A16PS01058_PG3_45.pdf

SOLICITATION #A16PS01058 BIA-SWR-FORESTRY & WILDLAND FIRE

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B. CONTINUATION OF SF 1449

B.1. PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

FOREST MANAGEMENT PLANS, PROGRAMMATIC FIRE MANAGEMENT PLANS, NEPA

DOCUMENTS, FOREST INVENTORY ANALYSES, FOREST HISTORIES, FOREST

INVENTORIES, AND MAPPING & DIGITIZING SERVICES

1.0 BACKGROUND

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) policy, in Indian Affairs Manual Part 53 (53 IAM), requires that all forested reservations must have an approved forest plan before most forest management activities can take place on Indian forest lands. Forest management plans shall be covered by the appropriate environmental documents in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and be supported by forest inventory analyses, forest histories, forest inventories, and forest acres derived from mapping & digitizing projects.

The fire plans are required by departmental policy and may provide the basis for funding of hazard fuel reduction projects, prescribed fire, ecosystem restoration and burned area emergency rehabilitation.

Forest plans and related activities fall under the Forest Management Inventory and Planning (FMI&P) program. Fire plans fall under the Fire Management program. NEPA compliance for all management plans and for all site specific forest management activities fall under the Division of Environmental

Safety and Cultural Resources Management (DESCRM).

2.0 SCOPE

The BIA is acquiring services for forest plans, appropriate NEPA documents, forest inventory analyses, forest histories, forest inventories, mapping, digitizing and fire plans.

Task Orders will be issued individually against multiple contracts. The Southwest Regional Office

(SWRO) or BIA field offices within the Southwest Region (Agencies) will provide the funding for and administration of task orders. Annual funding for these projects historically has been inconsistent, resulting in a budget that is insufficient to carry out all projects as schedule. This trend is expected to continue through the duration of this contract. Therefore, task orders will be issued only when funding is available for any specific project. At the BIA’s discretion, some projects may be combined under a single task order or multiple task orders to two or more contractors.

If multiple awards are made for the same task, task orders will not be competed. Task orders will be assigned to contractors based on type of task(s), cost, location, and as well as current task orders issued to contractors.

The BIA, at its discretion, may offer incentives on a task order by task order basis. If offered, incentives will be based on performance exceeding a defined standard and/or timetable.

3.0 OBJECTIVE

This Statement of Work is designed to provide the following services:

the preparation of final forest management plans (forest plans), suitable for approval;

the preparation of final NEPA documents, suitable for approval;

the preparation of final forest inventory analysis (FIA’s), suitable for approval;

Technical Forest Management Writing, Mapping & Digitizing, and Forest Inventories Pg 4 of 45 the preparation of final forest histories, suitable for approval;

collection of forest inventory and fuels monitoring data;

mapping and digitizing to create new cover type GIS data layers or update existing cover type GIS layers;

or the preparation of final fire management plans (fire plans), suitable for approval.

4.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The tasks shall be performed for and on reservations within the Bureau of Indian Affairs Southwest

Region that are located in the state of New Mexico, the southwest corner of Colorado, or west Texas. In addition, a few small parcels of certain reservations are located in eastern Arizona and southeast Utah.

The reservations located in the Southwest Region include The reservations located in the Southwest

Region include:

Acoma Pueblo, Cibola County, New Mexico

Cochiti Pueblo, Sandoval County, New Mexico

Isleta Pueblo, Bernalillo County, New Mexico

Jemez Pueblo, Sandoval County, New Mexico

Jicarilla Apache Nation, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico

Laguna Pueblo, Cibola County, New Mexico

Mescalero Apache Reservation, Otero County, New Mexico

Nambe Pueblo, Sandoval County, New Mexico

Ohkay Owingeh, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico

Picuris Pueblo, Taos County, New Mexico

Pojoaque Pueblo, Santa Fe County, New Mexico

Ramah Navajo Reservation, McKinley County, New Mexico

San Felipe Pueblo, Sandoval County, New Mexico

San Ildefonso Pueblo, Santa Fe County, New Mexico

Sandia Pueblo, Sandoval County, New Mexico

Santa Ana Pueblo, Sandoval County, New Mexico

Santa Clara Pueblo, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico

Santo Domingo Pueblo, Sandoval County, New Mexico

Southern Ute Reservation, La Plata County, Colorado

Taos Pueblo, Taos County, New Mexico

Tesuque Pueblo, Santa Fe County, New Mexico

Ute Mountain Ute Reservation, Montezuma County, Colorado

Ysleta del Sur, El Paso County, Texas

Zia Pueblo, Sandoval County, New Mexico

Zuni Pueblo, McKinley County, New Mexico and Apache County, Arizona

See Attachment D.1. Task order will have specifics plots and locations of where work will performed.

5.0 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

5.1. The period of performance for this contract is for 1 year from the date of contract award.

Consecutive 1-year extensions are optional at the discretion of the BIA and will not exceed 4 extensions.

Task Orders will state the period of performance when issued.

5.2. The period of performance for specific tasks will be defined by each task order and may not coincide with the contract period of performance. In addition, the option to extend for each task, should it be necessary, will be defined in the task order. The option to extend task orders will be limited to delays that

Technical Forest Management Writing, Mapping & Digitizing, and Forest Inventories Pg 5 of 45 are not the fault of the contractor, such as weather conditions and closures due to fire restrictions or tribal activities.

5.3. Normal Hours of Operation. Operational hours will be variable but are limited to 6:00 am to 8:00 pm

Monday to Sunday. The contractor will not be allowed to provide on-site services during any federal holidays. Flexible work schedules are allowed but must be approved by the COR. Working time for this contract will need to be negotiated. Once the schedule is established, any deviations to the schedule must be approved in advance by the COR.

5.4. Holidays are in accordance with the U.S. Government Office of Personnel Management website:

http://www.opm.gov/Operating_Status_Schedules/fedhol/2016.asp. Future calendar years can be found at the same website.

5.5. Tribal activities, whether religious or traditional, are often unforeseen or unscheduled. At tribal discretion, these activities may warrant closure of or restrict access to tribal lands and facilities.

6.0 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY AND SUPPLIES

Depending on the need and availability of the property for the task, the BIA will provide some of the items that are necessary to complete the task. These items may be, but are not limited to, the following:

maps forms inventory data inventory summaries

GIS data, GPS data field manuals field guides

Indian Affairs Manuals inventory supplies (e.g., aluminum nails, tags and plot center stakes) document outlines document templates various historical forest management activity records reference materials aerial photographs satellite imagery treatment schedules models

Training

Electronic Databases or Data files

Data Entry and Error Checking Software

A specific list of government furnished property and supplies will be provided with each task order.

Some electronic files will be available on public websites and it will be the contractor’s responsibility to obtain these files. When this is required, it will be specified in the task order.

7.0 CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL

7.1 Contractor Manager

(a) The contractor must provide a contract manager who must be responsible for the performances of the work. The name of this person, and an alternate or alternates who must act for the contractor when the manager is absent, must be designate in writing to the contracting officer (CO).

(b) The contract manager or alternative must have full authority to act for the contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operations of this contract.

(c) The contract manager or alternate must be available during normal duty hours within negotiated time to meet with government personnel (designated by the CO) to discuss problem areas. After normal duty hours, the manager and alternate(s) must be available within negotiated time(s).

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7.2. Contractor Employees

a) This contract may require working with Tribal entities that have limited or no resource data;

limited staffing and/or expertise to draw upon; and tribal policies regarding forest resources may not exist.

b) The contractor must not employ persons for work on this contract if such employee is considered by the CO to be a potential threat to the health, safety, security, general well-being, or operational mission of the installation and its population.

c) Contractor personnel must easily be recognized as contractor employees. Government site badge instructions: Follow each Agency’s policy as directed by COR.

d) The contractor must not employ any person who is an employee of the U.S. Government if employing that person would create a conflict of interest.

e) All contractor employees must maintain satisfactory standards of competence, conduct, appearance, integrity and ethics.

7.3 Contractor Qualifications

The contractor shall provide resumes of key personnel, including their education and work experience. If key personnel have completed any task’s issued by the BIA within the past 5 years, performance documentation must be submitted with the resume. The BIA reserves the right to exclude key personnel from any task order under this contract. The basis for excluding key personnel will be the lack of competency and/or professional behavior on past or ongoing projects.

7.3.1 For preparation of a final forest plan

• Supervision must be under the direction of an individual who possesses a Bachelor’s or higher degree in forestry or a Bachelor’s or higher degree in natural resources or related field Degrees in fire science, fire management, range management, forest ecology, wildlife management, environmental science, environmental studies, botany, and biology will be accepted.

• The supervisor must have one full year of prior work experience preparing forest plans.

• Experience working with tribes and the BIA.

• Experience producing GIS maps, acquiring GIS data, and performing GIS analysis.

7.3.2. For preparation of an appropriate final National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document degree in forestry, or a Bachelor’s or higher degree in natural resources or related field. Degrees in fire science, fire management, range management, forest ecology, wildlife management, environmental science, environmental studies, botany, and biology will be accepted.

• The supervisor must have one full year of prior work experience preparing NEPA documents.

7.3.3. For preparation of a final forest inventory analysis

degree in forestry or a Bachelor’s or higher degree in natural resources or related field and Degrees in fire science, fire management, range management, forest ecology, wildlife management, environmental science, environmental studies, botany, and biology will be accepted.

• The supervisor must have one full year of prior work experience preparing FIA’s.

7.3.4. For preparation of a final forest history

degree in forestry, or a Bachelor’s or higher degree in natural resources or related field Degrees in fire

Technical Forest Management Writing, Mapping & Digitizing, and Forest Inventories Pg 5 of 45 science, fire management, range management, forest ecology, wildlife management, environmental science, environmental studies, botany, and biology will be accepted.

• The supervisor must have prior work experience preparing at least one forest history.

7.3.5. For collection of forest inventory data

Each field crew must have at least one individual who is qualified as a crew leader.

• Crew leaders must meet one of the following education and experience requirements:

1. A Bachelor’s or higher degree in forestry and one year prior experience cruising timber or collecting forest inventory data;

2. Or an Associate of Arts (AA) in forestry and two years prior experience cruising timber or collecting forest inventory data;

3. Or a Bachelor’s or higher degree in natural resources or related field and two years prior experience cruising timber or collecting forest inventory data. Degrees in fire science, fire management, range management, forest ecology, wildlife management, environmental science, environmental studies, botany, and biology will be acceptable.

• Crew leaders have experience working with tribes and the BIA.

• Crew leaders must be able to identify plant species that are common to southwestern forests.

• Crew members are optional on each field crew. Crew members must have one year of prior experience cruising timber or collecting forest inventory data. One year of prior experience taking precise measurements in other professions may be substituted. Acceptable substitutes for forestry inventory experience will be other fields in natural resources or trades where precise measurements are taken, such as carpentry, surveying, and drafting.

7.3.6. For creation of a final GIS data layer

• Key personnel must possess a Bachelor’s degree in forestry or any Bachelor’s or higher degree in natural resources or related field Degrees in fire science, fire management, range management, forest ecology, wildlife management, environmental science, environmental studies, botany, and biology will be accepted. Also, have one full year of prior experience using GIS for mapping and digitizing. This education and experience can be substituted with an Associate’s degree in GIS and one full year of prior experience using GIS for mapping and digitizing cover types.

7.3.7 For preparation of a final fire plan

degree in forestry, fire management, or a Bachelor’s or higher degree in natural resources or related field.

Degrees in fire science, range management, forest ecology, wildlife management, environmental science, environmental studies, botany, and biology will be accepted.

• The supervisor must have one full year of prior work experience preparing fire plans.

• Experience working with tribes and the BIA.

• Experience working with field guides, such as Standard Fire Behavior Fuel Models: A

Comprehensive Set for Use with Rothermel’s Surface Fire Spread Model.

• Experience in the use of various computer guides, models and datasets, i.e. LandFire, local FFI data, BehavePlus, FarSite, FireFamily Plus, and Fofem.

7.4 Security

7.4.1. The contractor may be required to provide information for clearances and background checks of personnel requiring access to BIA computers and workstations. See Section C.15.

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7.4.2. Contractors must obey tribal laws and ordinances during the full duration of the task order. This may include, but is not limited to, the following restrictions: access to tribal lands, collecting artifacts, gathering firewood, building campfires, hunting, and fishing. Access to tribal lands and facilities may require a special pass, permit, identification or a special escort.

8.0 SPECIFIC TASKS

8.1. The Contractor must provide all personnel, travel, equipment, tools, supplies, materials, supervision, permits, and training necessary to perform the required task, except for the government-furnished property, supplies, and services listed in each task order. However, the contractor will incur all non-government costs associated with any training the BIA provides.

8.2. Site visits may be required before contractors receive a task order.

8.3. The contractor is responsible for any tribal taxes or fees associated with any task order. For example, the contractor is responsible to pay Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance (TERO) tax, if required by the tribe. Rates vary from tribe to tribe.

8.4. Individuals driving vehicles on reservation lands must possess a valid state-issued license that is appropriate for the class of vehicle being driven.

8.5. Unless otherwise identified under this contract for any task, the comprehensive inspections and acceptance criteria will be identified on each task order, on a task order by task order basis.

8.6. To facilitate program definition and management properties, reservations shall be categorized as follows based upon current forest lands data:

Category 1-Major Forested Reservations. Includes major forested reservations comprised of more than 10,000 acres of trust or restricted commercial timberland or having more than one million board foot harvest of forest products annually.

Category 2-Minor Forested Reservations. Includes minor forested reservations comprised of less than

10,000 acres of trust or restricted commercial timberland and having less than one million board foot harvest of forest products annually, or whose forest resources is determined by the Regional Director to be significant commercial timber value.

Category 3- Significant Woodland Reservation. Includes significant woodland reservations comprised of an identifiable trust or restricted forest area of any size which is lacking a timberland component, and whose forest resource is determined by the Regional Director to be of significant commercial woodland value.

Category 4-Minimally Forest Reservation. Comprised of an identifiable forest area of any size determined by the Regional Director to be of minimal commercial value at this time.

8.7. Each task has different levels of difficulty. These difficulties range from difficulty level 1 to difficulty level 3, whereas difficulty level 1 being least challenging and level 3 being most challenging to complete.

Offeror must select the Task they are providing a proposal on.

8.8. [ ] TASK #1 – FOREST MANAGEMENT PLANS. Consultation with the affected tribes and

BIA will be required to produce any draft documents and a final forest plan. The final forest plan can be a stand-alone document or incorporated into an existing integrated resource management plan (IRMP).

When requested, draft documents shall be submitted for tribal and BIA review and feedback. In addition, progress reports may be required. A final forest plan shall include:

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Tribal and BIA input and feedback.

Tribal goals and objectives.

Data provided by the tribes and BIA.

The content as required by BIA policy as outlined and described in 53 IAM.

Appendix items as defined by 53 IAM and by tribal and BIA guidance and direction.

Other content, as defined by tribal and BIA direction, may include, but is not limited to, cover page, approval page, table of contents, tables, graphs, GIS maps and a list of references (bibliography). In addition to the production of GIS maps, GIS data acquisition and analysis may be required to prepare a final NEPA document.

Concise language, yet sufficient detail, for clarity and understanding. Correct grammar, punctuation and spelling must also be used in the final document. Standard terminology specific to forestry and other natural resource professions shall be used in the final document.

Physical requirements will be little to none.

For acceptance, a final forest plan must be suitable for approval per tribal and BIA requirements, must be free of any errors, shall be delivered as defined in Section 10.0 (Deliverables), and must adequately address all the content requirements as defined by tribal and BIA policy, guidance, input and feedback.

The time and effort required to prepare a final forest plan will depend on the level of difficulty. The level of difficulty of preparing the final forest plan will be directly influenced by the complexity of the forest resource and its management, the complexity of tribal issues, concerns, and opportunities, and by content requirements as stated in 53 IAM. Generally speaking, when the size of the forest resource increases, the complexity of the management for those forest resources also increases. Likewise, the content requirements are greater for those reservations with a large forest resource base. 53 IAM defines categories of reservation forests by size from Category 1 (Major forested reservation) to Category 4

(Minimally forested reservation). Based on these forest categories, the cost for specific task orders will be based upon the following levels of difficulty, from least to most difficult, for each final forest plan:

Difficulty level 1 (Category 3 and 4 reservations)

Difficulty level 2 (Category 2 reservations)

Difficulty level 3 (Category 1 reservations)

8.9 [ ] TASK # 2 - NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA) DOCUMENTS FOR

FOREST PLANS. An appropriate final NEPA document may also need to be prepared for fire management plans and site specific forest management activities. The appropriate final NEPA document will be one of the following: Categorical Exclusion (CE), an Environmental Assessment (EA), or an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). In most cases, the final NEPA documents will be a CE or an EA.

The need for an EIS will be very infrequent. Depending on the NEPA document, scoping may be required. Consultation with the tribes and BIA shall be required to produce any draft documents and a final NEPA document. When requested, draft documents shall be submitted for tribal and BIA review and feedback. In addition, progress reports may be required. A final NEPA document shall:

Include tribal and BIA input and feedback.

Include all necessary compliance surveys, permits and other documentation as deemed necessary by the BIA.

For programmatic management plans (forest, fuels, and fire plans), provide a programmatic NEPA document to tier future site-specific environmental analyses of development proposals.

For site specific management activities, provide a site specific NEPA document that analyzes proposed actions.

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Identify project alternatives and propose best management practices (BMPs) that will minimize or prevent adverse impacts.

Follow all required procedures that will lead to successful completion of the NEPA process.

Include the content as required by Federal laws, regulations and policies as well as pertinent Tribal ordinances, policies/procedures.

Include other content, as defined by tribal and BIA direction and guidance, which may be, but is not limited to, cover page, approval page, table of contents, tables, graphs, GIS maps, appendix, a list of references (bibliography). In addition to the production of GIS maps, GIS data acquisition and analysis may be required to prepare a final NEPA document.

Include concise language, yet sufficient detail, for clarity and understanding. Correct grammar, punctuation and spelling must also be used in the final document. Standard terminology specific to forestry and other natural resource professions shall be used in the final document.

For acceptance, an appropriate final NEPA document must be suitable for approval per BIA requirements, must be free of any errors, shall be delivered as defined in section 10.0 (Deliverables), and must adequately address all the content requirements as defined by tribal and BIA policy, guidance, input and feedback.

Biological Assessment may be required. Pricing will be determined before a Task Order is issued.

The price will be on a per final document basis with separate bids for a CE, an EA and an EIS (without

Biological Assessment).

8.10. [ ] TASK #3 – FINAL FORESTRY INVENTORY ANALYSIS. Prepare a final FIA for any of the Indian reservations located within the area of responsibility of the BIA’s Southwest Region, refer to

Table 1 of this document.

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Table 1. Tribal reservations throughout the southwest region along with their associated categories.

When requested, draft documents shall be submitted for tribal and/or BIA review and feedback. In addition, progress reports may be required. A final FIA document shall:

Include content required by BIA policy as defined in 53 IAM.

Include Appendix items as defined by 53 IAM and by tribal and BIA guidance and direction.

Include other content, as defined by tribal and BIA direction, which may be, but is not limited to, cover page, approval page, table of contents, tables, graphs, GIS maps and a list of references

(bibliography).

Include concise language, yet sufficient detail, for clarity and understanding. Correct grammar, punctuation and spelling must also be used in the final document. Standard terminology specific to forestry and other natural resource professions shall be used in the final document.

Utilize the data compiled from a reservation’s most recent forest inventory.

In addition to the production of GIS maps, GIS data acquisition and analysis may be required to prepare a final FIA.

Ute Mountain

San Felipe

Ysleta del Sur

Santa Ana Pueblo

Sandia Pueblo

Santo Domingo

Pojoaque Pueblo

Nambe Pueblo

Tesuque Pueblo

San Ildefonso

Ohkay Owingeh

Laguna

Cochiti

Ramah

Southern Ute

Taos Pueblo

Picuris Pueblo

Acoma Pueblo

Isleta Pueblo

Zia Pueblo

Zuni

Santa Clara Pueblo

N/A

Southwest Region Reservations Reservation Name Category

Jicarilla Apache 1

Mescalero Apache

Jemez Pueblo

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For acceptance, a final FIA must be suitable for approval per BIA requirements, must be free of any errors, shall be delivered as defined in section 10.0 (Deliverables), and must adequately address all the content requirements as defined by tribal and BIA policy, guidance, input and feedback.

The price for FIA services will be submitted on a per document basis, depending on the specifications in the task order. The time and effort required to prepare a final FIA document will depend on the level of difficulty. The level of difficulty of preparing a final FIA is generally influenced by the size of the forest resource on each reservation. More detail is often needed for largest forest resources. In addition, 53

IAM requirements for a final FIA are commensurate with the size of the forest resource. As a result, a final FIA is most difficult to prepare for Category 1 reservations and least difficult to prepare for

Category 4 reservations.

Difficulty level 1 (Category 3 and 4 reservations)

Difficulty level 2 (Category 2 reservations)

8.11. [ ] TASK #4 – FOREST HISTORY. Prepare a final forest history for any of the following

Indian reservations located within the area of responsibility of the BIA’s Southwest Region: Southern

Ute, Jemez, Acoma, Mescalero, Zuni, Jicarilla and Santa Clara. Consultation with the tribes and BIA shall be required to produce any draft documents and a final forest history document. When requested, draft documents shall be submitted for tribal and/or BIA review and feedback. In addition to tribal and

BIA input, research shall be required to obtain the information necessary to complete a final document.

In some cases, existing forest history documents shall be updated, while others shall require the creation of the initial document. In addition, progress reports may be required. A final forest history document shall include:

A chronology of events, which is a historical narrative of important management and natural events through time resulting in the present forest condition.

A harvest record, which is a tabular chronology of volumes and values removed from the forest through its history of management.

Charts and GIS maps, which are relevant to the chronology of events and the harvest record.

Other content, as defined by tribal and BIA direction, which may be, but is not limited to, cover page, approval page, table of contents, tables, graphs, appendix and a list of references (bibliography).

Concise language, yet sufficient detail, for clarity and understanding. Correct grammar, punctuation

In addition to the production of GIS maps, GIS data acquisition and analysis may be required to prepare a final forest history.

For acceptance, a final forest history must be suitable for approval per BIA requirements, must be free of any errors, shall be delivered as defined in section 10.0 (Deliverables), and must adequately address all the content requirements as defined by tribal and BIA policy, guidance, input and feedback.

The price for forest history services will be submitted on a per document basis, depending on the specifications in the task order. The number of hours required to prepare a final forest history will depend on the level of difficulty. The level of difficulty of preparing a final forest history will be defined by two factors. First, more work will be needed to create a new final forest history, while less work will be

Technical Forest Management Writing, Mapping & Digitizing, and Forest Inventories Pg 11 of 45 needed to update an existing forest history. Forest histories do not exist for Jemez, Acoma and Zuni.

Mescalero, Southern Ute, Jicarilla, and Santa Clara have forest histories that need updating. Second, the level of difficulty will be commensurate with the level of forest management activities and natural events.

Southern Ute, Jicarilla, Santa Clara and Mescalero have had high levels of forest management activities and natural events. Conversely, at Jemez, Acoma and Zuni, forest management activities and natural events have been relatively infrequent. Based on this information, the cost for specific task orders will be based upon the following levels of difficulty for each final forest history:

Difficulty level 1. Reservations requiring an updated forest history and with a high level of activity and natural events. (Mescalero, Jicarilla, Santa Clara, and Southern Ute)

Difficulty level 2. Reservations requiring a new forest history and with a low level of activity and natural events (Jemez, Acoma, and Zuni).

8.12. [ ] TASK #5 – FORST INVENTORY DATA COLLECTION. Collect forest inventory data for any of the following Indian reservations located within the area of responsibility of the BIA’s Southwest

Region, refer to Table 1 of this document. Forest inventories can consist of temporary plots, permanent plots or both. An inventory consisting of permanent plots is known as a continuous forest inventory

(CFI) (Attachment D.2.). Most of the forest inventories on Southwest Region reservations are CFIs. A

CFI may include installation of new plots, remeasurement of existing plots, or a combination of plot installation and remeasurement. The BIA will issue plots in packets, and completed plots shall be delivered to the BIA in these packets. In addition, progress reports may be required. A schedule for upcoming CFI’s is provided as an attachment to this IDIQ. Forest inventory data shall:

Be collected in accordance with BIA policy as defined by 53 IAM, supporting BIA Southwest

Regional Office (SWRO) inventory standards, guidelines, and procedures as defined in the CFI Field

Manual (Attachment A), and SWRO staff guidance and direction.

Be recorded on the appropriate forms provided by the BIA or electronically with data recorders that are provided by or approved for use by the BIA.

Include plot data and tree data. Fuels monitoring data may be included at the BIA’s discretion on a task order by task order basis. Plot data is also referred to as site data, stand data, or header data.

Tree data includes regeneration (seedling and sapling) data as well as data for trees larger than the seedling and sapling stage. Fuels monitoring data, if included in the task order, includes down woody fuels data, vegetation cover estimates, and photo points.

Include, if required in the task order, photo points delivered as electronic files.

Be written in a clear, legible and consistent manner to allow proper interpretation of data.

Be subject to corrections; therefore, data errors must be erased and replaced by corrected data.

Be subject to inspections by BIA forestry staff in accordance with the Section 5.00 of the CFI Field

Manual. Inspections will determine acceptance.

Be reservation specific and may include or exclude additional items to be collected for a CFI on a task order basis.

Be subject to a 5% incentive when eligible packet receives an acceptable rating on both the CFI and fuels data (if applicable) during its 1 st field inspection. Rework will be at the Contractor’s expense.

The price for forest inventory services will be submitted on a per plot basis. The cost of each forest inventory plot is influenced by its level of difficulty. There are several factors contributing to the level of difficulty. However, most of these factors are difficult to identify consistently on an individual plot basis.

Therefore, the level of difficulty, as assigned to individual plots, will be based on one factor. Other factors influencing the level of difficulty will be presented later, but without any designation regarding the level of difficulty. The most consistent factor associated with level of difficulty is plot size. Excluding subplots for regeneration data, two plot sizes will be utilized. Plots in timber stands (timber plots) will

Technical Forest Management Writing, Mapping & Digitizing, and Forest Inventories Pg 12 of 45 consist of fixed plots 1/5-acre in size. Conversely, plots in woodland stands will consist of fixed plots

1/10-acre in size. The plot size for each plot will be identified prior to a forest inventory. Therefore, according to plot size, the cost for specific task orders will be based upon the following levels of difficulty, from least difficult to most difficult, for each forest inventory plots:

Difficulty level 1 (woodland plots, 1/10-acre in size)

Difficulty level 2 (timber plots, 1/5-acre in size)

The following factors may affect, in various ways, the level of difficulty associated with collecting forest inventory data. Therefore, for each factor, there will be a high degree of variability in terms of level of difficulty, and it will be up to the bidders, based on their experience, to determine how these factors influence their costs and ultimately their bid prices. In addition, bidders must recognize that other factors not presented here may also influence their costs.

Plot status - Plot status refers to whether a plot is an installation plot or a remeasurement plot.

Installation plots generally require more bore backs for radial increments than remeasurement plots.

However, remeasurement plots usually require plot maintenance and/or plot restoration. Plot maintenance and restoration is not required on installation plots. Prior to every forest inventory, plots will be identified as either installation or remeasurement plots.

Forest type and structure – Forest types that occur in the Southwest Region are ponderosa pine, aspen, Douglas-fir, mixed conifer, pine-mixed, pinyon-juniper, spruce-fir, juniper, bosque, Gambel oak, with a few minor forest types occurring infrequently. Pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine forest types are the most common types in the Southwest Region. Even though the forest types are identified by the name of the most common species present, most forest types contain a mix of various species. Forest structure refers to either a single-storied forest or a multi-storied forest. For both managed and unmanaged forests, the multi-storied forests are the most commonly found structure in Southwest

Region forests. Based upon these factors, forest type and structure may affect the level of difficulty in the following ways. Generally, the pinyon/juniper and ponderosa pine forests are not as dense as the other forest types, resulting in fewer qualifying trees per plot. Also, specific tree data measurements (items such as bore backs and heights) may be less frequent in pinyon/juniper and ponderosa pine forest types due to less species diversity. As for structure, the frequency of bore backs and heights for plots within a single-storied forest is usually less than those plots within a multi-storied forest.

The BIA Southwest region estimates that the average number of large trees (> 4.9” diameter) per plot will fall between 20 to 40 trees. However, individual plots may fall below or exceed this estimated range.

Plot spacing – Historically, forest inventory grids in the Southwest Region have been as close together as 500 square meters and as far apart as 3000 square meters, with 1000 square meters being the most common grid. Typically, 500 and 1000 square meter grids have been used for timber plots while grids greater than 1000 square meters have been used for the woodland plots. There is a slight possibility that future inventory grids will fall outside of this historical range. Also, a plot will not be established at every grid intersection, leaving holes in the inventory grid. The travel time between plots will generally increase as the grid spacing increases.

Topography – Topography refers to the form of the terrain. The topography is highly variable on the most of the Southwest Region reservations, often ranging from flat, or nearly flat, terrain to very steep and rugged terrain. Steep and rugged can limit the road coverage often increasing the walking distance from a road to a plot. Steep and rugged can also make foot travel to a plot difficult.

Slope – Plot size is fixed on a horizontal plane. Therefore, plots on slopes exceeding 6 percent will require slope corrections for the plot radius. Typically, the number and the difficulty of the slope

Technical Forest Management Writing, Mapping & Digitizing, and Forest Inventories Pg 13 of 45 corrections will increase as the slope of the plot increases. Historically, most plots have been on slopes less than 40 percent. However, there will be plots on slopes greater than 40 percent.

Lodging/camping – Lodging availability and costs are dependent upon the location and time of year.

As a result, facilities may be limited and costs are highly variable. Camping may be restricted on some reservations. On reservations where camping is permitted, camping fees and/or permits may apply. Both lodging and camping costs are the responsibility of the contractor.

Roads – Although there are improved dirt roads, paved roads and highways on most of the Southwest

Region reservations, most of the roads that will be used to access the forest inventory plots will be unimproved dirt roads. Under adverse weather conditions, typically rain or snow, these roads may become impassable. Four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended but not required. In addition, most reservations have reasonably good road coverage. However, on some reservations, there are a few roadless areas where walking long distances, often over rugged terrain, will be required to access plots.

Certifications, Licenses, Physical Requirements, or other expertise required. Bidders shall submit field crew qualifications with their bids. The contractor must have:

o Field crews staffed with qualified personnel. Each field crew must consist of at least one individual who is qualified as a crew leader. Crew members are optional on each field crew.

o All personnel must be in good physical condition and will be required to travel long distances on foot over rough, steep and rocky terrain.

Physical requirements - To access some plots, field crews may be required to travel long distances on foot over rough, steep and rocky terrain where both the soil and rocks are often loose. Under these conditions, traveling on foot is very strenuous and footing is quite poor. Field personnel must be in good physical condition and appropriate foot wear is recommended.

Licenses and permits - Drivers must possess a valid state-issued driver’s license that is appropriate for the class of vehicle being driven. Field crews may be required to obtain a permit from the tribe upon award of task order. For example, a crossing permit or camping permit may be required. Tribal fees may apply to any permit. The BIA field office will act as liaison to obtain any such permit.

8.13. [ ] TASK #6 – MAPPING & DIGITIZING. Use mapping and digitizing to create cover types on any of the Indian reservations located within the area of responsibility of the BIA’s Southwest Region, refer to of this Statement of Work. Mapping and digitizing will be based on remote sensing data provided by the tribe or the BIA and shall be verified by field visits done by the contractor. The frequency of the field visits shall depend upon the complexity of the forest resources or the clarity of the data. In addition, progress reports may be required. Mapping and digitizing shall:

Result in a final GIS data layer consisting of polygons that accurately represent cover type data for the entire reservation. The BIA typically calls these data layers timber types. Each polygon shall contain attribute data that will describe the cover type unique to that polygon.

Include metadata, if required in the task order.

Be delivered in the projection and datum defined by the task order.

Be subject to standards, guidelines, and policies as defined by SWRO Forestry staff.

Be subject to inspections by BIA forestry staff. Inspections will determine acceptance.

Be free of certain GIS errors, specifically node errors, label errors (except for the universe polygon), unclosed polygons, polygons without attribute data and other errors as defined in the task order.

Be delivered as defined in Section 10.0 (Deliverables).

Individuals may be required to travel long distances on foot over rough, steep and rocky terrain where both the soil and rocks are often loose. Under these conditions, traveling on foot is very strenuous and footing is quite poor. Individuals must be in good physical condition and appropriate foot wear is recommended.

Technical Forest Management Writing, Mapping & Digitizing, and Forest Inventories Pg 14 of 45

The price for mapping and digitizing services will be submitted on a project basis, depending on the specifications in the task order. The number of hours required to prepare a final GIS data layer for any reservation will depend upon the level of difficulty. The level of difficulty of preparing a final GIS data layer will be primarily influenced by the size of and complexity of the forest resource on each reservation.

Generally speaking, the complexity of the forest resource increases as the category of the reservation forest increases. Using the size of the forest and these forest categories, the cost for specific task orders will be based upon the following levels of difficulty, from least difficult to most difficult, for each final

GIS data layer:

Difficulty level 1 (small Category 3 reservations and all Category 4 reservations)

Difficulty level 2 (Category 2 and large Category 3 reservations)

8.14. [ ] TASK #7 – FIRE PLANS. Prepare final fire plans for any of the following Indian reservations located within the area of responsibility of the BIA’s Southwest Region, refer to Table 1 of this document. A final fire plan shall be incorporated into or tiered to other pertinent land use plans, such as an integrated resource management plan (IRMP), a forest plan, a fuels plan, or a range management plan. Consultation with the affected tribes and BIA will be required to produce any draft documents and a final fire plan. When requested, draft documents shall be submitted for tribal and BIA review and feedback. In addition, progress reports may be required. A final fire plan shall include:

Tribal and BIA input and feedback.

Tribal goals and objectives.

Data provided by the tribes and BIA.

The content as required by BIA policy as outlined and described in 90 IAM or other sources of BIA policy.

Appendix items as defined by tribal and BIA guidance and direction.

Workload analyses to determine staffing levels needed to implement the plan.

Other content, as defined by tribal and BIA direction, may include, but is not limited to, cover page, approval page, table of contents, tables, graphs, GIS maps and a list of references (bibliography).

Concise language, yet sufficient detail, for clarity and understanding. Correct grammar, punctuation

The development and analysis of the full range of management actions may require the use of guides, models and datasets that are generally accepted as the professional standard. These guides, models and datasets may include, but are not limited to, LandFire, local FFI data, BehavePlus, FarSite, FireFamily

Plus, and Fofem. These and other tools may be found on the fire.org website.

In addition to the production of GIS maps, GIS data acquisition and analysis may be required to prepare a final fire plan.

Physical requirements will be little to none

The price for fire plan services will be submitted on a per document basis, depending on the specifications in the task order. The number of hours required to prepare a final fire plan will depend on the level of difficulty. The level of difficulty is defined by the complexity of the planning effort, which will be influenced by the following variables: complexity of existing preparedness organizations, complexity of existing prevention programs, continuity of trust lands under protection, flame lengths at variable wind

Technical Forest Management Writing, Mapping & Digitizing, and Forest Inventories Pg 15 of 45 speeds, rate of spread at variable wind speeds, flame intensity and variable wind speeds, fire type (i.e.

ground, surface, crown) at variable wind speeds, average number of fire days, length of the fire season, the number of human caused fires, the number of natural caused fires, the number of large fires, the number of acres in wildland urban interface (WUI) areas, ecological maintenance of condition classes for various fire regimes outside of WUI areas, ecological vulnerability base on condition class 2 and 3 for all fire regimes in all areas, and restoration opportunities. Levels of difficulty, from least difficult to most difficult, for each final fire plan:

Difficulty level 1 (Cochiti, San Felipe, Sandia, Santo Domingo, Santa Ana, Nambe, Tesuque, Pojoaque, and Ohkay Owingeh)

Difficulty level 2 (Picuris, Laguna, Isleta, Taos, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Zia, Jemez, Acoma, Ramah, and Ysleta del Sur)

Difficulty level 3 (Mescalero, Jicarilla, Zuni, Southern Ute, and Ute Mountain)

The assignment of each reservation to the various levels of difficulty in the above list may be subject to change at the time a task order is issued.

8.15. [ ] TASK #8 – DATA ENTRY OF CFI AND FUELS DATA. Enter CFI and Fuels Data into electronic databases and/or data files. All databases and data files will be checked for data entry errors.

All data entry errors will be corrected. Data entry can either be included as a part of a CFI task or may be a separate and distinct task. The contractor will provide the PC hardware and any additional software not provided by the government.

9.0 WORKSITE REQUIREMENTS

9.1. Field activities may be subject to limited or restricted access due to weather conditions or fire restrictions. Crossing permits or other types of access permits may be required to travel over tribal lands.

9.2. The FMI&P, Fire Management and DESCRM programs are authorized, regulated, and guided by the following Departmental and Bureau of Indian Affairs regulations and policies:

25 Code of Federal Regulations Part 163 (25 CFR 163), General Forestry Regulations.

Indian Affairs Manual Part 53 (53 IAM), Forestry, dated September 1, 2006.

Department of the Interior Departmental Manual Part 516 (516 DM), Environmental Quality, Chapters 1 – 7, 10.

43 Code of Federal Regulation Part 46 (43 CFR 46), Implementation of National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969.

Indian Affairs Manual Part 59 (59 IAM), Environmental Management.

90 IAM, Wildland Fire Management (Release #99-04 5/25/99).

3 IAM, Delegations of Authority.

BIA, Fuels Management Handbook (January 2006).

BIA, Fuels Management Program Business Rules Handbook (07/2008).

BIA, Health and Safety Handbook.

BIA, Fuels Management Program Planning and Implementation Guide, 90IAM1.4C(2)a-H (12/05/08)

Interagency Incident Business Management Handbook, NWCG Handbook 2, PMS 902, NFES 2160.

Wildland and Prescribed Fire Qualifications System Guide, NWCG, PMS 310-1, NFES 1414.

Interagency Prescribed Fire Planning and Implementation Procedures Reference Guide (Sept. 2008).

Technical Forest Management Writing, Mapping & Digitizing, and Forest Inventories Pg 16 of 45

Other relevant Federal laws, regulations and policies as well as pertinent Tribal ordinances, policies/procedures.

CFI Field Manual-Southwest Region Reservations.

All regulations, policies, procedures, and reference material are subject to periodic modifications. Unless otherwise stated in the task order, the most up-to-date regulations, policies, procedures and reference materials will be used at the time a task order is issued.

10.0 Deliverables

10.1. Final forest plans for reservations as specified in each task order.

10.2. Final NEPA documents for reservations as specified in each task order.

10.3. Final FIA’s for reservations as specified in each task order.

10.4. Final forest history documents for reservations as specified in each task order.

10.5. All packets containing forest inventory and fuels data collected from forest inventory plots located on reservations as specified in each task order. For each plot in a packet, most of the data shall be recorded on forms furnished by the BIA or on data recorders provided by or approved by the BIA, except for photo points which shall be delivered as JPEG files on CD. See Sections 2.00 and 3.00 of the CFI

Field Manual for more details on these forms.

10.6. Final GIS data layers of the cover types for reservations as specified in each task order. Final

GIS data layers shall be delivered on a CD as an electronic ARC/INFO…