Attachment 1 Specifications PWS.pdf

PART 1 - THE SCHEDULE

SECTION C - SPECIFICATIONS FOR AREA WIDE TREE RELEASE

DIVISION 100 - GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

110 - Scope of Contract

It is the intent of this contract to release desirable tree species from competing trees or shrubs using chainsaws and/or brush cutters or other hand tools in timber stands harvested in the last 30 years. For area wide release units, follow specifications in Table 1. The crop tree release units in Table 2 have been cut tree marked. In these units, trees that are required to be cut have been marked with tree marking paint.

120 - Location and Description

Location - These stands are located on the Marienville Ranger District within Elk, McKean, and Forest Counties. Vicinity Maps and Individual Project Maps are included for locating specific sites. Contract areas will have an orange or pink tag posted indicating tree release.

The Area Wide Release treatment stands are in the vicinity of the following Forest Roads:

498, 473, 225, 399, and 230. The Crop Tree Release stands are in the vicinity of Forest Roads: 124G, 399, 580, 582.

121 – Accessibility

Forest Service System Roads are marked with a signpost or some other sign marking next to the road. Some areas may be behind a gated road and the Contractor will coordinate with the COR for gaining access behind locked gates. The use of any vehicles will be subject to conditions of the Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) 2016. The MVUM shows which roads, trails and areas of the National Forest that are designated for motor vehicle use pursuant to 36 CFR 212.51. Use outside of the MVUM designations is not permitted unless written permission is granted by the COR.

130 - Government Furnished Property

The Government will provide the following Government property at the time of the pre-work conference, unless otherwise stated:

131 - Printed maps of all work areas displaying the location of stand boundaries, out areas

(if applicable), streams, and nearby roads. Shape files for use with GPS technology and georeferenced maps will also be provided.

132 – Copy of this contract. The contractor and any sub-contractor must always have a copy of this contract on site. This contract has detailed cutting instructions by area and the contract must be consulted at the start of cutting at each area.

133 – Contractor Card. Contractor Identification Cards for display in vehicles while on the work site. These cards identify a vehicle located on USFS lands as belonging to a contractor working on a government contract. While carrying out work onsite, the contractor must display these cards on their vehicle in a clearly visible location, such as a window.

134 – USFS Gate Key(s) These must be returned to the Marienville Ranger District prior to approval of the final contract invoice.

140 – Contractor Furnished Property, Services, Responsibilities and Obligations

141 - The Contractor is responsible for furnishing all supervision, labor, equipment, transportation, tools, materials, and incidentals necessary to complete the work (except as noted in Section 130 - Government Furnished Property).

150 - Pre-work Conference

The Contractor will contact the Contracting Officer or the Contracting Officer's

Representative (COR) and mutually agree on a pre-work conference date and location to discuss the contract terms, and work performance requirements. This will occur within 7 days PRIOR to the start of the contract.

At this conference, the contractor will be required to submit a plan of work outlining the date work will begin. The plan should also include where and what order the work will progress.

160 – Progression of Work

Contractor will have no more than 2 areas with work in progress at one time unless otherwise agreed to by the COR. All work must be completed before leaving each stand and going to the next stand. The Forest Service may direct the Contractor to a specific stand area if there is a conflict with other activities in the area (ex. active logging) or to meet Forest Objectives.

Release work cannot commence until July 1, 2024. All work in this contract will be completed by September 27, 2024.

DIVISION 200 - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

210 - Area Tree Release

211 - Tree Species to be released.

1. red, white, and other oaks

2. yellow/tulip poplar

3. cucumber tree

4. red maple

5. black cherry

6. sugar maple

7. red/white pine

8. hemlock

212 - “Wild” fruit trees and wildlife shrubs shall not be cut, as listed below.

1) serviceberry,

2) witch hazel,

3) ironwood,

4) deciduous holly,

5) mountain laurel

213 - Reserve Trees

Reserve trees, usually pole-sized or larger, retained under the regeneration cut shall not be cut. These trees are sometimes designated with a green or white painted band at breast height.

See the table below for the required height the desirable tree needs to be for it to be released. If the released tree is not tall enough as indicated in the table below, it does not have to be released.

Table 1. Area Wide Tree Release The minimum height and clearance of the crop trees to be released.

Stand

Min Height (feet)

Min Height

Oak (feet)

Clearance (feet) Release Sides Acres

YR

Timber Harvest

817033 6 1’ drip line * 2 sides 28 2009 700008 8 2’ from drip line 4 sides – full release 38 2018 630014 6 3 1’drip line non-oak / 3’ oak 4 sides – full release 23 2018 630065 4 4 1’ drip line non-oak / 2’ oak 4 sides – full release 9 2017 829009 10 1’ from drip line 4 sides – full release 18 2013 708027 8 1’ from drip line ** 4 sides – full release 7 2020 650111 15 1’ drip line * and ** 2 sides 9 1997

*No lopping requirement.

** Special requirements in Section 215

214 – Species To Be Cut

The following species specified shall be cut and are considered competing vegetation -undesirable species:

1 - Striped Maple - All live striped maple which is taller than one foot in height shall be felled and completely severed from the stump when occurring within the drip line clearance required in Table 1.

2 - Pin (Fire) Cherry - All live pin cherry which is taller than one foot in height shall be felled and completely severed from the stump when occurring within the drip line clearance required in Table 1.

3 - Beech - All live beech taller than one foot in height and less than 6.0” in diameter at a point 4.5 feet (DBH) above the ground shall be felled and completely severed from the stump when occurring within the drip line clearance required in Table 1.

4 - Birch - All live birch taller than one foot in height and less than 6.0” in diameter at a point 4.5 feet (DBH) above the ground shall be felled and completely severed from the stump when occurring within the drip line clearance required in Table 1.

5 – Buckthorn shrub. All live buckthorn shrub will be cut regardless of size, regardless of proximity to crop trees, including any within protected areas. Note: protected areas on supplied maps are estimated in numbers and locations are taken from timber sale maps.

215- Special Requirements

1. Area 650111 is an older stand with more advanced growth. When removing competing trees, any birch or fire cherry larger than 4” diameter at breast height must be girdled. Girdle cuts must be a minimum ½” depth and two cuts must be done around the whole circumference of the stem. Birch and fire cherry (and any other species of competition) less than 4” DBH will be felled to normal contract specification. There is no lopping requirement here. The purpose of this specification is to avoid crushing desirable regeneration in the process of felling larger birch and fire cherry stems.

2. Area 708027, operations are not to occur in the entire stand. A line through the middle of the stand (as shown on map) is the extent of the release work.

3. The contractor shall avoid injuring of crop trees in any way during the release work.

4. No live trees greater than 8 inches in diameter at breast height (dbh) and no snags of any size shall be felled (unless such snags present a safety hazard, in that case check with COR to see if they should be cut or work should be move to another location).

5. No trees with fence or fencing hardware attached to them will be cut.

220 – Crop Tree Release

221 – Trees to Cut – Table 2 depicts an estimated number of stems to cut and the average DBH in each stand. Each stand in Table 2 is cut-tree-marked, meaning only trees with a painted dot shall be cut. Crop trees are marked with flagging ribbon and shall not be cut.

Table 2. Crop Tree Release

Stand

Release Species

Cut Tree Count

Estimated DBH of Cut Trees Acres

859033 OAK 320 1-6” 31

678011 OAK 167 2-5” 12

847040 OAK 26 <6” 1

630002* OAK 89 4-10” 18

699031 OAK 159 1-4” 2

* Special requirements in Section 223

222 - Reserve Trees

Reserve trees, usually pole-sized or larger, retained under the regeneration cut shall not be cut. These trees are sometimes designated with a green or white painted band at breast height.

223 – Special Requirements

1. In Area 630002, larger birch are marked with an “X” rather than a dot. These 5 trees are to be girdled. Girdle cuts must be a minimum ½” depth and two cuts must be done around the whole circumference of the stem.

2. The contractor shall avoid injuring of crop trees in any way during the release work.

3. No snags of any size shall be felled (unless such snags present a safety hazard, in that case check with COR to see if they should be cut or work should be move to another location).

4. No trees with fence or fencing hardware attached to them will be cut.

Sections 230-280 apply to ALL units.

230 – Boundaries

Area boundaries are marked by existing painted two or three stripe. In some cases, if the paint is no longer visible, “orange” ribbon/flagging marks the boundary. No boundary trees shall be felled.

240 - Stump Heights

• Maximum stump height is six (6) inches, unless otherwise stated to the Contractor in writing by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) due to unusual circumstances.

• Stump sprouts (multiple stems) will be cut as close to the ground as possible.

• Angular stump cuts will not be allowed.

250 - Slash Disposal

Slash created by the Contractor's operations shall be removed 15 feet away from the following features:

Table 3.

Clear R-O-W & ditch lines private land fence maintenance trails historic railroad grades well openings fences old main skid trails oil/gas lease roads stream courses pipelines maintenance trails seeps power lines recreational trails active stone pits

The Contractor is responsible for any damage to any item in Table 3 and/or other improvements caused by their operations.

No slash shall be left hanging in trees and slash will be laid horizontal to the ground. All trees chosen for release will be released from all slash so they are standing straight up on their own.

260 – Notification

Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer's Representative prior to starting work on any items. The Contractor shall also notify the Forest Service at least weekly of the progress being attained on this project. This notification can be either oral or written via text or email.

270 – Payment

Payment(s), which require Forest Service inspection and acceptance, may be made on completed areas only. Payment will be processed upon receipt of properly completed invoice entered into the Department of Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform (IPP).

All invoices are to be submitted online via the electronic Invoice Processing Platform.

Vendor is encouraged to notify Contracting Officer's Representative immediately upon completion of a specific Item(s).

280 – Safety

It is the Contractor’s responsibility to ensure that the work environment is safe for themselves as well as their employees. If the contractor feels that a requirement of this contract would place them or their employees in an unsafe environment, then work should stop on that area of work and the contractor should contact the COR. Work on other areas of the contract that the contractor does not view as unsafe should continue.

The Contractor is required to follow all applicable OSHA standards while working on the job site. The successful contractor should utilize appropriate personal protective safety equipment/clothing while using chain saws, which includes, hand, foot, leg, eye, face, hearing and head protection, while working in the project area. Brush cutting equipment is not covered by the OSHA standard for chain saws but it is recommended that the same protective equipment listed above be used for brush cutters.

PART I - THE SCHEDULE

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

Inspection Methods

In accordance with the Inspection Clause, the Government is able to inspect the entire work the Contractor performs, and the Contractor shall be required to rework any areas that are not in conformance to the requirement of this contract.

QUALITY ASSURANCE – PERFORMANCE BASED INCENTIVES AND DISINCENTIVES

Performance Work Statement – Contractor

The Contractor shall perform release work in accordance with the specifications contained in this contract.

Quality Assurance - Performance Based Program

Performance based program apply to the Government’s inspections for contract compliance. All work must meet the acceptance standards as listed below. Contract extensions are not eligible for performance-based program unless covered under the Excusable Delays Clause listed in the contract.

The Government will conduct compliance inspections on a minimum of 10% of the acres that the Contractor has reported as completed to specifications. Plots to check compliance will be randomly placed in the areas to be inspected by the Government inspector.

These performance-based surveys apply only to initial inspections; areas that have previously been rejected and corrected do not fall into this population.

Disincentive

If a contractor has to be sent back to an area to make corrections following a second final inspection, the contractor will be subject to a disincentive. The disincentive is as follows: A 3% payment deduction for the total contract area that failed its second final inspection. Each subsequent inspection will be an additional 2% deduction on the total contract area price for failed inspections.

If the contractor fails to meet the timelines outlined in the period of performance, they may be subject to the following disincentives.

1. The FS reserves the right not to proceed with treatment due to efficacy. Payment for the chosen area(s) shall not be made if this disincentive is chosen.

2. The FS may grant an extension to complete the area(s). A 5% cost deduction to the designated area(s) overall price shall be instituted.

If less than 90% of the plots inspected comply with contract requirements for number of desirables cut; the contract price for the area will be decreased by a 10% deduction.

The uses of negative incentives do not waive any other rights of the Government, in dealing with inadequate performance.

PART I - THE SCHEDULE

SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

TIME OF PERFORMANCE

It is estimated that the work on this project will start at the earliest Monday, July 1, 2024. The contractor shall be required to the following:

a) Contractor will set up a pre-work date within 7 days of the start of the contract, and

b) the Contractor shall be required to prosecute the work diligently and complete the entire contract no later than Friday, September 27, 2024.

PART I – THE SCHEDULE

SECTION G – CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

DESIGNATION OF CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE

The Contacting Officer will designate a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) at the time of award.

The COR is responsible for administering the performance of work under this contract. In no event however, will any understanding, agreement, modification, change order, or other matter deviating from the terms of this contract be effective or binding upon the Government unless formalized by proper contractual documents executed by the Contracting Officer prior to completion of the contract.

On all matters that pertain to the contract terms the contractor must communicate with the Contracting Officer. Whenever, in the opinion of the Contractor, the COR requests effort outside of the scope of the contract, the Contractor should so advise the COR. If the COR persists and there still exists a disagreement as to proper contractual coverage, the contracting officer should be notified immediately, preferable in writing if time permits. Proceeding with work without proper contractual coverage could result in nonpayment or necessitate submittal to a contract claim.

PART III – LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS

SECTION J – LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

Listed below are all of the documents attached to, and forming a part of, this contract:

Attachment 2 Area Wide Release maps Attachment 3 Crop Tree maps Exhibit C - Information Sheet Exhibit D - Inspection Form Exhibit E – Tree Selection

Exhibit C Information Sheet

For FACTs - Forest Service Use

Area Wide Release Site Stand

# Subunit Sale Name/PU Acres Fund Code

1 817033 000 Topside Salvage PU 30 28 RTRT 2 700008 000 CHSP Jakes Run IRTC PU 07, 08 38 SSCC 3 630014 002 Adamson West PU 13 23 CWKV 4 630065 001 Adamson West PU 11 9 CWKV 5 829009 000 FR 473 Removal PU 03 18 NFVW 6 708027 LXX Spring Creek Removals TPPS PU 03 7 CWKV 7 650111 000 Mother Nature 9 RTRT

TOTAL 132

Crop Tree Release

Site Stand # Subunit Sale Name/PU Acres Fund Code

1 859033 000 Pine Run STWD, PU 06 31 RTRT 2 678011 001 Regen 06, PU 05 12 RTRT 3 847040 LXX Pigs Ear, PU 01 1 RTRT 4 630002 001 Two Mile, PU 01, 02, 13 18 RTRT

5 699031 001 FR 230, PU 15 2 RTRT

TOTAL 64

Exhibit D

TREE RELEASE INSPECTION REPORT

Contract #: ______________________ Inspected By: ________________________ (print) Area Inspected: __________________ Date of Inspection: ____________________

Plot

#Desirables

Total #Desirables

Cut %Desirables

Cut #Undesirables

Total # Undesirables

Not Cut %Undesirables

Not Cut Notes

Unit Slash Work has been completed ________________ (date)

If corrections were needed indicate the date corrections were made: _________________ (date)

COMMENTS:

INSTRUCTIONS:

The radius of each plot is six (6) feet. There will be a minimum of one plot per 5 acres taken. Areas greater than 15 acres shall have a plot for every three acres. Plots will be systematically distributed over the area using a grid system.

When counting desirables and there are more than 25 on the plot you may estimate by counting a ¼ plot and multiply by four. All desirables cut shall be counted along with undesirables not cut. There should be no more than 10% of desirables cut and no more than 10% of undesirables not cut.

All starting points and plot lines will be designated with flagging (do not use orange flagging). All plots shall have a plot center marked and numbered. Flagging shall be used to delineate the plot so it can be relocated. An Area Map indicating plot layout, bearings and distance used between plots shall be completed for each Area.

EXHIBIT E

Tree Selection Criteria

1) Select species to be released: Red, white and other oak, yellow/tulip poplar, cucumber tree, white ash, red maple, and black cherry, red pine, white pine and hemlock. These species will be released from the drip line as according to table in section 211. An example using an oak seedling is below.

Example: Removing trees for a distance of 1 foot from an oak tree drip line.