A02_Attachment_1_Rim_Stockades_Boys_Lop_and_Scatter_SOW_Final.pdf

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

ARIZONA STRIP DISTRICT FIELD OFFICE

STATEMENT OF WORK

Uinkaret Landscape Restoration Project (UMLRP)

Rim, Stockade, and Boys Pasture (UMLRP) Mechanical Lop & Scatter Units (FY2021)

1. Introduction: The Arizona Strip District Office, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is acquiring fuels management services to treat vegetation to reduce the risk of wildland fires, enhance big game habitat, while improving forest and rangeland health.

2. Objective: The objective of this contract is to provide the BLM (Arizona Strip District) with the ability to accept bids from contractors to complete Lop and Scatter Mechanical Treatments located within the identified proposed project areas (see attachment 1 for specific project locations). In total, approximately 1456 Acres will need a Mechanical Lop and Scatter Treatment.

. The BLM requests contractors provide a cost per acre for the total amount of proposed treatment area.

These areas were treated in 2020 and substantial trees were cut and fuel loads were reduced. However, having learned from previous contracts and experience, the BLM would like to remove more trees per acre. The goal will be to have approximately two trees/acre remaining upon completion of this contract.

Estimated that 8-10 trees/acre of various sizes would need to be lop and scattered to achieve objectives.

3. Background: The project area consists of stands of pinyon juniper woodlands, and sagebrush steppe.

Fuel loadings range from less than ½ ton per acre to as high as 25 to 50 tons per acre. The main goals of the Uinkaret Project are to reduce the risk of a large and/or severe wildland fire, improve mountain shrub habitat for mule deer habitat. The method that will be used to reduce wildland fire risk in these stands are mechanical lop and scatter treatments.

4. Purpose: The purpose of the Uinkaret project is to reduce volatile fuel loadings and extreme fire danger and improve rangeland health and wildlife habitat. The Contractor will furnish all tools, labor, supervision, equipment, materials, supplies, transportation, training and incidentals necessary to accomplish the removal of trees and treatment of slash in accordance with the specifications provided.

This contract is for the purposes of improving forest and rangeland health for the BLM.

5. Scope of Work: The objective of these units is to reduce ladder fuels as well as the tree canopy density so that the stands will be less likely to support a running crown fire. The thinning is intended to try and keep wildfire on the ground where it is more easily managed by wildland fire fighting resources.

6. Location of Project Area: The Uinkaret project area is located approximately 50 miles Southeast of St.

George, Utah, in Arizona. All work will be performed on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. General-purpose maps will be included with each Task Order to give the minimum needs, for a contractor’s project bid. Once the project is accepted by the contractor, maps will be provided by and agreed upon by BLM and the contractor. See attached maps for any further information.

7. Project Boundary Marking: The location and access to the areas are shown on the work location and project location maps. Project areas are marked by changes in vegetation, roads, topography changes, or streams. The boundaries are adjacent to recent harvest units, or other natural or manmade features that clearly define the boundary as noted on the project area maps. Avenza map of the project area will be furnished to contractor. No additional on the ground project boundaries will be provided. Contractor is expected to have smart phone, tablet, or a suitable GPS device capable of accurately depicting Avenza maps. These maps will depict harvest areas and exclusion areas. A pre-work meeting will be held at the project area with the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and/or Project Inspector (PI). The intent is to ensure the contractor understands markings, unit locations and specifications of the contract, and review the contractor’s plan of operations. It is encouraged that all potential contractors complete a thorough site visit before bidding on the contract.

8. Access: Legal public access to the project area will be identified on a map prior to the contractor starting the implementation phase. Seasonal road closers may exist (contractor will be notified of closers upon award). Contractor will assume responsibility for any additional access if desired. If roads or any type of access become subject to damage, because of adverse weather conditions or other natural and or political reasons, the COR will relay information to the contractor, and a Stop Work Order may be implemented by the CO until other access can be decided.

9. Notification of Cessation or Restart of work: The Contractor will notify the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) whenever he/she intends to cease operations for three or more days, and will notify the COR before starting operations after a shutdown of three or more days.

10. Personnel Requirements: The crew is responsible for maintaining a safe working environment following OSHA standards. The Contractor must attend the pre-work meeting and provide a written performance plan including crew size prior to beginning work.

11. Crew Foreman: A crew foreman must be on-site directing work at all times. This person will also serve as an on the ground contact person for the COR/PI. Failure to maintain a crew foreman will result in suspension of work until a crew foreman is provided by the winning bidder. A maximum of five (5) days will be allowed to produce a qualified foreman. Failure to produce a qualified on-the-ground foreman within five days may result in the Contracting Officer (CO) issuing a Suspend Work Order. CO and COR must be informed of any changes in Crew Foreman.

12. Detailed Unit Information: The Rim-Stockade-Boys Unit consists of the juniper, pinyon, brush and grass fuel type. Tree densities of the unit will vary in ranges of 20%-60%. The total acreage for the unit is 1456 acres of pinyon and juniper lop and scatter.

Because of the scattered nature of the vegetation, not all acres within the established boundaries of the unit will require the same amount of labor to achieve the specifications outlined below. It shall be the responsibility of the Contractor (i.e. knowledge and experience of the crew leader) to determine the quantity of work needed to meet specifications identified in this SOW. Acreage of the unit was determined by calculations based on a horizontal plane using GIS technology.

13. Work Camps: Camping on agency-administered lands will only be allowed in approved sites and with the prior written authorization of the responsible land manager. Should such a work camp be authorized, the Contractor shall maintain the camp in an orderly and sanitary manner. All fire regulations and permits shall be followed. Depending on season, fire restrictions may apply, including no camp fires. Red flag warning (high winds with low humidity) may warrant ceasing operations for a day or two to reduce risk of wildfires. All garbage and refuse shall be removed from the camp site(s) by the Contractor and disposed of off-site before final payment is made.

14. Rim, Stockade, and Boys Pasture Pinyon Juniper Lop & Scatter Units (1456 Acres):

Specifications (specs.) For treatment of tree species and sizes to be cut:

Lop and Scatter:

(a) All except two (2) trees per acre will be cut within the areas delineated within the project area.

Remaining stump height not to exceed 6 inches. The two trees remaining/acre will be selected using the following criteria:

• junipers greater than 15 inch DRC (Diameter Root Crown).

• pinyon pine trees greater than 6 inch DBH (Diameter at Breast Height 4.5 feet).

(c) All cut trees greater than 3 inches DBH shall be limbed.

(d) No live limbs shall be left on the stumps of cut trees

(e) Felled trees within 50 feet of either side of any erosion rill or gully will be placed in the erosion rill or gully.

(f) Lop and scatter biomass to a discontinuous, low depth of 24 inches or less in order to maintain biomass to soil contact and encourage decomposition of slash and eventual conversion to soil organic matter.

15. Protection of Improvements: The COR may order a cessation of work if vehicles are operated on roads within the work area when ground or weather conditions cause or lead to loss of traction. Such conditions usually develop where frozen ground is thawing, when snow is melting, and during or immediately following rainstorms. Any soil and ground disturbance caused by equipment during and after operations will be rehabilitated.

16. Work hours under this contract shall be limited to the time between one-half hours before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset each day. No work will be done on legal National Holidays unless authorized by the COR.

17. Salvage Rights: No salvage will be allowed.

18. If in connection with this project any human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, or objects of cultural patrimony, as defined in the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (Public Law 101-601; 104 Stat. 3048; 25 U.S.C. 3001), are discovered, operations in the immediate area of the discovery would stop, the remains and objects would be protected, and the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument Manager or Arizona Strip Field Office Manager (or their designee) would be immediately notified. The immediate area of the discovery shall be protected until notified by the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument Manager or Arizona Strip Field Office Manager (or their designee) that operations may resume.

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE SECTION:

1. Inspection:

(a) The Government COR and/or PI will make periodic inspections as a basis for acceptance and payment and recommendations for adjustments in work quality while work is in progress. The Contractor is encouraged to participate in inspections while they are being conducted.

(b) As the basis for payment, inspections for compliance with specifications will be made for work units reported as completed by the contractor. All plots will be averaged together to determine payment.

(c) A combination of Ocular or Physical Inspections will be made on a series of plots located at different intervals across each work unit. A sufficient number of plots will be taken to obtain at least one percent sample of the work unit.

(d) The following information will be recorded for each plot inspected if more than 10 percent of the treated area has these items found in them. The treated areas will get a failing grade if:

1. Stumps taller than 6 inches are present

2. Severed trees are not bucked into 3 foot lengths

3. Live limbs are left on the stump

4. Slash is not reduced to within 20 inches of the ground

2. Determination of Work Quality Percentage:

Work quality percentages are derived from data developed from inspection plots. The final work quality percentage times the bid price determines the pay. A work quality percentage of 90 percent or higher will result in full payment. If any of the reasons stated above in the Inspection section part (d) are the primary reason for unsatisfactory work, the Contractor shall rework areas designated by the Government until satisfactory work quality is obtained.

3. Acceptance:

(a) Satisfactory Work Quality: A minimum work quality standard of 90 percent is required.

(b) Unsatisfactory Work Quality: Based on inspection results, if the work quality percentage falls below 90 percent, the Contracting Officer will immediately notify the Contractor in writing and instruct the Contractor to improve the quality of the work. The contractor may ask for a meeting between themselves, CO and COR and PI to discuss a resolution. If the quality of the work is not raised to an acceptable level within two consecutive workdays after written notification or within time decided at the meeting, the Contracting Officer may issue a stop work order and/or Termination of Contract.

(c) Final payment shall not be granted until project is complete to the satisfactory quality standard.

GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED PROPERTY

The Government will provide the following items to the Contractor:

(a) Provide various USGS 7.5 minute quadrangles (1:24,000 scales) or GIS equivalent (Avenza pdf digital map of project area) with clear cut unit boundaries clearly identified. Contractor is required to have an Avenza ready device (smart phone, tablet, etc.) capable of viewing these digital maps. These maps provide contractor and workers project area and depict exclusion areas.

(b) A BLM Representative (COR and/or PI) will be available for technical guidance and when inspection is requested by the contractor. Regular communications between the BLM representatives and the contractor will alleviate any problems or delays.

PERFORMANCE PERIOD

THE ESTIMATED DATES FOR THIS PROJECT ARE:

Start Date: Sept. 1, 2021 (if contract awarded sooner, start date may be negotiated) End Date: May 1, 2022

Attachment 1. Rim-Stockade-Boys Pasture (UMLRP) Project Map (Avenza ready pdf).