Attach_2_Appendix_A_Handcrews_and_Herbicides.docx

APPENDIX A

Fuels Reduction Prescription for Handcrews and Herbicide Treatments

APPENDIX A

Fuels Reduction Prescription for Handcrews and Herbicide Treatments

B. TREATMENT PRESCRIPTION (ATTACHMENT A*)

The project area is delineated by fluorescent orange flagging. Watercourse protection zones will be delineated in blue flagging (refer to Item F for watercourse protections). The following treatments shall be applied throughout the project area and may be modified by the Project Manager to reflect on-the-ground conditions. Refer to Exhibit B: Project Area Maps.

*Reclamation is utilizing a prescription that is slightly modified from the 2019 ASFB prescription. The primary change to the prescription involves increasing the dbh from 6 to 10. Reclamation discussed this slight change with the Project Manager (forester) overseeing the ASRA, and it was highly recommended that the dbh for projects going forward in the APL be increased to 10 dbh to give flexibility to the ground crews allowing removal of key ladder fuels and trees under taller canopies. This practice is common in other SFB projects within similar forested areas and will help create an improved SFB.

Hand Thin Hand thinning should be accomplished by a hand crew of no more than 10 people on one site (negotiable) with chainsaws, string trimmers, pole saws, weed whackers, and loppers as necessary.

a) Hand Cutting

· Brush and other understory fuels less than 10 inches DBH are eligible for removal.

· Brush and trees less than 10 inches in DBH located within the dripline of an overstory tree shall be removed.

· Brush and trees more than 10 inches in DBH shall generally be retained, unless otherwise specified on a case-by-case basis by the Project Manager.

· A thin-from-below tactic will be employed, meaning that smaller trees will be removed and larger, more vigorous trees shall be retained. The ideal spacing between residual trees is 20 feet between trunks or 8-15 feet between tree crown driplines.

· No more than 50% of the total overstory canopy cover shall be removed during fuel break construction.

· After ensuring appropriate spacing, trees and brush will be retained in the following order of priority (in descending order):

Native Brush:

1. Dogwood

2. Redbud

3. Toyon

4. Buckeye

5. Coffeeberry

6. Lemmon ceanothus

7. Buck brush

8. Whitethorn

9. Deer brush

10. Manzanita

11. Chamise

12. Yerba Santa

13. Scrub oak Conifers

1. Sugar pine

2. Ponderosa Pine

3. Douglas-fir

4. Incense cedar

5. Gray pine

6. White fir Hardwoods

1. Valley oak

2. Big leaf maple

3. Blue oak

4. Black oak

5. Madrone

6. Live oaks

· Non-native species (olive, fig, broom, etc.) will be targeted for removal.

· Some trees smaller than 10 inches DBH are marked with fluorescent green flagging. These trees shall be retained.

· Dead trees/brush

· All dead understory trees/brush shall be removed.

· Snags that are 18 inches DBH or larger and not more than 30 feet in height which are not capable of reaching a road, trail, or structure shall be retained IF the snag is at least 100 feet from another snag that meets the same criteria. All other snags should be removed and chipped or piled for burning.

b) Pruning

· Prune ‘leave trees’ to a height of 10-12’. No more than 50% of the live crown of each tree shall be removed.

· If tree limbs are touching the ground but emerge from the bole above a height of 10 feet, these limbs shall be removed or trimmed so that they are at least 8 feet from the ground.

· The live crown ratio of residual trees shall not be reduced below 50% of the original canopy.

· Limbs shall be cut to minimize the surface area of the resulting limb scar to allow for faster healing.

c) Chipping

· CONTRACTOR shall provide a tracked chipper and chipper operator and may provide a towbehind chipper as desired for use on established roads within the project area. Chippers should accommodate material at least 14 inches in diameter. The use of a masticator is not permitted.

· All cut material will be chipped using tracked/tow-behind chippers and broadcast (with the exception of invasive weeds).

· Winching and dragging of material is required. No material shall be piled within watercourse protection zones (see Item F – Watercourse Protections).

· If there is an area where material cannot be chipped due to topographic variables, safety, environmental barriers, etc., CONTRACTOR shall alert the Project Manager and the material will be considered for piling instead. See “Piling” below.

· Chips shall not be broadcast onto roads, trails, or into the water or dry channel of any streams. Hauling of cut material out of stream zones to be chipped and broadcast is required (see Item F – watercourse protections).

· Chips shall be broadcast as widely as possible to avoid large chip piles.

· Existing dead and downed woody material that exceeds a height of 18 inches from the ground shall also be chipped. If dead/downed material is too large for the chipper branches should be lopped off so as not to exceed a depth of 18 inches.

d) Piling

· Steep areas or areas with heavy populations of invasive species (i.e. Scotch or French Broom) may be more suited to piling of cut material for burning at a later date.

· Piles shall be built only in those areas where invasive species preclude the use of chipping, or where challenges in slope, topography, or environmental compliance preclude the use of the tracked chipper. Every effort shall be made to chip material where safety precautions and environmental factors allow.

· Piles shall not exceed 6x6x6 feet and shall be created in areas where they do not pose a threat of igniting residual overstory trees.

· Piles shall be compact to assure appropriate consumption of woody material.

· Piles shall be covered with plastic prior to November 1st.

· Piles shall not be created within stream buffer zones (see item F – watercourse protections).

· Piles shall not be created within 25 feet of a communication or power line.

· Piles shall not be created within the protection zone of an archaeological resource.

f) General Instructions

· Trees and brush shall be cut as close to the ground as possible. Residual brush stumps shall not be taller than 4 inches. Residual tree stumps should be as low as possible, but not taller than 6 inches.

· All cut vegetation shall be kept within the project boundaries. Vegetation falling into ditches, streams, roads, road banks, adjacent properties, or trails shall be immediately removed.

· All equipment, including chainsaws and hand tools, must be cleaned before entering the Project area to prevent spread of noxious weeds and pathogens. This also applies when moving from an area with a large population of weeds to an area where noxious weeds have not yet colonized.

· Equipment shall be free of leaks, in good operating condition, and have spark arresting equipment or a supercharger.

C. Identification of Protected Species or Other Critical Resources

There are no known protected species within the project area. Protections for cultural resources present within the project area shall be reviewed with the CONTRACTOR prior to the start of work. With all environmentally sensitive areas, identification and avoidance during project implementation is important. Should any additional sensitive resources be found during project implementation, work in the affected area shall cease and the Project Manager shall be notified immediately.

CONTRACTOR shall comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and policies governing the funds and scope under this agreement.

D. Inspections

COR will conduct inspections to ensure that the services are acceptable. Inspections do not relieve the CONTRACTOR of the responsibility for maintaining quality control. Compliance inspections will be made on a sporadic basis. Such inspections are not final, and do not constitute acceptance by the District. Final inspections for payment will be made on completed items only. CONTRACTOR is encouraged to break the job out into logical measurable units.

E. Best Management Practices (Standard Operating Procedures) (ATTACHMENT)

Exposure to Smoke, Dust and Fumes:

· No visible dust transport shall be permitted outside of project boundaries. Operations shall be suspended at the direction of the Project Manager if that occurs.

· All equipment shall conform to California emission standards.

Impacts on Special Status Species:

· There are no known locations of Special Status Species within the Project Area.

· If a special status species is found within the project area, the Project Manager shall be notified immediately; buffers and/or limits on location and timing of operations will be implemented as recommended by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Impacts on Cultural Resources:

· Any and all cultural resources will be designated on the ground with flagging by the Project Manager and reviewed with CONTRACTOR prior to the start of work. Within these protection zones, the following shall apply:

· Pile burning and use of the tracked chipper are prohibited within these zones EXCEPT on existing roads and trails.

· The same prescription for vegetation removal shall occur within the protection zones.

· Wood chips may be cast into protection zones from existing roads or outside of the exclusion zone boundary, but they should not be cast on historic-era buildings.

· If operations discover previously unknown archaeological sites, operations shall cease within 100 feet of the site. The Project Manager shall be notified immediately.

Watercourse Protections:

All streams and riparian vegetation shall be protected through implementation of Watercourse and Lake Protection Zones (WLPZ). Protections are as follows:

· Class II streams (other aquatic wildlife present):

· 50 ft. buffer if side slopes <30%, 75 ft. buffer if side slopes between 30% and 50%, 100 ft. buffer if slopes >50%, flagged in BLUE

· No equipment may enter the zone except on existing roads and trails. Vegetative material shall be hauled by hand out of stream protection zones to be chipped.

· Residual trees shall be pruned to a height of 8-10 feet.

· Treatment of the understory shall not reduce vegetative cover below 50%

· Dead fuels ≤5 inches in diameter shall be removed

· Class III streams (capable of sediment delivery to class II):

· 25 ft. buffer if side slopes <30%, 50 ft. buffer if side slopes >30% flagged in BLUE

· No equipment may enter the zone except on existing roads and trails. Vegetative material shall be hauled by hand out of stream protection zones to be chipped.

· The full fuel break prescription shall be implemented within these zones.

· No equipment operations shall be permitted on slopes of 45% or greater if the slope leads continuously to a watercourse unless approved by the Project Manager.

· No equipment operations are permitted on saturated soils, as determined by the Project Manager. Saturated soil conditions may be indicated by potential for significant sediment discharge or equipment inoperability under its own power.

· No burn piles shall be created within protection zones for any stream.

· The CONTRACTOR is required to remove processed material from roadside ditches where it impedes flow or any water conveyance systems.

· No drafting of water from natural watercourses is permitted.

Noise:

· To mitigate noise impacts to neighbors, equipment operating within 200 feet of a residence may only operate between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

· If necessary, equipment operations around occupied wildlife habitats such as nest sites shall be subject to restrictions on timing and location.

Transportation and Traffic:

· If project activities are expected to take place on or near public roads and trails, warning signs shall be posted in work areas to alert oncoming traffic and recreational users to the safety hazards associated with the operation. Signs shall be provided by CONTRACTOR.

Cumulative Impacts:

· To the degree possible, the locations and timing of project activities shall be coordinated with projects on neighboring lands to avoid simultaneous impacts on noise, air quality and traffic. The Project Manager shall advise the CONTRACTOR on any limitations on operations to avoid cumulative impacts.