A04 SOW.doc

EUREKA COUNTY HABITAT ENHANCEMENT/FUELS MANUAL LOP AND SCATTER

STATEMENT OF WORK

1.

Introduction

1.1 Purpose

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Battle Mountain District Office, is seeking contractor services to conduct a tree thinning (manual lop and scatter) treatment on 2,250 acres of pinyon pine and Utah juniper which has established within sagebrush ecological sites. The Pony Express Unit encompasses 829 acres, the Lower Pete Hansen Unit encompasses 597 acres, and the Dry Canyon Unit encompasses 824 acres. The service requested is the manual severing of whole trees, and dispersal of the materials. Trees within treatment units will be thinned to a predetermined density (See Section 4: Project Specifications). The purpose of the project is to improve the overall health of sagebrush ecological sites, reduce fuel loading, and improve wildlife habitat and other watershed values.

1.2 Location & Access to Work Site

Work under this contract is located within Eureka County, Nevada. All units can be accessed via Hwy 278, heading south out Carlin, NV off of Interstate 80 or North out of Eureka, NV, north of Hwy 50. There are several two-track roads which require a high clearance four-wheel drive vehicle as well as larger dirt county roads accessible by a low clearance two-wheel drive vehicle within and adjacent to the project areas. Four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended on all non-paved roads due to the potential for unexpected inclement weather conditions as well as general road conditions.

There are no seasonal weather restrictions unless heavy rains occur or during periods of snow melt which may result in an intermittent work schedule due to muddy conditions. Work shall not occur if project implementation is creating excessive rutting (defined as ruts deeper than 2 inches in the regular road surface). Roads will be considered impassable when wet and access into the project area may be closed by the government during this time. Road maintenance may be permitted on existing roads with prior government approval; describe any planned maintenance or improvement work in your technical proposal.

Pony Express Unit

The Pony Express Unit is located on the southern edge of the Sulphur Spring Range, approximately 25 miles north of Eureka, NV, north of US Hwy 50 and 70 miles south of Carlin, NV (refer to attached maps).

Access to the Pony Express Unit can be accessed by Hwy 278, then taking Saddler Brown Rd. to the east. The project area is located off a two track, approximately ½ mile north of Saddler Brown Rd.

The following legal land descriptions apply (Mount Diablo Base & Meridian):

Township 22 North, Range 52 East, Sections 02, 03, and 04

Township 23 North; Range 52 East; Sections 33, 34, and 35 Lower Pete Hansen & Dry Canyon Units The Lower Pete Hansen Unit and Dry Canyon Unit are located on the western side of Roberts Spring Mountain, approximately 70 miles south of Carlin, NV and 50 miles north of US Hwy 50. Access to the units is located off of 3 Bars Road from the south or Alpha Road, onto Tonkin Springs Road from the North. Access to the individual units is off two tracks and improved roads within area. There are many access points for range improvements within the units.

The following legal land descriptions apply (Mount Diablo Base & Meridian) for Lower Pete Hansen:

Township 23 North; Range 49 East; Section 01

Township 23 North; Range 50 East; Section 06

Township 23.5 North; Range 49 East; Sections 01, 06

Township 24 North; Range 49 East; 36

1.3 Project Area Description

Vegetation in the area is typical of the Great Basin and consists of a mixture of pinyon pine, juniper, sagebrush, bitterbrush, and grasses. The area primarily has slopes between 5 and 40% though isolated steeper slopes may exist in some areas. Current tree densities within the units vary between 10 and 70% canopy cover.

It is the responsibility of the offered/contractor to consider tree densities and terrain while developing an overall plan as required.

1.4 Boundaries of Project Area

The project boundaries are not marked on the ground. Maps and a GIS shapefile of the project boundary will be provided for upload into a GPS unit provided by the selected contractor. The selected contractor will be responsible for navigating with a GPS unit to stay within the project boundaries. The Government will not flag the unit boundaries and will only be on site for periodic work inspection.

Minor boundary adjustments to treatment units, up to 10% of the total project area, may occur for administrative purposes during project implementation that would potentially change the size or shape of treatment units. These adjustments WILL NOT change the total project size or the award amount.

1.5 Unique Features

Avoidance areas, survey corner markers, and other special features, if present, will be identified on maps and provided in a shapefile. When weather conditions alter working conditions, extensions may be granted based on weather or access related issues.

For the Pony Express Unit, due to the proximity of the project to the Pony Express historic trail, the awarded contractor will work with BLM staff to save some of the existing trees within drainages to mimic more of a “natural” appearance in the form of stringers or clumps as shown in the example below. The stringers or clumps of trees will be marked by BLM staff. Not all trees will be removed in these “leave” areas. The leave areas will be flagged prior to the work start date. BLM staff can be present at the project area to answer questions by the awarded contractor if prior notice is given within two days of requested site visit. On the project map, Unit 1 will contain the stringers and islands left behind. Unit 2 is phase I and will be 100% removed of trees.

For the Lower Pete Hansen and Dry Canyon units, the attached maps break out multiple units within each project area. One unit is each area is labeled as 100% of all PJ regardless of tree class. These areas are where the PJ has encroached onto historic sagebrush areas. The other units will fillow the standard specs listed in Section 4.1, which will be more of a traditional fuels reduction layout with one tree left every 40 to 50 feet in spacing.

2. Contractor Furnished Property and Services

2.1 Contractor Responsibilities Contractor will be responsible for all labor, supplies, equipment, and maintenance needs for duration of project. The contractor is required to provide a GPS unit capable of uploading and viewing a shapefile of the project boundary and any avoidance areas. Shapefiles and/or maps will be provided by the government in one or more of the following formats: .gpx, .kml, .kmz, or a .zip file containing the .shp, .shx, .dbf, and .prj files.

2.2 Contractor Equipment

The contractor equipment (chainsaws & tools) shall:

2.2.1 Be of adequate size and power to alter the vegetation type in accordance with the specified level of work, prescription, or as otherwise specified below in Section 4 Project Specifications.

2.2.2 Be of durable design and construction to withstand the stresses of tree falling and bucking operations in pinyon-juniper woodlands.

2.2.3 Be free of fluid leaks and have spark arrestors in good operating condition.

2.2.4 Meet or exceed current OSHA logging specifications for safety.

2.2.5 Meet or exceed the requirements listed in Section 2.4 Fire Prevention / Suppression.

2.2.6 The contractor’s GPS (as required) shall be capable of uploading project boundaries in at least one of the formats listed above, be capable of operating in WGS-84 or NAD-83 datums, and provide a position accuracy on the unit of ± 20ft.

2.2.7 Personal protective equipment PPE will meet or exceed current OSHA Logging standards.

2.3 Work Camp

Camping will be allowed during project implementation only at sites approved by BLM in advance. All fire regulations and permits shall be followed. All garbage and refuse shall be removed from the camp site by the contractor within five (5) days of camp abandonment. Final payment will be reserved subject to inspection of these sites by BLM and approval of site cleanup.

2.4 Fire Prevention/Suppression

The contractor shall:

a) Equip all diesel and/or gasoline operated engines with spark arresters.

b) Equip at least one individual per group with one shovel and one fire extinguisher, containing not less than 8 ounces of extinguisher fluid, or a dry chemical powder-type of not less than 1-pound capacity. The extinguisher must be immediately accessible to the saw operator at all times.

c) Remove all concentrations of wood dust and debris from equipment (chainsaws) daily.

3.

Government Furnished Property and Services Government shall provide at minimum one paper map depicting the project area, any avoidance areas, and other special features, if present, in 1:24,000 scale. A GIS shapefile will be provided of the project boundary and any avoidance areas to be uploaded to their GPS.

4. Project Specifications

4.1 Method: Tree Thinning – 2,250 acres

Contractors are to submit a single bid for lop and scatter treatments on a per acre basis using the attached specifications. A 10% reduction may be imposed due to unforeseeable culturally or environmentally sensitive areas discovered during pre-treatment inventory and monitoring. However, final reductions are expected to be minimal.

Lop and scatter of pinyon and juniper trees will be conducted within the following specifications:

· Boles shall be cut as close to the ground as possible with a target stump height of less than 8 inches;

· Boles are to be cut in 5 foot lengths if the length of the tree meets or exceeds 10 feet in height from end to end;

· Limbs (slash) from thinned trees shall be cut and scattered next to the tree bole or as close as possible while not allowing slash height to exceed 24 inches from ground level;

· In marked 100% removal units, tree densities are to be reduced so that all Phase I trees are 100% removed, except where “stringers” are designated. If larger trees are present at the higher elevations, ensure that tree density is less than 5 trees per acre, or less.

· In all other units, tree removal will occur so that one “leave” tree is left with 40 to 50 feet spacing.

· All other species as well as designated groups of trees (islands) or leave trees are not to be cut or disturbed.

Preference for leave trees is ranked from highest (most desirable to leave) to lowest (least desirable to leave) in the following order:

1. Marked pinyon or juniper

2. Marked islands

3. Trees with nests

4.

Mature, healthy juniper which exhibit old growth characteristics (12 in. or greater Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) or 20 feet tall

4.2 Specifications Common to the Method:

4.2.1 The by-product of lop and scatter will be a layer of slash less than 24 inches high, consisting of tree boles 5 feet in length or less.

4.2.2 All stumps shall be cut so they are no greater than 8 inches in height on the uphill side or above mineral soil. If obstacles are encountered, such as rocks, the chainsaw bar may be raised to clear the obstacle.

4.2.3 Work shall not occur if project access is creating excessive rutting during spring thaw or after precipitation events when the ground is saturated. Work may resume only when the area has sufficiently dried out.

4.2.4 Any two-track roads or any other disturbance created by vehicles maneuvering in the project area will be reclaimed as a part of the site cleanup requirements at the contractor’s expense.

4.2.5 Project must be completed, and any necessary rehabilitation must be completed by November 15, 2021.

4.3 Schedule

All work performed on the project shall follow the schedule included with the technical proposal. The schedule must be mutually agreed upon by the contractor and the Government during the initial awarding of the contract. If the contractor needs to deviate from the schedule or encounters difficulties during the implementation of the project they shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer’s Representative or Project Inspector to discuss and approve any changes to the original performance schedule.

4.4 Measurement of Payment

Work will be measured and paid for by the number of acres that are completed to specifications. The total will be rounded up to the nearest whole acre. Area measurements required under this Contract will be measured on a horizontal plane. Invoicing may occur no more often than monthly.

4.5 Period of Performance

August 1, 2021 to November 15, 2021

4.6 Start Date

Work shall start within 14 days after contract award or as negotiated by the Contracting Officer or Contracting Officer’s Representative. Work may not start before August 1, 2021, due to migratory bird season.

4.7 End Date

Work shall be completed by November 15, 2021 unless approved reasonable and excusable delays occur.

4.8 Level of Difficulty

Tree densities and over land travel are two factors that may limit production. The Contractor will be responsible for mitigating these factors to meet project completion benchmarks and the performance schedule.