Sierra Front Goatgrass Treatment Statement of Work.docx

SCOPE OF WORK

for completing Aegilops Triuncialis and Aegilops cylindrica Treatment Washoe County, Nevada Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (HTNF) Carson Ranger District Prepared April 2024

OBJECTIVES:

Annual grass species barbed and jointed goatgrass, both occur at Peavine Mountain and the Sierra front range, and are a listed Category A noxious weed species in the State of Nevada. The contractor will provide for the application of a ground-based herbicide spraying treatment targeting both goatgrass species. The following criteria will be part of any contracted services taking place within the Carson Ranger District in Washoe County, Nevada.

LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION:

1.1 The project is in Washoe County, Nevada. See attached location Maps 1 and 2 for known goatgrass infestations within the project area. This SOW is only for the locations within National Forest System lands.

1.2 Acreages of known infestations have been computed on a horizontal plane utilizing ArcMap software; plant densities may vary across the mapped polygon and oftentimes are scattered. To prevent herbicide waste, reconnaissance of the infestation is recommended prior to planning treatments and/or mixing herbicides.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

2.1 Contract Time: Work would be done in the fall months of September through November for the annual grass pre-emergent treatment window. Work will be timed according to weather conditions.

2.2 Work periods may be adjusted if weather conditions, or plant phenology require a change.

SCOPE OF WORK:

3.1 Project shapefiles may be provided at the contractor’s request.

3.2 The Purpose of this contract is to provide a scope of work for weed surveys and ground-based herbicide spraying within NFS lands in Washoe County, Nevada. This work will consist of noxious and invasive weed management and treatment through the use of chemical control on the Carson Ranger District within known weeds infestations and along designated roads and trails.

3.3 The Forest Service will provide locations of known weed species and roads/trails to the proponent.

Jointed goatgrass (Aegilops cylindrica) Barbed goatgrass (Aegilops triuncialis) Medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae)

3.4 Treatment:

3.4.1 Approximately 160 acres of annual grass will be chemically treated within two project areas. The contractor will be required to spray approximately 71 acres of known goatgrass and medusahead infestations currently identified in the project boundary. Additionally, the contractor will be required to chemically treat within a 25-foot buffer along 18 miles of roads and trails, which includes the road prism. This SOW does not permit the contractor to treat weeds on private land. A general schedule of items is described in Table 1 below. Known infestations, roads, and trails are shown on Maps 1 & 2 and in Appendix A.

3.4.2 The contractor shall furnish all labor, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, supplies and appropriate herbicide, dye, surfactants, and incidentals.

3.4.3 The contractor will perform all work necessary to complete application in accordance with these specifications, and in accordance with state and federal regulations and herbicide labels. From this point on herbicide label(s) will refer to the legal documentation that accompanies every herbicide container including all other information referenced on the label or received from the manufacturer (brochures and leaflets).

3.4.4 The use of global positioning system (GPS) devices or other geolocation software (AVENZA) will be necessary to navigate to and identify known treatment polygon boundaries. A GPS will be used (provided by the contractor) to record areas of treatment by species. Treatments will be mapped as polygon features. Additional specifications for chemical treatment are listed in sections 3.5 and 3.6. The Contractor will provide a final map and shape file/s of all GIS data (completed with a GPS). Data will be collected in NAD83 datum.

3.4.5 The Contractor will be required to submit Herbicide Treatment forms (Appendix B) for each day of treatment. These reports will show acres treated, amount of herbicide used, amount of time required to treat area, weather conditions at time of application and species of weed(s) treated. The contractor will specify whether ounces/acre, or lbs./acre was used and will maintain consistency in their method.

Table 1. Schedule of items (2024)

(Acres)

Pre-emergent Broadcast Treatment Fall treatment: goatgrass & medusahead within known polygons and within 25ft. buffer along roads/trails not within webber’s ivesia habitat*

Chemically treated known polygons and within 25ft buffer on Peavine Peavine:

104.5 acres of broadcast treatment, which includes known infestations and within 25ft. buffer along 11.2 miles of roads/trails

Pre-emergent Backpack Spot Spray Treatment Fall treatment: goatgrass & medusahead backpack sprayer spot treatment within known polygons and within 25ft. buffer along roads/trails in webber’s ivesia habitat*

Chemically treated known polygons and within 25ft buffer on Peavine in webber’s ivesia habitat

Peavine:

8.6 acres of backpack sprayer spot treatment within known infestations and within the 25ft. buffer along roads/trails in webber’s ivesia habitat*

Peavine project area in total 113.1 acres, which includes broadcast treatment and backpack sprayer treatment.

Fall treatment: goatgrass & medusahead broadcast spray within known polygons and within 25ft. buffer along roads/trails

Backpack sprayers may need to be used along road 41436B if road conditions are unfavorable for mobile ground sprayer at time of application.

Chemically treated known polygons and within 25ft buffer on Sierra Front Range Sierra Front:

Total of 46.3 acres of broadcast treatment, which includes 12.2 acres of known infestations; and

34.1 acres (or 6.8 miles) of roads/trails

Backpack sprayers may need to be used along road 41436B if road conditions are unfavorable for mobile ground sprayer.

Sierra Front project area in total 46.3 acres of broadcast treatment; but Backpack sprayers may need to be used along road 41436B if road conditions are unfavorable for mobile ground sprayer at time of application.

Project Closeout: Contractor provide treatment data forms and GIS data to FS representative. FS Staff will monitor treatment efficacy.

*The federally listed Threatened plant species Webber's ivesia (Ivesia webberi) will be avoided during herbicide applications. Backpack sprayers will be used if/when herbicide is applied within 100 feet of known Webber's ivesia occurrences and/or its Critical Habitat. (UTVs with spray tanks and towable spray tanks will not be used within such areas in order to minimize the potential for drift.) The weather conditions (e.g., winds speeds at the time of treatment and precipitation forecasts for four days post-treatment) will be strictly observed when using herbicide within 100 feet of known Webber's ivesia occurrences and/or its Critical Habitat to further minimize the potential of herbicide drift impacting the species.

3.5 Pesticides:

3.5.1 The Contractor will supply all the herbicide, surfactants, adjuvants, indicator dye, and water, necessary to complete the specifications of this contract.

3.5.2 The primary herbicides and rates to be utilized for this project and to be provided by the contactor are listed in Table 2. Herbicides must be labeled for use on rangeland and right-of-way. If the contractor desires to increase the application rates they may increase (with U.S. Forest Service approval) up to a maximum rate. Other herbicides may be required depending on weed species encountered and when requested by the U.S. Forest Service or contractor.

Table 2. List of approved active ingredients and application rates with recommended herbicide products.

Medusahead Jointed goatgrass Barbed goatgrass

3.6 Adjuvants such as surfactants, dye, defoamers, and drift agents:

a. Adjuvant means the inert material added to an herbicide formulation or tank mix to increase the effectiveness of the active ingredient.

b. A surfactant means a Surface-Active Agent. The following surfactants are approved for use in Nevada: Activator 90, Spreader 90, LI- 700, Syltac R11, and MSO (MSO is not for aquatic use). Record surfactant on treatment form. MSO is preferred for pre-emergent.

c. The use of dye is required. The contractor must apply dye at a rate sufficient to remain visible for 24 hours post treatment. Record dye on treatment form in adjuvant section of herbicide treatment form.

d. Defoamer may be used, record in adjuvant section of herbicide treatment form.

e. Drift agents may be used. If a drift control additive is used, read, and carefully observe the cautionary statements and all other information appearing on the additive label. Record drift agent used on treatment form. The Contractor shall provide the drift agent. Controlling drift is the responsibility of the Contractor.

f. All added agents shall be handled as chemicals; refer to Section 5.0 Safety.

3.7 Water: The Contractor will provide water for herbicide mixing.

4.0 Contractor Responsibilities and Conditions:

4.1 The contractor shall hold a current Nevada Certified Pesticide Applicator License from the State of Nevada prior to any chemical application. A licensed applicator must be on site during all herbicide mixing and application.

4.2 The Contractor must properly prepare and submit and adhere to a Pesticide-Use Proposal (PUP) (FS- 2100-2) for each pesticide application activity proposed for implementation on the Humboldt- Toiyabe National Forest. PUPs are good for the life of the project (indefinite) unless:

a. Location of the pesticide application changed

b. Pesticide(s) to be used changed

c. Active ingredient(s) (AI) of the pesticide changed

d. Line officer has changed

e. There are changes in USFS policy/ direction regarding pesticides or related to the resource analyzed in National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents.

In these situations, a new PUP will need to be submitted for approval.

A PUP can be downloaded from the USFS Pest Management and Coordination Website at:

Pesticide Management (usda.gov) Forest Service staff is available to help with the PUP process.

4.3 U.S. Forest Service staff will be in close communication with the contractor to discuss plant phenology, treatment windows, and to answer questions that may arise. The anticipated treatment window can begin as early as September 2024 before rains/seed germination to perform as a pre-emergent to target annual grass species.

4.4 To minimize the introduction of invasive plant species on public lands, all equipment, vehicles, trailers, UTVs, and ATVs must be cleaned using a high pressure/power wash with particular attention given to undercarriage and moving parts prior to on-site arrival and initiation of work. This means equipment, vehicles, trailers, etc. shall be free of all plant parts, mud, and debris which may contain weed seeds and/or propagules.

4.5 The contractor shall stop operation if inclement weather conditions (gusty and/or winds in excess of 10 mph or an eminent threat of rain) occur during spraying operations. The contractor is responsible for following Herbicide Label instructions on proper spraying conditions. Contractor shall have equipment capable of accurately measuring on-site weather conditions including temperature, wind speeds, and relative humidity to assure adherence to contract requirements and record that information on treatment forms (Appendix B).

4.6 Applicator Records: Pesticide Application Records (PARS) also known as an herbicide treatment form (Appendix B) and electronic data (survey and treatment polygons) shall be completed.

a. The contractor shall complete PAR forms. These records must be legible and completed within 24 hours of herbicide application. If PARs are not filled out correctly and in entirety, treatments will not be considered as complete.

b. In addition to manually recording pesticide treatments on PARs, the contractor shall provide USFS with requested data/shapefiles.

4.7 The Contractor must be able to correctly identify weed species and is responsible for identifying the extent of the target species in the project area.

4.8 The Contractor will adhere to all state and federal regulations and label restrictions. In the instance that several guidelines or regulations are provided, the contractor will follow the one that is the most restrictive.

4.9 All equipment will be calibrated prior to application, properly functioning, and free of leaks and malfunctioning or broken parts.

4.10 Equipment:

a. The Contractor shall furnish sufficient equipment to satisfactorily spray the designated areas in the time specified as required in the specifications and the Herbicide Label. Unless otherwise specified, the Contractor shall furnish all equipment, labor, supplies, and materials required to complete the job. The Contractor shall furnish properly outfitted equipment with applicators experienced in applying herbicides in rough terrain. The Contractor shall service and repair their equipment as necessary to maintain satisfactory progress on work. Contractor is responsible for all costs incidental to equipment move-in and move-out associated with the project.

b. Base of Operations: The U.S. Forest Service shall not be held responsible for any loss, mishap, or accident due to the conditions of any loading facility used. All loading sites must be at least 300 feet from perennial water.

4.10.1 Spray Equipment:

a. Spray Tanks: Spray solutions of the product shall be mixed, stored, and applied using only stainless steel, fiberglass, or polyethylene plastic tanks.

b. Spray nozzles: Contractor shall furnish a nozzle type that is designated for the intended application. Refer to the label for proper nozzles to comply with drift management.

c. Booms: Contractor shall furnish non-rust booms.

4.11 Work Crew:

a. Licensed Applicators: Shall be furnished by the contractor and shall meet certification requirements of Nevada regulations for this type of work. Applicators must hold a current Certified Applicator Certification with the forest and right-of-way categories. Licensed applicators must be present onsite during all applications including mixing, handling, and application of herbicides.

b. Work Crew: Shall be furnished by the contractor for handling, mixing, and applying the herbicide and loading the equipment. The Contractor shall furnish the necessary qualified mechanics for maintenance of equipment and shall furnish all fuel, oil, and service required for operation of equipment and vehicles.

4.12 Data Collection, Forms & Global Positioning System (GPS)/Shapefiles: FORMS - For Pesticide treatments the Contractor shall fill out a Pesticide Application Record (PAR) within 24 hours of application of treated sites. PARs are also referred to as an herbicide treatment form (Appendix B) and shall be turned in and reviewed by U.S. Forest Service staff. All fields in the PAR form shall be filled out. A separate PAR shall be filled out for each day of treatment or site type/tank mixture (i.e., terrestrial versus riparian site). More than one species may be included on the same PAR if they are treated in the same location with the same pesticide. Refer to Appendix B for a PAR template.

4.13 Environmental Conditions:

a. Work Period: Spraying Operations will be permitted only during daylight hours.

b. Wind: The Contractor shall follow the Label Section on Spray Drift Management-Wind. Local wind can influence wind patterns. Every applicator should be familiar with local wind patterns and how they affect drift. All applications must cease if winds exceed 10 mph for backpack and/or handgun operation and 6 mph for vehicle or ATV/UTV boom applications. Measurements shall be collected on-site during the time of application.

c. Relative Humidity: Refer to the product label when making applications in low relative humidity conditions. Measurements shall be collected on-site during the time of application.

d. Site Conditions: No herbicide application will be allowed if conditions do not meet the label or U.S. Forest Service requirements (most restrictive of the two shall be followed).

4.14 Spraying:

a. Coverage: It is the responsibility of the Contractor to identify the extent of target species within the project area. The contractor will ensure their workers follow the label limits for chemical application. The Contractor will be required to demonstrate that they can provide adequate and uniform coverage. Contractor shall furnish mixing equipment, suitable work crew, PPE, and perform mixing operation. Spray formulation shall be thoroughly mixed according to the herbicide label and distributed over the entire target area for annual grass species.

i. Do not apply directly to water or to areas where surface water is present below the mean high-water mark

ii. Individual rosettes will be sprayed

iii. Treatment of known infestations on private land will NOT be authorized by the U.S. Forest Service.

b. Application Paths: The Contractor must keep spray applications within the perimeter of the U.S. Forest Service provided project area, including access routes.

c. Application Height: If a spray boom is used, it shall be set at a height to obtain proper distribution and uniform coverage of herbicide on target species. Contractor shall follow Herbicide Label instructions on Spray Drift Management to obtain proper boom height.

d. Spray Drift Management: The interaction of equipment and weather-related factors determines the potential for spray drift. The Contractor is responsible for considering all these factors when making application decisions. Avoiding spray drift is the responsibility of the Contractor and listed on product labels.

e. Buffer Zones: The Contractor is required to follow herbicide label instructions, state rules, and USFS policy for minimum buffer zones; most restrictive of regulations shall be followed.

f. Sprayer equipment clean-up shall be conducted according to label instructions.

4.15 Cultural/Paleontological Considerations: Cultural and/or paleontological resources are present in the area; therefore, ground-based project activities and any other action that causes disturbance of the ground’s surface shall be limited to those areas approved by the U.S. Forest Service. The Contractor shall insure that their employees or representatives do not collect or disturb historic, prehistoric, or paleontological artifacts in accordance with the Archeological Resource Protection Act (43 CFR 7). Should the condition of cultural and/or paleontological resources in the area be altered during treatment due to unauthorized activity by the Contractor or their employees, the Contractor shall be responsible for all costs of mitigating the cultural resources involved. If disturbance to or deterioration of archeological or paleontological sites is found to be occurring during treatment, the Contractor shall immediately suspend all activities in the immediate vicinity that might harm the site/object intact until instructed to proceed by the U.S. Forest Service representative; and shall leave the site/object intact until instructed to proceed.

4.16 Field Quality Control:

a. Tests for Uniformity: The U.S. Forest Service representative may complete tests to determine uniformity of herbicide application.

b. Tests for Rate of Application: Rate of spraying may be determined from test applications and strip tests made prior to commencement of spraying operations to establish setting of the distribution mechanism. U.S. Forest Service staff may inspect the calibration of the equipment at any time.

c. Areas may be inspected during and after treatment. An acceptable level of treatment will be met when all above ground noxious weed growth within the designated areas have been chemically treated with the specified herbicide. Excessive chemical application will result in a top-kill only and does not allow the plant to translocate the chemical throughout the plant. An 80% efficacy is acceptable.

SAFETY INFORMATION

5.0 Safety:

5.1 A spill cleanup kit will be available wherever pesticides are used, transported, or stored. A Spill Containment Kit shall be of sufficient size to contain 10% more herbicide than they have on site plus additional items such as absorbent material, shovel, garbage bags with ties and labels, paper towels, hose clamps, duct tape, and hand tools sufficient to stop the leak and contain the spill.

5.2 Transportation of herbicides: The Contractor shall be responsible for the transport of chemical herbicides used to fulfill the specifications of this contract to the Contractor’s loading site. The Contractor shall secure herbicide containers in mixing area to prevent spillage. The Contractor shall load and transport herbicide from the pick-up point to the work sites and shall be responsible for its protection from loss or damage due to weather, rodents, insects, theft, or any other hazard.

5.3 Protective clothing and equipment for contract employees exposed to herbicides. The Contractor shall supply PPE to contract workers that guarantee minimal exposure throughout the herbicide application process. The Contractor shall follow all regulations regarding PPE which appears on the herbicide label, and MSDS/SDS. The Contractor shall make available cleanup facilities to contract employees exposed to herbicides or herbicide-contaminated equipment.

5.4 Storage of herbicides: The Contractor will be responsible for the storage of all chemicals and will restrict access to the chemicals when the licensed applicator is not present.

5.5 Mixing and application of herbicides:

a. The Contractor shall mix herbicides in accordance with the proportions listed on the product labels. The Contractor shall provide adequate protective clothing and equipment for employees who mix the herbicides.

b. Follow herbicide application instructions to not further expose workers or civilians via direct contact or drift. The Contractor shall be very aware and cautious of any environmental hazard present during herbicide application. Upon completion of herbicide application, the Contractor shall thoroughly clean equipment and dispose of waters, residues, rinses, and unused herbicides only according to EPA and Nevada State regulations. All empty herbicide containers will be tripled rinsed, labels removed and punctured by the Contractor after mixing. The Contractor shall be responsible for disposal or recycling of empty containers.

c. Mixing of chemicals and preparation of treatment devises will occur only on asphalt surfaces or on the main dirt roads.

d. Containers (other than the original labeled registered container) used to hold, store, or transport herbicides require the following labeling:

i. Name, address, and telephone number of the business

ii. Name of the product with EPA Registration number

iii. Name and percentage of the Active Ingredient

iv. Precautionary (signal) word from the registered label

· This includes application equipment like backpack sprayers storing or transporting diluted herbicides. Application equipment must identify the herbicide within.

5.6 Spills and Accidents: The Contractor shall be responsible if accidents and chemical spills occur. The Contractor shall report spills and accidents immediately to the U.S. Forest Service within 4 hours and to the appropriate local authorities. The Contractor shall provide immediate treatment of contaminated or injured persons and seek professional medical attention when necessary. The Contractor shall control chemical spills quickly and shall secure additional help when the Contractor cannot effectively or safely handle the spill cleanup. Spills will be the responsibility of the Contractor and shall be cleaned up to the satisfaction of the local authorities and the U.S. Forest Service.

2- HTNF Sierra Front NV Goatgrass Weeds Project

Map 1. Project location with known goatgrass occurrences, critical habitat, and roads/trails treatments on Peavine Mountain.

Map 2. Project location with known goatgrass occurrences, critical habitat, and roads/trails treatments along the Sierra Front.

APPENDICES

Appendix A- Known invasive weed infestations within the project area.

Table A. Known barbed and jointed goatgrass infestations on Carson Ranger District

Appendix B- Next 2 pages: Chemical Treatment Forms/PAR Forms to be used by the Contractor for FS reporting.

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