Appendix_D_0504DCS.docx

Down Canyon South IRSC – Appendix D Page 1 of 10

Down Canyon South IRSC – Appendix D Page 10 of 12

APPENDIX D

· Exhibits A. Sign Standards B. Wet Weather Agreement C. Stream Crossing examples D. Water-bar and rolling dip examples

Exhibit A - Sign Standards

Exhibit B – Wet Weather Agreement

Down Canyon South IRSC – Appendix D Page 4 of 12

Down Canyon South Stewardship Contract

WET WEATHER/WINTER OPERATIONS AGREEMENT (01/20/00)

The following agreement is intended as a supplement to the Stewardship Contract to provide specific criteria for conducting sale operations outside the Normal Operating Season (NOS).

Although logging operations may be conducted outside the NOS, certain requirements must be met in order to have operations proceed during this period. In addition to existing IRSC language, a written agreement to operate outside the NOS must be approved by the Forest Service and the Contractor prior to commencing operations. This agreement provides for all additional special measures needed to protect the transportation system, maintain water quality, and preserve the soil resource. Specific guidelines are needed within the agreement to determine when operations may begin, what monitoring is required during operations, and when operations should be suspended. If additional measures beyond this agreement are necessary, they must be agreed upon by all parties and documented in writing (ie., R5-2400-181).

The following guidelines are to be used to determine if conditions are favorable for wet weather/winter operations and to provide guidance as to when conditions warrant suspension of operations. These guidelines also apply within the NOS when prolonged periods of wet weather are encountered.

A. General Guidelines

The wet season when Forest System Roads are generally, but not always, subject to extraordinary damage is November 16 to April 30. During this period, subgrade soils may become saturated and weakened by high watertables. Forest roads serving this sale are not designed for wet season haul and so are subject to greater damage than anticipated in the timber sale contract.

No more than 15% of the activity area (includes temporary roads, landings, and skid trails) should be detrimentally affected by changes in soil porosity, soil cover, and soil organic matter. The reduction in soil porosity (compaction) is one of the most critical elements resulting from activities which occur on moist to wet soils. Soil puddling and/or compaction will occur when the force exerted by the logging equipment or vehicles exceeds the strength of the soil to bear that force or load. Soil strength is typically low when the soil is moist or wet.

Snow acts as a soil insulator. Unless extreme low temperatures are reached the soil will not freeze under snow. Normally these conditions are not met until the middle of winter, if at all. Late fall and early spring conditions are such that wet and dry areas exist under the snow. If minimum snow depth and snow compaction requirements are not adhered to, soil compaction and/or displacement may occur in wet areas. This leads to channelization and the potential for accelerated erosion during precipitation periods and poor vegetative productivity.

Continued monitoring of the operation shall be done by the Contractor and the Forest Service, including resource specialists, Engineering representatives, and sale administration personnel. If any problems are encountered which pose a threat to the integrity of the operation, immediate notification and action must be taken to alleviate those problems.

To conduct winter operations, overnight temperatures must be below 25 degrees F. Afternoon temperatures should not exceed 35 degrees F. However, if nightime temperatures are at or below 20 degrees F., afternoon temperatures above 35 degree F. may be tolerated for short durations, usually less than two hours. These temperature guidelines will help to protect the resources by maintaining a solid snow pack or solid ground conditions when no snow is present.

No sediment flow into drainages from any facility used by the Contractor, including roads, landings, and skid trails, will be permitted at any time. Placement of straw wattles at the outlet of any erosion control structure may be needed to control sediment discharge. Three (3) straw wattles should be placed in series and keyed-in to prevent flow under the wattle. Straw bales may be used instead of the straw wattles, but straw wattles are preferred.

B. Roads

It is mutually understood and agreed hauling during the wet season may cause impacts beyond “normal” wear and tear. It is further understood the Forest Service and Contractor will make every effort to monitor, protect, repair and notify others of needed repairs to this facility.

Required road work for prehaul must be accomplished prior to the wet season or periods of precipitation. Wet road surfaces should not be graded nor should snow be plowed so the road surface is exposed. Road surfaces must be at a standard which will support the impacts of wet weather operations. This includes the following:

All Roads

Drainage structures must be in place and functioning prior to precipitation events.

Road is properly graded and ditched.

In no case should sediment extend more than 20 feet from the outlet of a dip. Place straw wattles at the outlets of rolling dips to control sediment discharge. Three (3) straw wattles should be placed in series and keyed-in to prevent flow under the wattle. Straw bales may be used instead of the straw wattles, but straw wattles are preferred.

If roads lie within SMZs, make sure road gradient is above stream bed gradient to prevent stream from flowing onto road surface.

Portions of roads which lie within SMZs shall be rocked, unless otherwise agreed, with input from a riparian specialist.

Roads can be plowed, including intervisible turnouts, if the action will not cause damage to the road surface and associated drainage structures. During winter operations a minimum of 6 inches of snow will remain on the road surface after plowing. This will facilitate freezing of the road surface during early and mid-winter. To facilitate drying of the road surface and subgrade, normally in the Spring, roads can be plowed to within 3 inch of the road surface. Caution should be taken to prevent displacing the road surface. Roads will be plowed full width.

Road alignments which lie within the sale area requiring snow removal will be staked on both sides along the entire alignment to facilitate plowing. Areas for disposal of excess snow will be identified prior to snow fall to ensure sidecasted snow is not deposited in drainages. No soil or aggregate should be intermixed with sidecasted snow during plowing or grading.

Snow berms must be breached to allow proper road drainage. These outlets must be spaced so as not to concentrate road surface flows (usually spaced a minimum of every 300 feet). Erosion control structures (straw bales or filter fence) may be required at the outlets to collect road generated sediment.

If more than 10 percent of the road surface is rutted two inches in depth or greater, the road will be closed. (Percentage will be determined in one mile increments if road is longer than one mile). If the road is to remain closed, it must have a barrier of some type installed to keep out all vehicular traffic and signed to keep traffic off road surface. Roads will not be used during precipitation events if rutting occurs.

Roads damaged by Contractor's Operations will be repaired at the Contractor's expense. Repair work shall be accomplished immediately when conditions are such that additional damage to the resources will not occur or when designated by the Forest Service.

Native Surfaced Roads

Where a native surfaced Forest Service road meets a paved state or county road, the Forest Service road must be rocked to a depth of 3 inches for a minimum of 300 feet to prevent tracking of mud onto the paved road. If mud is being tracked onto the paved roads, a water pumper will be required to wash the wheels of the log trucks.

If freezing temperatures occur, the road surface must remain completely frozen and must be able to support the weight of any vehicle which will be driven on it. Portions of roads prone to thawing during the winter shall be rocked to Forest Service specifications.

When any part of the active road length thaws and mitigations, such as rocking, cannot be implemented to ensure water quality protection, the road will be closed. This will preclude the use of the road by all vehicles (including administrative) unless the activity can be restricted to the portion of the road which remains frozen.

If the roadway dries and can support vehicles without causing rutting, soil displacement, damage to drainage structures, and with no off-site sediment movement due to water flow, it can be used. If not, the road will remain closed.

Rocking Roads

Locations where road rocking is required to harden the road surface for wet weather haul will be designated in writing and flagged on-the-ground by the Engineering Rep. or Sale Administrator. Minimum depth of rock will be established in writing and inspected by the Forest Service prior to use of the road for hauling outside the NOS.

C. Skid Trails:

Skid trails will be flagged by the Contractor and approved by the Forest Service in advance of falling.

Unless otherwise agreed, within the operating area, a minimum of 15 inches of compacted snow is required for over-the-snow logging. When the snow depth approaches this minimum, snow conditions must be monitored on a daily basis to verify snow depth is sufficient to start or continue operations. Approval to operate on snow less than 15 inches must include an evaluation by a soil scientist.

The following guidelines apply to areas where snow and/or frozen ground are not present:

Cut-to-Length System - Processing of material on the designated skid trails by a harvester may occur when soils are dry to a depth of 4 inches. Limit harvester to 1 or 2 passes over the same piece of ground. The forwarder will stay on designated skid trails, covered with a minimum of 6 inches of slash, spaced an average of 40 feet apart.

Feller/Buncher System - Movement of material to the designated skid trails by a track laying feller/buncher may occur when soils are dry to a depth 4 inches. Feller/buncher will be limited to 1 or 2 passes over the same piece of ground. Skidding equipment will stay on designated skid trails spaced an average 75 feet apart until soils are dry to a depth of 10 inches.

Traditional Tractor Logging - Skidding may occur by conventional high-ground-pressure equipment when soils are dry to a depth of 4 inches. Equipment is restricted to the designated skid trails spaced an average of 75 feet apart, until soils are dry to a depth of 10 inches. Endlining will be used to move material to the designated skid trails until soils are dry to a depth of 10 inches.

To determine depth of dry soil, a field soil moisture test will be conducted which consists of taking a sample of soil from the soil profile and squeezing the soil sample in the hand. The soil sample is considered dry enough to begin operations if the soil sample cannot be molded into a ball.

Operations will be suspended if monitoring by the Forest Service reveals unacceptable soil compaction or displacement results from operations. Operations will be re-evaluated to determine the cause of soil compaction and/or soil displacement and remedies will be agreed upon.

Skid trails will be monitored to ensure proper drainage is achievable, ie. skid trails are not creating trenches which cannot be properly drained by waterbarring. Skidding will be halted if ruts more than 2 inches deep and are present on more than 10 percent of the skid trail.

Erosion structures must be in place and functioning prior to precipitation events. Drainage structures are very difficult to construct when trails are wet or have snow on them. On skid trails and landings, IRSC provisions GT.6.6 and KT-GT.6# requires erosion control work be kept current immediately preceeding expected seasonal periods of precipitation or runoff and after September 15 work shall be done promptly as practical.

D. Landings:

Landings will be agreed to prior to their construction and/or use. Landings will not be located within Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) unless a hydrologist or fisheries biologist is consulted.

Landings will be constructed to ensure proper drainage is achievable and monitored to ensure drainage is effective; for example, landings will not create a depression which cannot be properly drained. Rock or slash mats will not be placed on the landing due to conflicts with tillage, unless approved by a hydrologist or soil scientist. If the landing is improperly drained, rills (small 1/2 inch deep parallel depressions) will form in the landing slope where drainage leaves the landing surface. Rills and/or sediment should not extend more than 10 feet from the downslope edge of the landing and should not be present along more than 25 percent of the downslope edge. In no case should any rill or deposition of sediment reach a stream channel. As a preventative measure, all landing fill slopes will be mulched prior to expected seasonal periods of precipitation. Mulch material can consist of wood chips, weed-free straw, or any other Forest Service approved material which will provide slope protect against rilling. In addition, downslope perimeter erosion control fencing will be required if a potential threat to water quality exists as determined by an earth scientist.

The use of a heel boom loader may be required to minimize landing size and reduce excavation of the site.

Logging operations will not proceed until safe access and safe working conditions are present to conduct normal inspections by Forest Service personnel.

Forest Service retains the authority to suspend any or all of Contractor's operations as needed to protect resources.

This agreement will be reviewed on an annual basis and modified, if necessay, prior to commencement of operations.

CONTRACTING OFFICER (or COR) CONTRACTOR'S REPRESENTATIVE

DATE DATE

Exhibit C. Stream Crossing Examples:

Example of Log Stringer temp bridge:

Example of pole crossing:

Exhibit D. Slash Mat, Water-bar Examples:

Example Slash Mat:

Example of Corduroy (Log Mat):

Slash Water Bar example:

Soil Water Bar example:

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