Attachment_1_-_SOW.pdf

Document No.

Document Title

PLEASANTVIEW HILLS LOP/SCATTER UNITS 2025

IDAHO FALLS DISTRICT BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT POCATELLO FIELD OFFICE

STATEMENT OF WORK

1. Introduction: The Pocatello Field Office of the Idaho Falls District, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is acquiring fuels management services to treat vegetation to increase the occurrence of aspen while improving forest and rangeland health.

2. Background: The Project area consists of stands of Douglas fir/aspen forest and scattered Douglas-fir within aspen stands.

The main goals of the Pleasantview Hills Project are to rejuvenate quaking aspen, improve the mountain shrub environment that is critical mule deer habitat, and reduce wildland fire potential and severity. The methods that will be used to reduce wildland fire risk are prescribed fire, mechanical treatments, and chemical treatments.

3. Purpose: The purpose of the Pleasantview Hills Project is to increase aspen stand age class and diversity at the landscape level, which in turn should diversify wildlife habitat. The Contractor will furnish all tools, labor, supervision, equipment, materials, supplies, transportation, training and incidentals necessary to accomplish the removal of trees and treatment of slash in accordance with the specifications provided.

4. Scope of Work: The objective of these units is to create a fuel bed to help carry prescribed fire through the stand. The thinning is intended to help reintroduce fire into existing aspen stands which evolved with a dependency with fire.

5. Location of Project Areas: The Pleasantview Hills Project area is located 15 miles west of the town of Malad, Idaho up West

Elkhorn Road at T13S, R34E, S19, 20, 21. All work will be performed on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. General-purpose maps will be included with each Task Order to give the minimum needs, for a contractor’s project bid. Once the project is accepted by the contractor, maps will be provided by and agreed upon by BLM and the contractor. See attached maps for any further information.

6. Project Boundary Marking: The location and access to the areas are shown on the work location and project location maps.

The project areas will be provided through shapefiles and Avenza maps. Project areas may be marked by changes in vegetation, roads, topography changes, or streams. If these types of project area boundaries are used, the contractor will be notified.

7. Access: Legal public access to the project area will be identified on a map prior to the contractor starting the implementation phase. Seasonal road closures may exist (contractor will be notified of closures upon award). Contractor will assume responsibility for any additional access if desired. If roads or any type of access become subject to damage, because of adverse weather conditions or other natural and or political reasons, the COR will relay information to the contractor, and a Stop Work Order may be implemented by the CO until other access can be obtained.

8. Notification of Cessation or Restart of work: The Contractor will notify the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) whenever he/she intends to cease operations for three or more days and will notify the COR before starting operations after a shutdown of three or more days.

9. Personnel Requirements: The crew is responsible for maintaining a safe working environment following OSHA standards.

The Contractor must attend the pre-work meeting and provide a written performance plan including crew size prior to beginning work.

10. Crew Foreman: A crew foreman must be on-site directing work at all times. This person will also serve as an on the ground contact person for the COR/PI. Failure to maintain a crew foreman will result in suspension of work until a crew foreman is provided. A maximum of five (5) days will be allowed to produce a qualified foreman. Failure to produce a qualified on-the-ground foreman within five days may result in the Contracting Officer (CO) issuing a Suspend Work Order. CO and COR must be informed of any changes in Crew Foreman.

11. Detailed Unit Information: The Pleasantview Unit consists of aspen (85%) aspen/conifer (13%), brush, and grass fuel type

(2%). Tree densities of the unit will vary in ranges of 20%-60%. The total acreage is 266 acres. Because of the scattered nature of the vegetation, not all acres within the established boundaries of the unit will require the same amount of labor to achieve the specifications outlined below. It shall be the responsibility of the Contractor (i.e. knowledge and experience of the crew leader) to determine the quantity of work needed to meet specifications identified in this SOW. Acreage of the unit was determined by calculations based on a horizontal plane using GIS technology (see aerial photo below).

12. Work Camps: Camping on agency-administered lands will only be allowed in approved sites and with the prior written authorization of the responsible land manager. Should such a work camp be authorized, the Contractor shall maintain the camp in an orderly and sanitary manner. All fire regulations and permits shall be followed. All garbage and refuse shall be removed from the camp site(s) by the Contractor and disposed of off site before final payment is made.

13. Aspen Units (266 Acres):

Specifications (specs.) For Treatment of Trees and Brush Species to be Cut:

Lop and Scatter – Line Item 0001:

a) Site is accessed by roads that surround the units but will require a walk-in of less than 1/4 mile to access interior of units. Reduced slash to the extent that it is within 20 inches of the ground at all points.

b) The material to be treated may consist of down material created from vegetation treatments (such as harvest, thinning, or slashing, etc.) or created through natural processes.

c) All live conifer up to 20” and live aspen 6” dbh and under shall be cut. ¾ of standing dead aspen shall also be cut.

All cut trees shall be completely severed with the stump height not to exceed 6 inches. Individual trees may be specified as reserved from cutting on individual units (yellow paint strips).

d) No live limbs shall be left on the stumps of cut trees. All Douglas Fir under 20 inches, within thinning units within

75 feet of aspen stands will be cut.

e) Lop and scatter all existing slash so that all top and side branches are free of the central stem so that the slash is reduced to within 20 inches of the ground at all points. Central stem length shall not exceed 4 feet.

f) All cut/scattered vegetation will be scattered 50 feet away from unit boundary lines (pulled into unit), as these unit boundary lines will be used for future prescribed fire holding lines.

g) All bucked material will not exceed 4 ft. in length.

h) All trees that are marked by a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land Survey sign or other cadastral survey indicator SHALL NOT BE CUT

14. Protection of Improvements: The COR may order a cessation of work if vehicles are operated on roads within the work area when ground or weather conditions cause or lead to loss of traction. Such conditions usually develop where frozen ground is thawing, when snow is melting, and during or immediately following rainstorms. Any soil and ground disturbance caused by equipment during and after operations will be rehabilitated.

15. Work hours under this contract shall be limited to the time between one-half hours before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset each day. No work will be done on legal National Holidays unless authorized by the COR. The contract may not be completed on a Saturday or Sunday. It must be completed on a weekday (M-F) when the government can complete an inspection.

16. Salvage Rights: No salvage will be allowed.

17. Site Visit: Site Visits may be conducted by vendors on their own provided the sites are open for public access. The

Government is not conducting an official site visit as access is open and can be accessed by the public during solicitation timeframe. Coordinates and general descriptions of the sites and access are provided in SOW Section 5. Travel maps for most of the Pocatello Field Office are available at the below link under "Eastern Idaho: Near Pocatello" these maps identify vehicle restrictions: https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/recreation-programs/travel-and-transportation/idaho.)

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE SECTION:

1. Inspection:

(a) The Government COR and/or PI will make periodic inspections as a basis for acceptance and payment and recommendations for adjustments in work quality while work is in progress. The Contractor is encouraged to participate in inspections while they are being conducted.

(b) As the basis for payment, inspections for compliance with specifications will be made for work units reported as completed by the contractor. All plots will be averaged together to determine payment.

(c) Inspections will be made on a series of plots located at predetermined intervals across each work unit. A sufficient number of plots will be taken to obtain at least one percent sample of the work unit.

(d) The following information will be recorded for each plot inspected. If more than 10 percent of the treated area has these items found in them, the treated areas will get a failing rating:

1. Stumps taller than 6 inches are present

2. Severed trees are not bucked into 4-foot lengths

3. Live limbs are left on the stump

4. Slash is not reduced to within 20 inches of the ground

2. Determination of Work Quality Percentage:

Work quality percentages are derived from data developed from inspection plots. The final work quality percentage times the bid price determines the pay. A work quality percentage of 90 percent or higher will result in full payment. If any of the reasons stated above in the Inspection section part (d) are the primary reason for unsatisfactory work, the Contractor shall rework areas designated by the Government until satisfactory work quality is obtained.

3. Acceptance:

(a) Satisfactory Work Quality: A minimum work quality standard of 90 percent is required.

(b) Unsatisfactory Work Quality: Based on inspection results, if the work quality percentage falls below 90 percent, the Contracting Officer will immediately notify the Contractor in writing and instruct the Contractor to improve the quality of the work. The contractor may ask for a meeting between themselves, CO and COR and PI to discuss a resolution. If the quality of the work is not raised to an acceptable level within two consecutive workdays after written notification or within time decided at the meeting, the Contracting Officer may issue a stop work order and/or Termination of Contract.

(c) Final payment shall not be granted until project is complete to the satisfactory quality standard.

GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED PROPERTY

The Government will provide the following items to the Contractor:

(a) Provide various Shapefiles and Avenza maps with unit boundaries clearly identified.

(b) A BLM Representative (COR and/or PI) will be available for technical guidance and when inspection is requested by the contractor. Regular communications between the BLM representatives and the contractor will alleviate any problems or delays.

Applicable Technical Orders, Specifications, Regulations:

Fire Prevention: Primarily for purposes of fire prevention and control, the Contractor shall comply with the following provisions:

The Contractor shall comply with all the applicable Idaho State Fire Prevention Laws, Rules, Regulations, and Standards.

Prior to starting operations during a closed fire season or periods of high fire danger, the Contractor shall prepare a fire prevention and fire control plan to the satisfaction of the COR.

Provide and maintain in good repair on the contract area the following equipment for use during a closed fire season or periods of high fire danger:

. Firefighting tools shall be kept at vehicle staging areas or at such other place(s) as the COR shall designate whenever employees of the Contractor are working on the contract area. All firefighting tools shall be identified, organized, and easily accessible to all Contractor employees. The fire tools shall be in good condition, be tight on strong handles, and have sharp cutting edges. There shall be at least one (1) tool for each Contractor employee working on the contract area. Three-fourths (3/4) of all fire tools shall be shovels, hoes, or other scraping tools. The fire tools shall be used only for fighting fire.

A shovel in good condition with not less than a three (3) foot handle and a blade not less than seven and three-quarters (7 3/4) inches wide shall be within fifty (50) feet of any power saw when in operation.

Two (2) back-pack pumps at each vehicle staging area to be kept full of water and in good operating condition.

A serviceable chemical fire extinguisher of at least eight (8) ounces minimum capacity shall be carried during a closed fire season or period of high fire danger by each saw operator using a power saw on the contract area. Such fire extinguisher shall be filled and in operating condition and shall at all times be immediately available to the operator when the saw is being fueled or the motor of the saw is running. Any fueling of a power saw shall be done in an area which has first been cleared of all flammable material. Power saws shall be moved at least twenty (20) feet from the place of fueling before the engine is started. A shovel shall be available with each gas can when refueling. Each power saw shall be equipped with an exhaust system and a spark arresting device.

The CO may require additional fire tools and fire equipment as the fire danger may warrant.

PERFORMANCE PERIOD

THE ESTIMATED DATES FOR THIS PROJECT ARE:

Start Date: July 2nd, 2025 End Date: August 29th, 2025