Attachment_A_-_Scope_-_Statement_of_Work.pdf

Statement of Work for Rocky Mountain National Park’s

Deer Mountain Fuels Reduction Project

The primary goal of this project is to reduce the fuel load and change fuels arrangement inside the park boundary to reduce the threat of wildland fire to the adjacent community of Estes Park. Work includes felling standing trees, limbing remaining trees, cutting ladder fuels, bucking dead and down material, and piling all resulting material on site for future pile burning in deep snow conditions. All of this work must be conducted in a manner that protects park visitors, protects rare plants, preserves sensitive wildlife habitat, and minimizes the aesthetic impacts of the work onto the park. Future Pile burning will be conducted by Rocky Mountain National Park personnel and is not part of this contract.

The Deer Mountain Fuels Reduction Project is 831 acres broken up into 26 blocks. The intent is to award the contract to one bidder based on; production capacity, knowledge and experience with this type of work, and price. Given current annual funding limitations it is anticipated that one to five blocks will be awarded each spring for (1-5 years) and then additional blocks may be awarded as options at the end of each fiscal year (August-September) as remaining funding allows. Not all 26 blocks may be awarded by the end of the 1-5 year duration. Please remember to bid on each block individually. Blocks will be awarded as close to the priority order (listed on page three) as the absence of nesting raptors (or other natural resource concerns) and the availability of funds allow. (see specific solicitation).

Portions of the project are located on steep terrain with all aspects represented. The forest inside this project is generally mixed conifer with lodgepole dominance on the north aspects and a few ponderosa and aspen stands present on the east and west aspects. Pockets of understory aspen are present throughout the project. Elevation of the project sites ranges from 7900ft to 9000ft. Weather at this elevation can include rain, lightning, sun, snow, and occasional high winds (30-60 mph). All work will be conducted within Park boundaries.

Between 2005 and present, pine beetles and other bugs have been very active, this has generated a mosaic of mortality in all of the conifer species. Some of the blocks have been previously treated for fuels reduction in the past.

The forest measurements (avg DBH, tree height, tree species, BA, % mortality) are all highly variable due to a mosaic of forest age, stand density, mortality, tree sizes, and dominant tree species. In the summer of 2014 forest measurements were taken at 48 circular plots (plot radius was 37 feet) within the fuels reduction project. The results are listed in the table on the next page and plot locations are roughly depicted on attached maps. However, despite efforts to make these measured sites representative the number of plots and the size of the plots is not statistically significant (less than 0.5% of the total area was measured) and plot locations were not randomly selected. If statistically accurate forest measurements are desired or required by the contractor for accurate bidding it is the responsibility of the potential contractor to obtain their own forest measurements. The Deer Mountain Fuels Reduction Project is open to potential contractors at any time in the same manner as it is to the public. It is highly recommended that the contractor visit the project prior to bidding to understand the highly variable nature of the stand and the volume of work. Cutting block boundaries are marked with blue tree paint when not delineated by a trail or road.

1/10th acre Plot #

Avg. BA sq ft /ac

Max DBH Inches

Avg. DBH Inches

Total Tree Count

% Dead Stems

Max tree Height ft

Avg.

Height ft

Species % Stems

A1 120 20 8.07 27 41% 50 28 70% PICO

A2 100 16 8.54 26 62% 60 31 53% PSME

B1 170 19 7.77 39 44% 50 31 62% PSME

B2 270 12 7.36 69 52% 50 33 93% PICO

C1 163 12 7.49 35 34% 55 31 63% PICO

D1 107 15 6.63 40 43% 45 23 53% PICO

D2 98 16 6.00 32 0% 45 19 44% PSME

E1 143 13 8.10 30 50% 45 31 77% PICO

F1 158 15 6.00 51 20% 45 23 61% PICO

F2 233 8 4.58 80 23% 55 37 95% PICO

East of G 128 14 6.56 25 36% 45 27 40% PSME

H1 150 14 10.09 21 57% 50 36 81% PICO

H2 183 16 8.88 25 68% 45 28 88% PIPO

I1 255 13 5.72 47 38% 50 33 91% PSME

I2 128 14 8.54 13 23% 65 35 62% PICO

J1 160 14 8.35 23 39% 60 39 78% PICO

J2 128 13 4.86 21 10% 45 22 57% PSME

K1 73 12 7.67 9 22% 50 31 44% PSME

K2 103 22 6.78 22 36% 40 31 95% PICO

L1 90 12 6.88 25 56% 45 31 96% PICO

L2 60 20 8.44 9 44% 70 30 67% PICO

M1 NA 18 12.86 16 0% 50 35 94% PSME

M2 80 18 10.69 13 0% 45 21 62% PICO

N1 128 19 7.38 29 4% 55 25 96% PSME

N2 118 18 11.18 17 18% 45 31 53% PICO

O1 58 19 6.69 16 0% 45 15 50% PICO

O2 NA 16 12.60 10 0% 45 28 90% PICO

P1 83 15 8.31 16 13% 45 21 56% PSME

P2 128 19 11.00 11 9% 55 35 64% PIPO

Q1 180 14 9.56 36 50% 55 42 80% PICO

Q2 158 15 9.22 35 14% 55 34 63% PIPO

S1 105 25 12.45 11 9% 85 55 55% PSME

S2 65 15 12.00 6 0% 85 65 83% PSME

T1 103 16 11.90 10 0% 65 36 70% PIPO

T2 143 13 9.53 15 13% 55 32 87% PSME

U1 108 16 9.33 12 0% 55 32 50% PSME

V1 68 12 6.40 10 10% 55 25 80% PSME

V2 85 13 10.00 9 11% 70 52 44% PSME

V3 138 18 9.61 18 17% 60 45 94% PSME

W1 65 14 6.67 15 7% 50 27 33% PICO

W2 53 13 6.08 13 0% 45 22 62% PSME

W3 120 14 6.19 16 13% 55 27 50% PSME

X1 60 15 6.50 10 20% 40 22 70% PSME

X2 55 13 8.00 11 0% 40 26 100% PSME

Y1 60 23 10.22 9 11% 50 31 89% PSME

Y2 40 15 5.60 10 10% 45 17 50% PIPO

Z1 20 8 5.39 23 4% 30 20 78% PSME

Z2 95 16 7.00 23 26% 45 29 57% PSME

Block Acres Priority Block Acres Priority Block Acres Priority

Block A 19 1 Block J 48 7 Block S 20 15

Block B 30 4 Block K 63 10 Block T 35 13

Block C 18 2 Block L 59 19 Block U 10 14

Block D 40 3 Block M 27 18 Block V 32 22

Block E 28 9 Block N 37 20 Block W 53 26

Block F 19 8 Block O 43 17 Block X 14 23

Block G 30 25 Block P 32 11 Block Y 15 21

Block H 45 5 Block Q 36 12 Block Z 15 24

Block I 51 6 Block R 12 16 Total 831

Please take special note of the following:

A) Parking for vehicles is available at the Deer Ridge Trailhead and other pull outs along Fall River Road but are on a first come first serve basis (see map). Other potential access points exist if the contractor gets permission to park on, and cross private property. Any such arrangements with private property owners would be outside of this contract and in no way may include Rocky Mountain National Park.

B) Please note the desired pile volume can be up to 1500 cubic feet far greater than typical pile sizes (see attached pile specifications). These larger pile sizes may require slash to be dragged further distances in some areas.

C) Please note that piles must be stacked a minimum distance from remaining trees; such natural openings or areas were enough trees can be removed to make a sufficiently large hole in the canopy may be some distance from the material to be stacked requiring extensive dragging.

D) Please note that the prohibition to cut live aspen combined with the requirement to keep pile edges at least 15 feet from remaining tree canopy may require dragging slash significant distances in some places.

E) Please note the minimum distance requirement between piles and private property, park boundary, streams, trails, underground power, elk fences and buildings. These requirements will involve additional dragging of slash in some places.

E) Please note there are many beetle killed trees to be felled, bucked, and piled from the dominant over-story; some have a maximum diameter greater than 20 inches.

F) Please note trail guard and traffic control requirements are very specific and important to successful operations (see attached specifications).

G) Please note that the trees to be removed have not been marked and that the work of selecting pile openings and trees to be removed per the specifications is upon the contractor.

Work Specifications for the Deer Mountain Fuel Reduction Project

1. Work on the Deer Mountain Fuels Reduction Project is intended to be conducted in the mid-summer or fall after sensitive bird nesting is completed and prior to significant snow fall. See the contract / task order solicitation for specific dates. Before work may proceed contractor must have receipt of notice to proceed and scheduled arrival date and time with the COR.

2. Due to adjacent occupied homes and campgrounds, no work may be conducted before 8 am and after 6 pm.

3. Do not fell live limber pine or live aspen

4. Do not fell trees (live or dead) with cavity nesting holes, stick nests or other evidence of significant wildlife use.

5. Do not cut trees flagged with candy striped flagging and do not work in areas flagged off with candy striped flagging.

6. Fell all lodgepole, ponderosa, dougfir, fir and spruce with less than 16 inch diameter when within 20 feet of an aspen taller than 6 feet or within a live aspen stand.

7. Fell trees to establish openings for piles to be stacked in. Openings should be 46 to 56 feet in diameter with 2-4 openings per acre. These pile openings should be located in natural openings whenever possible. When not in natural openings they should be located were resulting tree removals will be limited in number and size. If additional openings are needed or desired by the contractor to accommodate slash they may be approved on a case by case basis by the COR. Pile opening locations must meet specification 26h, 26i, 26j and 26k.

8. In addition to removing conifers from aspen stands (#6 above) and felling trees to establish openings (#7 above). Fell (thin) 10% of the remaining overstory stems In Blocks

A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K, P,Q,R,S,T, and U. Stems removed should be in the following priority order until the 10% reduction in stems is meet: #1 dead trees, #2 pine beetle infested trees, #3 trees of poor health or form, #4 trees that maximize crown spacing. Wind throw problems may occur should more than 10% of the overstory stems be removed. Inspectors will count fresh stumps and remaining stems looking for a ratio of roughly 1 stump for every 9 remaining trees in thinned areas.

9. In addition to removing conifers from aspen stands (#6 above) and felling trees to establish openings (#7 above). Remove 33.3% of the dead trees or beetle infested trees in Blocks

L,M,N,O,V,W,X,Y, and Z. Inspectors will look for one stump for every two remaining dead or infested trees.

10. Within 15 feet of any trail or road remove live trees with a DBH less than 14 inches, with exceptions for specifications 3,4, and 5

11. Remove all dead trees within 100 feet of any trail, roads, or the park boundary with exceptions for specifications 4 and 5

12. Remove all Junipers trees within 100 feet of trails, roads, or the park boundary with exceptions for specifications 4 and 5.

13. Remove all brush taller than 1 foot from within 10 feet of trails or the road.

14. For the historic cabin located in Unit A and the water storage tank located in Unit I; remove all dead trees within 100 feet, Piles must be more than 50 feet from the structures.

15. All stumps (including stumps from prior felling operations) must be cut less than 2 inches above the ground on all sides. Multi-faceted stumps are acceptable and may reduce stumping efforts.

16. Limb all remaining trees greater than 12 feet in height 7 feet up from the ground. Limbs that exit the bole of the tree above 7 feet and droop below the 7 foot level should be cut where the branch crosses into the 7 foot level.

17. All limbing stobs will be less than 1/2 inch in length on all sides.

18. Limbing activities should not damage the bole of the tree.

19. Cut and stack all “ladder” fuels within the drip line, and 7 feet beyond the drip line of the remaining trees. Ladder fuels include brush greater than 1 foot tall and small trees (1 – 12 feet tall). Trees taller than 12 feet do not need to be removed as ladder fuels. Aspen, birch or willow of any size do not need to be removed as ladder fuels.

20. Cut and pile all dead and down material greater than 2.5 inches in diameter. In addition cut and pile all dead and down longer than 3 feet in length. A branch or log that is less than 2.5 inches in diameter, shorter than 3 feet, AND does not bear a saw cut does not need to be piled. Dead and down includes all rotten logs. The contractor may break down rotten logs to sizes smaller than the 2.5 inches and 3 foot in length rather than piling the rotten material provided it does not leave saw cuts.

21. All saw cuts greater than half inch in diameter must be piled regardless of length. This includes small branches, “cookies” and “pie cuts”. However, it does not include the portion of the stump left in the ground.

22. Felling and piling activities will damage no more than 50% of the retained trees.

23. When running chainsaws within 200 yards of a trail, guards must be posted on both sides of the cutting operation at a distance greater than 200 yards from the saws(s). If felling near a trail and a road at the same time four guards must be posted; two for the trail and two for the road. Two way communications between the sawyers and the guards must be maintained during the felling operation, (walky-talkys strongly recommended). Hand signals are insufficient. Trail / Road guards must speak fluent English, additional languages may be helpful.

a) Should hikers or vehicles approach, they should be temporarily delayed by trail guards prior to anyone entering 2 tree heights of an active felling operation until current felling is completed. Delays to hikers should not extend past the time it takes to get partially cut trees onto the ground (generally no more than a 10 minute delay).

b) Should trail rides or lone horse riders approach the cutting operations they should be temporarily delayed at 200 yards from the sawyers until chainsaws are shut off (at the soonest and safest available point) to prevent spooking the horses and tossing riders.

Delays to horse riders should not extend past the time it takes to get partially cut trees onto the ground (generally no more than a 10 minute delay).

24. The contractor is responsible for public safety when in their work area and must monitor for and ward away all public to at least a distance of 2 tree heights (in all directions) away from all felling operations (trail or no trail). Trees with a cut applied to the stem for falling purposes and the tree in any other position then horizontally laying on the ground constitute felling operations. Any deviation from this observed by the COR or witness by park employees, will automatically generate a stop in felling operations until a satisfactory solution to the problem is discussed and agreed upon.

25. Due to the heavy traffic; trees, slash and other cut material should be cleared from trails and roads as soon as possible. An individual tree or individual piece of slash should not remain on trails or roads more than 15 minutes from the time it is cut.

26. Piles will be constructed to meet the following requirements to facilitate burning under heavy snow load conditions.

a) Pile height will be between 8 and 10 feet high

b) Pile width will be between 8 and 13 feet wide

c) Pile length will be between 8 and 13 feet long

d) The bottom 4 feet of the pile edges need to form a steep wall at least 70 degrees from level

e) Material must not stick out more than 1 foot from the bottom 4 feet of the pile edge. 26d and 26e are often accomplished by shaving the pile edges with a saw after the piles are constructed and resulting cut material is tossed on to the top of the pile OR stacking stem wood side by side in a vertical arrangement.

f) The branch material, material less than 4 inches diameter and rotten material must be piled first making the interior of the pile easy to ignite. Then the majority of stem wood

70 ⁰

8’-13’

8’-13’ 4’ greater than 4 inches should be piled around the exterior or on top of the pile. This will facilitate easier ignitions, tighter piles, and allow for fire wood gathering permits.

g) Piles must be constructed with sufficient density to prevent a 3 ½ inch wide board 3/4 inch thick from penetrating more than 3 feet into the pile (this density is desired to prevent wind driven snow from entering the center of the pile). Piles in question of meeting this specification will be probed on all four sides at the most likely location and angel to allow penetration. Should the probe reach more than 3 feet in depth in more than 3 locations, the pile must be rebuilt. When stacking dead branch material, a saw is often required to chop up the pile as it is stacked to generate sufficient densities.

h) The closest pile edge will be more than 10 feet from trails, more than 30 feet away from stream beds, and more than 50 feet from private property, park boundary, the cabin, roads, underground power lines, and elk exclosures. All piles must be inside the project area.

i) Piles will not be constructed in wet or marshy areas.

j) The closest pile edge will be constructed at least 15 feet from any residual tree canopy drip line. If residual live tree spacing is tight and the contractor desires to remove additional live trees to meet this specification rather then move material to a more open location further away, they may request permission from the COR to remove additional trees. Additional trees should be less than 14 inches in diameter and not in violation of specification # 3, 4, 5.

k) Piles edges must be at least 30 feet apart to prevent one pile from igniting the neighboring pile during burn operations.

27. To ensure field crews understand and remember all the specifications, the contractor will keep a copy of this statement of work on site during operations (roughly translated by the contractor into additional languages if other languages are in use).

28. To ensure all specifications are well understood, the COR will be on site for a minimum of 6 hours on the first day and 4 hours on the second day of work. Actual start date should be scheduled in advance with the COR and after a “notice to proceed” has been released by the Contract Officer to ensure availability.

29. It is recommended but not required, that the first 5 acres be completely finished and pass inspection by the COR for all specifications prior to any additional work occurring. In this way deficiencies in meeting the specifications can be determined early and thus costly rework can be avoided. The COR will strive to provide the inspection results on the first 5 acres within 3 business days of notification of their completion.

30. The contractor is responsible for inspecting and ensuring all work meets or exceeds the specifications prior to COR inspection to avoid costly rework.

Minimum Safety Requirements

1. All employees must have and use adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including, but not limited to; hard hat, hearing protection, eye protection, sturdy footwear, and gloves. When running a chainsaw, or adjacent to a running saw, chaps must be worn.

Chaps must be free of saw cuts and other significant damage.

2. Contractor and operators must follow all OSHA regulations which apply to the work activities. OSHA Regulations for tree removal operations can be found at http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id =9862

3. The contractor must keep a first aid kit that meets the OSHA requirements on site when cutting (see appendix A of the OSHA logging requirements).

4. The contractor must have at least one First Aid certified employee on site during cutting operations. Employee must carry written certification showing currency.

5. The contractor must maintain the ability to contact 911 or Rocky Mountain National Park dispatch within 15 minutes in case of emergency. Cell phone coverage is limited in the work area. Radio frequencies for Rocky Mountain National Park dispatch will be provided upon request.

6. The nearest known emergency medical facility is Estes Park Medical Center at 555 Prospect Avenue, Estes Park, CO (970) 586-2317 (in an emergency call 911). The contractor should become familiar with this facility’s location and capacity and make this information known to all employees working on the project prior to starting work.

7. Saw gas must be properly stored in an approved “safety can” without damage. Cans should be no more than 5.3 gallons and have a fully functional lid or spout cover that is designed to relieve internal pressures if subjected to fire. Leaky cans or cans without lids must be removed from the project and the park. Fuel should not be left on site overnight.

8. Contractor must have minor spill protection and spill clean-up equipment on site.

9. The COR will check for ALL OF these minimum safety requirements prior to work starting and frequently throughout the project. Any violation of these requirements will require the associated work to stop until these requirements are met.

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9862 http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9862

Additional Limitations and Requirments for All Cutting Blocks No off road vehicle use. Vehicle use is limited to the same roads as the public Motorized equipment is limited to what can be hand-held and hand cared To prevent accidental fire starts, saws must be equipped with spark arrestors. In addition, the following equipment must be within 200 yards of cutting operations when the fire danger is moderate or greater: 1 round point shovel greater than 48” long, 1 Pulaski (or 1 hoe and 1 axe), 5 gallons of water or a small fire extinguisher. Any accidental fire starts should be reported immediately. Should the fire exceed the size of a campfire and threaten workers safety they should depart the area.

No activities will be conducted within wetland areas.

Slash will not be moved from surrounding sites into wetland areas.

Equipment maintenance and fueling will not occur in wetland areas.

Contractor must visibly post fair wage rules, injury rules, and other applicable rules/rights at the work site or in work vehicles.

Smoking is prohibited except in developed campgrounds, vehicles, or while seated in an area of at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.

The building of camp, lunch, warming, and other fires within National Park Service property is prohibited outside of established fire grates (located in picnic areas and campgrounds).

If any artifacts or human remains are exposed during contract operations, they shall be left in place and the Contractor must immediately notify the COTR or contact the Park Cultural Resources Specialist.

No cutting of live Aspen and live Limber Pine.

No cutting trees live or dead trees with cavity nests or other signs of significant wildlife use.

No activities will be conducted within areas flagged for closure (blue and white striped flagging or red and white striped flagging).

No additional provision for camping in the park will be made to the contractor above or beyond what is available to the public on a first come first serve basis.

All conduct outside of the specified work is subject to park rules and regulations concerning:

littering, wildlife harassment, collecting, resource damage and other topics as specified for the

NPS in the Code of Federal Regulations title 36 (can be found At) http://www.gpoaccess.gov/ecfr/

This contract is located on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park 3 miles west of down town Estes Park Colorado. From Denver it’s approximately 30 miles north to Longmont on I25 then another 16 miles west on Hwy 66 to Lyons then another 20 miles west on US Hwy 36.

Coming in from the north passing through Cheyenne Wyoming its 50 miles south on I25 to

Loveland then 34 miles west on Hwy 34. During the summer when Trail ridge road is open the project area can be accessed from the west. From Granby on Hwy 40 head north and east 51 miles on Hwy 34, passing Grand Lake and traveling over the continental divide. See attached maps and photos for contract location and individual block descriptions.

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/ecfr/

Photos plot A1 (all the letters in the photos are printed on 8.5” x 11” paper)

Photos Plot A2

Photos Plot B1

Photos Plot B2

Photos Plot C1

Photos Plot D1

Photos Plot D2

Photos Plot

E1

Photos Plot F1

Photos Plot F2

Photos Plot G1

Photos Plot H1

Photos Plot H2

Photos Plot I1

Photos Plot I2

Photos Plot J1

Photos Plot J2

Photos for plot K1

Photos for plot K2

Photos for Plot L1

Photos For plot L2

Photos for plot M1

Photos for plot M2

Photos for plot N1

Photos For plot N2

Photos Plot O1

Photos For Plot P1

Photos Plot P2

Photos Plot Q1

Photos for plot Q2

No photos or plots were taken of Block R

Photos for plot S1

Photos for plot S2

Photos for plot T1

Photos for plot T2

Photos for plot U1

Photos for Plot V1

Photos for plot V2

Photos for plot V3

Photos for plot Z1

Photos for plot Z2 photos for plot W1

Photos for plot W2

Photos for plot X1

Photos for plot X2

Photos for ploy Y1

Photos for Y2