app.E.pdf

PAGOSA‐AREA Long‐term Stewardship Contract

APPENDIX E – Measurements & Product Minimum Rates

CONTENTS

1. Forest Product Volume Measurements

2. Weight Factors for Timber Products

3. Minimum Rates, Forest Products

1. Forest Product Volume Measurements

Methods:

All estimates of volume used for payment of sawtimber and POL products will be done to a required sampling error of 30 percent or less.

Area‐based cruise methods: These cruise methods include fixed‐area radius plots, such as 1/20th acre, or Variable Plots, with, say, a 20 BAF (basal area factor). (A Fixed‐Count method is used to count number of stems for small samples.) The total acreage of the cutting units is determined by a traditional traverse or GPS to expand the total volume for a specific Task Order.

Tree‐based cruise methods: These cruise methods require a tally of every tree that will be cut and include cruise methods such as Sample Tree, where a frequency – such as 1‐in‐20 – is used to select measure trees. Another acceptable cruise method is 100‐percent tally and cruise, generally used on very small populations or minor species.

Procedures:

When a specific task order is laid out on the ground, the cutting and/or treatment units will be traversed with a global position system (GPS) to determine acreage and also provide accurate working maps. A pre‐cruise will be conducted to determine best cruise method(s) and number of sample plots or sample trees to measure to meet the desired sampling error. Timber cruisers will monument these plots on the ground and collect the cruise data for all trees which meet the criteria for cutting and removal.

2. Weight Factors for Timber Products

Introduction

Weight factors have been derived from the following sources:

‐ fall, buck, and scale weight measurements, in timber stands on the Pagosa Ranger District;

‐ total weight scaling of aspen via weight‐scale sampling throughout western Colorado.

Weight factors

Weight factors will be used to convert volume, in cubic feet, to green tons. The factors to be used in this contract are listed below, by species and/or product. Actual weight varies by species, size, and in particular, by percent in moisture. The following factors assume weight in green tons, not (oven) dry tons. Conventional measures for green tons are often measured at approximately 40% moisture.

Weight factors may be adjusted during the term of the contract, by mutual agreement between the

Contractor and the Forest Service, if monitoring and evaluation of contract timber products provide adequate data to refine some or all of the following weight factors.

A weighted‐average estimated weight for Forest Products to be removed will be developed for each specific Task Order based on the estimated volume, product, and species mix for that Task Order from the cruise. All loads from each Task Order will be weighed on scales meeting requirements in G.8.1.4.

Total tons removed will be added at the end of each month. All forest products removed will be paid for based on the average weight calculated and weighted by estimated species and product volume estimates.

The following weight factors, by product and species, will be used to convert to Tons.

WEIGHT FACTORS Table (for green/live) species product weight factor 1/ ponderosa pine sawtimber 70.21 true fir sawtimber 66.89

Douglas‐fir sawtimber 60.49 spruce (ES/BS) sawtimber 52.7 aspen 2/ POL 52.24 conifer (ALL) POL 3/

ALL misc biomass n/a 4/,5/

1/ in pounds per cubic foot;

2/ the factor for aspen is weighted, based on an approximate ¾ live, ¼ dead ratio; the weight factor for green only is 58.13, for dead only is 36.71;

3/ the factor will be a weighted average calculated per Task Order; it will generally approximate corresponding factors for sawtimber;

4/ this product is calculated in green tons by ratios and equations integrated with cruise processing software, derived from the National Biomass Estimator Library. The NBEL synthesizes equations from various biomass studies and samples;

5/ for stems less than 5”DBH, typically offered as Timber Subject to Agreement within specific Task Orders, the weight factor will be 56.0.

3. Minimum Rates, Forest Products

Minimum Lbs/cf lbs x 100/ unit rate/ rounded

High Value Rates Species Unit Rate per CCF wt factor lbs x

2,000 tons tons/CCF

Spruce $5.00 52.7 5270 2.635 $1.898 $1.90

Medium Value Rates

Douglas‐ fir $3.00 60.49 6049 3.02 $0.992 $0.99

True Fir $3.00 66.89 6689 3.34 $0.897 $0.90

Ponderosa pine $3.00 70.21 7021 3.51 $0.855 $0.86

Low Value Rates

Other conifer $1.00

POL

Live Aspen $1.00 58.13 5813 2.91 $0.344

Dead Aspen $1.00 36.71 3671 1.84 $0.545

Aspen Live/Dead $1.00 52.24 5224 2.61 $0.383 $0.38

* conifer/combined $0.25 65.79 6579 3.29 $0.076 $0.08

Ponderosa pine $0.25 70.21 7021 3.51 $0.071 $0.08

True Fir $0.25 66.89 6689 3.34 $0.075 $0.08

Douglas‐ fir $0.25 60.49 6049 3.02 $0.083 $0.08

*conifer = weighted avg of Douglas fir, True fir, & Ponderosa pine, spruce

Example: Calculation $ CCF/rate to green tons

70.2 lbs/cf = 70.2 x 100 = 7,020lbs/CCF

7020/2000 tons = 3.5 tons/CCF

$3.00/CCF divide 3.5 tons/CCF = $.86/ green ton

*Minimum Rates based on FSM 2431.b‐ Minimum Rates ‐approved 3/25/09