Attachment 1 - Statement of Work_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 6.5 miles northeast of Dove Creek, CO.

CONTRACT PERIOD

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

December 1, 2021.

SCHEDULE

The following bid items are listed in descending order of priority:

Line Item Service Bid Price

010 Thin 178 acres

020 Limb, top and scatter thinned trees

030 Skidding and decking thinned material

DESCRIPTION OF WORK

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to reduce threat from catastrophic wildfire by reducing fuels available to burn and enhance forest stand health. Stand vigor improvement will help the forest resist potential future stressors such as: drought, disease, insects and wildfire.

Road Maintenance

The project is accessed by gravel and natural surface roads maintained by Dolores County. Any excessive road damage from equipment or trucks with be subject to repair by the contractor to continue work on the project or to release any/all payments.

Thinning Guidelines

Unit 19: Thinning will remove physical and biological culls and thin overstocked stands to maximize growth, vigor and species suitability to the site. Leave trees shall be dominant or codominant in all diameter classes, have a crown ratio ≥ 35 percent, have the straightest stem and be free of insects, disease, physical or biological defects. Cut tree specifications include all surplus trees more than 2 feet in height, physical and biological culls such as: forked, leaning, rotten, broken top, suppressed, or low crown ratio. All juniper, except those having a diameter at root crown of 12 inches or greater shall be cut. Example reserve tree marking on 17 plots

(approximately 1/4 acre in size) are spaced throughout the project area and will be used to demonstrate successfully applied thinning guidelines.

Merchantable Material Decking

All sawlogs resulting from the above thinning activities shall be decked at the designated landing, indicated on the project map. A sawlog is considered any 8 inch Diameter at Breast

Height (DBH) tree which can produce one or more 16 foot logs with a top diameter of 6 inches or greater that is ≥ 75 percent sound. Estimated gross volume to be skidded is 278 Thousand

Board Feet (MBF) over approximately 178 acres. The contractor may purchase merchantable material (142 net MBF) through negotiations with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), however; they are not obligated to do so. Limbing and topping shall be performed prior to skidding. All skid trails must be pre-approved by the COR or Project Inspector (PI). Skid trails constructed into hillsides shall have the fill slope re-contoured back onto the running surface upon completion of skid trail use.

Slash Management

All slash (≤ 3 inches in diameter) resulting from the above thinning activities shall be removed from under the drip line of leave trees. Lopping and scattering will be utilized to ensure that the depth of slash does not exceed 18 inches.

Tree data for all trees ≥ 8 inches in DBH:

Total Leave Cut

Trees/Acre 67 30 37

Avg. DBH 13.6” 13.6” 13.5”

Avg. Height 39’ 39’ 39’

Gross Volume (MBF) 555 277 278

8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 28

N u m b er o f Tr ee s

Diameter

Treatment Stand Table

Leave Trees Cut Trees

Review of Contract Bidding Items

The following bid items are listed in descending order of priority:

1. Thinning only: 178 Acres * Cost per acre.

2. Thinning and limbing/scattering: 178 Acres * Cost per acre.

3. Skidding and decking 178 Acres * Cost per acre.

Other Available Forest Products

There is an estimated 447 tons of optional biomass that may be purchased by the operator at a negotiated rate no less than $0.01 per ton. This material includes all topwood that is 7 inches in diameter inside bark down to 4 inches in diameter inside bark.

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.

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.

Stream Protection:

Slash and other debris deposited in any stream channel as a result of logging 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.

The Contractor shall insure following treatment, a minimum of 60 percent ground cover consisting of rocks and organic material shall be maintained. Post treatment areas, such as skid trails, lacking suitable ground cover necessary to preclude sediment delivery to surface water shall be slashed and/or mulched with native material so that a minimum of 60 percent ground cover is maintained.

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 skidded 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.

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.

Timber Trespass:

The project area is delineated by roads along the west and southern portion and a significant reduction in forest cover along the remaining boundary. If the Contractor cuts or removes any timber and/or biomass material reserved or not authorized for removal under this contract, such cutting or removal shall be considered a willful trespass and render the Contractor liable for damages under applicable federal law. For purposes of determining damages under this section, the single damage value of the trespass timber shall be based upon the fair market value of the timber cut or removed at the time of trespass.

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:

Four (4) payments may be made based on a unit of acreage completed if desired by the contractor. 178 acres may be divided into units of 44.50 acres; the completion of a 44.50 acre unit, upon inspection by the COR is payable by 25 percent of funds obligated for this project.

Payment is 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.

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 Ian Barrett (970) 676-1010.