B08__Performance_Work_Statment_Vya_PMU_Final.docx

Vya Population Management Unit Sage-steppe Restoration Projects

1.0 - Background on the Government’s Requirement

The Vya PMU Sage-steppe Restoration Project (herein referred to as the Vya PMU project) would implement habitat restoration treatments to improve habitat for sage-steppe obligate species such as greater sage-grouse (GRSG) through the removal of juniper and the treatment of hazardous fuels associated with such activities on approximately 3,091 acres of public land administered by the Applegate Field Office (AGFO) in northwestern Washoe County, Nevada. This contract will include the following units: Rim I, Rim II, and 49 Mountain II.

The goal of this project is to improve habitat by promoting the development of early seral species such as Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis) and mid-seral species such as antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) through the removal of late seral species such as juniper (Juniperus spp.), reduce vertical fuel loading, and hazardous fuel accumulation using prescribed fire. Furthermore, this project also aims to release quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) and curl-leaf mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius) through the removal of competing conifers to stimulate growth and to reduce competition for scares resources.

Additionally, this project also aims to improve and restore the ecological health (i.e., resilience and resistance) of sites currently dominated by juniper to provide for improved wildlife habitat for greater sage-grouse, mule deer and pronghorn. In areas that are classified as historical juniper woodlands, juniper would be retained, and no treatments would be planned. In addition, old growth trees would also be retained.

The project area is located within the Vya Population Management Unit (PMU) Habitat Restoration and Fuels Reduction Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA; DOI-BLM-CA-N070-2013-0016-EA) area which includes the greater sage-grouse Vya Population Management Unit (PMU). The project is located within areas designated as Priority Habitat Management Area (PHMA) and General Habitat Management Area for Greater Sage-grouse (GRSG) as identified in the Nevada and Northeastern California Greater Sage-Grouse Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment (ARMPA; USDOI 2015).

2.0 - General Scope of Work

Services include cutting western juniper with chainsaws on 3,091 acres within the Rim I, Rim II, and 49 Mountain II treatment units. Of which, 1.14 acres will be withdrawn from the treatment areas due to resource concerns. The following treatment methods would be utilized: 1) juniper trees in areas that area designated as extremely low canopy cover would be cut, lopped, and scattered to a height less than three (3) feet, 2) juniper trees in areas designated as very low, low, moderate, high, and very high canopy cover would be cut, lopped, and piled and 3) juniper trees located within areas designated as special treatment areas would be cut, lopped, and scattered to a height less than three (3) feet or cut-and-piled.

The purpose of this project is to reduce juniper canopy cover within 4 miles of active leks located adjacent to treatment areas. Thus, reducing perch sites for raptors near active leks and promoting the re-establishment of perennial forbs, grasses, and shrubs through the reduction in juniper canopy cover in nesting habitat for GRSG. In addition, reduce hazardous fuel accumulated through the cutting and piling of juniper using prescribed fire (i.e., pile burning).

The Contractor shall accomplish all cutting, lopping, and scattering of juniper, as well as the cutting, lopping, and piling of western juniper in low (1-5%), medium (6-15%), high (16-30%), very high (31 - 50%), and extremely high density (>51%) juniper canopy cover. In addition, accomplish all cutting, lopping, and scattering of western juniper in special treatment designation areas within the Vya PMU project area.

The services under this contract will be performed in Washoe County, Nevada. The Rim treatment units are located northeast of Fort Bidwell, California. The 49 Mountain 2 project area is located east of Cedarville, CA (Exhibit 5 - Maps). The treatment areas are located within Sections (or parts of Sections) of the following Township (T) and Range (R) identifiers:

Rim I:

Township 46N, Range 19E, Sections 28, 29, 32, and 33

Rim II:

Township 46N, Range 18E, Sections 28, 29, 32, and 33

49 Mountain II:

Township 43N, Range 19E, Sections 31 and 32

Driving Directions to Project Area

Traveling from Alturas, CA to Rim I From Alturas, California drive east on Highway 299/395 for approximately 6 miles. Turn right onto Highway 299 towards Cedarville, CA. Continue on Highway 299 for approximately 18 miles until you reach Cedarville, CA. From Cedarville, turn left at the four-way towards Fort Bidwell, CA. Continue on County Road 1 from approximately 25 miles until you reach Fort Bidwell. After traveling through Fort Bidwell, turn right towards Fees Reservoir on County Road 7. Turn left onto Barrel Springs Road and continue of this road for approximately 13.5 miles. The treatment area is located on the right-hand side of the road.

Traveling from Alturas, CA to Rim II From Alturas, California drive east on Highway 299/395 for approximately 6 miles. Turn right onto Highway 299 towards Cedarville, CA. Continue on Highway 299 for approximately 18 miles until you reach Cedarville, CA. From Cedarville, turn left at the four-way towards Fort Bidwell, CA. Continue on County Road 1 from approximately 25 miles until you reach Fort Bidwell. After traveling through Fort Bidwell, turn right towards Fees Reservoir on County Road 7. Turn left onto Barrel Springs Road and continue of this road for approximately 13 miles. The treatment area is located on the right-hand side of the road.

Traveling from Alturas, CA to 49 Mountain II From Alturas, California drive east on Highway 299/395 for approximately 6 miles. Turn right onto Highway 299 towards Cedarville, CA. Continue on Highway 299 for approximately 18 miles until you reach Cedarville, CA. From Cedarville, continue straight towards the California-Nevada border. From Cedarville, continue straight towards the California-Nevada border and continue on this road past the state line for approximately 18 miles. Turn left onto Dugway Road and continue on this road for approximately 1 mile, the project is located on the right-hand side of the road.

Accessibility:

The roads within the treatment areas are not maintained and are rocky and, in some instances, have been severely damaged by weather. It is recommended that crews utilize UTVs as much as possible to transport crew members, equipment, and supplies within the treatment areas or to complete the work via hiking where access via a UTV is not possible. Use caution when traveling on the roads within the treatment areas.

Period of Performance:

The period of performance shall be for sixty (36) months. The Period of Performance reads as follows:

49 Mountain II:

Period of Performance: September 15 (or contract award date), 2023 to September 30, 2024

Rim 1 and Rim II:

Period of Performance: September 30, 2024 to September 30, 2026

3.0 - Overall Objective(s)

The objective of this work is to provide services for wildlife habitat and rangeland health improvement through the reduction and/or removal of western juniper on approximately 3,091 acres in Washoe County, Nevada on public lands managed by the Applegate Field Office.

A site visit is recommended for this contract and will be offered on August 3, 2023. We will meet at the BLM’s Surprise Field Station at 602 Cressler Street, Cedarville, CA at 08:00 AM. Prior to the field tour, prospective bidders need to contact Andrew Mueller at 530-279-2707 to confirm if they intend to participate in the pre-bid tour or not no later than 48 hours prior to the date and time in which the pre-bid tour is scheduled to occur. Questions may be directed towards Andrew Mueller, Forester, Applegate Field Office.

4.0 - Specific Tasks

The Contractor will provide the following juniper treatment services:

49 Mountain II:

Task 1: Cut, lop and scatter of juniper on approximately 246 acres of western juniper within the 49 Mountain II project area.

Task 2: Cut, lop and pile of juniper on approximately 388 acres of low-density western juniper within the 49 Mountain II project area.

Task 3: Cut, lop and pile of juniper on approximately 176 acres of medium-density western juniper within the 49 Mountain II project area.

Task 4: Cut, lop and pile of juniper on approximately 48 acres of high-density western juniper within the 49 Mountain II project area.

Task 5: Cut, lop and pile of juniper on approximately 3 acres of very high-density western juniper within the 49 Mountain II project area.

Optional Unit – Rim I:

Task 6: Cut, lop and scatter of juniper on approximately 1 acre of western juniper within the Rim I project area.

Task 7: Cut, lop and pile of juniper on approximately 82 acres of low-density western juniper within the Rim I project area.

Task 8: Cut, lop and pile of juniper on approximately 117 acres of medium-density western juniper within the Rim I project area.

Task 9: Cut, lop and pile of juniper on approximately 104 acres of high-density western juniper within the Rim I project area.

Task 10: Cut, lop and pile of juniper on approximately 64 acres of very high-density western juniper within the Rim I project area.

Task 11: Cut, lop and pile of juniper on approximately 27 acres of extremely high-density western juniper within the Rim I project area.

Task 12: Cut, lop and scatter of juniper on approximately 45 acres designated as special treatment within the Rim I project area.

Optional Unit – Rim II:

Task 13: Cut, lop and scatter of juniper on approximately 532 acres of western juniper within the Rim II project area.

Task 14: Cut, lop and pile of juniper on approximately 675 acres of low-density western juniper within the Rim II project area.

Task 15: Cut, lop and pile of juniper on approximately 340 acres of medium-density western juniper within the Rim II project area.

Task 16: Cut, lop and pile of juniper on approximately 54 acres of high-density western juniper within the Rim II project area.

Task 17: Cut, lop and pile of juniper on approximately 5 acres of very high-density western juniper within the Rim II project area.

Task 18: Cut, lop and scatter of juniper on approximately 185 acres designated as special treatment within the Rim II project area.

Note: Optional units may be added to the contract as funding becomes available. The contractor will be notified at least sixty (60) to ninety (90) days in advance if additional units will be awarded. Furthermore, guidelines are provided in Exhibit 4 for cutting juniper in areas designated as juniper woodlands.

General Stipulations:

For juniper treatment services, the following stipulations apply:

· The Contractor will be responsible for ensuring his or her crew can identify old growth juniper to ensure it is not accidentally cut or damaged (Exhibit 3: Old Growth Identification). If old growth juniper are found to be cut by mistake or willfully cut by the Contractor, the Contractor will be subject to liquidated damages. The Contractor shall pay a rate of $250.00 per tree for inadvertent cutting or willfully damaging of old growth juniper. However, the BLM will reserve the right to have trees cut that were deemed to not be old growth that are found during the inspection phase. These trees will be mapped and marked with either orange or lime green flagging for easy identification. This information will be relayed to the crew lead at the earlieast convenience.

· Designated trees within the project boundaries shall be completely severed from the stump(s). No live limbs shall be left on the stump of cut trees.

· Stump height shall not exceed eight (8) inches measured on the uphill side. Stump height may be four (4) inches over the top of rocks or other obstacles that would damage the cutting surface of the machine or tool doing the cutting.

· All juniper over two (2) feet tall and not meeting old growth requirements must be severed.

· No driving off existing roads or two tracks is allowed except for emergencies.

· No trees shall be felled across access routes or across fences. Any damage to fences resulting from this project shall be fixed by the Contractor, at the Contractor’s expense, on the same day that the damage occurred.

· All slash shall be moved at least ten (10) feet back from the edge of roads and property boundaries between government and private land daily, before the crew leaves the project area. Slash shall not be left along any roadway.

· The project area roads shall not be degraded or rutted by the Contractor’s activities. All project area roads shall be kept free of slash.

· No work may be completed between June 15th to September 15th and November 1st to February 28th of any given year for the Vya PMU project.

Piling Stipulations:

For the cut, lop and pile juniper treatment, the following additional stipulations apply:

· At least 90% of the limbs from all felled juniper within the designated cut-and-pile acres will be piled

· Piles shall be a minimum of three (3) feet wide by three (3) feet tall and may be as large as ten (10) feet wide by ten (10) feet tall and constructed such that no piece of juniper extends more than two (2) feet from the concentration of the pile (see Exhibit 2: Piling Specifications)

Lop-scatter Stipulations:

For the cut, lop and scatter juniper treatment, the following additional stipulations apply:

· All junipers felled will be lopped to within three (3) feet of the ground.

5.0 - Delivery / Performance Schedule

The Contractor shall accomplish cutting, lopping, and scattering, as well as cutting and piling of western juniper on approximately 3,091 acres. The work is to be performed over a period time beginning on September 15th, 2023, and concluding on September 30th, 2026. The work to be performed under this contract is in northwestern Washoe County, Nevada on public lands managed by the Applegate Field Office. There is no documentation or permits that need to be acquired by the contractor. Access to the project areas is across roads managed by the Applegate Field Office. The contractor will adhere to the seasonal timing restrictions for greater sage-grouse unless otherwise noted.

6.0 - Government-Furnished Property, Materials, Services

General:

The Contractor shall furnish all personnel, materials, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform the work tasks defined in this Performance Work Statement, except for those items specified as government furnished.

Materials:

The Contractor shall furnish all materials necessary to meet the requirement of this contract except for those items specified as government-furnished property and services.

Equipment:

The Contractor shall furnish equipment necessary to meet the requirement of this contract except for those items specified as government-furnished property and services.

Services: N/A.

Facilities N/A.

Utilities N/A.

Applicable Publications (Current Editions) N/A.

7.0 - Security and Administrative Matters

The Contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all Government property provided for Contractor use or under their control, including securing all facilities the Contractor may access after normal business hours.

Contractor shall coordinate work schedule with Contracting Officers Representative to minimize public and employee ingress/egress to the building.

Safety:

The Contractor shall not require, or allow any employee, engaged in the performance of this Contract to work under conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to his/her health or safety, as determined under safety and health standards promulgated by the Secretary of Labor under Section 107 of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (40 U.S.C. 327 et seq.) as amended and other Federal, State and applicable local government safety standards.

Department of Labor Code of Federal Regulations Title 29 and other Federal, State and local government safety standards will apply in its entirety to the Contractor.

Examples of applicable safety standards are OSHA 29 CFR 1910, OSHA 29 CFR 1926, California Title 19, "Public Safety", California Title 8, "General Industry Safety Orders", and 41 CFR, Subpart B, "Public Contracts, General Safety and Health Standards."

The contractor shall also use the “BLM SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS” (The Yellow Book) for reference.

Should the contractor fail to comply with any of these standards and regulations, the contractor shall be found to have defaulted on the terms of the contract.

Contingency Plan:

Sudden or unusual events could result in a negative impact to the delivery / performance of these requirements.

As an aid to properly plan for such events, the Contractor shall prepare and submit for approval a Contingency Plan for each Place of Performance for these requirements.

The Contractor will outline in detail the method(s) that the Contractor shall use in meeting Contract requirements in the following circumstances:

· a natural disaster occurs which impacts upon the Contractor's ability to perform

· a labor strike occurs which impacts upon the Contractor's ability to perform.

· a hazardous materials spill which impacts the Contractor’s ability to perform, or which may affect public safety

· an incident which causes major damage which impacts the Contractor's ability to perform

· other unforeseen circumstances

In all cases, the Contractor will assume that government cannot provide supplemental forces and continues to need the same or additional performance under the Contract, which the Contractor must meet.

This Contingency Plan shall be submitted as a part of the Contractor proposal.

Emergency Response:

Response to emergency service calls outside of the normal business hours shall not exceed four (4) hours regardless of the time during the day or night, weekends, or holidays.

Response to emergency service during normal business hours shall not exceed two (2) hours.

Response is defined as having all personnel and equipment required to correct an emergency at the site of the emergency or at a pre-approved staging area, ready, willing, and able to perform the emergency work. The Contractor will provide a draft emergency response plan prior to Contract start date.

Emergency Services:

On occasion, services may be required to support an activation or exercise of contingency plans outside the normal business hours described above. The Contractor's responsibilities for emergency support will be in accordance with the contingency plan.

Hazardous Materials and Hazardous Response:

The Contractor will conform to all Reclamation, Federal, State, and local regulations in the use and disposal of hazardous materials and hazardous waste. The Contractor will provide the appropriate response to any emergency involving hazardous materials at any of the facilities covered by this Contract. The Contractor will provide proof/certification of its personnel qualified to work with hazardous materials and wastes to Reclamation. The Contractor will notify Reclamation immediately upon discovering a release of hazardous waste into the environment.

Public contact:

Contractor personnel may encounter adjacent landowners or members of the public during the performance of their work.

Contractor personnel will present a professional appearance and be able to provide appropriate identification, including display of proper identification by each employee.

All Contractor and subcontractor personnel shall comply with all Federal and State laws relative to citizenship.

Contractor personnel shall inform any trespassers along the right of way of hazards and, as necessary and appropriate, ask trespassers to leave fenced off or restricted areas. If Contractor personnel may encounter emergency personnel, policemen, or firemen along the right of way, the Contractor personnel shall notify the On-Site Foreman. If Contractor personnel encounter the news media, they should refer all questions to the On-Site Foreman, who shall keep the COR informed of all news media contacts.

Government Observations:

Government personnel other than COR may from time to time observe, photograph, or otherwise record Contract operations. However, these personnel will not interfere with Contractor performance.

Regular Work Hours:

The performance period established for this contract is based upon all work being conducted during regular working hours between 8:00am and 4:30pm, Monday through Friday, excluding government holidays. If the Contractor desires to carry on work outside regular hours, including Saturdays, Sundays, and government holidays, a request must be submitted to the COR in sufficient time to allow satisfactory arrangements to be made for access to the work site.

Communications:

“Time” for communications received after 3:00pm, after 12:00 pm locally on Fridays, or after 12:00 pm locally prior to a holiday will not start until the next business day. All times are local Pacific Standard Time.

Federal Holidays:

The following Federal Legal Holidays are observed:

Christmas Day

Fire Danger Season:

If the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) allows the Contractor to continue work during periods of declared fire danger or season, the Contractor shall comply with all applicable state laws relating to fire prevention and with all special conditions of work as directed by the COR.

Improvements The Contractor shall comply with the rules and regulations governing the operation of premises which are occupied and shall perform the contract in a manner that will not interrupt or interfere with the conduct of BLM business.

Before any camp, quarry, borrow pit, storage or service area other than shown on drawings is opened or operated on National Forest land or lands administered by the BLM, written permission shall be obtained through The BLM or Forest Service. A camp is interpreted to include the campsite or trailer parking area of any employee working on the project for Contractor. Such permission, if granted, shall be without charge to Contractor. Contractor must remove and dispose of all said improvements when no longer needed.

Protection of Improvements The Contractor shall protect roads and other improvements (such as fences, roads, trails, telephone lines, and ditches) whether designated on the project area map or not.

Protection of Improvements Not Owned by the BLM The Contractor will notify all utility companies, or other parties affected, and plans for all necessary adjustments of the public utility fixtures, pipelines, and other appurtenances affected by Contractor’s operations.

When Contractor’s operations are adjacent to properties of railway, telegraph, telephone, or power companies, or other property, work shall not begin until all necessary arrangements to prevent damage have been made by the Contractor.

The Contractor will cooperate with all owners of above-mentioned property. In the event of interruption because of accidental breakage, the Contractor shall promptly notify the proper authority, and cooperate with that authority in the restoration of service.

Protection of Land Survey Monuments The Contractor shall protect all known survey monuments, witness corners, reference monuments and bearing trees against any damage during Contractor’s operations.

Preservation of Historical and Archeological Data:

The Historic and Archeological Data Preservation Act of 1974 provides for the preservation of historical and archeological data that might otherwise be lost as the result of alterations to the terrain caused by a federal or federally licensed activity or program. If, in connection with operations under this contract, the Contractor, subcontractors, or the employees of any of them, discovers, encounters or becomes aware of any possible historical or archeological data, objects or sites of cultural value on the project area, such as historical ruins, 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 Contracting Officer in writing, giving the location and nature of the findings. No objects of cultural resource value may be removed. Where appropriate by reason of discovery, the Contracting Officer may order delays in the time of performance and/or changes in the work. If such delays and/or changes are ordered, the time of performance and contract price shall be adjusted in accordance with the Changes clause.

The Contractor will be responsible for protecting the cultural resources within the affected area from damage. In addition, the contractor will be liable for all damage to the identified cultural resources caused by their actions or the actions of their agents or representatives. The Contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer or his representative if any damage occurs to any cultural resource and immediately suspend work in the area in which damage has occurred until authorized to proceed.

Avoidance areas within the project boundaries have been identified and these locations will be made known to the Contractor. In the absence of visible flagging, the Contractor is to reference mapped avoidance areas provided via PDF (Avenza) Map. These areas, including the trees and/or vegetation that defines the avoidance area boundary, are to be excluded from project work and pedestrian access. In addition to the designated cultural resource avoidance areas, vegetation immediately outside or adjacent to the avoidance areas that is at risk of falling into the footprint of the avoidance area if cut will either be avoided (not cut) or directionally felled so as to prevent the disturbance of cultural resources. Directional felling and/or additional avoidance measures outside designated avoidance areas are to occur at the discretion of the personnel responsible for conducting vegetation removal.

Wildlife Resources The Contractor shall comply with the seasonal habitat restrictions outlined in Table 2-2 of the Northeastern California and Nevada Greater Sage-grouse Resource Plan Amendment (DOI BLM, 2015). Seasonal restrictions will be applied during the periods below to manage surface-disturbing activities that are disruptive to greater sage-grouse to prevent disturbances to greater sage-grouse during seasonal life-cycle periods:

· Project activities would not occur from June 15th to September 15th and November 1st to February 28th of any given year to prevent potential disturbance to greater sage-grouse within the project area.

Dead trees, or snags, are to be maintained within treatment areas.

Any active raptor nest found will be reported to the Wildlife Biologist and project activities ceased within a 0.5-mile buffer until surveys indicate that project activities would not disturb nesting/breeding activities.

Sanitation and Servicing The Contractor shall take all reasonable precautions to prevent pollution of air, soil, and water by Contractor’s operations. If facilities for employees are established within the project area, they shall be operated in a sanitary manner. Contractor shall not service tractors, trucks or other equipment on BLM lands where servicing is likely to result in pollution to soil or water. Contractor shall remove from BLM lands all refuse resulting from use, servicing, repair, or abandonment of equipment. If the contractor’s operations or servicing of equipment result in pollution to soil or water, Contractor shall conduct cleanup to restore the polluted site to the satisfaction of the BLM.

Prevention of Oil Spills If the Contractor maintains storage facilities for oil or oil products within the project area, Contractor shall take appropriate preventive measures to ensure that any spill of such oil or oil products does not enter any stream or other waters of the United States or any of the individual States. If the total oil or oil products storage exceeds 1,320 gallons or if any single container exceeds a capacity of 660 gallons, Contractor shall prepare a Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures Plan. Such plan shall meet applicable EPA requirements (40 CFR 112) including certification by a registered professional engineer. In addition, oil spills or leaks including spills and leaks from equipment less than the above amounts are to be removed, including contaminated soil and vegetation, from the site and disposed of in accordance with state and federal laws. Equipment parked for a prolong period ten (10) days or more will need oil absorbing cloth or other spill deterrent authorized by the COR to mitigate equipment oil leaks.

8.0 - Technical Exhibits and Definitions

Standard Definitions:

Physical Condition: The Physical appearance of Federal equipment or facilities that considers cracks, chips, dents, abrasions, rust, corrosion, general cleanliness, vibration, operating temperature, and discoloration and other items as identified by the COR. Physical condition may be determined by visual as well as diagnostic means.

Contracting Officer (CO): The Secretary of the Interior or designated authorized representative who is the only agent capable of signing a federal award or obligating funds.

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR): The Contracting Officer’s designated representative as indicated in a delegation of authority letter.

Quality Assurance (QA): Surveillance of Contractor performance to determine performance requirements are met.

Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) (see Technical Exhibit below): The PRS identifies the key performance indicators of the Contract that will be evaluated by the Government to assure Contract performance standards are met by the Contractor.

Quality Control: Those actions taken by the Contractor to control the production of goods or services so that they meet the requirements of the performance work statement.

Technical Definitions:

Accessible: Definition of road access to a unit. Unit will be considered accessible when road access is within one mile of the unit.

Canopy Cover: The proportion or percentage of the forest floor or ground covered by the vertical projection of the tree crowns. See Percent Canopy Cover.

Cover, Percent: The area covered by material, tree crowns, rocks etc. as viewed vertically from above.

Crew Member: The individual responsible for performing field work aspects of the services within the contract which usually involves the use of handheld equipment (i.e., chainsaws).

Crew Supervisor: An English-speaking crew member who provides direction and supervision to fellow crew members during habitat improvement project implementation. The supervisor is responsible for work accomplishment and safely performing in accordance with the requirements of the contract.

Lek: An area where male sage-grouse display during the breeding season to attract females (also referred to as strutting ground).

Old-growth Juniper: old-growth trees as being 150 years or older. The tree may also develop a combination of the following characteristics: broad non-symmetric tops, deeply furrowed bark, twisted trunks or branches, dead branches and spike tops, large lower limbs, trunks containing narrow strips of cambium (strip-bark), hollow trunks, large trunk diameters relative to tree height, and branches covered with bright yellow green lichen (Miller et al. 2005).

Project Area: The area for treatment in this contract.

Snag: A dead tree retained to benefit wildlife.

Technical Exhibits:

EX 1: QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

EX 2: PILE BUILDING GUIDELINES

EX 3: OLD GROWTH IDENTIFICATION

EX 4: JUNIPER WOODLAND THINNING PRESCRIPTION

EX 5: MAPS

Performance Work Statement (PWS)

PWS Page 5

EXHIBIT 1: QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

Designated trees within the project boundaries shall be completely severed from the stump(s). No live limbs shall be left on the stump of cut trees.

Stump height shall not exceed eight (8) inches measured on the uphill side. Stump height may be four (4) inches over the top of rocks or other obstacles that would damage the cutting surface of the machine or tool doing the cutting.

All slash shall be moved at least ten (10) feet back from the edge of roads and property boundaries between government and private land daily, before the crew leaves the project area.

At least 90% of the limbs from all felled juniper within the designated cut and pile acres will be piled.

Piles shall be a minimum of three (3) feet wide by three (3) feet tall and may be as large as ten (10) feet wide by ten (10) feet tall and constructed such that no piece of juniper extends more than two (2) feet from the concentration of the pile.

The COR and/or Project Inspector (PI) will conduct government inspections. The Contractor (or designated representative) is encouraged to be present to observe inspections. Summary results will be made available on request. Government inspections will consist of:

a. Compliance Inspections Visual compliance inspections of juniper treatment work tasks will be made on a periodic basis across the project area. Such inspections are not final and do not constitute acceptance by the Government.

b. Final Inspections Final inspections for payment will be made on the completed project unit unless otherwise agreed upon in writing. Contractor shall request a final inspection. Inspection requests shall be verbal and documented within the diary or in writing and pursuant to FAR 52.246-4, shall include results of Contractor’s quality inspections. Inspections will be completed within ten (10) calendar days after the notice is received for each item. If a formal request for an item inspection is within the ten (10) working days since the previous request, the time will not start until the time for the previous inspection expires.

The Contractor will be responsible for ensuring his or her crew can identify old growth juniper to ensure it is not accidentally cut or damaged. If old growth juniper is found to be cut by mistake or willfully cut by the Contractor, the Contractor will be subject to liquidated damages. The Contractor shall pay a rate of $250.00 per tree for inadvertent cutting or willfully damaging of old growth juniper.

The contractor will be made aware of the deficiencies and documented in the COR’s diary. Deficiencies will need to be corrected within 48 hours unless the BLM representative states otherwise.

Incentives/Disincentives

a. Contractor will be required to rework the area at no additional cost to the Government

b. The Government will charge to the Contractor any additional cost of subsequent inspection of reworked area

c. Positive or negative Performance rating at the end of the contract (this will have definitive impacts on the contractor receiving additional contracts with the BLM in the future).

Disputed Inspection When formal inspection by the Government is accomplished through visual inspection, the Contractor may request re-inspection without rework if the results are unacceptable. Re-inspection must be requested in writing within 48 hours after receiving written notice of the inspection results. Re-inspection will be accomplished within ten days after receipt of the contractor's written request. The same inspection procedures will be used. The inspection pattern will be shifted so that new samples will not overlap previously inspected samples.

If re-inspection results are still unacceptable without re-work, the Contractor shall pay the actual costs incurred by the Government for the re-inspection. Actual costs will be determined by the use of detailed logs indicating time spent, transportation utilized, etc.

Designated trees within the project boundaries shall be completely severed from the stump(s). No live limbs shall be left on the stump of cut trees.

Stump height shall not exceed eight (8) inches measured on the uphill side. Stump height may be four (4) inches over the top of rocks or other obstacles that would damage the cutting surface of the machine or tool doing the cutting.

All junipers felled will be lopped to within three (3) feet of the ground.

All slash shall be moved at least ten (10) feet back from the edge of roads and property boundaries between government and private land daily, before the crew leaves the project area.

EXHIBIT 2: PILE BUILDING GUIDELINES

· Minimum six (6) feet wide, conical, or hemispherical in shape (not low and flat)

· No piece of juniper extends more than two (2) feet out from the concentration of the pile

· At least 90% of the limbs from the felled juniper within the designated pile acres need to be piled

· Piled material should be cut into small enough pieces to provide for a dense, compact, and uniform pile with minimal air spaces

· Pile must not include the boles or material larger than eight (8) inches diameter

· Piles must not be built on the stump

· If possible, piles should not be built on the duff layer or within the dripline of standing live trees (to minimize long duration smoldering after consumption of the pile) Well-Constructed Piles:

Well-constructed piles that are dense, uniform, and symmetrical piles that are not placed on stumps or on heavy duff and are devoid of large coarse woody material.

Poorly Constructed Piles:

Poorly constructed piles that are low, constructed of large and loose woody material, and are relatively flat in stature.

EXHIBIT 3: OLD GROWTH IDENTIFICATION

Old Growth Juniper Individual old growth trees in restoration areas would be identified using morphological characteristics (Miller et al. 2005) and preserved for their many social and ecological values.

These characteristics would include:

· Rounded or unsymmetrical tops that may be sparse and contain dead limbs.

· Deeply furrowed, fibrous bark on the trunk that is reddish in color.

· Branches near the base of the tree that may be very large and covered with fruticose lichens.

· Limited terminal leader growth on branches in the upper 25 percent of the canopy.

EXHIBIT 4: JUNIPER WOODLAND THINNING PRESCRIPTION

The removal of juniper trees in areas classified juniper woodlands would be implemented to mimic natural fire processes given the specific topography, such as the removal of pockets of young trees in drainages. The following categories provide general guidance:

· In stands where more than 75% of trees exhibit old growth characteristics, no juniper will be cut

· In stands with 50-75% old growth, up to 25% of young trees may be removed

· In stands with 25-50% old growth, up to 50% of young trees may be removed

EXHIBIT 5: MAPS

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