Appendix_A_Technical_Specs.pdf

South Big Bear Stewardship

Appendix A – TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR SERVICE WORK ACTIVITIES

Item 1 - Thinning of vegetation and trees

1. SCOPE OF WORK

1.1 The purpose of the South Big Bear Hazardous Fuel Reduction (HFR) Stewardship IRSC project is to reduce forest fuels and attain both horizontal and vertical fuel separation in forested stands within the treatment units using various techniques of fuel reduction, green tree thinning, and yarding of fuels.

1.2 This work will include, but not limited to, all labor, management, supervision, tools, materials, equipment, incidental engineering and transportation necessary to perform the stated purpose of this statement of work and may include, cutting, piling and removal of;

standing and downed trees, dead and live brush, limbs and designated live conifers, existing slash and forest debris resulting from current and prior operations and/or events.

1.3 Potential equipment that will be required to accomplish all work requirements include but are not limited to: rubber tired skidder with grapples and “bull line”, mobile chipper, “small” mobile cable yarder or helicopter, masticators, chainsaws, and directional felling equipment.

2. PROJECT LOCATION AND AREA

2.1 The South Big Bear Stewardship IRSC project area is comprised of 29 units, located adjacent to National Forest System (NFS) Roads 2N10 and 2N08 South of the community of Big Bear Lake, California. The project area is approximately 1263 acres of mandatory thinning of vegetation and trees. Each item designated on the Schedule of Items will require an individual bid price. The legal location of the project is T. 2 N., R 1 W. Sections 25 and 36, T. 2 N. R. 1E. Sections 29, 30, 31 and 32, S.B.M., Unsurveyed, San Bernardino County, California.

3. FLAGGING CODE

3.1 The boundaries of the work areas have been identified on the attached maps and will be flagged in Blue on the ground with Orange painted boundaries.

3.2 Other flags may be present within the project area. Flags of colors other than those stated in the table below have no meaning in the contract unless agreed upon in writing between the Contractor and the Government.

Flagging Color Guidelines for the San Bernardino National Forest Color Use Pink Flag and Avoid, used for all resources (biology, archaeology, equipment exclusion, etc…) Red Sale/Project Boundary/Private Land Blue Unit Boundary Subdivision Boundary

Orange Temporary road location Double Orange/Pink Temporary road not requiring re-shaping under 16.2.1 Orange Stripe on White

Temp skid trail location

Orange Polka-dot Landing locations Orange Stripe on Black

Water bar starting point location, erosion control location

Red Stripe on White Hazards (trees, rocks, utilities, etc…) Yellow Reforestation and Timber Stand Improvement White General Use - Pioneering, Exams, Surveys, etc.

Pink and Black

Limited Operating Period (LOP)

Blue White Stripe Riparian Conservation Areas (RCAs)

3.3 It is the Contractor’s responsibility to know, understand, and adhere to the intent of flagging performed by Government. The presence or absence of any flagging does not relieve the contractor from the responsibility to comply with the restrictions set forth in this and other contract documents and by reference.

4. WORK LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS

4.1 Unless otherwise permitted in writing by the Government, low level flights, anything less than 345 feet above tree tops or riparian vegetation and or Riparian Conservation Areas (RCA) will be avoided in the following locations and time of year:

4.1.1 Year-round over spotted owl nest stands.

4.1.2 During the spotted owl Limited Operating Period (LOP) (February 1 - August 15) over Protected Activity Centers (PAC) and within ¼ mile of nest trees/centroids.

4.1.3 Within ¼ mile of bald eagle nest sites and around nest sites (if any are located in/near the treatment areas during contract period) during the appropriate period (December 1 through March 31 for wintering daytime perch sites and December 1 and June 15 (or until 3 weeks after fledging) for nest sites).

4.1.4 Within 500 feet of southwestern willow flycatcher habitat from May 1 through August 31.

4.2 “NO Treatment” Areas exist within the treatment project area. Refer to the Contract Area Map for more information on the location and size of such areas. Treatment operations or activities of any kind are not allowed in the designated “No Treatment Areas” unless otherwise permitted in writing by the Government.

4.3 Special Treatment Areas exist within the treatment units. Refer to the Contract Area Map, for more information on the location and size of these areas. Special treatments include, but are not limited to hand pruning, loping, removing cut vegetation from the area by hand and building “hand piles” for helicopter yarding or burning. Wheeled and tracked equipment is excluded from Special Treatment areas unless approved in writing by the Government.

4.4 All operations are subject to Fire Plan/Project Activity Levels (PAL) requirements and restrictions. Refer to Appendix D-Fire Plan and Emergency Precautions.

4.5 Limiting operating periods (LOP) are in effect for several locations within the project area. The location of LOP areas and the portion of the year when operations are not allowed are listed and identified on the Contract Area Map (see also 3. - Flagging Code for more information).

4.6 Hours of operation are restricted, unless otherwise permitted in writing by the Government; operations may not begin more than an hour prior to sunrise and must conclude at sunset.

4.7 Contractor shall not operate any noise-making equipment between 5:00 PM on Friday until 8:00 AM on Monday unless otherwise permitted in writing by the Government.

4.8 Wet Weather Operations and Winter Operations

4.8.1 The Normal Operating Period is between April 1 and December 31. All ground-based mechanical operations shall occur within the Normal Operating Period unless otherwise agreed. A written request by the Contractor to operate all ground-based mechanical operations shall be submitted 10 business days prior to the proposed date of operations for review by the Government. Refer to 25. and 28. of Appendix A for more specific contract limitations.

4.9 Logs, slash piles, and chip piles shall not be stacked against living trees, logs, and rock outcrops.

4.10 Existing downed logs shall not be moved or disturbed (e.g., driven on, piled on, etc.)

unless otherwise agreed.

4.11 Felling of trees in spotted owl nest stands shall not occur unless otherwise agreed.

5. ACCESS AND USE OF ROADS

5.1 Access to the project can be made from State Highway 18, south on Mill Creek Road until you reach the San Bernardino National Forest Boundary. See attached Contract Area Map for the location of treatments.

5.2 Prior approval must be obtained from the Government to close NFS roads, recreation sites and trails that may be impacted by Contractor’s operations. The request must be obtained at least 30 calendar days in advance of the planned operations. Approval of the closure request is not guaranteed or implied. Once approved, the Contractor shall post a public notice in a local newspaper 14 calendar days in advance of the closure and provide such notice to the Government.

6. LAYOUT AND PROGRESS OF WORK

6.1 Unit boundaries will be completed by Government personnel. Boundary trees shall not be cut. Additional trees may be identified by the Government for treatment prior to contractor’s operations in the contract area throughout the life of this contract. Government will be responsible for establishing boundaries for RCAs, LOPs and “No or special treatment areas”. All parties to the contract are responsible for maintaining all established boundaries. Any questions the contractor has will be forwarded to the Forest Service and will be answered in 5 business days.

6.2 For purposes of this project, restricted or limited treatments areas will be identified on the ground by the Forest Service using flagging to delineate specified areas. These include but are not limited to; LOPs, no treatment areas, special treatment areas and RCAs, along with other designated areas i.e. downed large woody debris. These flagged areas will be identified on the Contract Area Map. If identified on the Contract Area Map and not identified on the ground with flagging, the contractor shall stop operations and notify the Government. The Government shall have 5 normal business days to flag the area before operations can be continued in these restricted or limited treatment areas.

6.3 The contractor shall submit a Resource Protection Plan for each unit or project area identifying all existing proposed treatment methods, skidtrails, and landing locations for approval by the Government. All proposed skid trails and landing locations shall be designated with flagging using the Flagging Code (Appendix A), prior to submitting the Resource Protection Plan for each unit. Once a Resource Protection Plan is approved by the Government, all fuels reduction work shall be completed within that unit or treatment area within 60 days of start of operations.

7. VEGETATION TREATMENT TABLE

7.1 South Big Bear HFR Stewardship IRSC Treatment Table

Treatment level, Unit Designation Purpose Hard snags Down wood

Brush Canopy Cover

General desired condition/stand structure

Treatment level 1

Units 1, 1A and 7

Fuelbreaks 0-100 feet from roads

0 snags, all hazard trees removed

0 logs per acre Unit Average is 20% or less

Open structure averaging no more than 40% crown cover with an overstory featuring large diameter trees with 20-foot spacing between individual tree crowns (or groups of trees) and an understory of grasses, forbs and small shrubs.

Canopy base height averages 15 feet or greater.

Treatment level 2

Unit 8, 9, 14, 16, 17, and 19A

Fuelbreaks 100-300 feet beyond Treatment Level 1, variable distances dependent on slope and vegetation

2 largest snags per acre, all hazard trees removed

6 logs per acre, minimum 12 inches diameter and 120 linear feet

Unit Average is 30% or less

Open structure averaging 40 to 50% crown cover with an overstory featuring large diameter trees with 10- to 20-foot spacing between individual tree crowns (or groups of trees) and an understory of grasses, forbs and small shrubs.

Canopy base height averages 10 to 15 feet.

Treatment level 3

Units 39, 39A, and 39B

Outside of Defense Zones, variable distance depending on slope, aspect and vegetation

4 largest snags per acre, all hazard trees removed

9 logs per acre, minimum 12 inches diameter and 180 linear feet

Unit Average is 30% or less.

Treatment level 3 is designed to restore forest conditions similar to those experienced under historic fire regimes. The treatment objective is to reduce the potential for crown fire to be initiated in these stands. The desired condition is an open structure averaging 50% crown cover with an overstory featuring large diameter trees with 10- to 20-foot spacing between individual tree crowns (or groups of trees) and an understory of grasses, forbs and small shrubs. Canopy base height averages 10 to 15 feet.

Treatment level 4a

Units 47C, 52C, 55, 58, and 58C, 58D.

Habitat and Forest Health

8 largest snags per acre, all hazard trees removed

9 logs per acre, minimum 12 inches diameter and 180 linear feet

Unit Average is 40%.

Level 4a was specifically designed for habitat diversity with an emphasis on spotted owl nest and roost habitat and bald eagle habitat. The treatment objective is to reduce the potential for crown fire to be sustained in these stands. The desired condition is a stand with moderate to dense structure with a crown cover of a minimum of 70% made up of the overstory and midstory trees. The desired stand composition is a mix of pines, black oak, and white fir. Canopy base height averages 10 to 15 feet.

The desired condition of the understory and shrub layers is a to have discontinuity in the fuels and ladders while retaining brush cover and forage for prey species such as woodrats.

The Design Features describe specific measures designed to

Treatment level, Unit Designation Purpose Hard snags Down wood

Brush Canopy Cover

General desired condition/stand structure attain these condition/stand objectives.

Treatment level 4b

Units 45, 47B, 48, 51, 52, 52A, 52B, 55A, 58A, and 58B

Habitat and Forest Health

8 largest snags per acre, all hazard trees removed

9 logs per acre, minimum 12 inches diameter and 180 linear feet

Unit Average is 40%

Level 4b was specifically designed for habitat diversity with an emphasis on spotted owl foraging and dispersal habitat. The treatment objective is to reduce the potential for crown fire to be sustained in these stands. The desired condition is a stand with moderate to dense structure with a crown cover of a minimum of 60% made up of the overstory and midstory trees.

The desired stand composition is a mix of pines, black oak, and white fir. The desired condition of the understory is a to have discontinuity in the fuels and ladders while retaining brush cover and forage for prey species such as woodrats.

Canopy base height averages 10 to 15 feet.

The Design Features describe specific measures designed to attain these condition/stand objectives.

8. SMALL DIAMETER (SD) TREE THINNING (DESIGNATION BY PRESCRIPTION)

8.1 Small diameter (SD) conifers/trees are specified as having a DBH of less than 10.0 inches.

8.2 All dead SD conifers/trees will be treated, cut, chipped or piled.

8.3 All SD trees that are growing directly under or are touching the crowns of residual/leave trees will be cut and treated.

8.4 SD trees will be thinned throughout the project area. SD Jeffery and Sugar pines are the preferred leave tree species. White fir is the preferred cut tree. SD trees that have a suppressed or intermediate crown class are the preferred cut tree for the project area. The minimum bole spacing between SD trees is 20 feet.

8.5 SD trees standing alone shall have the brush cleared at least 5 feet from the edge of the dripline.

9. TREE FELLING

9.1 All trees shall be directionally felled away from watercourses. Techniques to be employed include, but not limited to; wedging, pulling, and jacking trees away from the inner bank of a watercourse. No trees shall be cut and felled toward any perennial or intermittent watercourse identified on the ground or on the Contract Area Map.

9.2 Unless agreed to in writing, all trees shall be directionally felled away from all Forest Service, State, County and private protected improvements. Protected improvements are considered, but not limited to, any manmade structures, power lines, recreation areas, roads and infrastructure.

9.3 All stumps shall be cut so that no vertical surfaces remain. Cut tree stumps shall not exceed 12.0 inches high as measured from the ground on the uphill side of the stump or

4.0 inches above any obstacle.

9.4 Live willow and oak species shall not be cut. Some trimming of willows may be allowed in order to meet safety road maintenance requirements. Exceptions would be coordinated in writing between the Contractor and Government.

9.5 All dead conifer trees less than and equal to 12 inches at DBH shall be cut and treated as fuels.

9.6 Dead oak trees greater than 6 inches in DBH and less than 14 inches DBH shall be treated. Dead oak tress greater than 14 inches in DBH shall be retained unless otherwise agreed.

9.7 All dead oak species within falling distance of roads shall be cut and slash treated (i.e.

piled and/or chipped).

9.8 All dead trees that pose a hazard to roads, trails, and infrastructure shall be cut.

9.9 The following diameter limits for live trees will be followed:

• 9” dbh and greater will be retained in:

o Level 1 and 2 in spotted owl Nest Stands and PACs o Level 4 in spotted owl PACs.

• 16” dbh and greater will be retained in:

o Levels 1 and 2 in spotted owl HRCs and mapped spotted owl suitable habitat.

o Level 4 treatments in spotted owl HRCs and mapped spotted owl suitable habitat.

o All Level 3 treatments.

10. BRUSH TREATMENT

10.1 Live oak trees greater than 6.0 inches diameter at breast height are considered trees, not brush under this contract, and shall not be cut.

10.2 All dead brush shall be treated.

10.3 All brush treatment shall be accomplished by masticating or hand cutting, machine or hand piling and chipping or a combination of these methods unless otherwise agreed.

10.4 Throughout the project area a total of 90% brush, plus or minus 5%, shall be cut in the following areas:

10.4.1 From the bole out to 10.0 feet slope distance past the drip-line of residual conifers 6 inches in diameter at breast height and greater.

10.4.2 From the bole to the edge of the dripline of all oak species 6.0 inches DBH and greater.

10.4.3 From the bole to 5.0 feet slope distance from the edge of the dripline for all oak species greater than 10.0 inches DBH.

10.4.4 Within 10.0 feet slope distance from the edge of State, County, private or classified NFS roads, as well as structures, developed areas and non-Forest Service land see 10.6.2 for “vegetative screening”.

10.5 Refer to C.11 for residual percentage requirements of brush canopy cover.

Residual brush shall not be composed of individual stems, but rather clumps of brush left in a discontinuous mosaic pattern.

10.6 A separation of at least 25 feet between clumps of residual brush shall be obtained, while maintaining the specified percentages of reduction.

10.6.1 Stump Height - All brush shall be severed from the stump parallel to the ground and stumps shall be no greater than 4.0 inches above ground height or any obstacle.

10.6.2 Residual live brush shall be left as a vegetative screen/barrier along all NFS Roads to discourage cross-country motorized travel. If the road has a vertical side cut less than 3 feet high or the side cast down slope is less than 20 percent, a live vegetative barrier shall be left. The vegetative screen will be no wider than 6 feet.

10.7 Live willow species shall not be cut or treated.

11. CHIPPING

11.1 Chipping is required under this contract to cover exposed skid trails and landings with a minimum cover of 2 inch depth and not to exceed 4 inches in depth unless otherwise agreed

11.2 For any given acre within a treatment area, chip depths shall not exceed 2.0 inches for 75 percent of the area or 4 inches deep for 50% of a treated area. Chip depths in excess shall be hauled to a location identified by the Government at the expense of the Contractor.

11.3 Chips shall not be spread within 10.0 feet of the base or bole of residual trees.

11.4 Chipped material shall be blown and not spread by ground based machinery.

11.5 Chipped material shall not be placed within 50 feet of designated camping areas or fire rings upon the completion of work.

11.6 All existing or created slash, logging debris and trimmings shall be chipped unless otherwise agreed

12. PRUNING STANDARDS

12.1 All conifers greater than 7 feet tall and oaks greater than 6.0 inches DBH are considered trees and shall be pruned.

12.2 Where pruning occurs, all trees in this contract between 6.0 feet to15 feet tall shall not be pruned to less than 50% residual crown.

12.3 Limbs shall be cut cleanly within 1.0 inch of the branch collar on all trees.

12.4 Trees with limbs that are attached to the bole above the designated pruning height, but have limbs extending below the designated pruning height, shall be pruned to a minimum crown of 7 feet.

12.5 In all areas that require pruning; damage to the bole shall not occur.

12.6 Pruning or trimming trees with a masticator is not acceptable. The only permissible methods and tools for pruning are with a chainsaw, handsaw or motorized pole-saw.

12.7 All live and deciduous oak species greater than 6 inches in DBH will be pruned up to 7 feet or 50 percent of the tree height if the tree is less than 14 feet tall.

13. PILING STANDARDS

13.1 The location of any and all piles within a treatment unit will be determined by mutual agreement prior to their construction.

13.2 Piles will not exceed 5 feet high and 10 feet in diameter and shall be constructed to a minimum of 4 feet high and 7 feet in diameter.

13.3. Landing piles shall be free of all dirt and rock.

13.4 NO person or contractor shall ignite piles on National Forest land.

13.5 All existing and created material that is not chipped that is less than 8.0 inches in diameter at the large end, regardless of source, including but not limited to broken tops and limbs, brush and slash greater than 1.0 inches small end diameter or greater than 3.0 feet long shall be piled.

13.6 All piles located on inaccessible ground shall be constructed in a manner that facilitates their removal by the contractor using either cable yarder or helicopter.

13.7 Existing slash or cut vegetation associated with the prescribed work shall not be piled in the following areas unless otherwise agreed:

• Within 10.0 feet of roads or highways

• Within special treatment areas and within 10 feet of the special or limited treatment areas

• Within 50 feet of all perennial and intermittent watercourses and within 25 feet of ephemeral watercourses

• Within ephemeral/intermittent watercourse inner banks

• Within 15.0 feet of designated system trails

• Within 20.0 feet of other piles

• Within 15.0 feet of the driplines of residual trees

13.8 Additional wildlife protection measures will be required if piles are created within 300 feet of rock outcrops and existing logs.

13.9 Machine piling is allowed on slopes less than 35% with a rubber tracked “skid-steer” with a “brush rake” attachment.

13.10 No more than 30% of a Riparian Conservation Area (RCA) shall be occupied by piles.

13.11 Piling is excluded from Special Treatment areas unless approved in writing by the Government.

15. OPERATIONS, SKIDDING and YARDING

14.1 All skid trails, cable corridors and helicopter flight paths shall be authorized by mutual agreement prior to operations within each unit. A Resource Protection Plan for each unit shall be submitted as outlined in 6.3.

14.2 Ground-based yarding systems used to remove or treat material are restricted to slopes of less than 35 percent with the exception of short runs of 100 feet or less on slopes up to 50 percent.

14.3 Whole-tree yarding of material; green trees with limbs and tops shall be required under this contract when 75 percent ground cover exists.

14.5 All trees meeting the attached merchantability standards in Appendix B shall be yarded to a designated landing unless it meets the standards set forth in downed log retention.

14.6 Ground-based skidding equipment must have a winch cable capable of reaching material 1 feet from the machine.

14.7 Cable and helicopter harvest methods must be discussed prior to work with the Government and agreed upon using following provisions:

14.7.1 Full suspension of material is required when crossing the floodplain of a perennial or intermittent watercourse, meadow, seep or spring. In all other areas that require cable yarding, suspension of the leading end of the log is required and may require multi-span sets and a carriage capable of passing an intermediate jack support.

14.7.2 Cable corridors shall not exceed 12 feet in width and be placed a minimum of 150 feet apart on parallel settings. On radial settings, the end of the cable corridor settings shall be no closer than 200 feet apart.

14.7.3 Cable harvest areas would require a cable yarder with carriage capable of maintaining a fixed position on the skyline while lateral yarding.

14.7.4 Nylon straps or similar protective devices are required for rigging tail trees and intermediate support trees to prevent tree damage.

14.7.5 To ensure public safety, areas may be temporarily closed where machinery operations or tree felling is occurring upon mutual agreement between the Contractor and the Government.

14.7.6 Harvest operations will be prohibited in or near recreation areas during holiday weekends unless otherwise agreed.

14.7.7 Harvest operations near power lines will require prior notification to the Government and all other appropriate Governmental officials. Yarding of any external load over energized power lines (i.e. helicopter yarding) is prohibited.

14.7.8 Cable corridors shall not be located within CASPO nest stands and PACs unless otherwise agreed.

14.8 All slash material that is inaccessible to ground-based equipment, greater than 3.0 inches small end diameter and 6.0 feet long, whether from trees or brush, shall be helicopter or cable yarded to a designated landing.

14.9 In areas to be treated that are inaccessible to ground-based equipment, helicopter or cable yarding systems will be used to achieve the specifications of this contract unless otherwise agreed.

14.10 Yarding of trees with limbs and tops attached shall be required for all cable and helicopter operations as part of this contract.

14.11 Helicopter operations will require the Contractor to submit an aviation plan that meets all Federal, State, County, and Local regulations to be approved by the Government prior to starting operations.

15. LANDINGS AND TEMPORARY ROADS

15.1 Landing boundaries shall be flagged by the Contractor to be approved by the Government prior to use. The cleared or excavated size of landings shall not exceed that needed for efficient skidding and decking operations.

15.1.1 Outslope landings away from the road, skidtrail or cable corridor such that surface runoff drains away from these features.

15.1.2 Landings shall be prohibited on any slope greater than 5 percent unless otherwise agreed.

15.1.3 Use existing landings where practicable and in conformance with all erosion control measures.

15.1.4 Landings shall be ripped or scarified when operations are complete and shall have at least 70% ground cover. Landings shall be rehabilitated to its natural slope and contour.

15.1.5 The Contractor shall be responsible for providing water, additional rock, gravel, grading or other materials needed for operability of the landings.

15.1.6 Landing shall not be located within CASPO nest stands or PACs unless otherwise agreed.

15.2 All temporary roads shall be flagged by the Contractor to be approved by the Government prior to use and agreed upon by mutual agreement by the Contractor and the Government.

15.2.1 All temporary roads shall be obliterated within 30 days after its last planned use and at a minimum meet the following standards;

- Have adequate ground cover of at least 70 percent coverage;

- Reshape the surface to its natural appearance;

- Install erosion control features, e.g., waterbars, lead-out ditches, etc.;

- Remove all temporary culverts and/or fords; and- Install barriers, e.g., cull logs, trees, large rocks, split rail fence, signs, etc., at the road entrance and along open areas adjacent to the road to discourage unauthorized public access and use.

15.2.2 When a temporary road would use the alignment of a previously decommissioned road, the following activities shall take place:

- Facilities such as culverts or fords shall be installed to accommodate the free flow of channels and ditches. All such crossing work shall occur within the road prism. The outflow of these structures shall be rocked to ensure dispersal of waters such that erosion of the streambed does not occur.

- Drainage features, e.g., rolling dips, waterbars, leadout ditches, etc., shall be installed to facilitate runoff. All such features shall be regularly evaluated to determine if additional energy dissipaters, such as rock, slash, or vegetation, to prevent erosion and/or facilitate immediate infiltration of runoff, is necessary. Design specifications for many drainage features can be found in Appendix B.

15.3 Closed roads used for harvest that are now used as trails shall be rehabilitated and left as trails, similar to pre-operation conditions, when operations are complete.

Pathways at least 18 inches wide would be left free of slash and debris that would impede foot travel.

16. LOP AND SCATTER

16.1 Lop and scatter shall only be allowed as part of 25. Erosion Control Measures.

16.2 For any given acre within a treatment area, lop and scatter depths shall not exceed 18 inches for 75 percent of the area. Lop and scatter depths in excess shall be piled to the standards identified in 13. Piling Standards.

17. MASTICATION

17.1 Mastication is required under this contract, yet may be utilized at the Contractor’s discretion by agreement.

17.2 Mastication can only occur on slopes less than 35 percent

17.3 Masticated material shall not exceed 2.0 inches in depth for over 75 percent of the area or 4 inches over 50 percent of the unit or area and if capacity has been obtained piling must occur for the remaining material.

17.4 Masticated material shall not remain within 10.0 feet of residual tree boles.

17.5 Masticated material shall not exceed 2.0 feet in length or 2.0 inches in diameter at the large end. There shall be no evidence of “short cutting” in order to meet this prescription.

17.6 The distance for masticated mulch to a designated camping area or fire rings shall be determined by mutual agreement between the Contractor and the Government.

17.7 Sub-surface mastication is not allowed unless permitted in writing by the Government.

17.8 Stump Height - All brush shall be severed from the stump parallel to the ground and stumps shall be no greater than 4.0 inches above ground height or 4.0 inches above an obstacle.

18. APPLICABLE BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

18.1 The following documents are hereby incorporated by reference into this contract. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to know, understand and comply with the following Best Management Practices standards at all times throughout the duration of the contract.

A copy of the regional BMPs can be obtained online at http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/r5/landmanagement/resourcemanagement under the title “Water Quality Management Handbook (December 2012) or a hard copy version may be obtained from the Mountaintop Ranger District office in Big Bear, CA or San Bernardino NF Supervisor’s Office in San Bernardino, CA. The following Best Management Guides and Standards shall be adhered to throughout the performance of the contract:

The following regional BMPs are specific to this project (USDA FS 2011).

18.1.1 TIMBER MANAGEMENT

BMP 1.1 Timber Sale Planning Process BMP 1.2 Timber Harvest Unit Design BMP 1.3 Determining Surface Erosion Hazard for Timber Harvest Unit Design BMP 1.4 Using Sale Area Maps and/or Project Maps for Designating Water-Quality Protection Needs BMP 1.5 Limiting the Operating Period of Timber Sale Activities BMP 1.6 Protecting Unstable Lands BMP 1.8 Streamside Management Zone Designation BMP 1.9 Determining Tractor-loggable Ground BMP 1.10 Tractor Skidding Design BMP 1.11 Suspended Log Yarding in Timber Harvesting BMP 1.12 Log Landing Location BMP 1.13 Erosion Prevention and Control Measures during Timber Sale Operations BMP 1.14 Special Erosion-prevention Measures on Disturbed Land BMP 1.16 Log Landing Erosion Control BMP 1.17 Erosion Control on Skid Trails BMP 1.18 Meadow Protection during Timber Harvesting BMP 1.19 Streamcourse and Aquatic Protection BMP 1.20 Erosion-control Structure Maintenance BMP 1.21 Acceptance of Timber Sale Erosion-control Measures before Sale Closure BMP 1.24 Non-recurring “C” Provisions that can be used for Water-quality Protection BMP 1.25 Modification of the Timber Sale Contract

18.1.2 ROAD MANAGEMENT

http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/r5/landmanagement/resourcemanagement

BMP 2.3 Road Construction and Reconstruction BMP 2.4 Road Maintenance and Operations BMP 2.6 Road Storage BMP 2.7 Road Decommissioning BMP 2.8 Stream Crossings BMP 2.9 Snow Removal and Storage BMP 2.10 Parking and Staging Areas BMP 2.11 Equipment Refueling and Servicing BMP 2.13 Erosion Control Plan

18.1.3 VEGETATION MANIPULATION

BMP 5.1 Soil-disturbing Treatments on the Contour BMP 5.2 Slope Limitations for Mechanical Equipment Operation BMP 5.3 Tractor Operation Limitation in Wetlands and Meadows BMP 5.4 Revegetation of Surface-disturbed Areas BMP 5.5 Disposal of Organic Debris BMP 5.6 Soil Moisture Limitations for Mechanical Equipment Operations

18.1.4 FIRE SUPPRESSION AND FUELS MANAGEMENT

BMP 6.2 Consideration of Water Quality in Formulating Fire Prescriptions BMP 6.3 Protection of Water Quality from Prescribed Burning Effects

18.1.5 WATERSHED MANAGEMENT

BMP 7.1 Watershed Restoration BMP 7.2 Conduct Floodplain Hazard Analysis and Evaluation BMP 7.3 Protection of Wetlands BMP 7.4 Forest and Hazardous Substance Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plan BMP 7.7 Management by Closure to Use (Seasonal, Temporary, and Permanent)

18.2 NATIONAL BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

The national BMP monitoring protocols shall be used to supplement existing local and regional BMP monitoring programs. The national BMP protocols provide general, nonprescriptive BMPs and will not change the substance of site-specific BMP prescriptions (USDA FS 2012a). A copy of the national BMPs can be obtained online at http://www.fs.fed.us/biology/watershed/index.html.

A list of applicable national BMPs specific to this project includes the following:

18.2.1 AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

BMP AqEco-2 Operations in Aquatic Ecosystems

18.2.2 ROAD MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

BMP Road-5 Temporary Roads BMP Road-6 Road Storage and Decommissioning BMP Road-7 Stream Crossings http://www.fs.fed.us/biology/watershed/index.html

BMP Road-8 Snow Removal and Storage BMP Road-9 Parking and Staging Areas BMP Road-10 Equipment Refueling and Servicing

18.2.3 MECHANICAL VEGETATION MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

BMP Veg-2 Erosion Prevention and Control BMP Veg-3 Aquatic Management Zones BMP Veg-4 Ground-Based Skidding and Yarding Operations BMP Veg-5 Cable and Aerial Yarding Operations BMP Veg-6 Landings BMP Veg-7 Winter Logging BMP Veg-8 Mechanical Site Treatment

19. RIPARIAN CONSERVATION AREA (RCA) PROTECTION STANDARDS

19.1 All RCA’s, including but not limited to meadows, springs, seeps and other perennial or seasonally saturated soils, are equipment exclusion zones unless otherwise agreed. The following table identifies all potential RCA’s and are flagged on the ground or on the Contract Area Map:

Stream Type Width of The Riparian Conservation Area

Perennial Streams 328 feet (100 meters) on each side of the stream, measured from the bank full edge of the stream

Seasonally Flowing/Intermittent Streams 98 feet (30 meters) on each side of the stream, measured from the bank full edge of the stream

Streams In Inner Gorge (*) Top of inner gorge Special aquatic features (**) or perennial streams with riparian conditions extending more than 164 feet (50 meters) from edge of streambank, or seasonally flowing/intermittent streams with riparian conditions extending more than 33 feet (10 meters) from edge of streambank

328 feet (100 meters) from edge of feature of riparian vegetation, whichever width is greater

Other hydrological or topographic depressions without a defined channel (meadows, vernal pools, etc.)

Other special aquatic features, such as wetlands, seeps and springs, also have 100-meter RCAs. RCA width and protection measures are flagged on the ground

(*) Inner gorge is defined by adjacent stream slopes greater than 70 percent gradient (**) Special Aquatic Features include: lakes, ponds, wetlands, seeps, and springs

19.2 When felling is required within a RCA, directional felling shall be implemented with the use of jacks and/or wedges. When required, staged felling will be used to limit yarding impacts to RCA’s and areas of saturated soils.

19.3 Riparian dependent vegetation including, but not limited to, willow, maple, cottonwood, alder, sycamore, ash, bay, etc, shall not be harmed throughout the course of work.

19.4 Temporary crossing type and location may be established by agreement.. Only dry watercourse crossings may be permitted. If, at any time, it is necessary for the Contractor to cross an area that is wet or flowing water, temporary crossing measures including, but not limited to culverts, Humboldt crossing, box car bridges, etc., shall be installed to ensure a dry crossing. All temporary crossings shall be removed and the original grade or channel re-established prior to final inspection.

19.5 No treatment shall be carried out within the established inner gorge of perennial or intermittent watercourses designated on the Contract Area Maps or flagged on the ground.

19.6 No slash, bole or branch material, bark or other operational debris shall be allowed within the inner gorge of a perennial or intermittent stream. If any slash, bole or branch material, bark or other operational debris lands within the inner gorge of a perennial or intermittent watercourse as a result of the Contractor’s work, that material shall be left and the inner gorge left undisturbed.

19.7 Refueling of equipment and storage of fuel and other hazardous materials shall not occur within RCAs or landings within RCAs.

19.8 RCAs shall maintain an adequate ground cover of at least 70 percent where natural conditions allow.

19.9 Ground-based equipment shall not operate within an RCA unless otherwise agreed.

20. WILDLIFE PROTECTION STANDARDS

20.1 Retained logs shall be at least a 12.0 inches small end diameter, must be at least

20.0 feet in length or greater and shall be comprised of the largest available logs (provided they meet or exceed the minimum size requirements stated herein). The retained logs shall be left flush with the ground whenever possible.

20.2 Embedded downed logs or logs that are partially below ground shall be left undisturbed, regardless of proximity to Forest Service roads or non-Forest Service property and shall be counted toward the per acre standard if they meet the same minimum size requirements.

20.3 All limbs of the retained down logs protruding more than 3.0 feet shall be removed from retained logs.

20.4 No more than two brush or slash piles per acre maybe left. Piles shall never be left within 200 feet of trails, roads or non-NFS land.

20.5 Avoid disturbance within 50’ of flagged wood rat nests unless otherwise agreed.

20.6 If active bird nests are found (tree nests, cavity nests, and ground nests) between March 1 and August 31 during project implementation, the Government shall be contacted to evaluate and recommend protection measures in compliance with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In all other months, consultation with the Government is required only if bird activity is observed around the nest.

20.7 In Bald Eagle night roost Limited Operating Periods (LOP) areas, operations are restricted to a start time of one hour after sunrise and a shutdown time of one hour before sunset between December 1 and April 1.

20.8 Other LOPs include but are not limited to:

California Spotted Owl 2/1-8/15 Southwestern Willow Flycatcher 5/1-8/31 Bald Eagle night roost 12/1-4/1 Bald Eagle nest (if located during the project) 12/1-6/15 Mountain Yellow-legged Frog 3/1-7/31

21. PROTECTION OF CONTROL AREAS AND EXCLUSION ZONES

21.1 Control Areas and Exclusion zones are identified on the Contract Area Map or are flagged on the ground as Special Treatment Areas. See Appendix A 4.

22. EROSION CONTROL MEASURES

22.1 At the time of final inspection or prior to all National Weather Service predicted storm events with a greater than 30% chance of precipitation, waterbars shall be installed to Forest Service standards on all established skid trails and temporary roads using these protocols for interval spacing and slope gradient:

Slope Gradient (%) Waterbar spacing interval (feet) 1 – 6 300 7 – 9 200 10 – 14 150 15 – 20 90 21 – 40 50 Greater than 40 25

22.2 Berms from ruts caused by end-lining or equipment reach shall be raked in and ground cover applied per the minimum required (70%) to stabilize soils;

22.3 Roads will be sufficiently storm proofed to allow for wet season travel on native surface roads without delivering substantial amounts of sediment to nearby stream channels. Storm proofing of roads will include:

22.3.1 Constructing culverts on all perennial and intermittent stream crossings for roads used in the project area.

22.3.2 Installing culverts or similar drainage devices on all temporary stream crossings.

22.3.3 Removing all fill and culvert/drainage materials from the temporary crossing once fuel reduction activities are completed in the unit.

22.3.4 Maintaining culverts and road drainage ditches so that they function appropriately and removing obstructions to road drainage.

22.3.5 Gravelling road approaches on perennial stream channel crossings for 100 feet on either side of stream channels.

22.4 Prior to the completion of work, all skid trails, temporary roads and landings laid bare due to operations shall be covered by the blowing of chip material or other measures by agreement. Chip coverage depth must be greater than 2 inches but no more than 4.0 inches deep on the affective area. Ground cover of 70% on the impacted areas shall be achieved.

22.5 Prior to the completion of work, berms from ruts caused by end-lining or equipment reach shall be raked or otherwise worked into a relatively natural surface and ground cover applied per the minimum required (70%) to stabilize soils.

22.6 The contractor shall abate dust to promote the safe use of all roads and to prevent excessive loss of road material and to minimize damage to adjacent resources. The contractor shall supply all water or other materials necessary for dust control for such purposes as landings, skid trails, roads or other potential areas of dust development resulting from contractor traffic.

22.7 The use of water sources from NFS land for dust abatement or other project purposes must be evaluated on a site specific basis and authorized in writing with the Government. If water use is approved, remaining down stream flows will not be substantially altered. No water shall be removed from riparian dependent Threatened/Endangered species habitat or riparian habitat classified as suitable.

22.8 The burying of vegetative material, chips, slash or any type of debris/waste is not allowed.

23. CLOSING AREAS OF INGRESS

23.1 Treatment areas along NFS Roads shall be left with natural barriers and vegetative screens to prevent illegal access by off-highway vehicles within the contract area. These natural barriers or vegetative screens shall be left in a natural mosaic pattern and still comply with the treatments identified in C.11.

23.2 Prior to the completion of work, all skid trails, temporary roads or points of ingress used in the performance of the work shall be closed to vehicle access using various methods by agreement that include but are not limited to: imbedding logs, placement of large rocks and vegetative screens.

23.3 All temporary roads, landings and skid trails shall be rehabilitated and blocked after project completion. A combination of natural barriers (rocks, logs, etc.), screening, fencing, etc. shall be used by agreement to prevent unauthorized vehicle activity during and after the project treatment. Unclassified roads used during implementation shall be rehabilitated as soon as they are no longer required for project implementation. As necessary, rehabilitation will include, but is not limited to: returning the ground to natural contours to promote natural hydrologic flow; implementing decompaction measures such as ripping or scarifying; installing erosion control measures such as building water bars or rolling dips;

covering bare soil with organic debris that includes; slash, chips, pine needles, stockpiled duff, or cut brush ensuring no use of non-native species material. Where possible, wood/slash from the site shall be chipped and spread to mulch those disturbed areas.

Wood chips shall be spread to no more than 4.0 inches in depth.

24. RECREATION AND VISUAL CONSIDERATIONS

24.1 Ground-based equipment shall not operate on existing recreational trails within the treatment area.

24.2 Ground-based equipment may cross existing recreational trails at locations as approved in Resource Protection Plan reviewed by the Government prior to operations.

24.3 Slash and debris resulting from contractor operations shall be removed from legal NFS recreational trails no more than 48 hours from the time the operations occur.

24.4 The tread of legal authorized NFS trails shall be clearly visible upon the completion of operations.

24.5 Ground-based equipment shall not operate in or cross NFS campgrounds unless approved in writing by the Government prior to operations.

24.6 Leave a live vegetative buffer of brush 5 feet wide on each side of NFS trails. If the trail must be crossed, place cut logs or large debris along the NFS trail to help define the trail location.

24.7 Within 150 feet of the seen area of all roads, designated trails, recreational cabins, and recreational campgrounds or sites, recut stumps within three inches of the ground on the uphill side or within 12 inches of the downhill side of the stump, whichever allows the stump to be shorter.

25. WET WEATHER AND WINTER OPERATING CONDITIONS

25.1 Contractor access to the area will be via NFS Roads. Forest motor vehicle use maps will be used to determine seasonal closures for all NFS roads that are not under permit or for administrative use only.

25.2.2 When the National Weather Service (NWS) predicts a 30 percent or greater chance of precipitation, all skid trails, landings, temporary roads, tree ruts/berms from end-lining, etc., shall be inspected by the Contractor for proper construction and function prior to date of forecasted precipitation. If non-functioning or none exist where required, Contractor shall repair or install per specifications prior to forecasted precipitation event.

25.3 Operations shall be permitted in hard-frozen soil conditions where operated vehicles, tractors, and equipment can travel without exceeding soil moisture and compaction guidelines. Temperatures shall also remain low enough to preclude thawing of the soil surface sufficient to create rutting.

25.4 For over-the-snow operations, a minimum of 6 inches of compact snow/ice shall be maintained on undisturbed ground, and 3 inches of compacted snow/ice shall be maintained on existing disturbed surfaces.

25.5 Contractor’s Operations shall be conducted reasonably to minimize soil erosion. Equipment shall not be operated when ground conditions are such that excessive damage will result. Contractor shall adjust the kinds and intensity of erosion control work done to ground and weather conditions and the need for controlling runoff.

25.25.6 If a native surface road becomes rutted, greater than 4 inches deep and 25 feet long, the road shall be closed until repaired with spot surfacing as described in the Road Maintenance

Requirements. The road shall re-open and be available for use after the impacted area has been repaired and conditions throughout the rest of the treatment unit allow.

25.25.7 If a skidtrail becomes rutted, greater than 4 inches deep and 25 feet long, all ground based operations within that unit or treatment area will cease until the Forest Service approves resumption of operations.

25.25.8 During opertions outside Normal Operating Season, paved surfaced roads, including paved turnouts, may be plowed of snow, if the action will not cause damage to the road surface and associated drainage structures. Soil shall not be intermixed with the side-cast snow during plowing;

25.25.9 Plowed snow shall not be placed into RCAs.

25.10 Before over-the-snow operations begin, existing culvert locations, overside drains, lead-out ditches, nearby watercourses, and RCAs shall be clearly marked such that markings shall be visible in deep snowpack. During and after operations, all culverts, drains and ditches shall be maintained open and functional.

25.10 When roads are plowed, snow berms shall be breached to allow drainage during snowmelt. Outlets shall be spaced every 100 feet, at a minimum, so as not to concentrate road surface flows. Erosion control structures identified in Road Maintenance Requirements shall be installed as necessary at outlets as snow melts, to collect road generated sediment.

26. DISPOSAL OF MATERIAL

Contractor shall dispose of and cleanup all refuse, flagging and contaminated soil, caused by Contractor operations, off NFS land and as required by all Federal, State, and Local authorities at the Contractor’s expense.

27. GOVERNMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE PLAN

27.1 Inspection: Government inspections are for the purpose of satisfying the Government that the services are acceptable and do not relieve the Contractor of the responsibility for maintaining quality control. The Contractor shall conduct inspections on all units in accordance with the Contractor’s Quality Control Plan included in the Contractor’s technical proposal which is made part of this contract.

27.2 The contractor is responsible for performing or having performed all inspections and tests necessary to substantiate that the supplies or services furnished under this contract conform to contract requirements, including any applicable technical requirements for specified manufacturers’ parts.

28. ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL FOR THINNING AND RELATED SUBTASKS:

28.1 Government Inspection – The Government shall conduct inspections of the Contractor’s work to determine compliance with the contract specifications and determine a basis for making payment. Inspections will consist of a visual walk-through inspection of the work performed and will be based on adherence to the Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) for the tasks and critical sub-tasks. The Government may also install a series of inspection plots to check for compliance to AQL.

28.2 Acceptable Quality Level for Thinning And Related Subtasks – Within all units, 95% of all stems 3 inches or larger DBH which are designated for cutting are cut and removed. No un-designated trees are cut or removed. No more than 5% (cumulative) of the residual leave trees are damaged by the contractors operations. Except as otherwise stated, 95% of limbs of trees cut for sawtimber are removed from the work unit. 95% of tops of all trees cut for sawtimber are removed. All skid trails are laid out and approved prior to skidding. All cut material is removed within the required time period. 95% of cut stumps are within the specified stump height.