311000_Clearing_Grubbing_REV Amd 2.doc

SECTION 311000

CLEARING and GRUBBING

PART 1 - GENERAL

1.1 SUMMARY

A. This work shall consist of clearing, grubbing, trimming, removing, and disposing of, or treatment of, live and dead timber, construction slash, stumps and debris within the areas shown on the drawings or designated on the ground. Areas may include but are not limited to: structures, buildings and related appurtenances; roads, spurs, trails, camp units, tent pads and other areas to be graded. Also included is the protection from injury or defacement of vegetation and other objects designated to remain and treatment or removal of damaged trees.

B. Based on a comparison of campground reconstruction areas, it is estimated approximately 50 stumps will be remaining within the areas designated for new campground construction and approximately 50 stumps will be remaining within the areas designated for optional bid item day use/trailhead/horse trailer campsites construction. Work in this contract will include removal of stumps, backfilling of stump holes and grading the areas to match surrounding ground surfaces.

C. Contractor shall make payment to Government by purchasing a timber sale contract for any merchantable timber removed from Government Lands. For cutting timber, a timber sale contract is required to ensure that tree removal follows U. S. Forest Service timber management practices.

D. The count of merchantable trees within the campground base bid including the Beckwidth Trailhead is estimated at 105, and the count of merchantable trees for the day use bid options is estimated at 70. The current charge for 105 trees that have been marked in the base bid area will be approximately $460 at current prices. The estimated charge for trees in the optional bid item areas is $350. Prices change quarterly and can go up or down depending on timber market conditions. Prices will be locked at the time the timber sale contract is purchased. Timber sale contract quantities will be adjusted to charge only for trees actually cut.

E. All timber, construction slash, stumps and debris from clearing and grubbing shall be removed and disposed off Government lands.

1.2 related work in other sections

A. Division 31 Section “Structural Excavation, Backfill and Compaction”

B. Division 31 Section “Road and Spur Excavation and Embankment”

PART 2 – PRODUCTS (NOT APPLICABLE)

PART 3 – EXECUTION

2. 3.

2.1 CLEARING

A. Clearing Limits:

1. Roads, Spurs, and Trails: As shown on the drawings.

2. Use Pads & Tent Pads: 2 feet from top of cut and 2 feet from toe of fill.

3. Structures/Buildings: 10 feet outside the extreme limits of the structure or building.

4. Areas to be graded: 2 feet past the intersection of the existing ground with the cut slope and to the toe of fill as applicable.

B. All trees, stumps, roots, debris and other protruding vegetative material within the clearing limits, not designated to remain, shall be cleared, grubbed, removed and backfilled except the following:

1. Undisturbed stumps outside the roadway, spur or pull-thru, unit use pad, tent pad or in embankment areas, provided they do not extend more than 12 inches above the original ground (measured from the uphill side); they are no closer than 2 feet to the finished subgrade or 1 foot to any slope surface and they do not interfere with the placement or compaction of embankments.

2. Material in channel changes, rock sections, and ditches that is below the depth of the proposed excavation.

C. Protect existing trees and other vegetation to remain in place, against unnecessary cutting, breaking, or skinning of roots, skinning and bruising of bark, smothering of trees by stockpiling construction materials or excavated materials within the drip line, excess foot or vehicular traffic, or parking of vehicles within the drip line. The Contractor shall make payment to the Government for unnecessary or excessive damage to live trees to remain as determined by the Contracting Officer.

D. Provide temporary guards to protect trees and vegetation to be left standing.

E. Where any trees are damaged, or where limbs are required to be trimmed or removed because of operations under this contract, or because of interference with new construction, any cutting or removal of limbs or branches shall be done only with prior approval of the Contracting Officer.

F. Solvents, oils, and other material which may be harmful to plant life shall be disposed of in containers and removed from the site. At the completion of the work, any contaminated soil shall be removed and replaced with topsoil.

G. Trees shall be felled into the area being cleared when ground conditions, tree lean, and shape of clearing permit. Controlled felling will be used to ensure that the direction of fall prevents damage to trees designated to remain or road areas.

H. All material including the stumps, shall be designated as slash and disposed of in accordance with 3.3 A..2.

I. Felling, cutting, and trimming methods shall not cause bark damage to standing timber. Trees with major roots exposed by construction that are rendered unstable shall be felled and disposed of in accordance with the above paragraphs.

2.2 GRUBBING

A. All debris, stumps, roots and other protruding vegetative material within the clearing limits, not designated to remain, shall be grubbed, removed and disposed of, except the following:

1. Trails: On all trails, stumps within the trailbed shall be removed. Stumps located between the edge of the trailbed and the edge of the trailway that cannot be cut flush with the finished slope, or are not tightly rooted, shall be removed.

2. Roads, Spurs and Use Pads: Undisturbed stumps outside the roadway or in embankment areas, provided they can be cut flush above the original ground (measured from the uphill side) or closer than 18 inches to the finished subgrade or 1 foot to any slope surface or as otherwise shown on the drawings and they do not interfere with the placement or compaction of embankments.

3. All roots over 3 inches in diameter within the roadbed area shall be grubbed to a minimum depth of 6 inches below subgrade. Roots over 1 inch in diameter protruding from the excavated slope shall be cut flush with the excavated slope surface.

4. Fire-dangerous dead trees or unstable live trees, designated by the Contracting Officer within 200 feet slope distance of the centerline of roads and capable of falling and reaching the roadway shall be cut off not more than 12 inches above the uphill ground line and treated in accordance with Subsections 3.1 and 3.3.

5. Branches on remaining trees or shrubs shall be trimmed to give a clear height of 14 feet above the roadbed unless otherwise shown on the drawings. Tree limbs shall be trimmed as near flush with the trunk as practicable.

6. When grubbing for structures, buildings, and areas to be landscape graded, grub and remove all stumps inside the clearing limits. Grub and remove all roots to a depth of at least 6 inches below the natural ground when fill is required for site grading. When excavation is required for site grading, grub and remove all roots to a depth of at least 6 inches below finished grade.

2.3 stump and SLASH TREATMENT spec writer: edit type of method in paragraph below.

A. No construction slash shall be deposited in lakes, meadows, streams, or streambeds. Construction slash that interferes with drainage structures shall be removed immediately.

1. Disposal of Stumps at Landfill or Location as directed by Contracting Officer:

a. The contractor shall meet the following requirements. Stumps shall be removed, disposed and hauled off government lands. The nearest landfill is the Adobe Buttes Landfill west of Eckert, Colorado operated by Delta County. The landfill is located approximately 46 miles from Lost Lake Campground. Contact the Delta County Solid Waste Manager for fee and load requirements, phone (970) 835-7999. Another landfill location is the Gunnison County Landfill, 45800 US Highway 50, Gunnison, CO. 81230. Phone: (970) 641-5522. FAX: (970) 641-8120.

2. Disposal of Slash at Landfill or Location as directed by Contracting Officer:

a. All other slash material shall be the Contractor’s responsibility and shall meet the following requirements: Haul, remove and dispose of all slash off Government lands. The nearest landfill is the Adobe Buttes Landfill west of Eckert, Colorado operated by Delta County. The landfill is located approximately 46 miles from the Lost Lake Campground. Contact the Delta County Solid Waste Manager for fee and load requirements, Phone (970) 835-7999. Another landfill location is the Gunnison County Landfill, 45800 US Highway 50, Gunnison, CO. 81230. Phone: (970) 641-5522. FAX: (970) 641-8120.

2.4 UTILIZATION OF TIMBER

A. Contractor shall make payment to the Government for any merchantable timber removed from Government Lands by purchasing a timber sale contract. Timber stored and decked in staging or landing areas must be removed by the Contractor from Government lands within one year of cutting.

B. The Government shall provide the Contractor an estimate of the merchantable timber worth before the contractor purchases the timber sale contract. The Government shall perform all marking and timber cruising with copies of marked plans and an estimate provided to the contractor before the contract clearing and grubbing and timber sale contract purchase work is started.

C. Merchantable timber is timber that meets the following utilization standards:

Utilization Standards will be stated in the timber sale contract.

D. Logging methods and utilization shall conform to the following:

1. Felling and Bucking. Felling shall be done to minimize damage to merchantable timber and damage to remaining trees outside of clearing limits. Felling shall be done with saws or shears.

a. Bucking shall be done to permit removal of all minimum pieces set forth in specifications.

2. Utilization and Removal of Timber.

a. Removal from Government Land. Title to all timber or forest products included in this contract shall remain with the United States until its estimated quantities have been determined by the Contracting Officer or designee and paid for and removed from the sale area by the Purchaser. Once the timber has been purchased it shall become the property of the Contractor and removed from Government land within one year of cutting.

1) Disposal of Merchantable Timber. Logs meeting utilization standards can be limbed and decked at the staging and landing locations and at locations approved by the Contracting Officer. Decking shall be done in such a manner that logs are piled parallel one to the other, can reasonably be removed by standard log loading equipment, will not damage standing trees, and will not roll. Decks shall be free of brush and soil.

2) Disposal of Unmerchantable Timber. Timber on this project that is not considered merchantable shall be removed and disposed of off Government lands within one year of cutting. Staging/Landing and decking locations as shown on the drawings may be used by the contractor for storage areas for a period of one year after cutting before the timber, stumps, logs and limbs must be removed and disposed off Government lands Other storage area locations may be approved by the Contracting Officer.

END OF SECTION 311000

LOST LAKE CAMPGROUND AND TRAILHEAD

311100-2

CLEARING AND GRUBBING