Attachment 1 - SOW_1.pdf

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

Tres Rios Field Office

29211 Hwy. 184

Dolores, CO 81323

970-882-7296

STATEMENT OF WORK

PROJECT NAME

West Dolores Rim Hazardous Fuels

LOCATION OF PROJECT

The project area is located approximately 2.1 miles east of Egnar, CO.

Lat 37°54'36.10"N Long 108°53'45.68"W

CONTRACT PERIOD

Contract period of performance may begin July 15, 2021 and all work must be completed by

December 1, 2021.

SCHEDULE

Line Item Services Bid Price

1a Thin and pile 242 acres

DESCRIPTION OF WORK

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to improve Gunnison Sage-grouse habitat by increasing Big Sage percent composition. The Range wide Gunnison Sage-grouse Conservation Plan lays out a process to help improve the habitat and reverse declining populations at the landscape level. One part of this plan calls for the removal of pinon pine, juniper trees and oak brush. The removal is to occur near surrounding leks and other habitats required to fulfill grouse life processes. A secondary purpose of this project is to reduce the threat from catastrophic wildfire by reducing fuels available to burn for the nearby community of Egnar, Colorado.

Project access

The project is accessed by gravel and natural surface roads maintained by San Miguel County.

The best road access is from Hwy 141 south of Egnar. Turn east onto County Road H1.

Alternative access is from Hwy 141. Turn east onto County Road J7 or K8 and from either road follows a series of unnamed two tracks to the unit (reference attached maps).

Thinning Guidelines

Unit 35: Thinning will remove and slow the encroachment of piñon and juniper into potential

Gunnison Sage-grouse and Big Sagebrush habitat. Damage to Big Sage shall be minimized. Tree density and size vary widely across the treatment area.

Cut trees

Cut trees specifications include all trees more than 4 feet in height with physical and biological culls such as: significant lean, rot, broken tops, and/or suppressed or unhealthily crown ratio. The contractor will remove approximately 70-80% of piñon and/or juniper. All cut trees will be piled to facilitate burning. Stumps shall be cut sufficiently low as to limit live branches stump height 6 inches or less.

Reserved Trees

Reserve trees should be free of insects, disease, and physical or biological defects with a live crown ratio of 70% or greater. Any tree that has cavities or evidence of nesting will be reserved.

Minimum leave tree size is 5 feet tall. Most (65%) reserved trees should be large and mature.

Groups of 3 – 7 mature piñon/juniper meeting the above-mentioned specifications may be reserved. Groups may make up no more than 20% of the leave trees. Individual reserve trees should be spaced approximately 30 feet apart measured from the crown.

Piles

No less than 90% of all cut trees, live limbs and slash shall be piled. Piles are to be constructed to facilitate burning by the government at a later date. Minimum pile size is 5x5x5 feet. The contractor shall construct piles that are sufficiently compacted to allow for a high percentage of consumption from burning, this may require multiple cutting of stems, compacting the pile with equipment or other approved techniques. Piles should be spaced appropriately away from leave trees to avoid damage from burning. Piles will be constructed in a way to prevent toppling. Piles may be placed on stumps. Oak and other brush may be cut but will need to be added to the piles.

Piles shall not be constructed in swales, streams, or springs. Piles shall be free of soil.

BLM SHALL FURNISH OR PROVIDE

1. Georeferenced maps for Avenza Maps application and aerial photographs of the project area, as well as project oversight and inspection.

CONTRACTOR SHALL FURNISH

1. Work crews, all materials and supplies including personal protective equipment required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), necessary to carry out contract operations. Preferred equipment is a feller buncher wheeled or tracked or machine capable of preforming similar work.

STIPULATIONS

Damage to Existing Structures:

Damage to culverts, fences, cattle guards, gates and other improvements will be repaired by the contractor immediately and at the Contractor’s expense. Repairs shall be made to the previous conditions as determined by the COR or the BLM will hire the work done at the Contractor’s expense.

Road Surface Conditions:

Vehicles or equipment shall not be operated when the road is muddy or if on site moisture

(rain/snow/hail/etc.) events exceed 0.25 inch in 1 hour or .75" in 24 hours, the COR may require a halt to traffic until the roads dry enough (or freeze) so that damage by vehicles does not occur. When/If such conditions are encountered, the Contractor shall stop work and immediately notify the COR/PI.

Road Maintenance

Any excessive road damage from equipment or trucks will be subject to repair by the contractor to continue work on the project or to release any/all payments. To avoid impacts to the road, machinery will not operate in wet conditions that would produce ruts over 3” deep.

Project area site

To avoid impacts to surface sites, machinery will not operate in wet conditions that would produce ruts over 3” deep. Trails or ruts constructed into hillsides shall have the fill slope re-contoured back onto the running surface upon completion of use.

Stream Protection:

Slash and other debris deposited in any stream channel as a result of operations shall be removed by the contractor and deposited at least five feet above the ordinary high water mark using care to minimize damage to stream channels and banks.

Soil Protection:

To the extent possible, existing landings and skid trails shall be utilized thus minimizing any new disturbance within the project area. During winter operations, heavy equipment shall operate only when soil is protected by at least 1 foot of packed snow or 2 inches of frozen soil.

Stump Height:

Stump height shall not exceed 6 inches above the ground line as measured on the uphill side of the stump unless otherwise approved in writing by the COR.

Snag Retention:

All snags, except those posing a safety hazard to operations, shall be reserved except those within 100 ft of any road. Snags within 100’ of roads should be cut and piled as appropriate.

Erosion Control:

The Contractor shall insure erosion control measures are installed as operations progress, at the end of each operating season, prior to freeze up when winter operations are anticipated or as designated by the COR.

Administration:

Operations will proceed in a systematic manner through the project area as determined by the

COR. The Contractor shall insure best management practices are utilized to minimize damage to soil, reproduction and reserve trees.

Migratory Birds:

No work shall be conducted from May 15 – July 15 to reduce the negative impacts to nesting migratory birds.

Goshawk Nests:

If an active goshawk nest is discovered, activity within a radius of 646 feet (30 acres) of the nest will be prohibited.

Weeds:

The Contractor shall ensure that prior to moving to the contract area, all off-road equipment is free of soil, seeds, vegetative matter, or other debris that could contain or hold seeds, as determined by the COR. “Off-road equipment” includes all logging and construction machinery or vehicles that travel off designated roads as specified on the project map. Equipment shall be considered clean when a visual inspection does not disclose such material. Disassembly of equipment components or specialized inspection tools is not required. Cleaning shall not take place on BLM land.

Public Access:

The project area will not be closed to the public during the contract period. BLM may post signs at the entrance to the area to notify the public of the activity. The Contractor must be aware of the presence of people in the work area and adjust activities to account for their presence.

Contractor must post signs to alert the public to the activities

Archeological or Cultural Discoveries:

The Contractor shall avoid disturbing all cultural sites. If in connection with operations under this contract the Contractor, his subcontractors, or the employees of any of them, discovers, encounters, or becomes aware of any objects or sites of cultural value on the contract area such as historical or prehistorical ruins, human remains, graves or grave markers, fossils, or artifacts;

the Contractor shall immediately suspend all operations in the vicinity of the cultural value and shall notify the COR of the findings. Operations may resume at the discovery site upon receipt of written instructions and authorization by the COR.

Littering:

No littering is permitted, and the contractor shall be responsible for hauling all trash accumulated out of the area.

Work Camps:

The Contractor or his employees, upon written authorization from the COR, may establish a temporary work camp on the contract area or on adjacent public lands administered by the BLM.

The camp may consist of mobile trailers, pickup campers, tent trailers or tents. The Contractor will be required to: 1. Provide adequate sanitary facilities; 2. Provide metal garbage collection cans with lids; 3. Keep the camp in a clean and orderly condition and; 4. Rehabilitate the area to the satisfaction of the COR.

Injuries and Damage:

Contractors are expected to know and strictly adhere to all OSHA laws and regulations regarding the work being conducted under this contract. The Contractor, in their operations under this contract, shall not perform in a negligent manner causing any person or property to be injured or damaged.

Fire Stipulations:

During periods of extreme fire danger, the Contracting Officer (CO) may issue a restriction or closure order to the Contractor in writing. During periods when fire danger is rated high, very high or extreme as identified by the Durango Interagency Fire Dispatch Center (970-385-1324), the Contractor and their employees must, at a minimum, have a shovel, a class A_B_C fire extinguisher with a minimum of 1 pound of retardant, or a container with a minimum of 5 gallons of water at each chainsaw refueling site. It is prohibited to operate or use any internal combustion engine, on any timber, brush, or grass covered land, including trails traversing such land, without a spark arrester maintained in effective working order.

Hazardous Materials:

Use of hazardous materials requires that all appropriate State and Federal Regulations be complied with including, but not limited to, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on hand and use of necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

On-site disposal of hazardous materials or waste including hydrocarbons is not authorized. On-site disposal will subject the Contractor to at least the cost of reclamation and the appropriate disposal of contaminated soil.

Incidental (de minims) leaks from fittings, gaskets or ruptured hoses will not subject the

Contractor to remedial requirements. They will be considered to be normal and unavoidable losses. Continual leaks will be noted on inspection reports and correction through maintenance required.

Maintenance and repair operations that require the draining of engines or hydraulic systems may be conducted on site only if the fluids are captured, containerized, and removed from public lands for proper disposal.

PAYMENT

The Contractor’s inspection results are to be used as a guide for the Contractor’s use in complying with contract specifications and not as a basis for payment. Payment will be based on the Government’s inspection results. Payment will be made for the completed acreage inspected and accepted by the Government divided into four deliverables, less the adjustment in payment based on the work quality level percentage, if any. If the work quality level equals or exceeds 95 percent before rework, full payment (100 percent) will be made for the number of acres inspected and accepted by the Government on the completed units. Units achieving a work quality level of 85 – 94 percent will be paid at that percentage rate. If units are accepted which do not meet 85 percent, payments will be made at a rate determined by multiplying the actual inspection percentage by the bid price.

Deliverables:

Two (2) payments may be made based on a unit of acreage completed if desired by the contractor. 242 acres may be divided into half, units of 121 acres; the completion of a 121-acre unit, upon inspection by the COR is payable by 50 percent of funds obligated for this project.

Payment in full is also acceptable if desired upon completion of the full project.

INSPECTION/ACCEPTANCE

Inspection/Acceptance of all service performed in accordance with this contract for purpose of initiating contractor payment shall be by the COR.

The BLM COR or PI designated by the Contracting Officer (CO) shall make periodic inspections of the project as a basis for payment and recommendations for adjustments in work quality while work is in progress. The Contractor is encouraged to observe inspections while they are being made.

As the basis for payment, inspections for compliance with contract specifications will be made for work units or areas reported as completed by the Contractor.

Performance

Work

Statement

Performance Standard

(Acceptable Quality Level)

Monitoring

Methods

Effect of Not

Meeting

Performance

Standard Cutting of Piñon

Pine & Juniper in sagebrush parks

70-80% Of piñon pine and juniper higher than 4 feet will be piled within the project area.

Visual inspection and measurement if not passing visual inspection.

If below minimum rework area at no additional cost to the Government. If above maximum, modify methods.

Protected trees Less than 5 percent of “leave” trees with damage.

Visual inspection and count of damaged trees if necessary.

Modify procedures to avoid protected trees. Reduction in

Contract payments if damage excessive $20 per tree.

Piling No less than 90% of all cut brush trees, live limbs and slash shall be piled.

Visual inspection and measurement if not passing visual inspection.

Rework area at no additional cost to the Government.

Stump height. Stumps 6 inches or lower with limited live limbs except where obstacles obstruct.

Visual inspection and measurement of stubble height if not passing visual inspection.

Cut stumps and stubble at no additional cost to the Government.

BASIS FOR AWARD

This contract will be awarded based on the best value to the Government. The best value to the

Government may or may not be the lowest bid price. A technical proposal submitted by interested contractors will be evaluated on experience, treatment plan, schedule and pricing.

1. Experience: Contractor shall address the corporate past experience in performing work of a similar nature to that set forth in the statement of work. Address technical expertise, labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, operating supplies and incidentals necessary to complete the work required.

2. Treatment Plan and Schedule: The treatment plan should include equipment and crews involved and any planned subcontracting activities. Contractor shall also address the schedule for completion of objectives and how they propose to ascertain quality workmanship.

PROJECT SITE VISIT (Self-guided SHOW ME TRIP)

Interested Contractors are encouraged to visit the project area before submittal of final bids.

Avenza/pdf maps will be available to support a self-guided show me tour. Interested Contractors with additional questions please contact Tyler Corbin (970) 799-2957 or Ian Barrett (970) 882-

Definitions

Damaged Tree- any reserve or “leave” tree that has been damaged by the Contractor.

Obstacle- For the purposes of this contract an obstacle is defined as any object, which can impede, or damage the tree cutting equipment. This could include rocks, logs, old stumps, road banks or culverts.

Treatment Unit/ Project area/Unit 35 – area where contact work will be completed that is delineated on the Project area map.

Mature Pinyon or Juniper – Minimum of 8 inches in diameter at root collar

Cut/Take trees- Trees that are going to be removed by cutting

Brush - Vegetation consisting of shrub species with single or multi-stems originating at or near ground level not normally reaching twenty feet in height. Examples include but are not limited to oakbrush, serviceberry, and sagebrush

CO – Contracting Officer

COR – Contracting Officers’ Representative

COR/PI - either the COR or the PI

PI – Project Inspector

Reserve Trees - Trees not to be cut. Trees that are the largest, dominant, and healthiest while maintaining a representation of all size classes within the stand.

Slash - Any material which has been cut or broken from a tree by the Contractor during operations

Unsevered – not completely separated from the whole, pieces still attached.

**When a disagreement over definitions not listed arises, the Society of American

Foresters, THE DICTIONARY of FORESTRY, will be used to determine accepted definitions.

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