 150 1,172 2 80 654 3 135 1,056 3 40 322 4 55 432 4 20 160 5 47 369 5 20 165 6 145 1,136 6 21 170 7 165 1,289 7 22 177 8 66 512 8 138 1121 9 53 410 9 93 756 10 20 154 10 33 269 11 37 289 11 151 1232 12 73 571 12 64 524 13 157 1,225 13 68 553

Page 2 of 10 Dolores Ranger District

14 44 347 14 38 307 15 9 69 15 6 51 Sum: 1,222 9,547 16 24 196 Mandatory 490 3,827 17 10 78 Optional 732 5,720 18 28 226 Sum 882 7,174 Mandatory 521 4,230 Optional 361 2,945

Cut, Skid, & Deck Designated Timber (Non-Sawtimber and Dead Sawtimber)

Banquet Contract Area – Mandatory Item 2a; Optional Item 4a:

Mandatory Unit 10 (20 Acres); Optional Units 4-9, 13-14 (732 Acres).

Plateau Contract Area – Optional Item 4b:

Units 1-18 (882 Acres)

Cut:

1. Fell all dead ponderosa pine, not marked with orange paint.

a.Banquet Contract Area – 5.0” DBH – 19.9” DBH (23.9” DRC) Note: 24.0” DRC equates to 20.0”

DBH, however, designation for cutting is based on DBH.

a.Plateau Contract Area – 5.0” DBH – 21.9” DBH (25.9” DRC) Note: 26.0” DRC equates to 22.0”

DBH, however, designation for cutting is based on DBH.

2. Fell all designated live non-saw trees that are between 5.0” – 8.9” DBH according to Appendix B

C2.355#, C2.356#.

3. Maximum stump height is 12”.

4. Cut trees may be processed at the stump and/or landings. All cut trees meeting utilization standards identified in appendix B shall be limbed of branches as near to their bole as possible and have their top severed from according to Appendix B, A.2 utilization standards.

5. All slash created by contractor shall be piled per C6.7#

Skid/Deck:

1. Applies to all Contractor-felled trees that are live/dead non-saw 5.0”-8.9” DBH and dead sawtimber that meet utilization standards as identified in Appendix B.

2. Skid logs to approved landing areas as designated by COR. The COR will designate the actual footprint of the decking area on the ground. Additional trees may need to be cut to accommodate decks and will be designated by the Forest Service and agreed to by representative.

3. No decking in road prisms.

4. No skidding of logs across Forest System Road without COR approval.

5. Decks need to be compact, neat, and orderly with minimal air space.

6. All butt ends of the log shall face the same direction.

7. The minimum height of a deck is 5’.

8. Larger and fewer decks are preferred.

Page 3 of 10 Dolores Ranger District

Cut, Skid, & Deck Designated Timber Tables Banquet Contract Area Plateau Contract Area

Unit

Acres

Dead Sawtimber

Volume

(CCF)

Non-sawtimber

Volume

(CCF)

Unit Acres

Dead Sawtimber

Volume

(CCF)

Non-sawtimber

Volume

(CCF)

4 55 12 30 1 26 25 10 5 47 10 26 2 80 75 53 6 145 31 79 3 40 37 15 7 165 35 90 4 20 18 8 8 66 14 36 5 20 19 8 9 53 11 29 6 21 20 8

10 20 4 11 7 22 20 8 13 157 33 85 8 138 129 53 14 44 9 24 9 93 87 36

Sum: 752 158 410 10 33 31 13 Mandatory: 20 4 11 11 151 142 58

Optional: 732 154 398 12 64 60 25 13 68 64 26 14 38 35 15 15 6 6 2 16 24 23 9 17 10 9 4 18 28 26 11 Sum 882 826 307

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) Restrictions per solicitation clauses 10,15, and 16.

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

(3) When soil moisture conditions create excessive risk of damage to the soil,

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

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

Page 4 of 10 Dolores Ranger District

(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) If any new raptor nests are discovered during operations of this contract, work will be suspended in the immediate vicinity of the site until survey is completed by the Forest Wildlife Biologist. Areas excluded from treatment shall be deleted from the contract.

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 fixed area plots and variable radius plots along transects to record whether density, basal area, best tree selection, and other 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:

Page 5 of 10 Dolores Ranger District

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

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 on the items listed below:

a. Plot number

b. Number of trees to be left on plot.

c. Number of trees left on plot.

d. Number of satisfactory trees.

e. Number of deficient trees.

f. Number of excess trees.

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

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

- Trees meeting cut specifications will be counted as excess trees

- Trees in excess of trees to be left will be counted as excess

9. Work quality will be calculated on the form as follows:

No. Trees Deficient + No. Excess Trees -------------------------------------------------- = % Unsatisfactory work No. Trees to be left

100% – % Unsatisfactory work = % Work Quality

Unsatisfactory Cutting

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.

Page 6 of 10 Dolores Ranger District

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.

Government Inspection Procedures

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

ITEM DESCRIPTION SCHEDULE UNIT Min AQL

Banquet Contract Area

1a, 3a, Plateau

Contract Area 1b, 3b

Cut and Remove Included Timber

1A, 1B MANDATORY

3A, 3b OPTIONAL ACRE 90%

Banquet Contract Area

2a, 4a, Plateau

Contract Area 4b

Cut, Skid, & Deck Designated Timber (Non-Sawtimber and Dead Sawtimber).

2A, 4A MANDATORY

4b OPTIONAL ACRE 90%

SECTION V – PAYMENT METHODS

Method of Measurement for Acreages

Acreages were determined by using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) or digitized using GIS mapping. Some unit boundaries are discernable, the majority of boundaries are painted.

Discernable Boundaries are boundary locations that are readily identifiable features on the ground in locations shown on the Contract Area Map.

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:

Page 7 of 10 Dolores Ranger District

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

All Items:

1. If informal visual inspection indicates acceptable work quality, the Contractor will be paid 100 percent of their bid rate.

2. In the event that 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, Contractor will be paid 100 percent of their bid rate.

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

(c) For work quality 84 percent and less, 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 84%, the work is unacceptable, and no payment will be made.

* 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.

SECTION VI – DEFINITIONS

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

ADVANCED REGENERATION: Young, healthy, dwarf mistletoe-free conifers, less than 5.0 inches in diameter, free of defect.

ASPEN CLONE: A collection of vigorous aspen trees sharing the same root system.

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.

Page 8 of 10 Dolores Ranger District

CLUMPS: Clumps are collections of 2 - 11 trees growing close in proximity. Trees within clumps directly affect each other’s growth and form. The crowns of trees within clumps either touch or grow up to 20 feet of each other (i.e., crown spacing = 0’ – 20')

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.

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 Pine Beetle infestation.

DESIGNATION BY PERSCRIPTION (DXP): A cutting designation where a prescription is used to determine which trees will be left and which will be cut.

DIB: Diameter inside bark.

DRC: Diameter at root collar measured 6 inches above the ground level on the uphill side of the tree.

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

INDIVIDUALS: Individual trees are open grown and receive full sunlight. They are not directly impacted by other trees. The post-harvest stand should contain individual trees of varying size/age classes.

INTERSPACE: The open area found in between clumps and individual trees (crown spacing). Interspace is smaller than openings. Patches of interspace are irregular in shape but are often ~25’ wide (+/-10’). The post-harvest stand should contain interspace.

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 maximum diameter

8.9 inches DBH.

OPENINGS: Areas up to two acres in size (though they are usually smaller) that are free of trees (excepting advanced generation). Within treated stands, openings may be created when areas of dead, mistletoe-infested, or beetle-infested trees are cut. Openings may also be created where advanced regeneration is present, in order to enhance that regeneration’s vigor and growth. Post-harvest stands should contain openings. However, openings should not be actively created except in the instances mentioned above.

PAYMENT UNIT: See Treatment Unit.

Page 9 of 10 Dolores Ranger District

PILING: Gathering and stacking of downed wood and activity slash by hand or mechanical methods into piles constructed and located as indicated by technical specification and project maps.

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

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.

VIRTUAL BOUNDARY: A unit boundary that is shown on the map but is not demarcated on the ground. The contractor must use mapping applications in order to locate these boundaries in the unit.

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.

Page 10 of 10 Dolores Ranger District

Exhibit 1 - Dwarf Mistletoe Rating System

Hoffman, James T. “Management Guide for Dwarf Mistletoe”. Forest Health Protection and State Forestry

Organizations, May 2004. Web.