Attachment01_SOW.pdf

Scope of Work and Specifications (Exhibit A)

Pea Ridge National Military Park WUI Project Arkansas National Parks Fire Management Group

Pea Ridge NMP Garfield, AR

SITE DESCRIPTION: The work to be performed under a resultant contract consists of the contractor providing all labor, supervision, transportation, equipment, materials, tools, supplies, and incidentals to thin approximately 108 acres of forested areas at Pea Ridge National Military Park, located in Garfield, Arkansas.

PROJECT AREAS

1. Total estimated acreage for work is approximately 108 acres made up of 1 area.

The area is made up of cedar and Black Locust thinning operations.

a. Tree Thinning - Thin approximately 108 acres of forested areas comprised of eastern red cedar and hardwoods in designated areas within the boundary of Pea Ridge National Military Park; refer to Attachment 1 – Pea Ridge Project Map. The Area involves the removal of cedar and Black Locust trees only. Work site locations will vary but will be marked and identified within the designated area.

2. The site is generally flat to steeply sloping, and are made up of eastern hardwood forest and shrubs. Species composition is primarily oak, hickory, locust and cedar. Trees range in height from 5 to 60 feet. Trees are both scattered and also densely grouped throughout the units. Diameters average approximately 3-22 inches.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

1. All work must be performed between October 15, 2023 and March 31, 2024.

2. The normal operational working hours for Park staff are 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with the exception of federal holidays. There is no weekend or federal holiday work contemplated to be performed by the Contractor.

The Park reserves the right to restrict the Contractor’s working hours to the Park’s operational working hours only.

3. Contractor shall not perform work at the contract site during the following periods due to shortage of Park personnel and/or occurrence of Park Special Events:

a. Any federal holiday.

b. Week of November 24th.

c. Week of December 15th –January 1st.

4. Contractor must notify the Project Inspector each day when arriving and departing from the contract site. Such notification may be made by phone, text, personal contact, or other form of communication acceptable to the Project Inspector.

5. No Government equipment will be made available for the Contractor’s use in the performance of this contract. Should a portable sanitation facility be needed, it shall be the Contractor’s responsibility; however, its placement must be approved by appropriate Park personnel.

6. No activities outside the work zone are permitted.

7. At no time shall any artifacts or any other material not specifically identified in the contract, be removed from the Park.

8. All cultural landscape features including fences and cannon tubes or carriages shall not be damaged during any work performed. If damage occurs, it is the responsibility of the Contractor to repair or replace at the discretion and at the direction of the Contracting Officer.

9. Contractor’s work shall not impede or limit visitors, park employees, and/or traffic in the Park or on state or county roads or highways.

10. Contractor is responsible for clearly marking work areas for safety purposes as it relates to and/or affects visitors, by-standers, passerby vehicles, etc…. Contractor is responsible for implementing and providing crowd control measures such as barriers, cones, crowd control tape, signs, or other means deemed appropriate by the Project Inspector for the work being performed in the particular area.

11. Contractor is responsible for conducting work in a safe manner for his/herself, as well as for any other person that may enter the area by any method. The Contractor shall have a written safety plan in place for the type of work, conditions, and hazards expected to be encountered in the performance of this contract. A copy of the Contractor’s Safety Plan shall be submitted and accepted by the Contracting Officer prior to start of work under this contract.

12. The Contractor is to anticipate that the designated Park Project Inspector(s) will inspect work daily and will be available to answer any questions.

13. The Contractor shall be fully responsible for contract compliance in an acceptable and timely manner via use of sound quality control, monitoring and management.

ALLOWABLE EQUIPMENT

1. No motor vehicle access is allowed in the forested areas. Parking of Contractor’s motor vehicles to/at the contract site will be at locations as designated by the Park.

2. Hand felling with chainsaws or similar equipment will be needed. Use of chainsaws in all areas can be expected with heavier use in some areas than others.

3. Dependent upon terrain and ground moisture content, any low impact rubber tracked skid steer, or similar type of equipment, can be utilized as long as it exerts no more than 11 lbs. per square inch on the ground and has no more impact at the worksite(s), or during ingress or egress than a T300 rubber tracked skid steer loader with a tree cutting/mulching attachment, such as a forester blade. An absence of this type or similar equipment will require the work be restricted to chainsaws or other hand tools.

4. Ground disturbances shall be kept to a minimum. Ground disturbance deeper than 3 inches anywhere on the Park is not acceptable. Contractor shall be responsible for rehabilitation to National Park Service standards if this occurs. If ground disturbance occurs, work shall be immediately stopped and appropriate NPS personnel shall be notified to assess the area.

5. Tractors with chippers will only be allowed in designated areas.

6. The use of bulldozers or similar types of equipment is not allowed.

7. Only that type of heavy equipment which has been authorized by the Park for the Contractor’s use may be utilized.

8. Pea Ridge National Military Park reserves the right to suspend Contractor’s use of any equipment or tools, at no cost to the Government, which appear to be causing damage to, or having a negative impact on the Park’s resource or surrounding areas, regardless of its previous approval by the Park to be used in the performance of the contract.

SECURITY OF EQUIPMENT

1. The Contractor may park/stage equipment only in designated areas.

2. The Contractor may leave the equipment in the designated areas; however, the Contractor remains solely responsible for its security and safety, as well as safety to others. The Government shall not in any way be liable should it be lost, stolen, damaged, or cause harm to others.

SPECIFICATIONS – In addition to any and all requirements stated elsewhere within this Scope of Work, the Contractor shall also comply with the following specifications:

1. Tree Thinning Operations – The Contractor shall thin (cut, remove and/or mulch) trees (eastern red cedar/Black Locust), as identified in the aforementioned Project Area section of this Scope of Work, as follows:

a. All cedar and Black Locust trees, regardless of size, unless identified otherwise.

b. Multi-stemmed trees.

c. Completely cut and sever from the base of the tree.

d. Maximum stump height less than 3.0 inches

e. Minimum stump height no less than 1.0 inch above ground.

f. The removal of trees, from park property, will be allowed depending on location. The park management team will pre-determine those locations.

Trees that aren’t removed shall be chipped. As such, brush piles are NOT guaranteed but may be established on a case-by-case extremely limited basis and will only occur in approved areas designated by the Park.

Consideration will only be given for the construction of brush piles if trees are too big to mulch safely. If brush piles are allowed, then they must be piled into tight, burnable piles. The piles should be no larger than 8 feet in diameter, and no taller than 6 feet. Piles are not to be placed near “leave / save” trees (any hardwood or species other than cedar/locust, unless marked) so that when burned, damage will not result to any adjacent standing live trees. When possible, piles shall be placed on open or rocky areas or previous burn areas. Piles are to be placed in locations where they are not visible to the public.

g. After completion of a project area, Contractor is to pull mulch 4 feet away from around the base of all hardwood, saved, and understory trees, and 4 feet away from fences.

h. There may be trees in work area locations that may be identified for leave trees. The Park will clearly mark those trees in those locations. Marked leave trees are to remain untouched and left in place by the Contractor.

The Project Inspector retains the right throughout contract performance to mark additional leave trees or unmark previously marked leave trees.

i. Non-target trees of any species may be felled and then are to be mulched if they become entangled in cut cedar/locust trees, identified by the Park, or pose a threat to the Contractor. Diameter at breast height (DBH) must not exceed 12 inches.

j. If drainage areas are encountered in the performance of this contract, then the Park’s Project Inspector will provide the contractor with buffer distances around them that are to be avoided by the Contractor regardless of whether or not trees are cedar/locust or fall within the specified ranges for fire line establishment. Buffer distances will differ but no buffer distance shall exceed 10 feet from either side of the drainage.

k. Damage shall not occur on more than 3% of non-target trees by prioritized area.

l. Trees felled on the edge / perimeter of the project area must be relocated and mulched at a safe distance to eliminate the threat of thrown material.

m. If debris is authorized by the Contracting Officer to be removed from the worksite, impact to soil must be minimal, and disposal of debris is the responsibility of the Contractor.

DEFECTS – Not precluding the specifications and requirements where otherwise stated in the contract and its attachments, the following defects, as applicable to the pertinent project areas, will NOT be acceptable or allowed by the Government:

1. NO hang-up trees.

2. NO live limbs on stumps.

3. NO partially-cut trees.

4. NO barber-chair trees with uncut bark and wood.

5. NO stumps greater than 3.0 inches in height or less than 1.0 inch in height,

6. NO missed cedar trees will be allowed.

7. NO single or double stemmed trees greater than 4 inches in diameter, 12 inches in diameter for cedar/locust, or no-cut trees damaged or cut.

8. NO slash is allowed to be left out on any trail or any road or private property.

9. NO ground disturbances greater than 4 inches in depth.

10. NO mulch in thicknesses of greater than 4 inches.

Deliverables- All work must be completed between October 15, 2023 and March 31, 2024.

END OF STATEMENT OF WORK

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FY22_WRR_Project

0.65 Miles