Attachment_1-_Performance_Work_Statement.pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge Firelines and Shaded Fuel Break Mastication

Part 1

General Information

1. GENERAL: This is a non-personnel services contract to provide the creation of firelines, access corridors and shaded fuel breaks through mastication or forestry mulching. The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contract service providers performing the services herein. Such contract service providers shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in tum is responsible to the Government.

1.1 Description of Services/Introduction: The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, fuel, lubricants, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to mechanically reduce forest fuels on approximately 143 acres as defined in this Performance Work Statement except for those items specified as government furnished property and services. The contractor shall perform to the standards in this contract.

1.2 Background: Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) utilizes firelines and shaded fuel breaks to manage wildfires and prescribed fires. These lines are used as containment features and access corridors for personnel on foot and off highway vehicles. Periodically these lines need to be masticated to clear back the rapidly growing understory vegetation and remove accumulated woody debris and downed vegetation. Keeping these lines and corridors masticated allows personnel to quickly and more safely move through the forested management units and reduces fire intensity that may occur within or immediately adjacent to these travel corridors or containment features.

1.3 Objectives:

The area to be treated under this contract, consists of approximately 29.5 miles of line traversing multiple management units.

These lines will be mulched/masticated/mowed to a width of 40 feet. The resulting treatment area totals approximately 143 acres, oriented in linear, non contiguous fashion. This, cumulative 29.5 mile long, by 40 foot wide treatment area, will be referred to as "the treatment area".

The contractor will use a forestry mulcher or masticating machine to shred, grind, mow, masticate or otherwise, physically reduce and reorient the encroaching brush and downed, course woody debris into small residues that are in contact with the forest floor.

Within the treatment area, all grass, brush, shrubs, saplings and trees up to 6" (six inches) ground-line diameter will be masticated.

Within the treatment area, all downed, coarse woody debris lying on the forest floor up to 6" (six inches) diameter will be masticated.

Residues from the mastication will be left on site.

Residues will be small enough that they do not pose a danger to personnel or light equipment working on or around them.

Residues will be left so that the majority of them are in contact with the soil surface to promote decomposition.

Stumps from masticated trees, saplings and brush will be less than 3" (three inches) in height from soil surface.

Greater than 80% of all residue pieces will be less than 2' (two feet) in length and less than 2" (two inches) in diameter. There is no minimum size limit for residues, chips or shavings are acceptable and preferred.

Trees larger than 6" (six inch) ground line diameter will remain intact and undamaged.

The treatment area runs through foraging and nesting habitat of the endangered, red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW).

Known, RCW cavity trees are marked with a white, painted band around the bole of the tree approximately 5 feet off the ground. Extreme caution will be used when working around RCW cavity trees to ensure they are not damaged in any way.

The contractor must have GPS capability to locate and follow treatment area lines. A shapefile and/ or georeferenced map will be provided to the contractor for navigation and location of treatment area. The Government can mark treatment area centerline, at the specific request of the contractor with timber marking paint or flagging, for treatment area line segments that are difficult to follow or find.

1.4 Scope: Services include supplying, operating and maintaining forestry mulching / masticating equipment to mechanically reduce wildland fuels/vegetation within a 40' (forty foot) wide corridor that traverses multiple management areas within Felsenthal NWR. The project area will be treated with a heavy duty forestry mulching or brush cutting machine that chips / mulches trees and brush. The equipment will be tracked or rubber tired with sufficiently low ground pressure to minimize rutting, soil compaction and tree root damage. A rotary drum masticating head that is capable of being raised and lowered is required. The width of the cutting head must be equal to, or greater than the width of the carrier, so that all vegetation within the path of the machine will be masticated.

The machine must be 90 (ninety) horse-power or greater. The machine must be capable of felling and masticating trees up to 6" (six inches) ground line diameter or greater.

The contractor will mulch all brush, saplings and trees up to 6" (six inch) ground line diameter. Residues from the mulching may be left onsite and evenly distributed across the treatment area. All downed vegetation will be mulched so that no portion of the residues lie greater than 6" (six inches) above the forest floor. More than one pass with machine may be necessary. All stems must be completely severed from the stumps and all residues must lie within a depth not greater than 6" (six inches) of the soil surface.

Within the treatment area, all downed, coarse woody debris lying on the forest floor up to 6" (six inches) diameter will be masticated. This will include debris that was present before the contract period started and which was a result of natural forest process such as trees dying, limbs that have fallen from trees and logging slash or debris generated from other previous management activities.

Stumps from the treated vegetation will be reduced to no greater than 3" (three inches) in height from the soil surface.

If terrain features prevent the stump from being taken down to the maximum height of3" (three inches) the stump may be ground down to a height that is equal to 3" (three inches) above that specific terrain feature.

The majority of the treatment area has been masticated or prescribed burned within the past 5 years. The majority of vegetative material or wildland fuel loading (fuels) within the treatment area, on average could be considered "moderate". A small percentage of the fuels within the treatment area could be considered "heavy" and a small percentage of the fuels within the treatment area could be considered "light". Prospective contractors are encouraged to conduct a site visit prior to bidding to form their own assessment as to the level of fuel / vegetation loading and resulting work and conditions that affect cost of performance required to masticate these wildland fuels within the treatment area. It is impractical to determine by other means the exact nature of work and the work site conditions under which the contract will be executed. The submission of a bid is considered certification that the site has been inspected and nature of work has been determined. Site visits and/ or tours can be scheduled by calling the Government Representative or visiting the Refuge prior to submitting bid.

The treatment area may run adjacent to US Highway 82 right of way, fire breaks created with a bulldozer, fire exclusion areas or through the middle of management units. Treatment area that straddles a bladed fireline will be considered sufficiently treated with a total masticated width of 40' (forty foot), including the width of the bladed line, as opposed to 40' (forty feet) of treatment on both sides of the bladed line. Treatment area that runs the perimeter of fire exclusion areas, will have the treatment placed outside of the exclusion area, not straddling a bladed fireline.

The treatment area may pass through or near, year-round ponds, areas of dense stems greater than 6" (six inch) ground-line diameter or other features that prevent access with machine or mastication ofwildland fuels/ vegetation within. Accommodations may be made for the contractor to treat similar number of acres outside these specific areas or skip past inaccessible areas with no negative reflection on performance quality. In situations where the treatment area runs through course wood debris that is greater than the maximum diameter specified for treatment of 6" (six inches) diameter, such as a log, the contractor can masticate wildland fuels going up to and around that log, then skip over that specific log or large piece of debris.

All off-road equipment used for this contract shall be inspected by the Government Representative for the presence of invasive weed seeds or propagates prior to being off loaded at the Refuge. Off-road equipment includes mastication machine and any support off-highway utility vehicles, but does not include service trucks, pickup trucks, over the road transport trucks etc. All off-road equipment shall be cleaned with a pressure washer prior to arriving at the Refuge to remove all soil, plant parts, seeds, vegetative matter or other debris which could hold seeds. The visual inspection will be conducted by Government Representative and will focus on, but not be limited to air breathers, tracks or tires, frame openings, floor plates, skid plates or other areas that can trap seeds. If seeds, clumps of soil or propagates are found the equipment will not be off-loaded and the contractor will be required to remove the equipment from the Refuge and wash it before engaging in contract implementation.

All work is subject to inspection by Government Representative during and after the Contractors operation.

Unsatisfactory work shall be corrected promptly at no expense to the government.

1.5 Period of Performance: The period of performance shall be for one (1) Base Year (2023) of3 months. There may be up to an additional 145 acres (Felsenthal 2024 option) indicated as option year of3 months that would be awarded subject to available funding in subsequent years (see attached map). The Period of Performance reads as follows:

Base Year See attached map: "Felsenthal 2023 Mastication Lines and Shaded Fuel Breaks, 2023 Scope of work" showing approximately 143 acres of treatment area indicated in red.

Option Year I See attached map: "Felsenthal 2024 (option) Mastication Lines and Shaded Fuel Breaks, 2024 Option Year" showing approximately 145 acres of treatment area indicated in yellow. Option year will be implemented if funding allows.

The performance period will begin on August 1, 2023 and end on October 31, 2023. A 7 (seven) day period starting on or around October 19, 2023 will be excluded from the performance period for a managed, muzzleloader, deer quota hunt. All work must cease for this 7 day period and machines removed from treatment area.

Work may be postponed by the Government, due to inclement weather, high water, high wildfire danger or to prevent adverse impacts to the soils and access roads or for the convenience to the Government. The Government may allow an extension of the contract term if it is determined that the contractor could not complete the contract within the normal contract period due to excessive inclement weather or government caused delays that exceed a total of 14 days. The preferred time period for completing the contract work is summer to early fall due to wet soil conditions associated with winter and spring rainy season and the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker breeding season (April- July).

1.6 General Information

1.6.1 Quality Control: The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor's quality control program is the means by which he assures himself that his work complies with the requirement of the contract.

1.6.2 Quality Assurance: The government shall evaluate the contractor's performance under this contract in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. This plan is primarily focused on what the Government must do to ensure that the contractor has performed in accordance with the performance standards. It defines how the performance standards will be applied, the frequency of surveillance, and the minimum acceptable defect rate(s).

1.6.3 Recognized Holidays: The Contractor may, but is not required to perform services on these holidays:

New Year's Day Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday President's Day Memorial Day Juneteenth Day Independence Day

Labor Day Columbus Day Veteran's Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day

1.6.4 Hours of Operation: Mulching/ mastication operations should take place during daylight hours. The contractor should make the Government Representative aware of times scheduled to work.

1.6.5 Place of Performance: The work to be performed under this contract will be performed within the boundaries of Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, in Union, Ashley and Bradley County Arkansas. The treatment area begins roughly 6 (six) miles west of the city limits of Crossett, Arkansas.

1.6.6 Type of Contract: The government will award a Firm, Fixed Price.

1.6.7 Security Requirements: Not applicable, no security requirements necessary.

1.6.7.1 Physical Security: The contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all contractor equipment and property owned by the contractor. No government owned equipment will be utilized by the contractor. The Government will not provide any security for contractor owned equipment.

1.6.7.2 Key Control. Not applicable

1.6.7.3 Lock Combinations: Not applicable.

1.6.8 Special Qualifications: The Contractor shall, without additional expense to the Service, be responsible for obtaining any licenses and permits, and for complying with any applicable State and Federal laws, codes, and regulations in connection with prosecution of the work.

1.6.9 Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings: The Contractor agrees to attend any post award conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration office in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 42.5. The contracting officer, Contracting Officers Representative (COR), and other Government personnel, as appropriate, may meet periodically with the contractor to review the contractor's performance. At these meetings the contracting officer will apprise the contractor of how the government views the contractor's performance and the contractor will apprise the Government of problems, if any, being experienced.

Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the government.

1.6.10 Government Representative (GR): The (GR) will be identified by separate letter. The GR monitors all technical aspects of the contract and assists in contract administration. The GR is authorized to perform the following functions: assure that the Contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract: perform inspections necessary in connection with contract performance: maintain written and oral communications with the Contractor concerning technical aspects of the contract: issue written interpretations of technical requirements, including Government drawings, designs, specifications: monitor Contractor's performance and notifies both the Contracting Officer and Contractor of any deficiencies; coordinate availability of government furnished property, and provide site entry of Contractor personnel. The GR is not authorized to change any of the terms and conditions of the resulting order.

1.6.11 Government Representative: The follow personnel are considered key personnel by the government: Bill Burchfield (870) 364-3167 or Matt Johnson (870) 415-0185. The contractor shall provide a contract manager who shall be responsible for the performance of the work. The name of this person and an alternate who shall act for the contractor when the manager is absent shall be designated in writing to the contracting officer. The contract manager or alternate shall have full authority to act for the contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract. The contract manager or alternate shall be available while work is being performed, Monday thru Friday except Federal holidays or when the government facility is closed for administrative reasons.

1.6.12 Identification of Contractor Employees: All contract personnel working in situations where their contractor status is not obvious to third parties are required to identify themselves as such to avoid creating an impression in the minds of members of the public that they are Government officials. They must also ensure that all documents or reports produced by contractors are suitably marked as contractor products or that contractor participation is appropriately disclosed.

1.6.13 Contractor Travel: Not Applicable

1.6.14 Other Direct Costs: Not Applicable

1.6.15 Data Rights: Not Applicable

1.6.16 Organizational Conflict of Interest: Not Applicable

1.6.17 PHASE IN /PHASE OUT PERIOD: Not Applicable

PART2

DEFINITIONS & ACRONYMS

2. DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS:

2.1. DEFINITIONS:

2.1.1. CONTRACTOR. A supplier or vendor awarded a contract to provide specific supplies or service to the government. The term used in this contract refers to the prime.

2.1.2. CONTRACTING OFFICER. A person with authority to enter into, administer, and or terminate contracts, and make related determinations and findings on behalf of the government. Note: The only individual who can legally bind the government.

2.1.3. CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR). An employee of the U.S. Government appointed by the contracting officer to administer the contract. Such appointment shall be in writing and shall state the scope of authority and limitations. This individual has authority to provide technical direction to the Contractor as long as that direction is within the scope of the contract, does not constitute a change, and has no funding implications. This individual does NOT have authority to change the terms and conditions of the contract.

2.1.4. DEFECTIVE SERVICE. A service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with the Performance Work Statement.

2.1.5. DELIVERABLE. Anything that can be physically delivered, but may include non-manufactured things such as meeting minutes or reports.

2.1.6. KEY PERSONNEL. Contractor personnel that are evaluated in a source selection process and that may be required to be used in the performance of a contract by the Key Personnel listed in the PWS. When key personnel are used as an evaluation factor in best value procurement, an offer can be rejected if it does not have a firm commitment from the persons that are listed in the proposal.

2.1.7. PHYSICAL SECURITY. Actions that prevent the loss or damage of Government property.

2.1.8. QUALITY ASSURANCE. The government procedures to verify that services being performed by the Contractor are performed according to acceptable standards.

2.1.9. QUALITY ASSURANCE Surveillance Plan (QASP). An organized written document specifying the surveillance methodology to be used for surveillance of contractor performance.

2.1.10. QUALITY CONTROL. All necessary measures taken by the Contractor to assure that the quality of an end product or service shall meet contract requirements.

2.1.11. SUBCONTRACTOR. One that enters into a contract with a prime contractor. The Government does not have privity of contract with the subcontractor.

2.1. I 2. WORKDAY. The number of hours per day the Contractor provides services in accordance with the contract.

2.1. I 2. WORK WEEK. Monday through Friday, unless specified otherwise.

2.2. ACRONYMS:

ACOR

AFARS

AR

CCE

CFR

CONUS

COR

COTR

COTS

DA

DD250

Alternate Contracting Officer's Representative Army Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Army Regulation Contracting Center of Excellence Code of Federal Regulations Continental United States (excludes Alaska and Hawaii) Contracting Officer Representative Contracting Officer's Technical Representative Commercial-Off-the-Shelf Department of the Army Department of Defense Form 250 (Receiving Report)

DD254

DFARS

DMDC

DOD

FAR

HIPAA

KO

OCI

OCONUS

ODC

PIPO

POC

PRS

PWS

QA

QAP

QASP

QC

QCP

TE

Department of Defense Contract Security Requirement List Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Defense Manpower Data Center Department of Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 Contracting Officer Organizational Conflict of Interest Outside Continental United States (includes Alaska and Hawaii) Other Direct Costs Phase In/Phase Out Point of Contact Performance Requirements Summary Performance Work Statement Quality Assurance Quality Assurance Program Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan Quality Control Quality Control Program Technical Exhibit

PART3

GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY, EQUIPMENT, AND SERVICES

3. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED ITEMS AND SERVICES:

3.1. Services: The Government will provide paper and/ or digital, georeferenced map and GIS shapefile of treatment area. The Government, upon specific request from the contractor will mark the centerline of the treatment area with timber marking paint or flagging. The Government will provide access to the treatment area.

3.2 Facilities: Not Applicable

3.3 Utilities: Not Applicable

3.4 Equipment: Not Applicable

3.5 Materials: Not Applicable

PART4

CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS AND SERVICES

(This section is used to identify the materials and equipment that the contractor must provide. Examples provided below.)

4. CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

4.1 General: The Contractor shall furnish all supplies, equipment, facilities and services required to perform work under this contract that are not listed under Section 3 of this PWS.

4.2 Secret Facility Clearance: Not Applicable

4.3. Materials: The Contractor shall furnish all supplies, equipment, facilities and services required to perform work under this contract that are not listed under Part 3 of this PWS including but not limited to fuel, fluids, maintenance and repair items required to operate equipment required to conduct mastication within the identified treatment area.

4.4. Equipment: The contractor will provide a heavy duty forestry masticator with rotary drum head that can be raised and lowered. The carrier must be greater than 90 horsepower and be of sufficiently low ground pressure as to minimize rutting, soil compaction or tree root damage.

PART5

SPECIFIC TASKS

5. Specific Tasks:

5.1. Basic Services. The contractor shall provide forestry mulching/ mastication services to mechanically reduce (grind/ shred/ chip) forest vegetation and wildland fuels on approximately 143 acres. The treatment area is linear and non-contiguous in nature, totaling approximately 29.5 miles long and 40 feet wide. Within the identified treatment area, all live and dead vegetation up to 6 inches diameter will be treated. Residues generated from mechanical treatment will be distributed on the ground in and around the treatment area. The majority of the individual pieces of masticated material (greater than 80% of total volume) will be less than 2 feet in length and less than 2 inches in diameter. Stumps from standing vegetation will be masticated to a height of 3 inches or less from soil surface. Individual pieces or piles of mastication residues will be left, not to exceed a height of 6 inches from soil surface (no piles, limbs or stack of sticks will be taller than 6 inches). Targeted forest vegetation consists of brush, briers, hardwood and pine saplings and coarse woody debris up to 6 inches in diameter. This is a "wet" contract. The contractor will provide the machine, all the fuel, fluids, maintenance items and labor necessary to conduct the forestry mastication.

PART6

APPLICABLE PUBLICATIONS

6. APPLICABLE PUBLICATIONS (CURRENT EDITIONS)

A Refuge Special Use Permit is required for access into the refuge after the contract is awarded. The Refuge will issue the permit which will include the following:

• A pre-entry conference between the Government Representative or designee and the successful bidder representative will be required before beginning operations to insure understanding of the permit conditions and thus avoid serious conflicts.

• The contractor must complete each individual area before moving to another area. Also, the contractor must work from one starting point in a contiguous fashion. Hopscotching, leap frogging or pin balling from one part of the treatment area to another will not be allowed.

• No damage should occur to residual trees remaining in the stands (>6" ground-line diameter)

• Except where specifically authorized by a Special Use permit, all regulations governing activities on Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge in general and specific public use regulations for Felsenthal NWR (including littering, possession and use of firearms, and protection of wildlife) apply.

• All mechanical treatment will be within the boundaries specified (see attached map) and coordinated with the Government Representative or his designee.

• Vehicles and other equipment will be operated in a safe manner at all times. Both refuge personnel and the visiting public use the refuge roads. The speed limit on refuge roads is 25 miles per hour unless posted otherwise.

• Contractor and his employees shall not build fires on the refuge. The Contractor and his/her employees will be reasonably prudent in preventing and suppressing forest fires. Contractor shall be liable for all fire suppression cost resulting from his operations.

• Clean up of oil, hydraulic fluid and other contaminants as a result of the operation is the responsibility of the Contractor.

• The Project Leader and/or Contracting Officer Representative/Government Representative shall have authority to temporarily close down all or any part of the operation during a period of high fire danger, wet ground conditions, or for any other reason deemed necessary. The government may allow an extension of the contract term ifit is detennined that the contractor could not complete the contract within the normal contract period due to excessive inclement weather or government caused delays that exceed a total of 14 days.

• Failure of the Contractor to comply with any of these Special Conditions, with the State or Federal law, or special refuge regulations will be sufficient cause for refusal of future Special Use Permits being granted to the permitted party.

• All work must be coordinated with the Government Representative or designee.

• All refuge regulations are in effect unless otherwise designated in writing.

• No collection of plants, animals, rocks, or artifacts allowed.

• No alcohol is permitted on the refuge.

• Persons possessing, transporting, or carrying firearms on National Wildlife Refuges must comply with all provisions of state and local law. Persons may only use (discharge) fireanns in accordance with refuge regulations (50 CFR 27.42 and specific refuge regulations in 50 CFR Part 32).

• Vehicle traffic is restricted to gravel roads designated as open except as marked on attached map of the project work area.

• Contractor is responsible for daily cleanup of work area.

• Application will not be permitted when the ground is wet and subject to rutting or severe soil compaction. The Contractor will be required to fill any ruts made as a result of their operation.

PART7

ATTACHMENT/TECHNICAL EXHIBIT LISTING

7. Attachment/Technical Exhibit List:

7.1. Exhibit 1 - Performance Requirements Summary

7.2. Exhibit 2- Map: Felsenthal 2023 Mastication Lines and Shaded Fuel Breaks (2023 Scope of Work)

7.3. Exhibit 3- Felsenthal 2024 (option) Mastication Lines and Shaded Fuel Breaks (2024 Option Year)

7.4. Exhibit 4- Felsenthal 2023 Mastication Lines and Shaded Fuel Breaks

TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 1

Performance Requirements Summary The contractor service requirements are summarized into performance objectives that relate directly to mission essential items. The performance threshold briefly describes the minimum acceptable levels of service required for each requirement. These thresholds are critical to mission success.

Performance Objective (The Service required—usually a shall statement)

Standard Performance Threshold (This is the maximum error rate. It could possibly be “Zero deviation from standard”)

Method of Surveillance

PRS # 1.

The contractor shall provide mastication and mechanical reduction of vegetation and wildland fuels within identified treatment area on Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge.

The contractor provides competent mastication and mechanical fuel reduction of the entire treatment area of approximately 143 acres.

20 acres Treatment area will be visually inspected and GPS’d following treatment.

PRS # 2

The contractor shall masticate all wildland fuels within the treatment area up to 6 inches in diameter.

Residues from the mastication process will be less than 2 feet in length and 2 inches in diameter.

20% of total volume Random sample of vegetation residues.

PRS # 3

The contractor shall provide mastication and mechanical reduction of vegetation and wildland fuels within identified treatment area on Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge.

Width of treatment area will be 40 feet.

10 feet, provided the total sum of variance does not exceed 20 acres.

Random sample of treatment area width, if pattern is detected total treatment area will be GPS’d following treatment.

PRS # 4

The contractor shall exercise extreme caution when working around, white banded red-cockaded woodpecker cavity trees to ensure they are not damaged in any way.

Red-cockaded woodpecker cavity trees identified with a white painted band around the main stem of the tree will not be damaged by mastication activity.

Zero deviation from standard.

100% inspection of red-cockaded woodpecker trees in and around treatment area.

TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 2

Map: Felsenthal 2023 Mastication Lines and Shaded Fuel Breaks (2023 Scope of Work)

TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 3

Map: Felsenthal 2024 (option) Mastication Lines and Shaded Fuel Breaks (2024 Option Year)

TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 4

Map: Felsenthal 2023 Mastication Lines and Shaded Fuel Breaks (Location Map)

Example of “heavy” fuel loading along US Highway 82 right-of-way frontage, Felsenthal NWR. Photo by Matt Johnson, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Example of “light” fuel (vegetation) loading along bladed fireline, Refuge boundary, Felsenthal NWR. Photo by Matthew Johnson, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Example of “moderate” vegetation (fuel) loading adjacent to fireline around fire exclusion area, Felsenthal NWR. Photo by Matt Johnson, US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Performance Requirements Summary