Appendix_A.pdf

Solicitation No. AG-9A40-S-17-4002 Huntington Basin Project

APPENDIX A

WORK ACTIVITY ITEMS

Item 1. Skidding and removal of sawtimber and non-sawtimber material in Huckleberry Tract (excluding Common Area), Dowville Tract, and Cedar Crest Resort areas (158 acres).

1. All material meeting the minimum specifications for sawtimber and non-sawtimber Utilization Standards found in Division AT of Appendix B shall be skidded to landing and removed.

2. Existing skid trails are to be used whenever possible.

3. If end-lining is required, it shall be accomplished without damaging road surfaces or leaving deep trenches where the log has been dragged to the landing.

4. All landings will be discussed and approved by the Government before construction and use begin. Whenever possible existing landings are to be used.

The number and size of the landings will be minimized. At the end of the project, landings within the project area shall be free of material created during the project. Displaced soil and equipment tracks are to be smoothed.

1. Landings shall have appropriate erosion controls as necessary, usually water bars.

5. Provide dust abatement on roads using water from approved water draft site for traffic safety and to protect road and soil resource. Specifications are in Appendix C.

6. Blade road surface of native roads to keep roadbed in a condition to facilitate traffic and provide proper drainage. Specifically important after product removal haul. Specifications are in Appendix C.

Item 2. Felling of dead trees in Cedar Crest Resort area (10 acres).

1. Unless otherwise agreed, all dead trees marked with BLUE paint above and below stump height shall be felled.

2. Felling shall be done so that no green trees, either hardwood or conifer, improvements including the road surface or other resources are damaged.

3. Trees may be felled either mechanically or by hand or a combination of the two.

4. Trees that are hung up in other trees during the falling process must be dealt with in a timely manner and placed on the ground.

5. Trees shall be felled where they can then be treated.

6. All materials partially pushed over, hung up, left in an unsafe position, shall be either reworked with mechanized equipment or felled by hand.

7. Signs warning tree work in progress must be in place whenever work is progressing.

Item 3. Removal of limbs, bole pieces, and topwood to disposal site from Huckleberry Tract (excluding Common Area), Dowville Tract, and Cedar Crest Resort areas (158 acres).

1. Material less than 10 feet long and 6 inch at the small end and larger logs unsafe for removal from contract area are to be transported to the disposal site. This includes all the activity created slash, tops of larger trees and pre-existing material that is greater than five feet long and 3 inch diameter where hazard tree felling has occurred in recent past. Material smaller than five feet long and 3-inch diameter shall be scattered to within 18 inches of ground surface.

2. Material going to the disposal site shall not be chipped.

3. Material shall be piled or decked at the disposal site. The material is to be piled at the center of the disposal site to accommodate burning at a future date. The pile shall not be so big that when burned would damage adjacent timber. If needed an additional site may be required. The pile shall be constructed without getting dirt in the pile (90% soil free). The pile shall be tall, dense and haystack shaped. It is preferred that the pile be constructed using a machine capable of picking up the material and placing it in the pile as opposed to a dozer that would push the material into a pile. If using a dozer or dozer type machine it shall be equipped with a brush rake, piling with a regular dozer blade is not allowed.

4. If, in the judgment of the Contracting Officer, the piles contain excessive soil, the piles shall be broken apart, re-piled, and the soil dispersed over the area.

5. Pile shall be constructed so that long pieces do not extend more than 6 feet from pile surface.

6. The contractor must construct a fire line just inside the outer edge of the disposal site (not directly next to the pile). The fire line is to be approximately 10 feet wide and constructed to mineral soil. Where necessary water bars are to be constructed in the fire line. The fire line shall be constructed without damage to resources or improvements.

7. Provide dust abatement on roads using water from approved water draft site for traffic safety and to protect road and soil resource (see Appendix C for specifications).

8. Blade road surface of native roads to keep roadbed in a condition to facilitate traffic and provide proper drainage. Specifically important after product removal haul (see Appendix C for specifications).

Item 4. Skidding and removal of sawtimber and non-sawtimber material in Huckleberry Tract Common Area.

Within the Huckleberry Tract Common area (21 acres), the Purchaser shall skid and remove all down sawtimber and non-sawtimber according to the specifications in Item 1.

The Huckleberry Tract Common area is shown on the Contract Area Map. This area begins generally one tree length from tract cabins (150 feet). If Item 5 is funded, the material felled under Item 5 shall also be treated under Item 4.

Item 5. Felling of dead trees in Huckleberry Tract Common Area.

Within the Huckleberry Tract Common Area (21 acres), the Purchaser shall fall all designated dead trees according to the specifications in Item 2. The Huckleberry Tract Common area is shown on the Contract Area Map as described above in Item 4. This area begins generally one tree length from tract cabins. Dead trees that are a hazard to recreation residences are the responsibility of cabin owners, NOT this contract.

Item 6. Removal of limbs, bole pieces, and topwood to disposal site from Huckleberry Tract Common Area.

Within the Huckleberry Tract Common Area (21 acres), the Purchaser shall remove limbs, bole pieces and topwood( where hazard tree felling and windfall has occurred in recent past) to the designated disposal site according to the specifications in Item 3.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

DETAILED REQUIREMENTS

The successful offeror's technical proposal will be incorporated as part of the resultant contract. It shall describe how the work shall be accomplished to comply with the Work Standards and Resource Protection Standards.

A proposed treatment plan and schedule shall be prepared by the Contractor and be reviewed and approved by the Contracting Officer before starting work. The proposed treatment plan should describe, in adequate detail, how the Contractor intends to complete the work and meet the specifications in this contract. The proposal should include (at the minimum) equipment, manpower, schedule, proposed haul routes and resource protection plans.

GENERAL WORK STANDARDS (All Items)

A. Accessibility: All items are accessible by county or Forest Service roads. It shall be the responsibility of the Contractor to determine the most suitable route to the project area. The Government will not provide special maintenance or snow plowing to open roads or keep roads open. Some roads are “paved” so that tracking equipment on them is not allowed. Some roads are narrow or have tight turns that prevent the use of large transports to move equipment. The contractor should study the project area to determine access and transport needs.

B. Permits: The Contractor shall be responsible for obtaining all permits necessary for the transportation of equipment on Federal, state, county, and private roads.

C. Boundaries: Flagging and/or orange paint along the perimeter designates project boundaries. All work to be performed will occur within the units, the actual areas needing treatment will vary. A map is attached, showing the location of the payment unit boundaries. Positions of the features shown on the maps are approximate.

D. Examination of Project Work Area: The bidder is strongly encouraged to inspect the project work area. The Government has provided estimates of treatment area acreages. It will be assumed that the bidder has satisfied her/himself as to the nature of the work to be performed and the character of all conditions to be encountered. The attached maps are intended to show only the general size and location of the project units. These areas are normally under snow and the Huntington Lake road is closed at Lakeshore resort during the winter. Normally these units are accessible by May

E. Restrictions on Work. The Contracting Officer may specify the priority of work by item or sub-item (unit) within an item, without additional cost. Work may be performed at any time during the period of the contract. Restrictions are as follows:

1. In accordance with the fire plan.

2. When the Contracting Officer has determined that adverse weather will impact access, haul, or skidding and forwarding or that continued vehicular travel would cause unacceptable road, landing, or forwarder trail damage.

Forest roads, landings, or skidder and forwarder trails shall not be used for access, haul, or skidding and forwarding if such use will result in the travel way being rutted to a depth of greater than or equal to two inches over more than 10% of the length of the road or landing (measured on a mile by mile basis). If damage to roads, landings, or skidder and forwarder trails occurs, it shall be mitigated.

3. Within the general work area, the Contracting Officer may exclude from payment non-work areas such as: rocky areas, wildlife areas, wet areas, streamside buffers, and other special areas. The acres actually treated within the unit boundaries will be measured after work is complete to determine acres for payment. Payment will not be made for non-work areas greater than one half acre in size.

4. Location of areas needing special measures for protection of cultural sites, plants or animals and areas requiring avoidance from noxious weed infested sites are shown on individual unit maps, described in contract provisions and/or identified on the ground. Cultural resources are designated on the Contract Area Map as CA-1 and designated on the ground with blue and black striped and white flagging.

5. Limited Operating Periods (LOP) apply to units in this project for Osprey and Yosemite toad. All LOP’s apply to felling and skidding, but do not apply to hauling operations. Surveys will be conducted for the presence of nesting Ospreys. If surveys confirm no nesting individuals, the limited operating period shall be lifted for the current field season. The Yosemite Toad (YT) LOP may be shortened or lengthened depending on the timing of breeding and migration. Areas where LOPs are in effect are displayed on the Contract

Area Map. Limited Operating Periods are as follows:

Species Dates of Limited Operation Affected Area

Osprey March 1 – August 15 Entire Contract Area Yosemite Toad October 1 – July 31 Huckleberry Tract

6. Within the Huckleberry Tract: (1) all operations would cease for 24 hours after rainfall of more than 0.1 inch to allow for dispersal across terrestrial habitats,

(2) on a daily basis, check around equipment for YT individuals that may have moved into the area prior to moving machines, (3) avoid landing location, foot traffic and vehicle operation on open dry lupine areas

7. If protection measures prove inadequate, if other such areas are discovered, or if new species are listed or found during the term of the contract, the Forest Service may either cancel or unilaterally modify this contract to provide additional protection regardless of when such facts become known.

Discovery of such areas or species by either party shall be promptly reported to the other party.

F. Non-Work and Resource Protection.

1. Non-work areas will be identified by any of the following: 1) maps or 2) flagged with specified color. These are areas of noxious weeds, streamside protection zones, meadows, and cultural resource sites.

2. Equipment shall not operate on areas steeper than 35%.

3. Green trees shall be avoided. The Contractor shall work in such a manner that will not damage (surface or sub-surface) the bark, bole, or roots of these live trees. When avoidable damage occurs, the Contractor shall be liable for actual damages.

4. Equipment operations will be restricted to periods when surface soils in the operating area are drier than the "plastic limit", to a depth of 30 cm (12 inches). A test to determine the plastic limit can be measured by rolling soil with your hand on a flat surface that produces a wire of soil 1/8 inch in diameter. Equipment shall be operated only when soil moisture conditions prevents unacceptable compaction or soil displacement. Typically, soil moisture conditions are a concern from November to April.

5. Tracked equipment shall not be walked between units on paved or chip-sealed roads. The walking of equipment between units shall be at the direction of the Contracting Officer, to avoid the possibility of Control Area or resource damage.

Heavy equipment may not work or leave the boundaries of the work areas without written permission from the Contracting Officer.

6. Exit and entry of units shall be confined to within unit boundaries unless otherwise stated by the Contracting Officer. Entry and exit points to the unit shall be chosen to reduce resource damage and soil erosion.

7. Control of Dust near Sensitive Areas. The Contracting Officer may require the

Contractor to cease operations when the wind speed is such that dust from operations will blow into sensitive areas. Sensitive areas are those occupied by the public including developed campgrounds and residences. Periods of shut down will not count against the Contractor's time.

8. The Contractor shall remove all trash from the work site.

9. The Contractor shall be responsible for determining the location of buried utilities and preventing damage to them. Contractor will be provided map showing utilities as necessary or as available.

10. See the Dust Abatement Plan in Appendix C for water drafting specifications.

11. Off-road equipment shall be power-washed before being brought into the

Contract Area to reduce the risk of spreading weed propagules or seeds in the Contract Area.

12. Refueling of chainsaws may not occur in stream course buffer strips or within 100 feet of meadows listed on the Contract Area Map.

13. Fuels and other toxic materials shall not be stored within 300 feet of meadows, within 300 feet of streams that have a 100 foot buffer strip, and within 150 feet of other streams.

14. Skidding Operation Restrictions:

a. End-lining shall not occur in meadows.

b. End-lining shall not occur in or across riparian vegetation of streams with a

75 foot or 100 foot buffer strip.

c. End-line no more than 4 trees per acre within 100 feet of meadows and within streams buffers of streams with 100 and 75 foot buffer strips.

Contracting Officer may allow more than 4 trees per acre with consultation of Forest Service staff.

15. When falling hazard trees, fall away from streams and meadows when possible.

Buck tree at location on tree bole 50 feet from stream edge of streams with 100 and 75 feet buffer strips. Leave segment adjacent to stream. If more than 4 boles per 100 feet of stream are left, the Contracting Officer may allow removal of excess boles with consultation of Forest Service Staff. If entire tree can be removed without disturbing soil, then tree can be removed.

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

GOVERNMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE PLAN

Inspection (General): 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.

Inspection (Specific):

Item 1. Skidding and removal of sawtimber and non-sawtimber material in Huckleberry Tract (excluding Common Area), Dowville Tract, and Cedar Crest Resort areas (158 acres).

Measurable Performance Standards

• Condition of leave trees

• Material meeting utilization standards are removed from Contract Area

• Condition of road surfaces

• Abatement of dust during hauling

• Treatment of slash as specified

Item 2. Felling of dead trees in Cedar Crest Resort area (10 acres).

Measurable Performance Standards

• Felling of designated cut trees from Contract Area

• Height of stumps after cutting designated trees

• Condition of leave trees

Item 3. Removal of limbs, bole pieces, and topwood to disposal site in Huckleberry Tract (excluding Common Area), Dowville Tract, and Cedar Crest Resort areas (158 acres).

Measurable Performance Standards

• Treatment of slash as specified

• Condition of road surfaces

• Abatement of dust during hauling

• Appearance/Condition of slash pile at disposal site.

Item 4. Skidding and removal of sawtimber and non-sawtimber material in Huckleberry Tract Common Area (21 acres).

Measurable Performance Standards

• Condition of leave trees

• Material meeting utilization standards are removed from Contract Area

• Condition of road surfaces

• Abatement of dust during hauling

• Treatment of slash as specified

Item 5. Felling of dead trees in Huckleberry Tract Common Area (21 acres).

Measurable Performance Standards

• Felling of designated cut trees from Contract Area

• Height of stumps after cutting designated trees

• Condition of leave trees

Item 6. Removal of limbs, bole pieces, and topwood to disposal site from Huckleberry Common Area. (21 acres).

Measurable Performance Standards

• Treatment of slash as specified

• Condition of road surfaces

• Abatement of dust during hauling

• Appearance/Condition of slash pile at disposal site.

Government Inspections: The Contracting Officer or Contracting Officer’s duly authorized representative will conduct all inspections. The Contractor (or designated representative) is encouraged to be present to observe inspections. Inspections will be a walk-through visual examination of the Unit. When work appears satisfactory, it will be accepted. When work appears unsatisfactory, the Contractor will be responsible for rework to correct the deficiencies. The Government may suspend operations if it is apparent the Contractor is not meeting specifications. It is recommended that the Contractor perform their own quality control inspections and keep records. The Government has the right to inspect and test all services called for by the contract, to the extent practicable at all times and places during the term of the contract. The Government shall perform inspections and tests in a manner that will not unduly delay the work.

Measurement for Stewardship Credit. Acreage shown in this contract is estimated.

Acreage was measured on a horizontal plane using a Global Positioning System for all units. Acreage was not taken out for stream course buffer strips or other non-workable areas. The Forest Service plans on measuring completed work with a Global Positioning System. GPS does not compensate for slope distances when determining acreage. Unless otherwise indicated by this contract, the Contractor may request re-measurement of any quantities. The request must be made in writing and must be made within 10 calendar days of completing work on the unit in question. If re-measurement indicates a variance of five percent or less from the stated quantity, the Forest Service may deduct Stewardship Credits to the Contractor equal to the cost of this re-measurement. If re-measurement indicates a variance of more than five percent from the stated quantity, Stewardship Credits will be based on the re-measured quantity, and the Contractor will not be liable for the costs of re-measurement. All re-measurements will be done by the Forest Service. The Forest Service may re-measure quantities of completed stewardship work activities at its discretion. Forest Service will bear all costs for discretionary re-measurement. Re-measured quantities will be the basis for awarding Stewardship Credits. Re-measurement of acreage will be done using a Global Positioning System.

Inspection by plot: To determine if the correct number of leave trees are present, the Government may elect to use plots to inspect work. Plot size used will be 1/40 acre (18.6 plot radius). Plots shall assess the measurable performance standards for the item inspected.

UNIT ACCEPTANCE

The Contractor shall submit a unit to the Contracting Officer for acceptance only when the Contractor's inspections for quality control assure the work specifications have been met. The Government may perform formal inspections to determine acceptance of the work units. The Contractor shall give the Contracting Officer and/or COR at least 48 hours advance notice prior to completion of the unit for scheduling of final inspection.

The Government will accept a unit when all work has been completed and formal and informal inspections show that all work specifications have been met.

DEFINITIONS

Additional Timber - Any sawtimber size tree that is designated and agreed to by the Contracting Officer after contract award.

Best Management Practice (BMP) - An alternative structural or nonstructural practice approved by the California Regional Water Quality Board for the effective manual erosion control and management of surface runoff. BMP's are described in Chapter 30 of the Forest Service Manual (the BMP Handbook).

Biomass - Any portion of any tree, designated for cutting or existing down tree, which does not meet the utilization standards for Sawtimber set forth in the contract, but has minimum large end diameter of 5 inches and 6 feet minimum length. The anticipated product of this material is wood chip for fuel or mulch. This material includes non-sawtimber quality products.

Blister Rust – A disease occurring in Sugar Pine. Indicators are flagging or mortality of branches, swelling of branches or trunk, cracked bark exuding pitch and sometimes showing of yellow powdery spores

Bole - Stem portion of a tree.

Conifer - A cone-bearing tree with needles or leaf scales (e.g. pine, fir, cedar).

Comparison Tree - A tree considered but not selected as a leave tree.

Crop Tree - A healthy looking, well formed, undamaged tree that will remain in the stand.

Crown Class-Crown class is the description of the relative position of the tree crown with respect to competing vegetation surrounding trees.

(1) Dominant- Tree crown receive full light from above and partly from the sides, Crowns extend above the general level of the crown cover of others of the stratum by 30% or greater.

(2) Co Dominant- Tree crowns receive full light from above but comparatively little form the sides. Crowns form a general level of crown stratum.

(3) Intermediate- tree crowns occupy a definitely subordinate position and are subject to strong lateral competition for crowns of dominants and co dominants.

(4) Suppressed- Tree crowns receive no direct light from above or from the side and are entirely below the general level of dominant and co dominants.

Cull Logs – Logs from included timber that do not meet merchantability standards as described in Appendix B.

Cut Tree - A tree that is designated by the Forest Service for felling.

Damaged Trees - Any tree with one or more of the following injuries:

1. Any true fir that has any bark cut or removed to the cambium from more than 10% of the circumference of the bole.

2. Any other tree species that has bark cut or removed to the cambium from more than 30% of the circumference of the bole.

3. Any tree that has a broken or dead top above a live crown and showing declining vigor (chlorosis or flagging of individual branches).

4. Any tree that has had 25% or more of the live limbs or branches broken or removed by any operation.

5. Defects, which include sweeps in the bole or crooked boles.

DBH - Diameter at breast height; the diameter of a tree measured at a point 4.5 feet above the ground on the uphill side of the tree.

Down Logs – Existing logs found in unit prior to treatment activities.

Excess Tree/Snag - A tree or snag that is left but should have been cut to meet spacing standards.

Fuel ladders - An arrangement and volume of vegetation (brush and/or trees) that grows beneath the drip line or whose bole/stem lies within 8 feet from the drip line of a residual overstory tree. This vegetation increases the threat of ignition and spread of fire into the canopy of trees it grows under.

Ground Cover or Duff Layer - Living or dead vegetation. Usually consists of a composition of cast needles, fine sticks or twigs, live plants, and slash under 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter large end.

Hang-up Tree - A cut tree suspended above the ground by a leave tree or brush.

Hardwood - A tree with broad leaves rather than clusters of needles (i.e. oak, willow, etc.).

Leave Tree - Conifers planned to become part of the forest canopy in the long term. A leave tree is determined by both spacing and vigor of existing conifers. Any tree marked with orange, or black paint shall not be cut. Trees marked with a combination of paint colors that include orange and double band blue, orange and double band green or green or blue with black paint shall not be cut.

Limbed - Cutting of exposed limbs from products prior to skidding/forwarding from woods.

Lop and Scatter - Slash shall be scattered to reduce concentrations not to exceed the specified depth. Slash shall be scattered into openings away from trees.

Mineral Soil - State of soil, generally below where humus and large organic matter is not present. The absence of combustible material.

Non-Sawtimber - Any log length, of any tree painted for cutting or an existing down tree, which meets the minimum specification for pieces required for removal as specified in Division AT of Appendix B – Timber Removal Specifications. The anticipated product of the Non-Sawtimber material is biomass or fuelwood and is commonly referred to as cull logs.

Noxious Weeds – Those plant species designated as noxious weeds by the Secretary of Agriculture or by the responsible State official. The primary species of concern for the project area is: bull thistle. Any plant species designated as noxious by the California Department of Agriculture would be of concern if found in the project area. This list can be viewed at www.cdfa.ca.gov/weedhome.

Opening – An area where there are no leave trees or snags within 30 feet of each other.

Plastic Limit – A measurement of soil moisture.

Sawtimber - Any log length, of any tree painted for cutting, which meets the minimum specification for pieces required for removal as specified in Division AT of Appendix B – Timber Removal Specifications. The anticipated product of the Sawtimber material is lumber.

Slash - Vegetative debris generated by Contractor's Operations. In addition, material in chip or shredded form will be considered slash.

Snag - Any standing conifer tree without green leaves.

Skidding – Dragging of log with one end suspended using rubber-tired or tracked skidder.

Utilization - The removal of all felled and yarded material from National Forest land.

Forms of utilization include chips, logs, fuelwood, posts, etc.

Vegetation – A woody plant, live or dead, with no main stem, which does not usually grow higher than 8 feet. For example: ceanothus, manzanita, and choke cherry.

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/weedhome