Attachment_J02_Scope_of_Work.pdf

Attachment J02 – Scope of Work Whiskeytown Hazardous Fuels Project

February 3, 2023

Background and Objectives:

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is a unit of the National Park Service, located in Shasta County, California. The objective of the Whiskeytown Hazardous Fuels Project is to reduce the hazardous fuels in close proximity to private property and infrastructure within Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. The goal of the project is to reduce the intensity of wildfires, provide defensible space and increase the safety of fire suppression activities. The project consists of manually thinning and hand piling of vegetation in various project areas.

The 2018 Carr Fire has left numerous dead, down and standing trees that pose a danger to firefighters during fire suppression activities as well as fuel high intensity fires. Along with the dead fuels, the new growth of shrubs and trees is growing at a rapid rate and in some areas has exceeded 10 ft. in height in just 3 years.

Scope of Work:

The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, and other items necessary to treat approximately 300 acres.

Contractor will cut most hardwoods, brush and conifers less than 8” DBH (leaving residuals in a random spacing as identified below), limb residual conifer and hardwoods to shoulder height within the flagged unit boundary, and pile material for future burning. Cut all knob cone pine while favoring the retention of oak, ponderosa pine or Douglas-fir depending on species presence (or larger sized established trees in areas dominated by brush). Favor the species with least presence in the site.

The following project implementation specifications for thinning and piling shall apply across all treatment sites:

Thinning

1. For units which are tree dominated, thin 50-75% of small diameter trees and shrubs less than 8” DBH depending on presence of trees and shrubs. If presence of individuals is minimal (i.e. greater than 3 feet apart between individuals), thinning operations may be heavier (near 100% of individuals) and retain less. If trees and shrubs are continuous (i.e. less than 3 feet apart between individuals), thinning may retain more (near 75%) and retain more.

2. For units which are dominated by shrubs, thin roughly 50-75% of smaller diameter trees and shrubs less than 6” DBH depending on presence of trees and shrubs (similar specs to #1 above) but favor the retention of tree species. Shrub species should be thinned (completely or partially) and if large shrubs exist, thin individuals down but maintain the presence of larger shrubs.

3. Hardwoods, brush and conifers stump height shall be no more than 4 inches from the

STATEMENT OF WORK

Whiskeytown NRA shaded fuel break - Vegetation Clearing 2023 ground as measured on the uphill side

4. All live limbs shall be completely severed from the remaining stump/bole of tree

5. Stumps shall not be cut at an acute angle

6. Limbing will be performed in such a way that no damage to bowl of limbed trees will occur

7. Slash shall not lean against or be suspended on uncut vegetation

8. Limb dead and down logs greater than 6” diameter on the larger end and leave them in place (leave logs).

Hand Pile Creation

9. Except for leave logs, all slash will be placed in manageable tight compact piles for burning (generally 4-5 feet in diameter and no less than 3 feet in height). Larger piles may be created in open areas where fuels are sparse but should not be greater than 6 feet in height.

10. Slash material should be cut into small sizes so that when piled, material compacts and does not have empty space within the pile. Chainsaws should be used to cut material within the pile once piled, so that material becomes more compact during final pile assemblage.

11. Within 3 feet of each pile, all dead and down woody debris up to 6” in diameter shall be cut into approximately 4 foot lengths, gathered and piled.

12. To minimize scorch from burning, all piles should be built at least 3 feet away from boundaries, leave trees, snags, stumps or leave logs.

13. Piles should be covered with at least a 4’x 6’ piece of plastic sheeting (4 mil thick or greater) or waxed paper (waxed side up). The covering should be topped with enough woody debris to ensure cover material does not blow off in high wind events.

14. Piles should not touch each other (no windrows) and should have a minimum of 3 feet in between piles.

Equipment use shall be limited to chainsaws, brush-cutters, string trimmers and hand tools. The use of heavy equipment and/or rigging will not be accepted. off-road vehicle travel will not be accepted. Worksite supervisors will be provided with printed maps and/or PDF maps of the work site. PDF maps will be compatible with mobile apps such as Avenza.

Performance Period:

This project will take place between April 3, 2023 and June 30, 2023. Work schedule must be approved by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) prior to project start. Adjustments in performance period may be made to account for seasonal variation in weather, wildfire risk and plant life cycles if jointly agreed upon by the Contractor and the Contracting Officer (CO).

Due to increased wildfire risk in dry months (May-October), the NPS Fire Management Officer (FMO) may order restrictions on the use of metal brush cutting attachments and/or ban the use of gasoline powered cutting equipment. The Contractor shall be subject to any such order from the

FMO. The COR or CO will notify the Contractor of any such restrictions no later than five (5) working days prior to project start.

Work Site Description:

The work site is located approximately 10 miles West of Redding, CA in Shasta County.

There are three separate project areas for fiscal year 2023. Each unit has the same scope of work as well as cutting and piling specifications. Unit maps are available in the attached documents.

Treatment Area 1 - The first project area encompasses Kennedy Memorial Drive from the Hwy 299 junction to the Paige Bar rd. intersection, 300 feet from the centerline of the road (150ft on both sides of the road for approximately 1.6 miles) for a total of 56.5 acres.

Treatment Area 2 - The second project area begins on Hwy 299 east of the Whiskeytown visitor center and runs South Southeast along the Shasta Divide Ridge and continuing along the ridge system ending at the park boundary where sections 35 and 36 intersect. The fuel break also runs North along the same ridge system starting at Hwy 299. The fuel break will be 100 feet from centerline of the ridge on both sides, creating a 200 ft shaded fuel break. This project is approximately 90 acres in total. Access to this unit may require foot travel up to 1 mile.

Treatment Area 3 - The third project area is in the vicinity of Oak Bottom recreation area and is a 60-acre fuel break around park infrastructure for defensible space.

Treatment Area 4 - The fourth project is located just East of the Whiskeytown Lake Dam. The project is a shaded fuel break along Paige Bar Rd. 150 ft from centerline of the road, on both sides, and ends at the intersection of Paige Bar Rd. and Muletown rd. This unit is 87 acres in total.

Topography at the work site is variable. Treatment units may be on hillslopes, adjacent to stream banks or on level ground.

Drinking water and sanitation facilities are in the area of some units but not available at all the work sites. The Contractor is required to pack out all refuse.

Additional Requirements:

A pre-work site visit will be arranged between the Contractor and the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The pre-work site visit will be an opportunity to orient the Contractor to the project site prior to commencement of work.

At the beginning of the first workday, the Contractor and a designated NPS representative will meet to ensure that proper equipment and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are being used.

The designated NPS representative shall periodically monitor work progress to ensure the work limitations and specifications are properly understood and implemented. Any change to the agreed scope of work must be addressed with the Contracting Officer (CO) prior to change.

If the Contractor’s employees do not speak English, the Contractor’s job site supervisor shall be fluent and conversant in both English and the language of their non-English speaking employees.

The Contractor is responsible for providing all necessary tools and supplies, and appropriate

PPE.

The Contractor shall contact the COR with project progress notifications prior to completion of each workday. As the Contractor near the completion of the specified work, a site visit will be scheduled with the COR and/or designated inspector to determine if the work has been successfully completed.

Criteria for Success:

As the basis for approving payment, quality assurance inspections will be conducted to confirm compliance with the project’s specifications and limitations. Inspections will be performed by a designated NPS representative. Cutting and/or piling outside of pre-identified treatment units will not be accepted. Any form of off-road vehicle travel will not be accepted. If the Contractor’s activities result in damage to Resources, the Contractor shall incur all expense associated with damage assessment, damage repair and monitoring.

If the quality of work does not meet the standards outlined in this Scope of Work, a designated NPS Representative will document instances of un-acceptable work with photos and a description of non-compliance. The Contractor will be notified by the CO of all findings of non-compliance.

Inspection and Acceptance:

Government inspections for thinning/hand piling and covering piles will be made periodically as work progresses, or as work is completed, to determine acceptability of method and manner of performance, the end-product of operations, and to make measurements for payment.

Government quality Assurance Verification:

1. All work included in the contract specifications shall be subject to inspections by the Government at periodic intervals during the performance of this contract. Treatment inspections are for the sole benefit of the Government and shall not release the Contractor of the responsibility of providing quality control measures to assure that the work strictly complies with the contract requirements.

2. The Government may review Contractor generated inspection records and/or conduct government verification inspections to determine compliance with performance standards. The Government will inspect completed units as a basis for acceptance and payments, and to provide recommendations to improve work quality while work is in progress. The Contractor is responsible for providing quality control to assure that work complies with requirements of contract specifications. Determination of the acceptability of the work performed will be based on these verification inspections and will be considered conclusive. Verification inspection of a Unit may or may not be performed immediately following the work. The Contractor or a designated representative is encouraged, but not required to observe inspections while they are underway.

3. Government verification may consist of visual observation of operations or establishment of inspection plots.

4. Inspection plots will be randomly located throughout the unit so as to obtain a representative sample of the work. Each individual unit will be inspected separately and inspection results on one unit will not be averaged with inspection results on other units, unless notified otherwise.

Re-work of a Unit:

In the event that the Government’s inspection identifies contract work not meeting contract specifications, the Contractor may be given the opportunity to rework the entire unit or the portion(s) not meeting the requirements. The Government will re-inspect the unit upon completion of the rework.

Acceptance:

Work will be accepted when it is determined by the visual inspection or plot data that the Contractor’s work conforms to the Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) for the task. Missed areas within the work unit will not be considered a part of the work being inspected and must be re-worked regardless of the results of the inspection of the work completed in the unit.

Payment:

The payment unit is per acre (mobilization and associated costs included).

Invoices must include:

Project Name (Whiskeytown Hazardous Fuels Project – FY23) Description of work performed Date(s) of work performance Acres Completed

N

.0

N

.5

N

.0

W31.00122°W31.50122°W32.00122°W32.50122°

9006313000641310064132006413

US National Grid Grid Zone Designation

100,000 m Square ID

10T EK

Coordinate System:

NAD 1983 2011 UTM Zone 10N Datum: NAD 1983 2011

True North

Magnetic Declination 14.04° E

Title:

Description:

Thinning Project

Thinning project along Kennedy Memorial Drive. Section 1 (56.5 acres)

0 1,000 Feet

0 360 Meters

Scale: 1:11,861

PREPARED BY

DATE CREATED

Project Number

C. Hardy

10/19/2021 3:02 PM

Unknown

Area F Acres: 20.4

Area G Acres: 22.5

Area H Acres: 17.5

N

.9

W36.01122°W36.50122°W37.00122°

80064139006413

US National Grid Grid Zone Designation

100,000 m Square ID

10T EL

Coordinate System:

NAD 1983 2011 UTM Zone 10N Datum: NAD 1983 2011 r

True North

Magnetic Declination 14.04° E

Title:

Description:

Oak Bottom WUI - North

Distinct areas that are a part of the Oak Bottom WUI project

0 775 Feet

0 220 Meters

Scale: 1:7,205

PREPARED BY

DATE CREATED

Project Number

C. Hardy

12/7/2021 12:30 PM

Unknown

Copyright:© 2013 National Geographic Society, i-cubed

0 0.40.2 Mi

0 0.650.325 Km

Whiskeytown NRA National Park Service U.S. Department of the InteriorFY23 thinning project - Paige Bar Road

3/8/2022 01:32PM - FIRE_2022_PaigeBarRd_Proposed

Target Area (87 acres)

Trails

Roads

California State Parks, Esri, HERE, Garmin, SafeGraph, GeoTechnologies, Inc, METI/NASA, USGS, Bureau of Land Management, EPA, NPS, US Census

Bureau, USDA, Esri, NASA, NGA, USGS, FEMA

WHIS_FuelBreaks_ShastaDivide nps_boundary

±2/6/2023 12:07PM - FIRE_2023_ShastaDivide

0 0.75 1.50.38 Miles

Whiskeytown NRA National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Shasta Divide Fuel Break Overview