app.A.pdf

PAGOSA‐AREA Long‐term STEWARDSHIP CONTRACT

APPENDIX A ‐‐ Technical Specifications for Service Work Activities

CONTENTS

1. Scope of Work

a. Introduction

b. Service Work Summary

c. Project Location, Access, and Site Conditions

d. Payment for Service Work

2. Definitions

3. Forest Service Responsibilities

4. Service work items

a. Cutting and removal of cut‐tree material

b. Road maintenance

c. Construction, maintenance, and closure, of temporary roads

d. Erosion control

e. Miscellaneous items

1. Scope of Work

a. Introduction

Need for Project: The Pagosa Ranger District and San Juan National Forest (SJNF) have conducted environmental analyses and made decisions regarding the need to treat forestlands surrounding the Pagosa area to meet objectives for:

‐ fuels reduction, ‐ forest restoration, and

‐ forest health.

These analyses and associated decisions have prioritized treatment for approx 50,000 acres of forest lands. Concurrently, the State‐of‐Colorado counties of La Plata, Archuleta, and Hinsdale, and the State‐of‐New Mexico county of Rio Arriba have completed county‐wide Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP’s). Similar to the efforts of the SJNF, these CWPP’s have prioritized wildland/urban interface (WUI) zones that identify communities at risk (or “communities of concern”) and priority areas for fuels‐reduction treatments. More recently, specific communities (such as subdivisions or property owner associations) are engaged in – or have completed – their own discrete CWPP’s that are site‐specific to their infrastructure, forest and fuel conditions, etc.

Communities at risk, along with SJNF forestlands, have the potential to derive ecological and socio‐economic benefits (e.g., jobs) through the implementation of this project.

b. Service‐work Summary

Service work includes the following key items:

i. Cutting of POL‐sized designated trees, and removal from treatment area of approximately 95% of the cut‐tree material, including boles, limbs, and tops, plus removal of limbs and tops from designated trees over 10.0” DBH. See Appendix B for Timber Removal specifications.

ii. Maintenance of National Forest Service (“system”) Roads used to accomplish work item i., above, including, as needed, pre‐use, during‐use, and post‐use maintenance.

See Appendix C for details of Road Maintenance work requirements.

iii. Construction and maintenance of temporary roads, and closure of such roads following use. See Appendix D for details of Temporary Road work requirements.

iv. Erosion control of temporary roads, skid or forwarder trails, and landings, as needed.

This may include construction of water‐diverting structures (“waterbars”), scarification prior to seeding, seeding with specified seed mixes, or other measures.

v. Miscellaneous items, as part of accomplishment of work item 1, above:

a. felling of damaged trees;

b. slash treatment.

These items are further defined, described, or specified below.

c. Project Location, Access, and Site Conditions

Area of Project: Forest Service lands surrounding and in vicinity of the Pagosa Springs townsite and surrounding “communities of concern”.

Access: Contractors will have access to treatment areas, for personnel, equipment, etc., and for removal of cut‐tree material off‐site, via a mix of paved, gravel, and native‐surface roads.

Access routes will include federal and state highways, county or town roads, National Forest System roads, and may at times include Bureau of Land Management (BLM), tribal or private roads as well.

Federal Highways US 160 and US 84, and State Highway 151, are key paved 2‐lane haul routes.

At the other end of the spectrum are narrow, winding, sometimes steep, and often closed‐to‐ public‐motorized‐use, Forest Service roads that were built to accommodate log‐truck configurations, with trailering systems designed to negotiate 50‐foot minimum‐radius curves.

Contractors would be expected to encounter a combination of these road conditions for access to and from treatment areas.

Timing of Access: Most treatment areas are relatively free of snow from May 1 through October 31. Reasonable access, assuming a contractor elects to plow snow from roads and conduct some operations in project areas with some snow cover, can generally occur from November into mid‐winter (e.g., early to mid‐February). Normally, as winter transitions to spring, ground conditions on roads and in treatment areas become too soft for operations in late February through much of April. Hence, contractors should expect to be precluded from access to treatment areas for 2‐3 months in late winter/early spring. Also, during summer monsoonal periods (generally, mid‐July through August), heavy rains may also preclude access due to rain‐softened roads and ground.

Hence, contractors should expect at least 4 months when access is not allowed, or severely limited, in any one year.

The Forest Service assumes no obligation to plow snow or perform special maintenance to keep access routes open for Contractor operations.

Treatment‐area ground conditions: Treatments are assumed to be accomplished with ground‐ based cutting or harvesting equipment that can typically operate on sustained slopes from 0 to 35 percent. Ground conditions encountered will vary greatly, but are generally partially to well‐ vegetated, with grasses, forbs, shrubs, or small trees, with or without surface rock. Terrain can vary from relatively smooth to dissected (i.e., divided into hills or ridges by channels, gullies, or small canyons). Generally, streamcourses will have adjacent areas, where mechanized equipment is prohibited from operating (“buffers”), to either side of the stream, as follows:

perennial – 100 feet; intermittent – 75 feet; and ephemeral – 50 feet. Forest structure and composition will vary widely, from very dense small trees to light‐density large trees. Refer to the following section describing silvicultural desired conditions for more information on forest stand conditions.

d. Payment for Service Work

The Contractor will be paid for: a) bid items, listed in Section B.1 and specified in Task Orders, b) cost allowance items, listed in Section G.10 and specified in Task Orders, and c) for Optional bid items, listed in Section B.1 and specified in Task Orders.

The Contractor will not be paid for contract‐required cutting of designated trees that are 10.0” DBH and larger and removal of associated sawtimber.

2. Definitions

Average Skid Distance (ASD) – The average distance cut‐tree material (or Timber Products) will be skidded or yarded from the site of the cut tree(s) to a landing where cut‐tree material is loaded onto trucks for hauling off of Forest. Also known as average yarding distance (AYD). ASD is a weighted average that will be calculated by the method outlined in R2 Supplement 2409.22‐93‐7, or by other agreed‐to means.

Basal Area – The area of the cross section of a tree stem, including the bark, measured at DBH. Basal area is normally expressed in terms of the basal area of all trees across a specific area, such as square feet per acre.

Bole – Main stem of a tree. In the case of a forked tree, there could be more than one bole.

Canopy Cover – The percentage of a fixed area covered by the crowns of trees delineated by a vertical projection of the outermost perimeter of the spread of the foliage.

CCF – A unit of measure for wood volume, representing 100 cubic feet.

Cohort – The trees in a stand, that established following some past disturbance (such as a fire), that are about the same size and age.

Composition (or stand composition) – The proportion of each tree species in a stand, usually expressed as a percentage of either the total number, basal area, or volume of all tree species in the stand.

Conifer – A tree with foliage as needles or leaf scales, usually evergreen (e.g., pine, fir, spruce, juniper).

Contracting Officer (CO) – A person with the authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings.

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) – A person appointed by the CO to help the CO with the contract administration and inspection.

Contractor – The prime individual or organization that is awarded the contract, who is also responsible for the work and conduct of all partners, employees, equipment, and subcontractors assigned by the prime to perform on the contract. Timber specifications may refer to the Contractor as “Purchaser”.

Coppice ‐‐ Coppice cutting is a regeneration method in which all trees in the existing stand are cut and the majority of the regeneration is from sprouts or root suckers. In this contract, aspen sprouting would result.

Coppice with Standards (or “coppice with reserves”) ‐‐ A version of coppice whereby individual trees, clumps, or patches of trees are retained within the coppice cuts for purposes of retaining or enhancing size‐class (or age‐class) or compositional diversity, or to meet esthetic objectives. Normally, the reserved trees will be pre‐settlement pine, Douglas fir, or spruce.

Cover Type – A name given to the dominant vegetation in an area. The cover types for this contract, and their description, is as follows:

ponderosa pine (PP) – approximately 95% or more of the canopy cover is PP; understory species are normally grasses and forbs with or without Gambel oak;

warm‐dry mixed conifer (w‐d MC) – the generally lower elevation, warmer/dryer range of mixed conifer, usually dominated by PP, Douglas‐fir, and can include small or large component of white fir, blue spruce, or aspen; understory species similar to PP cover type;

cool‐moist mixed conifer (c‐m MC) – the generally higher elevation, cooler/moister range of mixed conifer, usually dominated by Douglas‐fir and white fir, and often includes a small to large component of aspen; and can include minor amounts of Engelmann spruce or subalpine/corkbark fir; understory species include broad range of forbs, grasses, and often substantial shrub cover of snowberry, serviceberry, and other shrub species; Gambel oak is not present;

aspen‐with‐conifer (A/MC) – aspen comprises at least 51% of canopy cover, with various conifer species making up remainder; can be found throughout range of MC and into spruce‐fir though is most common on sites that also support c‐m MC;

aspen (AA) – approximately 95% or more of the canopy cover is AA; commonly referred to as “pure” aspen; understory species include broad range of shrubs, forbs, and grasses;

spruce‐fir (SF) – approximately 90% of canopy cover is a mix of Engelmann spruce and subalpine (or corkbark) fir; this cover type occurs on coldest, wettest sites, and at highest elevations supporting tree cover; understory species are generally grouse whortleberry and other forbs or grasses. [Spruce‐fir stands are expected to comprise minimal treatment area in this contract.]

The SJNF includes other cover types, such as pinon/juniper, mountain grassland, mountain shrubland; but these cover types are not expected to be treated within this contract.

Cruise – To determine the volume of sound (utilizable) wood fiber in the boles or stems, topwood, and branches of a standing tree, in cubic feet (CF). Cruised volumes are typically converted to cunits, or units of hundred cubic feet (CCF). (Note: The cruise program used to determine the volume of sawtimber or POL for this contract also has the capability to estimate the biomass for the remaining portion of the trees designated for removal, given input of specific weight conversion factors. Hence, biomass, in tons, is estimated for topwood, branches, bark and foliage from cruise data.)

Cutting Unit – A discrete area, within an overall project area, where trees are designated to be cut and removed.

Same as Treatment Unit.

Damaged Tree – A live tree damaged by Contractor’s operations. See Appendix B, Timber Removal Specifications, Provisions C.1.3.1 and C.1.3.2, and Section H, provision H.13.1.

DBH – Diameter at breast height is the outside diameter of a tree at a point 4.5 feet above ground, as measured on the uphill side of the tree.

DIB – Diameter inside bark.

DRC – Diameter at root collar.

Dwarf Mistletoe – A type of parasitic plant, with species that affect the following ponderosa pine and Douglas‐fir on the SJNF.

Dwarf Mistletoe Rating – A widely‐used, simple system for ocular rating of dwarf mistletoe infections in individual trees. See Appendix H.

Forwarding – The activity of moving wood products, in the form of logs or chips, from where trees are cut to a landing with the wood products being carried on a wheeled vehicle (a “forwarder”).

Green ton – 2000 pounds of undried cut‐tree material (or 2000 pounds of undried Timber Products).

Inspector – A person appointed by the CO responsible for inspecting Contractor operations for performance.

Landing – A collection point for cut‐tree material (or Timber Products), following skidding or forwarding, adjacent to an existing road, where loading occurs for hauling off of National Forest lands.

Leave tree – Any live or dead tree that has been selected to be left standing as provided in timber designation provisions.

Lop and Scatter – Cutting limbs or tops from the trunks of cut trees and dispersing concentrations of this material, known as “slash”.

Miscellaneous Biomass – Material, to be measured in green tons, made up of the remaining portions from cut trees, that does not meet utilization standards for sawtimber or POL. This includes the tops, limbs, and smaller pieces of tree boles (such as broken portions of boles). This also includes whole trees that are less than 5” DBH.

POL – See “products other than logs”.

Pole – A live tree that ranges in size from 3.0” to 9.9” DBH. Poles 3.0” to 4.9” DBH are small poles and do not meet Forest Service specifications as POL.

Post‐settlement trees – Trees that established after the onset of European/American settlement; generally considered to be less than 130‐years old.

Pre‐settlement – Also known as pre‐European/American settlement, or the period preceding settlement of southwestern Colorado by people of European descent. The European/American settlement period began around 1870.

Pre‐settlement trees – Trees that established prior to European/American settlement; generally considered to be at least 130‐years old.

Pre‐use (road) maintenance – Road maintenance to be performed by the Contractor, when required by the Forest Service (as identified in individual Task Orders), that must be completed prior to hauling of cut‐tree material (or Timber Products) from treatment units to off‐forest disposal sites.

Products other than logs (POL) – Products commonly referred to as poles. Utilizable pole‐size material ranges from

5.0 to 9.9 inches DBH. If designated for removal, it is a Timber Product and is made up of the bole portion of trees, meeting utilization standards as noted in Appendix B, Division A.

Project areas – Discrete, generally localized areas comprised of multiple treatment units and, for purposes of this contract, defined and detailed within separate Task Orders.

Reserved trees – A type of Leave tree that has special value, special protection, and, if damaged, may result in penalties for damage. See Appendix B, Timber Removal Specifications, for appropriate provisions.

Residual tree – Tree to be left uncut in a treatment area.

Sapling – A live tree that ranges in size from 1.0” to 2.9” DBH. A sapling is larger than a seedling and smaller than a pole.

Sawtimber – Also known as sawlogs, or logs, this product can be milled into boards. Sawtimber, in this contract, is 10.0‐inch DBH and greater. If designated for removal, it is a Timber Product and is made up of the bole portion of trees, meeting utilization standards as noted in Appendix B, Division A.

Scaled – Measurement of Timber Products occurs after the cutting of trees. In the case of this contract, Timber Products will be scaled by total weight. See Appendix B.

Seedling – A live tree less than 1.0” DBH.

Skidding ‐‐ The activity of moving wood products, in the form of logs or whole trees, from where trees are cut to a landing with the wood products being dragged (“skidded”) on the ground behind a vehicle (a “skidder”).

Skid trail – An agreed‐upon route for logs, portions of logs, or other cut‐tree material, to be moved through cutting units from the stump, or place of cutting, to a landing where timber products are readied for transport on authorized haul routes on National Forest System Roads, including temporary roads. This may also be termed a “forwarding trail”.

Slash – Non‐merchantable woody debris, exclusive of stumps, or chips, created from work under this contract and remaining on the ground after treatment operations, including cut trees or shrubs and their tops, trunks, and branches.

Snag – A standing dead tree. For purposes of this contract, a three‐class snag system will be used. Class 1 snags are characterized by trees that have recently died, still retain 80‐90% of their branches, and the bark remains intact and tight. Class 2 snags are characterized as retaining only large branches, many of which are broken off;

about 50% of the bark is missing, while the remainder is generally loose on the bole. Class 3 snags are characterized by having very few if any branches, little or no bark, deteriorating wood, and part or most of the top has broken off.

Sound – The utilizable portion of a sawlog or POL; generally referred to as the proportion of the sawlog or POL that is usable (e.g., percent sound).

Stand (or forest stand) – A spatially contiguous group of trees and associated vegetation sufficiently uniform in structure and composition and growing under similar soil and climatic conditions to be a distinguishable unit.

Stem – same as “bole”.

Streamcourse – A linear feature, where water commonly flows for a portion of the year, which is protected from mechanical disturbance. The area of protection extends outward from the streamcourse itself and varies depending on the classification of the streamcourse, whether perennial, intermittent, or ephemeral.

Structure (or stand structure) – A term used to describe the physical characteristics of a forest stand, which includes age‐class or size‐class distribution and density.

Stump height – The acceptable maximum height left aboveground – or above natural‐occurring obstacles on ground and adjacent to stump (such as rocks) – measured from the uphill side, after a tree is felled.

System road – A road that is part of the Forest Service permanent road system network.

Temporary roads – A road constructed and/or used specifically as part of the logging or yarding network (i.e., is not a part of the permanent road system network), for a relatively short‐duration period to allow access, and hauling, off‐site, of cut‐tree products.

Timber Products – Products, deriving from trees designated for cutting and removal, that meet Utilization Standards in Division A of Timber Removal Specifications (Appendix B), and carry associated charges when hauled from project areas and scaled for volume. These include sawtimber, POL, and miscellaneous biomass. Charges to Contractor for Timber Products removed and scaled are found in B.2

Topwood – The portion of the bole of a tree designated for removal that is beyond (or smaller than) the utilization‐ standard top diameter (“diameter inside bark at small end” [see Division A, Volume Estimate and Utilization Standards table, in Appendix B]) – i.e., the top of the tree above the sawtimber‐ or POL‐product portion of the tree.

Treatment Unit – See Cutting Unit.

Tree designation – The means of identifying which trees are to be cut, or left, under the terms of the contract. See Section H.10.

Waterbar – A drainage structure constructed across a road or skid/forward trail in order to divert water off of the road or trail. Waterbars should be drivable by off‐road or four‐wheel drive equipment.

Wildlife tree – A standing live or dead tree that has been identified as having unique or important characteristics for wildlife. A wildlife tree may be marked with paint, or designated with a tag. Wildlife trees will have various types of protection and/or value, as noted in individual Task Orders.

Working circle – The approximate project area for this contract that includes all Task Order – associated individual project areas and falls within a 50‐mile haul distance from project (treatment) areas to the junction of US 160 and Archuleta County Road 600 (Piedra Road).

3. Forest Service Responsibilities

Forest Service will provide the following:

‐ Government‐furnished property, as noted in C.6.;

‐ Task Orders, that:

‐ average at least 15 green tons per acre for Task Order/project area as a whole;

‐ minimize construction of temporary roads while meeting terms of H.12.1 (Average and Maximum skid distances);

‐ provide for timber product accountability by weight, including weight conversion factors, by species, for sawtimber and POL;

‐ involve vegetative treatment on slopes up to 35%, except that short pitches, up to 100 feet in distance directly up or down slope, may exceed 35%;

‐ include Timber Products that is at least 80%, by volume, from the cutting of live trees.

‐ Contract Administration personnel to inspect and ensure Contractor operations are complying with the terms of the contract. Forest Service inspections will check for, but are not limited to, ‐ cutting only of trees designated for removal;

‐ protection of trees designed to be retained on‐site;

‐ maintenance of system and temporary roads;

‐ timely erosion control measures, including those prior to seasonal shut‐downs (winter/spring);

‐ protection of improvements or other special resources (e.g., cultural resources, wildlife habitat, meadows/wetlands/streamcourses).

(Task Orders will include more information regarding Forest Service inspection procedures as appropriate.)

4. Service Work items

Note that the Unit Price, under Schedule of Items, incorporates the collective work of all of the following items: a) cutting and removal of cut‐tree material, b) during‐ and post‐use road maintenance of system roads, c) maintenance of temporary roads, d) erosion control, and e) miscellaneous items.

a. Cutting and removal of cut‐tree material

The contract will involve the cutting of designated trees from 5.0” to 9.9” DBH, and removal of the boles (or stems, including the extension of the bole to the top of the tree), limbs, and foliage. This service work also includes the removal of limbs, tops, and accompanying foliage from trees, designated for cutting, that are 10.0” DBH and larger. (Sawtimber, resulting from the cutting of trees 10.0” DBH and larger, are to be removed from treatment areas but are not included in this service work. Service work payments, based on green tons, will not be paid for this material.) The contract may include cutting of designated trees less than 5.0” DBH. (This is Optional service work and will be specified by Task Order.)

To meet objectives for fuels reduction, forest restoration and forest health, trees designated for removal may be as small as 6 feet in height or up to 100’ feet tall, or ranging in diameter from 1” to 30” diameter at breast height (DBH). Species of trees to be cut and removed may include the following: ponderosa pine, white fir, blue spruce, Douglas‐fir, aspen, subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce, Rocky Mountain or Utah juniper, or pinyon pine. Contractors must be able to recognize these different species.

Contractors should be able to recognize indicators of attack of key insect and disease species, including but not limited to: Douglas‐fir beetle, spruce beetle, dwarf mistletoe in ponderosa pine or Douglas‐fir, western spruce budworm, or fir broom rust. Forest Service personnel will assist Contractor’s personnel in learning to recognize these insect and disease indicators.

Approximately 95% of the cut‐tree material is to be removed from the project area. Removal can be by various means, including, but not limited to: skidding or forwarding (or “yarding”) of trees, or parts of trees, to landings; followed by hauling of trees or parts of trees from landings to location(s) off of Federal land.

The size, shape, dimensions, or product form that is yarded or hauled from the cutting units and out of the project area can be in various forms, including but not limited to logs, poles, bolts, or chips, provided that the means of transport does not result in resource damage, violations to other specifications or provisions of this contract, or does not result in violating other county, state, or federal laws.

Treatment units – Areas where tree cutting and removal will take place will be delineated into units.

Treatment unit boundary designation will be specified in Task Orders. Task Orders will include maps that display treatment units as well.

Designation of trees to be cut and removed – A variety of methods will be used to designate trees to be cut and removed. Designation means will be specified in individual Task Orders.

Protective measures or restrictions – Project‐specific protective measures (e.g., buffers around streamcourses, wetlands, or wildlife nests) or restrictions (e.g., “harvest operations are limited to a maximum of only two treatment units open at any one time”) may be found in Section H, Appendix A, B, or within individual Task Orders.

Typical Tree Removal, by Cover Type – Though Designation of trees to be removed (or those to be reserved) will vary by project area, the following gives a general outline of trees to be cut and removed, by cover type, in the area encompassed in this contract.

Ponderosa Pine (PP): Most ponderosa pine stands needing treatment are overly dense and dominated by trees ranging in diameter from 7” to 18” DBH. Dominant live trees usually range from 20” to 32” DBH. Most stands contain a small number (e.g., from 3 per acre to 1 per 2 acres) of very large, pre‐settlement pine. Few stands contain a larger component of these larger, older trees.

Many stands, except those in the Turkey Springs area, exhibit limited regeneration of seedlings or saplings, due to dense cover by overstory trees or shrubs.

Hence, most stands have too many large POL and small sawtimber – sized trees, and too few very large, older trees and too few very small younger trees. Trees to be cut and removed will mostly be in the 7‐18” DBH range.

To replicate historical stand structure that is known to have exhibited a clumpy nature (clumps of as few as 3 trees and as many as 20, and ranging in size from 1/10 acre to ¼ acre) with openings (no tree cover) of various sizes between clumps, tree designation (whether by leave‐tree or cut‐tree marking) will generally reflect a “clumps‐and‐openings” character.

Also, there are some PP stands where dwarf mistletoe infection levels are moderate to high.

Normally, these are in clumps or pockets, from 1‐3 acres in size. In some cases, many or most of infected trees will be designated for removal, particularly those with dwarf mistletoe ratings of 4 and above. (See Appendix H for a description of the dwarf mistletoe rating system.)

In most cases in PP stands, leave‐tree marking (with orange paint) will designate trees to be reserved. Trees to be removed will not be marked. Also, occasional Douglas‐fir and nearly all white fir will be designated for removal as well, either by “Individual Trees (Cut‐tree marking)” or by “Designation by Species and Diameter”.

Warm‐dry Mixed Conifer (w‐d MC): Most w‐d MC stands are dominated by PP in the overstory, with occasional Douglas‐fir in the overstory as well. In most cases, white fir has become prominent in the understory and midstory, and some trees have reached overstory size and heights as well. Like PP cover type, above, some large, old pre‐settlement pine may remain in the stand. (In some cases, blue spruce is filling a similar niche as white fir and has become the prominent tree in the understory or midstory.) Also, scattered inclusions of aspen are often found, especially on cooler, moister sites. Most of these aspen are older stems reflecting poor health from insects, disease or injury from browsing.

In most cases, fuels reduction and forest restoration objectives will be met by removing the majority of the white fir (or blue spruce) component, in all size classes, and reducing densities in PP and Douglas‐fir. Generally, designation of white fir (or blue spruce) to be removed will be by “Designation by Species and Diameter”; and other trees to be removed will normally be designated by “Individual Trees (Cut‐tree marking)”.

White fir to be removed will include dead, if the bulk of these dead trees remain standing. In some areas, dead white fir could make up as much as 25% of the total white fir volume. The resulting post‐treatment stand will, similar to the PP cover type, be marked to replicate a “clumps‐and‐ openings” structure.

Most aspen inclusions will be treated, generally using “Designation by Species and Diameter”.

Cool‐moist Mixed Conifer: These stands have few if any PP, and virtually no Gambel oak in the understory. (The lack of any oak is a key distinguishing feature, as compared to PP or w‐d MC stands.) These stands are dominated by Douglas‐fir, white fir, spruce (blue, and some Engelmann) and often have a limited to large (up to 49% of total tree cover) component of aspen.

Large, old Douglas‐fir were preferentially removed from many of these stands in the 1960’s through ‘70’s. Currently, high densities in these stands favor white fir and spruce regeneration over Douglas‐ fir regeneration. Hence, white fir and spruce, and older aspen of poor health, will generally be designated for removal while favoring Douglas‐fir, with particular attention paid to thin heavily around – in order to favor for future growth and health ‐‐ large, old and young, small Douglas‐fir. A mix of Designation by Description, Cut‐tree, and Leave‐tree provisions will be used. Trees of all sizes, from sapling to large sawtimber, would be designated for removal.

In some locations where dwarf mistletoe infection rates are high, Douglas‐fir may be moderately or heavily marked for cut and removal.

In some locations where insects and disease infestations are relatively extensive, and/or where conversion of mixed conifer – dominant stands to aspen‐dominant stands is desired, patch clearcutting of conifer may be used to create openings in order to stimulate aspen suckering. This is a version of coppice management, further discussed below. In this scenario, trees of all sizes and ages would be cut. Some trees might be reserved for diversity (“coppice with standards”).

Aspen with Conifer: Aspen‐with‐Conifer stands contain at least 5% of conifer cover and at least 51% of aspen tree cover. These stands may be very similar to c‐m MC, or may appear to be pure aspen EXCEPT that these stands would be expected to succeed to conifer dominance once the current aspen overstory dies off.

These stands will generally be treated in one of two ways.

Treatment A – The conifer component will be designated for removal, using a combination of Designation by Description (usually for white fir), and cut‐tree mark (for other conifers).

Treatment B – Both the conifer and aspen components will be removed, similar to treatment noted below for pure aspen. This is considered a “coppice” cut. Healthy Douglas‐fir individual trees or clumps may be retained as “reserves”, a silvicultural method termed “coppice with standards” or “coppice with reserves”.

Trees of all sizes, from sapling to large sawtimber, would be designated for removal

Pure Aspen: These stands have minimal or no conifers and would be expected to remain as aspen stands as the existing overstory dies off. Treatment of such stands would be by coppice means, whereby virtually all trees in the stand would be cut and removed. Trees designated for removal would range in size, from small poles to sawtimber. Sawtimber‐sized aspen generally reaches a maximum of 16‐18” DBH.

The Forest Service will determine the dominant cover type by treatment unit. Treatment unit cover type delineation will be provided by Task Order.

Removal of Cut‐tree Material from Forest Service lands – Given that a key objective of this contract is to reduce fuels on Forest Service lands, delays in removal of cut‐tree material that put this material at risk for fire must be prevented. Section F, provision F.4.1.b CONTRACT OPERATION RESTRICTIONS, requires removal of cut‐tree material (or Timber Products), from Forest, within 90 days following decking, piling, or other form of collection at landings.

The Forest Service will determine the applicable haul‐mile range, to correspond with Section B.1.

Stewardship Work Activities, in the following manner prior to issuance of Task Orders.

1. A central project point will be determined by Task Order.

2. The weighted average haul mileage will be calculated for all treatment units of same cover type, from 1., above, to the junction of US 160 and Archuleta County Road 600 (Piedra Road).

(A different haul destination may be accepted, upon agreement.)

Appendix B, Timber Removal Specifications, includes information regarding required timber product accountability for any Timber Products removed from Forest Service lands.

b. Maintenance of National Forest System roads

This work item includes road maintenance at, potentially, three phases of treatment:

i. pre‐use, or prior to access to treatment area (often a portion of a cutting unit) or prior to hauling of cut‐tree material from project area;

ii. during‐use, or during the period that a contractor is accessing the treatment area, including hauling of cut‐tree material off‐site; or

iii. post‐use, following the period of contractor access and hauling of cut‐tree material off‐site.

Contractor will be authorized to use only those National Forest System Roads, and road segments, that are necessary for safe and operationally‐effective use. Contractor will maintain roads to the extent that is commensurate with use – that is, Contractor will not be required to maintain roads to a higher standard than is needed for this contract unless such work is negotiated between Forest Service and Contractor.

This work item does not include required work associated with temporary roads.

Refer to Appendix C, Road Maintenance Specifications, for details of this required work.

c. Construction, maintenance, and closure, of Temporary roads

This work item includes all activities tied to use of temporary roads, including construction, maintenance, and closure.

Temporary roads are considered a part of the logging or yarding network, not a part of the permanent (or “system”) road network. The purpose for temporary roads is to access portions of the treatment area that lie at substantial distance from the existing road network. Use of temporary roads reduces the distance that material needs to be skidded or yarded.

The Forest Service, in many instances, will attempt to approximate reasonable locations for temporary roads during environmental analysis and treatment unit reconnaissance. Actual temporary road construction, maintenance, use, and closure will be agreed to by Contractor and Forest Service.

Temporary roads are not required, provided that the Contractor can access, and remove cut‐tree material, from treatment area without causing resource damage. Resource damage could be, but is not limited to, excessive soil erosion or compaction, damage to leave trees or reserved trees, damage to streamcourses, or spread of noxious weeds.

Temporary roads associated with this contract will be available for use by Contractor and Forest Service only.

Refer to Appendix D for details of Temporary Road Use.

d. Erosion Control

This work item involves efforts to reduce erosion that could result from operations associated with this contract, and can include, but is not limited to, construction and maintenance of erosion control structures (e.g., “cross‐drains” or “water bars”) on skid trails or landings, removal of temporary log culverts, removal or construction of berms, smoothing of excessive ruts, or seeding of disturbed sites with weed‐free seed.

Preventive means to reduce erosion include contract provisions that specify agreement on methods and location of skid/forwarding trails and landings (H.12.4, and Appendix B, Provisions G.4.2, G.4.2.2).

Specifications or provisions detailing erosion control requirements can be found in Section H (Special Contract Requirements), H.12.5 and 12.6, and in Appendix B, Standard Provisions G.6.3 through G.6.7.

e. Miscellaneous Items

These work items include, at minimum, felling of damaged trees and treatment of slash.

Felling of Damaged Trees: Live trees that are damaged by Contractor operations must be cut.

Damaged trees, or portions of Damaged Trees, meeting minimum specifications for Timber Products may, by agreement with Forest Service, be removed from project areas as Timber Products at weighted average rate, per green ton, per Task Order. Other Damaged trees needing felling will be treated as slash (see below). Damage is defined as a tree at least 2” DBH that has one or more of the following characteristics of damage from Contractor operations: a) has top knocked out, b) leans more than 10 degrees, c) has less than one‐half of its original limbs, OR d) has lost one‐half or more of its bark (as measured in circumference).

Slash Treatment: Contractor operations are not expected to create a substantial amount of slash due to the intent of the contract to remove whole trees, including limbs and tops from trees designated for removal, from the project area.

Slash created from Contractor operations – that is not removed from treatment areas for disposal (or utilization) – will, at minimum, be treated (cut and/or dispersed) so as to lie within two feet of the ground surface. Some concentrations, such as found at landings, may require piling. In special areas where needs arise to reduce slash depths to less than two feet of the ground, including but not limited to powerlines or developed camping sites, Task Orders will specify slash depths.

See Section H.13 for further information. Task Orders will provide detailed slash treatment specifications for project areas.