A04_SOW.pdf

2023 Three Bar Ranch East Lop and Scatter Project

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 removal (manual lop and scatter) treatment on 3,558 acres of pinyon pine (Pinus monophyla) and Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) trees which have established within sagebrush ecological sites.

The project areas; Three Bars Ranch- 2,171 acres and Lone Mountain- 1,387 acres are found within the 3 Bars Ecosystem Restoration Project Area. The service requested is the manual severing of whole trees and the uniform dispersal of the materials within the project area. All trees within the Lone Mountain unit and most of the trees within Three Bars Ranch unit will be removed. 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 within the area.

1.2 Location & Access to Work Site

Work under this contract is located within Eureka County, Nevada. The project areas can be accessed via Hwy 50, heading West of Eureka, NV and turning right to head North on Roberts Creek Road. There are several two-track roads within the project area, which require a high clearance four-wheel drive vehicle for access. 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.

The Three Bar Ranch East Unit is located on the southern edge of the Roberts Mountains Range, approximately 25 miles northwest of Eureka, NV (refer to attached maps).

The project area is found within the following legal land description (Mount Diablo Base & Meridian):

Three Bar Ranch:

Township 21 North, Range 50 East, Sections 2, 3, and 4 Township 22 North, Range 50 East, Sections 32, 33, 34, 35, 27, 28, 21, 22, and 16

Lone Mountain Township 20 North, Range 51 East, Sections 04, 07, 08, 09, 15, 16, 17, 21 and 22 Township 21 North, Range 51 East, Sections 33 and 34

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, and grasses. The area primarily has slopes between 2% and 40%, although isolated steeper slopes may exist in some areas. Current tree densities within the units vary between 1 and 60% canopy cover, but most of the project area contains less than 15% tree canopy density.

It is the responsibility of the offered/contractor to consider tree densities and terrain while developing an overall plan as required. There will not be a formal pre-bid site visit held by the BLM for this project, but the BLM will conduct a site visit with the contractor once contract is awarded to discuss the project.

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.

The Lone Mountain unit is labeled as 100% of all PJ regardless of tree class. This is an area where the PJ has encroached onto historic sagebrush areas and threatens active sage grouce leks. The other unit, Three Bars Ranch will fillow the standard specs listed in Section 4.2, which will be more of a traditional fuels reduction layout where older growth (Mature, healthy juniper which exhibit old growth characteristics (12 in. or greater Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) or 20 feet tall) will be left.

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 1:40,000 scale. A GIS shapefile will be provided of the project boundary and any avoidance areas to be uploaded to their GPS.

4. Project Specifications- Method: Tree Removal

4.1 Lone Mountain: 1,387 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:

• All pinyon and juniper trees within the project unit boundary shall be cut for 100% removal of PJ in the area, except those that may be designated and specifically marked as avoidance trees.

• All other tree species as well as designated groups of trees (islands) or leave trees that are specifically marked for avoidance are not to be cut or disturbed.

4.2 Three Bars Ranch: 2,171 acres

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

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

4.3 Specifications Common to Both Unit Methods:

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

4.3.2 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.

4.3.3 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.

4.3.4 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.

4.3.5 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.

4.3.6 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.

4.3.7 Any roads or other areas that are disturbed with greater than 4 inches of soil surface impacted due to vehicles maneuvering in the project area will be reclaimed as a part of the site cleanup requirements at the contractor’s expense.

4.3.8 Project work, including any necessary rehabilitation must be completed by December 15, 2023.

4.4 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.

4.5 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 not occur more often than monthly.

4.6 Period of Performance

August 1, 2023 to December 15, 2023

4.7 Start Date

Work shall start no later than 15 days after August 1st or as negotiated by the Contracting Officer or Contracting Officer’s Representative.

4.8 End Date

Work shall be completed by December 15, 2023, unless approved reasonable and excusable delays occur.

4.9 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.