Response_to_pre-bid_meeting_questions.pdf

Response to Pre-bid Meeting Questions

January 6, 2017

On December 14 and 15, 2016 the Sulphur Ranger District conducted pre-bid meetings for the Moffat and Hi Lonesome Stewardship projects. The intent of these meetings was to review each contract, give potential bidders the opportunity to ask questions and visit the projects in the field to give them a frame of reference for bidding on the projects. The following is a list of questions that required the Forest Service to do some additional investigation prior to responding with a final answer. Responses are split out by project or combined where they apply to each project.

Moffat Stewardship:

Question 1 Will you consider allowing contractors to propose slash treatments, alternative to the currently described lop and scatter to a maximum slash depth of 12 inches within designated group selection areas?

Answer 1 Yes, the Forest Service will allow alternative slash treatments as long as the treatment meets the intent of the silvicultural prescription, which is to create conditions that are conducive to the establishment of regeneration. Two critical factors to regeneration success include adequate seed source and a combination of bare mineral soil conditions with enough coarse woody debris retention to retain soil moisture and micro-site conditions that will prepare the seedbed. Chipping and mastication may be done as long as cones from cut trees remain inside the created group openings. This would require the retention of some tops and limbs.

Chips shall be broadcast outside of the group harvest areas. 40% exposed mineral soil conditions within the groups is required.

The following design criteria would need to be implemented for alternative slash treatments:

Chipping: Depth of wood chips shall not exceed three inches. Distribute chips in discontinuous patches that do not result in a continuous chip mat (<40% of surface covered by 3 inches of chips). A mat of chips as described shall be no more than one chain by one chain (66’x66’) in area.

Mastication: Masticated wood chunks would be distributed to avoid continuous ground coverage. The desired pattern is patchy, mosaic, and discontinuous. Chunks shall cover no more than 40% of the area. Maximum chunk depth shall not exceed 12 inches.

Question 2 What is the estimated quantity of tops, branches, and limbs that would need to be treated as slash?

Answer 2 Based on actual field timber cruising measurements, there is an estimated 30 tons/acre of slash that would be generated from treatments in the project units. Since each designated group is approximately 1/3 acre, there is an estimated 10 tons per group. This estimate includes all material not meeting utilization standards for live and dead lodgepole pine. The following table represents the estimated tons of slash by type.

Estimated Slash* Secondary Product 3.9” to Tip Branches Foliage Total Tons Tons/Acre

Slash Generated (TONS) 381 504.5973766 409.1156 181 1475.713 30.74402 Slash (tons/group) 8.0 10.5 8.5 3.7 30.7

Secondary Product: tons of material 5.9” – 4.0” on live and dead sawlog Merch to Tip: tons of material 3.9” – tip on live and dead pol Branches: tons of branch material on live and dead lodgepole pine (all products) Foliage: tons of needle slash for whole tree (all products) *These are estimates only. Contractors are responsible for verifying their own estimates.

Photo series information is provided to give a visual representation of fuel loadings.

Hi Lonesome Stewardship:

Question 1 How many acres in this project are in wet areas that require a fuels pullback zone for slash material to be piled?

Answer 1 The Forest Service estimates that there are approximately 3.76 acres that are identified on the Contract Area Map, which will require pullback of slash to be piled.

Question 2 Appendix A 5.3.1 (b) states: Remove limbs from entire tree and buck tree bole into lengths of no more than 6 feet. Does this mean that we have to entirely limb each tree, prior to piling that slash material?

Answer 2 No, the intent of this specification is to ensure that all limbs and other slash material between 1 and 7 inches diameter gets piled. All limbs and slash that are 1-7 inches shall be piled. If attached to larger tree boles that will be piled, limbs and slash shall be removed and piled. The wording of this specification will be changed as follows and be incorporated into the contract with the solicitation:

5.3.1 Manual Fuels Modification Cutting Prescriptios for Units: 90A, 91B, and 91C:

a) Cut all live, dead, and dying Lodgepole pine that is 5.0 inches DBH or larger. All other species will be left uncut.

b) Buck tree bole into lengths of no more than 6 feet.

c) Separate tree bole lengths that do not meet hand piling specifications to a distance of 1 to 2 feet where practicable.

d) Stump height of cut trees shall be no higher than 12 inches above ground level.

e) Trees shall be completely severed from the stump at a 90 degree angle.

f) No cut tree shall be left suspended in or leaning against a leave tree or tree outside the unit boundary.

The following is an edit that needs to be made as well. The Forest Service identified that it needed to change the minimum piling specifications listed in 5.3.2.1 from a minimum size of ½ inches in diameter to 1 inch diameter. Additionally, the Forest Service identified that it would re-word the specifications in this section to make them less confusing. The following is what will be incorporated into the contract with the solicitation:

5.3.2.1 Hand Piling and Cover Requirements:

a) Contractor shall pile existing and created slash that is between 1 inch and 7 inches in diameter at the large end.

b) Slash ≤1 inch in diameter and ≥ 7 inches in diameter will be left on the ground and treated as described in 5.3.1. Slash left on the ground will not exceed 24 inches in depth.

c) Material that is more than half decayed or has at least half of its diameter embedded in the organic/duff layer will not be bucked or piled.

d) Piled material should be aligned along the long axis of each piece so that the material is parallel and tightly compacted. This material should be free of soil to facilitate burning.

e) Piles will be constructed by laying limbs, cut boles, and other slash in the pile.

Slash that causes large air spaces in piles will be reworked to eliminate air spaces.

Each pile will include an area of small sized slash to provide “kindling” for prompt ignition and to aid in combustion of larger slash. These fuels will be placed in the center of the pile. All objects which extend more than 2 feet in any direction from the pile profile will be cut off and returned to the pile.

f) Piles must be at least 10 feet long by 10 feet wide and 7 feet in height and no larger than 12 feet long by 12 feet wide and 12 feet in height. Piles will be of size and location which will not impair road or trails use or result in damage to reserve trees.

g) Piles will need to be covered with a sheet of waterproof paper that is at least 4 feet by 4 feet.

h) Piles shall be located at least 10 feet from reserve trees, measured from the edge of the pile to the bole of the tree.

i) Piles shall be at least 35 feet from private property boundary or uncut edge.

j) Piles shall be a minimum of 50 feet from man-made structures or improvements.

k) Piles shall be at least 20 feet from centerline of all system trails where applicable.

l) Exceptions to the above specifications may be necessary due to the amount of slash, rocky conditions, tree density, slope, etc. Any exceptions will need to be approved by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

m) No construction of hand piles in areas labeled “WL” on Contract Area Map. In these areas, slash >1 inch and <7 inches shall be pulled back and piled according to the specifications described in this section. Slash material >7 inches shall be treated within the identified areas, no pullback required. This material shall be treated according to the specifications described in 5.3.1 and this section.

Questions Applicable to Both Contracts Question 1 Will you consider changing the requirement to decompact skid trails, temporary roads and landings to a soil depth of 12-18 inches?

Answer 1 Yes, the Forest Service is willing to remove the requirement to rip to a soil depth of 12-18 inches. However, the intent of the closure method must be met, which is to decompact areas on all or portions of skid trails, landings and temporary roads that are compacted. Ripping to a soil depth of 12-18 inches may still be required to meet the intent of restoring compacted areas, however the rewording of the provision allows flexibility for the Forest Service to determine if and where it is needed on a site by site basis. Changes to provision RO-K-F.3.4# - OBLITERATION OF TEMPROARY ROADS, SKID TRAILS AND LANDINGS (11/06) may be found in Appendix B of each contract.