APPENDIX A_Dry Creek_FINAL.pdf

APPENDIX A – DRY CREEK STEWARDSHIP WORK ACTIVITY ITEMS

Items 1 and 9 - Mastication

Dry Creek Mastication units- 25,53,54,55,56,57,60,61,72 and 76

Unit Designation:

(2) Orange placards and/or Orange Paint on boundary trees facing into the subdivision, one orange placard or Orange paint on each plane of the boundary pointing along the boundry line and marked with an orange butt mark.

Unit Time Requirements:

Completion of these units are only limited by the contract time.

If optional units are awarded, contract time will be increased proportionally to the acreage that was added.

Mastication:

Masticate all remaining trees that do not meet spacing guidelines, snowbrush (Ceanothus velutinus), and manzanita

(Arctostaphalos patula) within the unit. Masticate only bitterbrush (Artemesia tridentata) that is within the drip line of a crop tree.

All material must be masticated within 6 inches of the ground.

Live Material must be masticated within 12 inches of obstacles above the ground. IE – rocks.

Masticate all snags that are less than 10 inches diameter at breast height.

Masticate all down woody material that is less than 12 inches diameter at the small end to within 6 inches of the ground. Dead material that is within 6 inches of the ground does not need treatment.

All masticated pieces must be less than 18 inches in length by 4 inches in diameter.

Larger areas that are void of trees, brush or both might be excluded from treatment units during implementation.

Areas that are too rocky or steep for mastication equipment to operate on might be excluded from treatment units during implementation.

If excluded areas are greater than 1/2 of an acre, then those areas will be mapped out via GPS. Similar vegetative ground may be found or,if mutually agreed upon, a reduction in the Unit

Price in order to meet any contract acreage imbalances created from exlusions made during implementation.

Leave Trees:

Contractor shall LEAVE all live trees equal to or greater than 12” stump diameter (10” DBH).

Contractor shall LEAVE all trees marked by Forest Service with

ORANGE or WHITE tree marking paint above and below breast height.

Contractor shall LEAVE all boundary trees marked with Orange placards and an orange butt mark or flagged with Blue.

Contractor shall LEAVE all live Sugar Pine, Incense Cedar or Juniper trees, except those designated with BLUE tree marking paint above and below stump height.

Contractor shall LEAVE all DEAD trees equal to and greater than

17.0” stump diameter (15” DBH) and 20' tall unless tree is marked for cutting by Forest Service with BLUE tree marking paint above and below stump height. Dead trees shall not affect the spacing requirements.

Spacing of Leave/Crop Trees (Operator Selection):

Contractor shall Masticate all conifer trees less than 12” at stump diameter (10” DBH) EXCEPT those to be LEFT as described below and in accordance with the table below. Leave trees shall have the largest crown, best crown ratio and straightest boles that are free (if available) from damage. If there is a sub-dominant, but otherwise healthy and vigorous Sugar Pine, Cedar, or Red Fire, then utilize as your leave tree for spacing instead of a larger Pine.

Contractor shall LEAVE trees evenly distributed with a rectangular spacing between trees and leave the specified number of trees per acre with the larger tree having priority to be left. All live trees are to be considered in the leave tree rectangular spacing requirements below.

Units

Tree

Stump

Diameter

(in inches)

Residual

Rectangular

Spacing

(in feet)

Acceptable

Tolerance

(in feet)

Approx.

Residual

Tree/Acre

(# of trees)

25, 53,54,55,56,57,60, 61 and 72 < 12” 20.0 ±5.0 110±

Select crop/leave tree species in the following order: Sugar pine, incense cedar, red fir, Jeffrey pine/ponderosa pine, white fir, and lodgepole pine.

Crop/leave tree damage resulting from Contractor's operations shall be kept to a minimum. Care shall be taken when masticating trees in the work area.

If trees greater than 10.0” are hindering access to other areas of the unit that need treatment, contractor can masticate trees up to 13.9” DBH to access those areas.

Item 2 – Road Maintenance (Applicable T800 specs):

See schedule of items in Appendix C – Road Maintenance Requirements for specifics.

Item 3 - Tillage of Landings:

There are a total of 7 landings (5 acres) of landing tillage to be done.

See appendix B for specs.

Item 4 – Tillage of temporary roads:

There are approximatly 2.2 miles (~3.5 Acres)of temporary roads that will be tilled. See Appendix B for specs.

Item 5 – Decadent Feature Enhancement: Snag Creation

Partial girdle trees are designated with a band painted in white at DBH and the letter “W” above the band also painted in white on two sides of the tree.

In order to facilitate location of designated partial girdle trees, Forest

Service can provide GPS data for each tree, and are identified on the

Contract Area Map.

Partial tree girdling would involve girdling (cutting off the bark layer deep enough to sever the tree’s vascular system in the cambium) of individual trees. These trees generally range between 15 and 30 inches

DBH. The bark layer would be removed in a 6-12 inch band covering approximately ⅓ of the diameter of pine trees and ½ of the diameter of fir trees.

Item 6 –Biomass Removal (Harvest and remove to landing)OPTIONAL ITEM:

Included

Unit(s)

Estimated Quantity

(Acres)

Spacing

38 8.0 20x20

54 93.0 20x20

56 173.0 20x20

59 8.0 20x20

61 26.0 20x20

72 .9 20x20

Total 308.9

Unless otherwise agreed, within all units designated in the above table, the contractor shall cut all conifer trees ≥4.0” dbh and ≤9.9” dbh not selected as leave trees. Unless otherwise agreed, biomass thinning and removal requirements shall be done concurrently with the logging activities. Notwithstanding above, no small tree cutting shall occur within streamcourse buffer strips shown on Contract Area Map. There is an estimated 3,010 Green Tons of non-sawtimber biomass in units

38,54,56,59,61 and 72.

Unless otherwise agreed, within all units designated in the above table, all non-sawlog (biomasss) bole material >8 feet in length, with top attached and limbs left in the contract unit from all conifer trees required to be cut shall be removed to landings and decked (YUMD) according to K-G.7# - Slash Treatment.

3. Contractor shall select live leave trees ≤9.9” dbh using the following specifications:

a. Contractor shall select live leave trees ≤9.9” dbh to retain a

20x20 feet average spacing between leave trees for units

38,54,56,59,61 and 72. Spacing between leave trees for units taking into account all merchantable leave trees (trees with stump diameter >12 inches)(>10.0 dbh). Hardwood trees are to be ignored in terms of determining conifer tree spacing. For selection of leave trees refer to the table included in this section.

b. All stump heights, including trees and brush shall be 6 inches or less on the up-hill side.

c. Species in order of preference when choosing leave trees are incense cedar, sugar pine, red fir, ponderosa/Jeffrey pine, white fir, and lodgepole pine.

d. Favor conifer trees with greater than 40% live crown ratio, generally be in dominant or co-dominant crown position, and those of tallest height, largest crown, and straightest boles that are free of damage due to insects, disease, physical and mechanical causes. For selection characteristics of leave trees, refer to the table below.

Table 1

e. If no healthy undamaged conifer tree exists at the required spacing interval, leave the best tree with minor damage.

f. No aspens or willows shall be cut unless cutting is necessary for equipment accessibility.

Item 7– Biomass Chipping (OPTIONAL ITEM):

Biomass Trees (4.0 – 9.9 inches) and tops from sawtimber will be decked

(YUMD) according to K-G.7# - Slash Treatment, Yarding Unutilized Material

Decking (YUMD). If Contractor agrees to take this material under K-C.1.1#

- Timber Subject to Agreement material will be chipped and removed from

Characteristics of Acceptable Leave

Tree

Characteristics of Cut Trees

1. Dominance - Trees are taller than others of same age class.

1. Suppressed trees, shorter than others.

2. Foliage - Dark green color, thick over entire tree. 30% or greater crown ratio.

2. Tree crown has yellow or reddish color sparse foliage. 30% or less crown ratio.

3. Straight bole. 3. Bent, crook or fork.

4. Single branch terminal.

4. Two or more leaders of approximately equal length.

5. Free from physical damage.

5. Physical damage caused by wind, falling trees, frost cracks, animals.

6. Free from insect or disease damage as indicated by color of foliage.

6. Damage caused by insect or disease, and trees with notable signs of decline.

the Contract Area. There is approximatly 3,010 Green Tons of non-sawtimber

Biomass material in units 38,54,56,59,61 and 72.

Item 8 – Biomass Removal (OPTIONAL ITEM):

All Chipped biomass must be hauled off of USFS land to the nearest certified weight scaling facility.

Item 9- Masticaion (Optional Item):

Refer to Item 1, Mastication

Safety

In addition to the requirements of G.3.3 – Safety, warning signs shall be located 200’ from the intersection of the road and unit boundary at each edge of the unit. Signs shall be posted whenever working to alert oncoming traffic of the safety hazards associated with the operation. Signs shall include phrases similar to “Caution Falling Ahead” or “Caution Timber Falling”.

Restrictions on Stewardship Work

All Stewardship work described in this section shall follow all contract requirements and conditions.

Limited Operating Periods (LOP) for protection of resources- see K-

G.3.1.5#.

Fire Precautions – see K-H.2# and K-H.2.2#.

Road Use Restrictions – see K-F.1.2# and K-G.3.1.5#.

Designated Non-Work Areas

The following features or areas shall be protected during Contractor’s operations.

Meadow and wetland areas. This includes any areas with wet soils or vegetation indicating the presence of wet soils. Equipment shall be prohibited and the areas shall not be disturbed in any way. Meadows and wetlands within treatment units are not included in acreage calculations for stewardship work.

Survey Monuments and Bearing Trees shall be protected and not damaged in any way .

Controlled Areas. Protect all sites in accordance with K-G.2.4#

-Site Specific Special Protection Measures. Controlled areas within treatment units are not included in acreage calculations for stewardship work.

Roads. System roads shall be maintained during use. Any disturbance to roads shall be repaired by Contractor. Roads shall be kept open and free of debris resulting from operations. Roads running through treatment units are not included in acreage calculations for stewardship work. Roads maybe use for skidding with approval of the Forest Service.

Contractor-Furnished Equipment

1. Equipment shall be furnished on a fully-operational basis, in good operating condition, with a competent, fully qualified operator. The equipment shall be of low ground pressure type, which shall not exceed a ground pressure of 8 psi.

2. The Contractor shall furnish all fuel, lubricants, and personnel necessary for the operation of the equipment. All repairs, service and replacements are the responsibility of the Contractor and shall be at the Contractor's expense. If, during the contract period, the equipment requires repairs before operations can continue, it shall be the responsibility of the Contractor to complete such repairs.

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: Mastication

Selection and condition of leave trees

Spacing of leave trees

Masticated material piece size

Height of stumps after grinding

Soil protection

Item 2: Road Maintenance

Measurable Performance Standards

Compliance with specifications

Item 3-4: Tillage

Item 5: Decadent Feature Enhancement

Percent of bark radial removal

Depth and diameter of bark removal

Successful cambium intersection

Item 6: Biomass Thinning and Removal

Selection and condition of leave trees

Spacing of leave trees

Amount of material left uncut that meets the cutting specifications

Removal of cut trees to disposal sites as specified

Height of stumps after cutting

Item 6: Biomass Chipping and Removal

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.