NRO_SOW_ORsaleprep.pdf

Timber Sale Preparation

PERFORMANCE STATEMENT OF WORK

1.0 – Introduction:

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Navajo Regional Office (NRO), Branch of Forestry requires the services of a professional and experienced contractor that specializes in forestry and natural resource management.

The contractor will provide, unless stated otherwise, any and all labor, equipment, supplies, services, permits and licensing necessary to perform timber sale preparation and common stand exam services to include, but not limited to, unit layout, map creation, unit boundary designation, area determination, stand examinations, silvicultural prescription development, prepare an environmental assessment, designation (tree marking) of cut or leave trees, cruise design and plan, timber cruising, and development of forest product appraisals. This work will be performed on the commercial forest lands located on the Navajo Nation within the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Timber sale preparation work will be conducted in accordance with 53 IAM 8, 53 IAM 3-H, 53 IAM 9-H, 59 IAM 3-H and other applicable Federal and Tribal laws and regulations.

Individual tasks to be performed will be assigned by individual task orders against the contract.

1.1 – Project Location:

The Navajo Nation lies within the states of New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, and covers nearly 27,000 square miles of land. Of that land, 5,415,532 acres are categorized as forest land comprised of 596,725 acres of timber forest and 4,818,807 acres of woodland forest.

The commercial timber forest is located in the east-central portion of the approximately 17-million-acre Navajo Nation, in northeast Arizona, northwest New Mexico, and southeast Utah. The Navajo Nation is located at the southern end of the Colorado Plateau. The topography is generally flat but also contains canyons, buttes, and mesas. Altitudes generally run from 4,500 feet in the lower alluvial valleys of the San Juan and Little Colorado Rivers to over 9,000 feet in the east-central mountains. The soils consist of light brown soils found from 4,500 to 6,000 feet in elevation, reddish-brown soils from 6,000 to 7,000 feet, and brown soils above 7,500 feet. Soils are primarily sandstone and sandstone parent materials in origin. Precipitation varies with altitude, ranging from 4 inches annually in the lower deserts of the southwest to over 20 inches annually in the higher mountains. Approximately 40 percent of the annual precipitation occurs from July to September and about 35 percent from December to March. Temperatures range from -20 degrees Fahrenheit during the winters to 100+ degrees in the summers. Vegetation also varies with altitude and climate and includes Petran Subalpine Conifer Forest, Petran Montane Conifer Forest, Plains- Great Basin Grassland, and Great Basin Desert Scrub land. Biotic communities include Ponderosa Pine, Juniper-Pinon woodlands, shortgrass, shadscale, blackbrush, and sagebrush.

1.2 – Background:

The BIA is responsible for preparing approximately 10,495 acres of commercial timber land for sale within the Oak Ridge Timber Sale area as described in the Navajo Nation’s 10-Year Forest Management Plan.

1.3 – Legal Description:

Timber sale preparation work will be performed within the Oak Ridge Timber Sale area, described in table 1 below or within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. The contractor will be responsible for implementing timber sale preparation activities on approximately 10,495 acres of commercial forest land. The Oak Ridge Timber Sale area is located within Arizona on the Defiance Plateau, south of US. Highway 264 on the Navajo Nation.

Table 1. Legal description of the Oak Ridge Timber Sale area referenced in the Navajo Nation’s Ten-Year Forest Management Plan.

1.4 – Unit Layout:

Locate and flag harvest units as identified on timber sale area planning maps using aerial photos, topographical maps, Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial data and Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment.

Create the following maps that must include at a minimum a legend, north arrow, scale bar, title, author, date of map creation, tract information, and appropriate constraints and disclaimers.

1. Sale area maps including sale area and harvest units.

2. Vicinity map including sale areas and transportation systems.

3. Logging feasibility map with recommended logging system.

4. Road maps that include construction, reconstruction, maintenance, and any required closure activities.

5. Map of soils, streams, wetlands, survey monuments and sensitive areas such as heritage sites or other resources as appropriate.

6. Stand exam maps with plot locations and unit boundaries.

7. Cruise maps with plot locations and unit boundaries.

Consider economic viability for each unit. Evaluate volumes per acre. The minimum harvestable volume per acre by logging system will be defined in individual task orders.

Do a preliminary survey of each unit prior to installing boundaries and notify the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) if notable differences exist in the logical unit placement when compared to mapped locations on the timber sale area planning map(s). Changes in boundary locations shall be made if necessary for logistics, feasibility of logging system, resource protection, or substantial mortality. Significant changes must be approved by the COR.

Proposed changes that would include areas outside of mapped boundaries may not be possible due to lack of existing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) clearance.

Boundaries of all harvest units shall be designated with intervisible flagging as described in each individual task order. All contract unit boundaries will be clearly identified and located on the ground. The harvest unit corners and boundary intersections with roads shall be identified as follows: sale name, unit number and location of corner (for example Oak Ridge TS, Unit #100, SW Corner) with permanent marker on flagging.

Other work requirements will be provided on each individual task order, as needed.

1.5 – Unit Boundary Designation:

All harvest unit boundaries will be clearly located on the ground. Painted boundary trees will be intervisible, will not be designated for harvest, and will be of a size that will remain standing after logging. The paint application should provide for clear and unquestionable placement of the unit boundaries.

Unit boundaries shall be designated with the color of paint identified in each individual task order. Tree marking paint must contain the registered tracer element if determined necessary by the BIA. Painted boundaries shall follow the flagged lines. All painted boundary trees will have adequate markings applied at or above eye level and two stump marks below stump height. The line of sight between painted boundary trees is considered the official boundary.

Boundaries of all harvest units shall be designated with intervisible flagging described in each individual task order. All contract unit boundaries will be clearly located on the ground. The harvest unit corners and boundary intersections with roads shall be identified as follows: sale name, unit number and location of corner (for example Oak Ridge TS, Unit #100, SW Corner) with permanent marker on flagging.

Other work requirements will be provided on each individual task order.

1.6 – Area Determination:

Every harvest unit boundary shall be mapped with a GPS unit. Mapping and acreage determination shall meet the direction and accuracy standards described in each individual task order. The polygon shapes must represent the unit boundaries on the ground.

If conditions on specific units make it impractical or impossible to receive sufficient satellite signals, traditional survey techniques (distance and bearing), or a combination of GPS and traditional survey techniques may be used.

Other work requirements will be provided on each individual task order.

1.7 – Stand Exams:

The stand exam for each harvest unit will be conducted in sufficient detail to prepare a silvicultural prescription.

General site data should include geology, topography, landforms, soils, hydrology, habitat type, invasive species, site quality, potential road and skid trail locations.

Stand exam data should include the following: tree species composition by size class, stocking levels and volume, age and structure, forest health conditions, including insect and disease, growth rates and vigor, forest fuels metrics and other pertinent forest metrics as appropriate.

Provide written stand exam instructions on how plots or measure trees will be identified on the ground. Include instruction on how to measure plots that fall near the unit boundary. Include all calculations made to allocate the sampling error, the number of samples needed by strata, plot size or Basal Area Factor (BAF) if applicable, population distribution by strata and sample group, and selection frequency by sample group. These instructions must be approved prior to implementation. The COR can provide sample instructions upon request.

1.8 – Silvicultural Prescriptions:

Silvicultural prescription(s) must be prepared for all areas that will be treated and prepared for harvest, in accordance with 53 IAM 9 and its associated handbook. It will be prepared using observations made and data collected during the stand exam of each harvest unit. It must identify and quantify existing stand conditions and composition. It must also provide a basis describing how the silvicultural prescription will change those conditions, specify the current and future treatments, and adhere to the broad forest management plan silvicultural guidelines.

Timber marking guidelines are prepared in advance of cruising and will be documented in the silvicultural prescription. A monitoring plan must be included as part of the silviculture prescription to assess its effectiveness and determine if it was implemented correctly.

1.9 – Environmental Assessment

An Environmental Assessment (EA) must be prepared to authorize the forest product sale and satisfy NEPA requirements. The potential environmental and cultural resource impacts of the proposed harvest, post-sale treatments, and road construction and maintenance must be evaluated and documented in compliance with the requirements of the NEPA, Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and any other applicable statutes, laws, or regulations. Detailed BIA NEPA guidance is found in 59 IAM 3-H: Indian Affairs NEPA Guidebook.

The EA must detail the proposed project and its goals, objectives, and concerns, outline a reasonable range of alternatives to implement the project, detail the impacts of the alternatives, and document a recommended alternative that best achieves the goals and objectives while minimizing impacts. The NEPA review process is concluded when the EA is accompanied by a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), is approved by the Navajo Regional Director, summarizes the selected alternative, certifies that the project complies with environmental law, and that an Environmental Impact Statement is not required. The FONSI is the decision document for an EA.

1.10 – Designation (Tree Marking) of Cut or Leave Trees:

All tree marking shall meet the standards and guidelines identified with each individual task order. When marking trees for cut or leave, the contractor shall follow the provided silvicultural prescriptions and/or marking guidelines identified in each individual task order. Tree marking paint must contain the registered tracer element, which will be provided by the government.

1.11 – Cruse Design and Plan:

The cruise plan should contain a brief description of the management objectives and the legal description of the project area. Include all calculations made to allocate the sampling error, the number of samples needed by strata, plot size or BAF if applicable, population distribution by strata and sample group, and selection frequency by sample group.

Provide written cruise instructions on how plots or measure trees will be identified on the ground. Include instruction on how to measure plots that fall near the unit boundary. These instructions must be approved prior to implementation. The COR can provide sample instructions upon request. Ensure a consistent method of measuring boundary plots is described in the cruise instructions.

Plots falling outside of treatment area boundaries will not be measured.

Maximum sampling errors will be identified in each individual task order. Document the estimated volume by stratum, coefficient of variation, and method used to determine values (pre-cruise, stand exam or similar sale). Determine which sampling method will be most efficient and economical.

Other work requirements will be provided on each individual task order.

1.12 – Timber Cruising:

Intent of the timber cruise is to provide the BIA with a cruise report and file to facilitate the timber appraisal process. Appropriate data collection methods, process and accuracy standards will be identified within each individual task order.

1.13 – Forest Product Appraisal:

A forest product appraisal must be developed that estimates fair market value by species and product, that is obtained through transactional evidence from similar sales, residual value analysis, or other approved methods. The estimated forest product volume and fair market value will be used to estimate total sale value.

If a residual value appraisal method is used then the forest product value will be determined by using published market analysis information or contacting local mills or other processing facilities to determine delivered product values by species, product, and grade as appropriate.

These values are then multiplied by the estimated volumes to determine the product value.

Costs considered or accounted for include, but are not limited to:

• Harvest costs, including felling, skidding or yarding, bucking, processing, hauling, and mobilization.

• Road costs, including new construction, reconstruction, maintenance, activities required for sale closure, and road use payments to owners.

• Silvicultural activity costs that are included in the appraisal include site preparation and reforestation to establish the next stand after a regeneration harvest. Activity costs also include seed collection and sowing; growing and planting of seedlings; and other sale required activities.

• Profit and risk.

If transaction evidence appraisal process is used, then local transaction evidence of sales of forest products are compared to determine local market rates for the forest products designated for harvest. These transactions are usually from similar sales of forest products on nearby Tribal, state, or public lands or other recent local sale information. Cost factors of the appraised sale are compared to those of the recent, similar, and local sales and the appraisal will be adjusted for notable differences. These cost factors may include skidding distance, felling and bucking challenges, road maintenance, road construction, hauling distance, volume per acre harvested, and quality of forest products.

Costs as described in the residual value appraisal description above that deviate from the standard sale conditions (i.e., haul costs) and practices in the area must also be considered and adjusted to reflect current sale conditions or location.

1.14 - Period of Performance

The period of performance will begin from Date of Award through December 31, 2026.