A04_SOW.pdf

2023 3 Bars- Frazier Corridor and Vinini Corridor PJ

Treatments

Statement of Work

1. Introduction

1.1. Purpose

The Bureau of Land Management, Battle Mountain District Office, is seeking contractor services to conduct tree thinning and removal (lop and scatter) treatments on approximately 1,125 acres of single-leaf pinyon pine (Pinus monophyla) and utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) trees which have established within sagebrush ecological sites. The project areas are found within the Frazier Corridor and Vinini

Corridor Units of the 3 Bars Project Area. The service requested is the manual severing of whole trees and uniform dispersal of the materials within the project area. Trees within the treatment units will be removed in accordance with the project specifications found in Section 4. The purpose of the project is to improve the overall health of sagebrush steppe ecological sites, reduce fuel loading, and improve wildlife habitat and other watershed values.

1.2. Location & Access to Work Site

The work under this contract will be located within Eureka County in Nevada.

The treatment units are located within the following legal land descriptions (Mount

Diablo Meridian), as shown on the attached maps:

• Frazier Corridor Unit:

o Lop & Scatter: T. 23 N, R. 51 E, Sections 01-03

• Vinini Corridor Unit:

o Lop & Scatter: T. 23 N, R. 51 E, Sections 13-15, 22-24

To access the Vinini Corridor units take Highway 278 North from Eureka, Nevada approximately 28 miles, turn left (116.1668908° W 39.8626908° N, WGS 84), heading west for .13 miles, taking the road heading northwest for 2.5 miles to reach the Vinini

Corridor area.

To access the Frazier Corridor Unit, take Highway 278 North from Eureka, Nevada approximately 30 miles, turn left (116.1608763°W, 39.8986814°N), heading west for 1.8 miles.

There may be 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 area. 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.

Statement of Work

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.

1.3. Project Area Description

Vegetation in these areas 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 11-50% though isolated steeper slopes may exist in some areas. Current tree densities within the units vary from 0% cover to over 60% cover.

It is the responsibility of contractor to consider tree densities and terrain while developing and proposing a performance timeline for this project.

1.4. Boundaries of Project Area

The project boundaries are not marked on the ground. Maps and GIS shapefiles of the project boundaries 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 and other special features, if known and present, may be identified on maps or flagged within the treatment areas. There will be potential operating restrictions or areas subject to closure from April 15 to July 31st due to the migratory bird season.

These timing restrictions shall be built into the proposal. No extensions will be granted due to these timing restrictions. The potential restrictions or closures would be pending the result of migratory bird surveys. Work shall not occur if project implementation is creating excessive ground disturbance. Work may resume only when weather conditions improve or work processes are altered to accommodate inclement working conditions, extensions may be granted based on weather or access related issues.

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

2.2.1. The contractor equipment (chainsaws & tools) shall:

2.2.1.1. Be of adequate size and power to alter the vegetation in accordance with the specified level of work, prescription, or as otherwise specified below in

Section 4 Project Specifications.

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

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

2.2.1.4. Meet or exceed current OSHA logging specifications for safety.

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

Suppression.

2.2.1.6. 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.

2.2.1.7. 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 campsite 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:

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

• 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.

• 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 known special features. A GIS shapefile will be provided of the project boundaries and any avoidance areas to be uploaded to a GPS unit.

4. Project Specifications

4.1. Summary Table of Units and Treatment Methods

Treatment Unit Treatment

Method

Treatment

Specifications

Total Acres

Frazier Corridor Thinning Lop &

Scatter

Cut and scatter, leaving tree islands within the treatment area as specified in Section

4.2.4.

Vinini Corridor Total Lop & Scatter Cut and scatter, with all trees cut within the treatment area except as otherwise noted in

Section 4.3.4.

4.2. Treatment Method: Thinning Lop & Scatter- 526 acres (Frazier Corridor)

Thinning of trees and scattering of cut material will be conducted with the following specifications:

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

4.2.2. Boles are to be cut in 5-foot lengths if the length of the trees meets or exceeds 10 feet in height from end to end;

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

4.2.4. The contractor shall create spacing between clumps (islands) of Pinyon/Juniper trees at an average of 500′. Clumps may be as small as one mature tree, or as large as

5 mature trees. A majority of clumps will be comprised of only Pinyon pine where feasible;

4.2.5. Clump (island) size, shape, tree composition and occurrence will vary and will be irregular, having a mosaic appearance across the project area;

4.2.6. All other species as well as designated clumps 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:

4.2.6.1. Marked pinyon or juniper

4.2.6.2. Marked clumps (islands) with blue flagging

4.2.6.3. Trees with nests

4.2.6.4. Mature, healthy pinyon which exhibit old growth characteristics (Greater than 12″ DBH, diameter at breast height, or greater than 20 feet tall)

4.2.6.5. Mature, healthy juniper which exhibit old growth characteristics (Greater than 12″ DRC, diameter at root collar, or greater than 20 feet tall)

4.2.6.6. The following table represents the percentage of desired residual trees per acre by size class:

<3in.

DBH/DRC

3-10in.

DBH/DRC

10-20in.

DBH/DRC

>20in.

DBH/DRC

PJ trees per acre 5% 20% 35% 40%

4.3. Treatment Method: Total Lop & Scatter- 599 acres (Vinini Corridor)

Total tree cutting and scattering of cut material will be conducted with the following specifications:

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 trees 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 to exceed 24 inches in height;

4.3.4. All other tree species as well as designated clumps 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 (less desirable to leave) in the following order:

4.3.4.1. Marked pinyon or juniper

4.3.4.2. Marked tree islands

4.3.4.3. Trees with nests

4.4. Specifications Common to Method:

4.4.1. 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

4.4.2. Work shall not occur if project area 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.

4.4.3. 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.

4.5. 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.

4.6. Measurement of Payment

Statement of Work

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.

4.7. Period of Performance

September 1, 2023 to March 1, 2024

4.8. Start Date

Work shall start September 1st or as negotiated by the Contracting Officer’s Representative.

4.9. End Date

Work shall be completed by March 1st

4.10. Level of Difficulty

Tree densities and overland 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.