A04_PWS.pdf

Performance Work Statement (PWS)

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PROJECT TITLE:

Indian Creek Hazard Tree Removal

Carson City District Office

Bureau of Land Management

Carson City, Nevada

Contents

PWS 1.0 Background on the Government’s Requirement

PWS 2.0 General Scope of Work

PWS 3.0 Overall Objective(s)

PWS 4.0 Specific Tasks

PWS 5.0 Delivery / Performance Schedule

PWS 6.0 Government-Furnished Property, Materials, Services

PWS 7.0 Security and Administrative Matters

PWS 8.0 Technical Exhibits and Definitions

EXHIBIT X: QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

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PWS 1.0 Background on the Government’s Requirement

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Sierra Front Field Office (SFFO) is requesting

79 acres of mechanical and manual hazard tree removal from within the Indian Creek

Recreation Area located in Alpine County, Markleeville, California. In 2021, the

Tamarack Fire burned through the Indian Creek Recreation Area causing damage to the

Indian Creek Campground and Curtz Lake Trail. Fire damaged trees within the area have resulted in an environment of increased risk to public health and safety. Removal of these fire damaged trees will improve safe usage of the recreational area and associated campground, as well as enable future restoration of the area.

PWS 2.0 General Scope of Work

The treatment area consists of approximately 79 acres separated into four (4) distinct units within the Indian Creek Recreation Area. A combination of mechanized and manual services will be required to achieve the desired objectives within the specific project areas. Mechanized services include falling, skidding, decking, piling, and chipping of material on slopes from 0-35%. Manual services include cutting with power saws, piling, and pile covering of remaining material within and adjacent to the Indian Creek

Campground and Curtz Lake Trail.

The Contractor shall accomplish all falling, skidding, decking, chipping, piling, and pile covering within the designated project area(s) in accordance with the specifications as outlined in Section 4.

Place of Performance

The services under this contract will be performed within the Indian Creek Recreation

Area which is located in Alpine County, California. The project area is located approximately 7 miles north of Markleeville, California, within Sections (or parts of

Sections) of the following Township (T) and Range (R) identifiers: T 10N R 20E

Sections: 4, 9.

Driving Directions to Project Area

From Markleeville, California - drive north on Highway CA-89 for 2.6 miles. Turn right

(east) on Airport Road and follow for 3.6 miles. At road junction, turn left and continue

0.7 miles to the Indian Creek Campground. Units are located at the Indian Creek

Campground and along Airport Road.

From Alpine Village, California - drive south on Highway CA-89 for 3.6 miles. Turn left

(east) on Airport Road and follow for 3.6 miles. At road junction, turn left and continue

0.7 miles to the Indian Creek Campground. Units are located at the Indian Creek

Campground and along Airport Road.

For further directions see the attached project site maps.

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Access Specifications

Access is by all-weather and seasonal roads. Project area access will be achieved by paved and gravel roads (improved), which during periods of inclement weather may require four- wheel drive vehicles. Seasonal roads may be impassable for several days after heavy rains or snow-blocked during the winter months. Cross-country foot travel of one-quarter mile to one-half mile is typical to the unit boundaries.

If an all-terrain vehicle is used, it shall be of such design that it will travel over rough, uneven terrain and not create wheel ruts and channels, or cause significant damage. The vehicle shall be approved by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) prior to use.

Portions of the project area are beyond locked gates that require a key or lock combination for access. The Contractor will be given access to gate combos and required agency keys to make access. Gate keys must be returned to the COR at the end of the period of performance. The Contractor shall lock gates with locks immediately after entry or exit.

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. No operations shall be conducted on Sundays, federally recognized holidays, or between the hours of 6:00 p.m.

and 5:00 a.m., unless otherwise approved by the COR. In addition, work hours shall be limited to the time between one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset each day. Other hours of operation restrictions may be implemented during high fire danger or as revised by the COR.

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.

Period of Performance:

The period of performance shall be for one (1) Base Year.

The Period of Performance reads as follows:

Base Year: Date of Award through March 31st, 2024

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PWS 3.0 Overall Objective(s)

The objective of this work is to remove fire damaged hazard trees from within the Indian

Creek Recreation Area for the purpose of public health and safety on public land administered by the BLM SFFO. Overall objectives are defined for each project area.

• Project Area 1 – Hazard trees, which do not meet the criteria as a Leave Tree will be cut and decked, as defined, at pre-determined landings. Slash generated from project area will be chipped and removed from site.

• Project Area 2 and 3 – Hazard trees, which do not meet the criteria as a Leave

Tree will be cut and decked, as defined, at pre-determined landings. Slash generated from project area will be used to construct burn piles.

• Project Area 4 – Hazard trees, which do not meet the criteria of Leave Trees, will be directionally felled away from the hiking trail and left on site.

A pre-bid site visit is required for this contract. Inquiries regarding a site visit may be directed towards Paul Fuselier, Assistant Field Manager, SFFO, 775-885-6177

(pfuselier@blm.gov) - or - Brian McMillan, Natural Resource Specialist, SFFO, 775-

885-6172 (bmcmillan@blm.gov). Final contract may be awarded on a per project area basis depending on available funding.

PWS 4.0 Specific Tasks

The following Tasks are separated based on the project area where they will occur. Some

Tasks may occur in multiple project areas but are not fully described in subsequent project areas. The full specification in these instances can be found within the preceding applicable project area.

Project Area 1 (23.2 acres)

Task 1: Mechanical Falling, Skidding, and Decking using tracked or wheeled equipment to remove standing live and dead trees on slopes from 0-35%.

Falling

• All trees within the project area are to be felled, excluding those which are designated as Leave Trees (see below for specifications).

o Mechanized equipment used for felling must have a minimum reach of twenty (20) feet and must be utilized as much as possible.

o All trees designated for cutting shall be limbed and topped prior to being yarded.

o Mechanized equipment used for felling should place slash in front of the machine to reduce potential soil compaction to the extent possible.

o Remaining stumps shall be no taller than eight (8) inches above ground level, measured from the uphill side.

mailto:pfuselier@blm.gov mailto:bmcmillan@blm.gov

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Yarding/Skidding

• All trees felled within the project area which is not suitable for chipping (i.e., limbs, tops, etc. – see specifications under Task 3) are to be yarded to the nearest deck location.

o Ground based yarding shall not be permitted during wet weather or when saturated soil conditions exist that would result in excessive damage or runoff.

o Forwarder operations shall be restricted to designated skid trails. Trails shall be clearly identified on the ground, be twelve (12) feet or less and width and spaced at least one hundred (100) feet apart.

o Logs that are too large for a harvester/forwarder operation may be yarded with a skidder or log loader, as approved by the COR.

o Skidding operations shall be restricted to designated skid trails. Trails shall be clearly identified on the ground, be twelve (12) feet or less and width and spaced at least one hundred and fifty (150) feet apart. Skidding shall be done with one end of the log suspended.

o Slash should be used on all skid trails to reduce potential soil compaction to the extent possible.

o Yarding operations shall not occur within or through mechanical exclusion zones or outside of treatment unit boundary(s).

o Scarring of leave trees will be avoided.

• Skid trails created during operations shall be decommission and rehabilitated.

o Slash utilized for soil surface protection shall be removed.

o Trails and ruts shall be graded to remove sidecast material or berms to allow water to move freely from trail surface to undisturbed surface.

o Water bars shall be constructed on skid trails, as specified by the COR.

Landing/Decking

• Harvested trees will be decked at pre-determined locations and sorted by species.

o Jeffery pine log decks are to be sorted based on the following size classes:

8.1-16” Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and 16.1” DBH or greater. Prior to decking, logs shall be bucked into 17-foot lengths.

o Remaining species present are not required to be sorted by size (i.e., incense cedar, pinion pine, juniper, etc.). Prior to decking, logs shall be bucked into lengths not to exceed 17 feet.

o All log decks are to have a maximum average height of 10 feet tall and shall not exceed 12 feet tall.

Task 2: Hand sever using power saws standing live and dead trees in areas not conducive to mechanical treatment (i.e., rocky areas, slopes greater than 35%).

• Hand cut trees within the project areas as needed, excluding those which are designated as Leave Trees (see below for specifications).

o All trees which are hand severed shall be limbed and topped prior to being yarded.

PWS Page 6 o Remaining stumps will be no taller than 8 inches above ground level, measured from the uphill side.

Task 3: Chip and/or grind all cut material and downed slash up to 8 inches in diameter and haul offsite.

• Cut material and slash between 2 inch and 8 inches in diameter and greater than 2 feet in length will be chipped.

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

• Chipped material shall be hauled off site to be properly and legally disposed of by the Contractor.

Task 4 (Optional): Removal of Log Decks that have been created as a result of tree removal work within the project area.

• Properly and legally remove and/or dispose of log decks created during the implementation of this contract.

• All costs associated with the removal of log decks are the responsibility of

Contractor and no additional costs will be incurred by the Government.

Project Areas 2 and 3 (21.7 and 20.4 acres, respectively)

Task 1: Mechanical Falling, Skidding, and Decking – as specified for Project Area 1.

Task 2: Hand sever – as specified for Project Area 1

Task 4 (Optional): Removal of Log Decks – as specified for Project Area 1

Task 5: Machine and/or hand pile all cut material and downed slash up to 8 inches in diameter.

• Cut material and slash between 2 inch and 8 inches in diameter and greater than 2 feet in length will be utilized to construct burn piles. Burn pile dimensions shall not exceed 8 feet in diameter and 10 feet in height.

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

o Burn piles will be constructed with smaller size materials located within the middle, transitioning towards larger materials towards the outside.

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

PWS Page 7 o Burn piles will be placed a minimum of 30 feet from leave trees, trails, fence lines, roadways, unit boundaries, infrastructure, or other areas as marked.

o Burn piles shall generally be placed 30 feet apart.

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

Task 6: Pile covering all created piles within the project area.

• All piles shall be covered with a minimum of 8-foot by 8-foot piece of 4-mil thickness black polyethylene plastic. 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 plastic sheets shall be anchored with slash or other debris. The black plastic sheets must be placed in the top ¼ of the pile.

Project Area 4 (13.6 acres)

Task 7: Hand sever using power saws standing live and dead trees (see map).

• Hand cut trees within the project area, excluding those which are designated as

Leave Trees (see below for specifications).

o Utilize directional falling to prevent trees from falling across trail tread.

Trees which cross trail tread shall be bucked to no less than the width of the trail tread.

o Remaining stumps shall be no taller than 8 inches above ground level, measured from the uphill side.

Characteristics used in the selection of Leave Trees for all project areas include the following:

1. All existing downed trees are designated as Leave Trees but may be bucked to facilitate yarding.

2. Trees that are marked with “Do Not Cut” flagging are designated as Leave Trees and are reserved from cutting.

3. Within the project area, all Jeffrey pine with live crowns with a probability of mortality less than seventy (70) percent are designated as Leave Trees and are reserved from cutting.

Probabilities of mortality as defined in USFS Region 5 “Marking Guidelines for Fire-

Injured Trees in California” will be used to determine dead and dying trees as needed

PWS Page 8 in this contract. A probability of mortality of 70% will be used to determine trees for removal. The specification for determining this probability is as follows:

Species Method 70% Probability of

Mortality

Jeffrey pine Percent Crown Length

Killed >60%

PWS 5.0 Delivery / Performance Schedule

Mapping

Project Area boundaries are marked with orange flagging at or above DBH, orange paint at the butt of the tree, and boundary tags, and are designated for cutting. In addition, a shapefile and georeferenced PDF map of the treatment area for GPS/ Avenza will be provided. The Contractor will be required to accurately work within boundary of units.

Boundary cutting activities will be monitored with GPS mapping and orange stump marks.

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 a Treatment Plan and Schedule to accomplish the project objectives. The Treatment Plan and Schedule will be agreed upon by both parties and incorporated into the contract at the

Pre-Work meeting. 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:

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

2. Safety Plan – To include traffic control that is compliant with state and local

OSHA and Transportation standards, and identification of operational hazards.

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, storage, or service area other than those identified within the Treatment

Plan is opened or operated on lands administered by the BLM, permission shall be obtained through the 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.

Protection of Improvements

The Contractor shall protect roads and other improvements (such as fences, facilities, trails, telephone lines, ditches, campground infrastructure, etc.) whether designated on the project area map or not. The Contractor will be responsible for damage to paved

(bituminous) roads or surfaces that are a result of operations and shall repair damage to pre-treatment physical condition.

No logging activity or hauling shall be conducted on unsurfaced road during wet weather and saturated soil conditions that would result in excessive damage or runoff.

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.

When access through private in-holdings or rights of ways are required, the Contractor will adhere to all stipulations and security requirements of the landowner to maintain project area access. Coordination with private landowners and right of way holders will be done through or in cooperation with the BLM COR.

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.

Unless otherwise specified in writing, when operations are in progress adjacent to or on roads and/or trails in the harvest unit area, the Contractor shall furnish, install, and maintain all temporary traffic controls that provide the road or trail user with adequate warning of and protection from hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions associated with its operations. Traffic control devices shall be appropriate to current operating and/or weather conditions and shall be covered or removed when not needed. Flagmen and devices shall be as specified in state OSHA and Transportation standards for logging roads or the “Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways”

(MUTCD) published by the U.S. Department of Transportation – Federal Highway

Administration. Included in the Traffic Control Plan, the Contractor shall note traffic control device locations on a Contractor produced copy of the attached maps (or similar).

During operations, the Contractor shall keep roads, ditches, and/or culverts within the project area clear of trees, rocks, dirt, and other debris so far as is practical. Roads shall not be blocked by operations for more than thirty (30) minutes unless otherwise approved by the COR.

Sanitation and Servicing

If facilities for employees are established within the project area, they shall be operated in a sanitary manner. The Contractor shall remove from BLM lands all refuse resulting from use, servicing, repair, or abandonment of equipment. The Contractor shall take all reasonable precautions to prevent pollution of air, soil, and water by Contractor’s operations. Contractor shall not service tractors, trucks or other equipment on BLM lands where servicing is likely to result in pollution to soil or water. 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 physical conditions, and approved by the COR.

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PWS 6.0 Government-Furnished Property, Materials, Services

Government furnished resources shall be limited to only maps and geospatial data which delineate the project area.

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.

PWS 7.0 Security and Administrative Matters Invasive Species:

The Contractor is required to clean by pressure washing or steam cleaning all logging equipment prior to operating on Government lands to minimize the likelihood of spreading noxious weeds and non-native plant species. Cleaning shall be defined as the removal of all dirt, grease, and plant parts that carry noxious weed seeds or vegetative parts. In addition, if equipment is found operating in a noxious weed area, the equipment must be cleaned before leaving or moving to another project area location.

Archeological Resources:

If, in connection with operations under this contract, the Contractor discovers, encounters or becomes aware of any possible historical or archeological data, objects or sites of cultural value on the project area, such as historical ruins, graves or grave markers, fossils, or artifacts, the Contractor shall immediately suspend all operations in the vicinity of the cultural value and shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing, giving the location and nature of the findings. No objects of cultural resource value may be removed.

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 Contractor must provide a fire mitigation and response plan to the BLM COR which outlines the Contractor’s fire prevention equipment at site, fire response/ reporting actions, and evacuation plan in the event of a wildfire start at or adjacent to the project site. The COR may, under certain conditions, require fire prevention and control measures in addition to those required by

PWS Page 12 applicable state laws and regulations. This may include, but is not limited to, changes in daily work schedules or full closure of operations due to extreme fire risk or under fire restrictions. No operations shall occur under Red Flag Warnings.

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

PWS 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 X: QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

Work Tasks to be

Performed Acceptable Quality Level Method of Surveillance

Consequences, Remedies, and/or Deduction(s)

Task(s):

1: Mechanical

Falling, Skidding, and

Decking

2: Hand Sever

All trees within the project areas, which do not meet the requirements of a Leave

Trees, have been felled and decked, and skid trails have been decommissioned in accordance with the specifications listed under

Section 4.

All trees which are not conducive to mechanical felling, and do not meet the requirements of a Leave

Tree, must be hand severed using power saws in accordance with the specification listed under

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 units unless otherwise agreed upon in writing.

The Contractor will be responsible for ensuring his or her crew can identify Leave

Trees and implement the specifications for each task.

The contractor will be made aware of the deficiencies and will be documented in the

COR’s and/or PI’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 areas.

c. Positive or negative Performance rating at the end of the contract.

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3: Chipping

4: Removal of Log

Decks (optional)

5: Mechanical and /or

Hand Pile

6: Pile Covering

All cut materials and downed slash between 1/2 and 8 inches in diameter and greater than 2 feet in length must be chipped and removed in accordance with the specifications listed under Section 4.

Log decks created during the implementation of Task

1 are removed in accordance with the

All cut material and downed slash from 1/2 to 8 inches in diameter and greater than 2 feet in length must be piled in accordance with the specifications listed under section 4.

All piles created within the project area must be covered under the specification outlined

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.

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7: Hand sever within section 4 of this task order.

All trees within the project areas, which do not meet the requirements of a Leave

Trees, have been directionally felled in accordance with the