A05_PWS_Updated.pdf

U.S. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

LANDER FIELD OFFICE, WYOMING

Sheep Creek Mastication Precommercial Thinning

STATEMENT OF WORK

I. Introduction and Background

The Contractor shall implement precommercial mastication thinning using a masticating head on rubber tracked skidsteer equipment on ten (10) regenerated timber sale units totaling 101 acres.

All ten (10) units are located on Green Mountain, Wyoming. These units were clearcut harvested in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s and have regenerated with even aged lodgepole pine that is now approximately 25 – 35 feet tall. Slopes range from 0 – 20%. Due to rough roads, Units 1 and 2 are inaccessible by pickup truck within approximately ½ mile, and Unit 3 is inaccessible by approximately 1 mile.

Average precipitation in the area is between 20 to 24 inches per year, most of which is snowfall during the winter. The area is forested on the north facing slopes with aspen, lodgepole pine, and limber pine. Southern aspects are limber pine, sagebrush, and grass meadows. Access roads are gravel and dirt. Some secondary roads may be impassable during periods of wet weather.

II. Project Location and Scope

Area is located in central Wyoming, on Green Mountain in Fremont County, approximately 10 miles south of Jeffrey City, and approximately halfway between Riverton and Rawlins. Access to the site is by secondary gravel and dirt roads open to public travel from June 15 – November 30 each year. From Jeffrey City, proceed approximately 6 miles east along Highway 287.

Turn south at Green Mountain Road (BLM Road 2411), an improved gravel road, and use the provided maps to locate the secondary dirt roads leading to inventory units. Contractor shall not drive off existing roads or outside of unit boundaries.

III. Statement of Work

The contractor shall furnish all tools, labor, supervision, equipment, materials, supplies, transportation, and incidentals necessary to precommercial thin in accordance with these specifications. The BLM reserves the right to expand or reduce the proposed project area depending upon budget and other constraints as well as establishing priority areas for treatment.

All communications with the Contracting Officer and the Contracting Officer’s Representative shall be done using the English language.

Unit boundaries have previously been marked with pink flagging in 2021 and 2022.

1. Selection of Residual Leave Trees within the Treatment Area Boundaries

a. The prescribed number of acceptable leave trees is not less than 109 to not more than 194 per acre, which will result in an average spacing ranging from fifteen (15) feet to twenty (20) feet. Spacing is a guide only and may be adjusted to leave the best trees. Trees less than 24 inches in height are not included in the spacing. Where brush, grass, or rock create non-stocked openings greater than 25 feet in diameter, leave trees will be spaced ten (10) feet apart on the perimeter of the non-stocked area. The residual leave tree species selection shall favor limber pine over lodgepole pine (all units are likely 100% lodgepole pine but if a limber pine is present, retain it for diversity.) Selection of residual leave trees shall include consideration of the combination of species, dominance, form, and spacing. If aspen is present, it shall not be cut or included in the spacing.

2. Selection and Treatment of Trees to be Cut within the Treatment Area Boundaries All trees within the treatment area boundaries > two (2) feet tall that are not selected as residual leave trees shall be masticated using a masticating head on a rubber tracked skidsteer. All trees to be masticated shall be completely severed from the stump. Stump height shall not exceed six inches measured on the uphill side. No live limbs shall be left attached to the stump of masticated trees.

Leave trees shall be protected from damage during operations.

Slash shall be immediately removed from existing roads, watercourses, existing slash-free fuel breaks, power line and telephone rights-of-way, private land, and from within 10 feet of property corners. The slash requirements only include slash created by the cutting activity.

3. Contractor-furnished property and services: The contractor shall provide all labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, operating supplies and incidentals to perform the cutting and slashing services in accordance with the specifications, terms and conditions contained herein.

4. Security of equipment and property: The Contractor may leave equipment at the work site. The Contractor shall be responsible for equipment if it should be lost, stolen or damaged.

5. Protection of Improvements: The contractor shall not operate vehicles or equipment outside the unit boundaries or off existing roads and trails shown on the project location maps without prior written authorization from the Contracting Officer. Vehicles or equipment shall not be operated when ground or weather conditions cause or lead to rutting of soil. Such conditions usually develop where frozen ground is thawing, when snow is melting, and during or immediately following rain.

IV. Government Supplied Property

The following are supplied with this solicitation:

1. Large-scale vicinity map of the Jeffrey City / Green Mountain area

2. Maps of precommercial thinning unit boundaries.

V. Funding/Schedule

The period of performance shall be summer and fall of 2023 with the following stipulations:

BLM shall perform a migratory bird nesting survey prior to work on each unit. If a unit is found to be within buffer zones of an active nest work shall be delayed on that unit until nestlings have fledged. Since there are 10 units, it is anticipated that work can be temporarily deferred to different units without nests nearby while waiting for nestlings to fledge, however, BLM can not guarantee that other units will not also have nests nearby.

Units 1 and 2 - The contractor shall not start field work until July 1, 2023 and shall end work on September 30, 2023. Work shall not be allowed from October 1, 2023 – October 7, 2023.

Contractor shall resume work on October 8, 2023 and end field work not later than November 14, 2023.

Units 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ,9, and10 – The contractor shall not start field work until July 1, 2023 and shall end work on September 30, 2023. Work shall not be allowed from October 1, 2023 – October 7, 2023. Contractor shall resume work on October 8, 2023, and end field work not later than November 30, 2023.

Contractor shall begin work with Units 1 and 2 due to the shorter operating timeframe if they are not located within an active migratory bird nesting buffer. After Units 1 and 2 have been completed, the order of work for the remainder of the units shall be determined in conference with the COR. The COR shall determine the order of work based on completion of nesting surveys by the BLM biologist, and to minimize disturbance during hunting season.