SOW_Dawson_Cut_and_Pile.pdf

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

Tres Rios Field Office

29211 Hwy. 184

Dolores, CO 81323

970-882-7296

STATEMENT OF WORK

PROJECT NAME

Dawson Cut and Pile Pinyon Juniper Silviculture Research Project

LOCATION OF PROJECT

The project area is located 19 mi Northeast of Dove Creek, Colorado, near the intersection of county roads 27 (also known as Forest Service Road 512) and 241D. The project area falls within T42N R16W Sections 28, 27, 33, 34, and 35. The center point of the project area is approximately 37.8734 X -108.6395.

CONTRACT PERIOD

Contract period of performance may begin September 25, 2023 and all work must be completed by 12/1/2023.

SCHEDULE

Line Item Services Bid Price

Units 10, 18, 19, 27, 28, 32, 33, 35, 37, 45, 49, 52

269.8 acres thinned according to uniform thinning prescription

Unit 2, 16, 26, 29, 36, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44, 53,

258.0 acres thin according to the heterogenous prescription.

Total 527.8 Acres

DESCRIPTION OF WORK

Purpose

Southwest District Fire and Aviation in conjunction with the Tres Rios Field Office, researchers from the USFS, USGS, Colorado State University, University of Nevada Reno, and UC Berkely propose a project to reduce hazardous fuels, evaluate the forest stand response to the treatments, and use this information to study pinyon-juniper response to drought and disturbance. 527.8 acres of Pinyon-Juniper in the Dawson Vegetation Treatment project area would be thinned and piled in units of 16-28 acres. Units have been organized to study two different thinning prescriptions: a uniform thinning prescription and a heterogenous thinning prescription as well as banded across elevation to evaluate vegetative response to these treatments at different elevations.

Project access

The project areas are accessed from CO Highway 141 taking San Miguel County Rd 19Q

(Disappointment Rd) to Forest Road 512. Take FS 512 to the intersection with county road 27 and the project site straddles county road 27. Only approved roads may be utilized for vehicle access in the units, and any other methods of transportation or access will require additional approval. See attached maps for more details on roads in the area.

Thinning Guidelines

➢ Units 10, 18, 19, 27, 28, 32, 33, 35, 37, 45, 49, 52 Uniform Thinning Prescription: In all uniform treatment units, remove trees to reduce fuel at two different levels (low intensity thinning and high intensity thinning). The unit is split into two sections of approximately equal size for each of these thinning intensities.

o Level 1: Low intensity thinning: Leave at least 15 feet between tree crowns. 70% of the retained (i.e. leave) trees should be over 8 inches diameter at root collar (drc) if present and 30% should be between 2 inches and 8 inches in basal diameter.

o Level 2: High intensity thinning: Leave at least 40 feet between tree crowns; 70% of the retained (i.e. leave) trees should be over 8 inches drc if present and 30% should be between 2 inches and 8 inches in basal diameter.

o remove 70% of gambel oak stem less than 3 inches in diameter at root collar (DRC); retain all gambel oak stems greater than 3 inches in DRC, and remove 70% of all other shrubs.

➢ Units 2, 16, 26, 29, 36, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44, 53, 55 Heterogenous Thinning Prescription: In all heterogeneous units the treatment will consist of openings (or gaps) where all trees < 16 inches

DBH are cut (approximately 10-15% of the unit), clumps where no trees are cut (approximately 10-

15% of the unit), and then a thinning matrix based on the spacing guidelines listed in Table 1.

o In the thinning matrix and openings that are created, remove 70% of gambel oak stem less than 3 inches in diameter at root collar (DRC); retain all gambel oak stems greater than 3 inches in DRC, and remove 70% of all other shrubs.

Table 1. Spacing guidelines for pinyon and juniper trees of similar size classes. Spacing guides in the matrix will generally be done using individual trees for leave trees. However, some small groups of mature trees may be left. If leaving a mature group, the group should be considered “one large tree” for spacing purposes. In such cases, the spacing between this group and other trees should follow the large tree spacing rules specified in this table.

➢ SPACING GUIDE FOR PJ TREES OF LIKE SIZE

Diameter at Root Collar

(DRC) [size class] Clearing radius (i.e. spacing between crowns), in feet Target trees per acre (after treatment)

<4 inches [juveniles] 20 67

4-7 inches [small] 25 40

7-10 inches [medium] 32 20

10-16 inches [large] 45 10

➢ The following is the general guidance on which pinyon and juniper trees to cut and applies to both the heterogeneous and uniform prescriptions:

o Leave (Reserve) trees should be the healthiest trees with the least amount of physical damage.

o Trees that appear healthy (green needles) that have no evidence of insects/diseases are preferred over trees with partially dying canopies or other sources of damage.

o Trees showing signs of good cone/nut production are preferred over trees without cone production. This may not be evident in some years, but can often be determined by quantities of old cones littering the ground below good producing trees.

o Cut all dying or recently dead pinyon trees <10 inches in DRC that show evidence of beetle infestations. Leave all other standing dead pinyon and juniper for wildlife snags. Dead trees are not considered when applying the spacing guides above.

➢ In addition to the above, the following apply:

1. All trees that are cut within the project boundaries shall be completely severed from the stump(s). No live or dead limbs shall be left on the stump of cut trees.

2. Stump height shall not exceed six (6) inches measured on the uphill side or four (4) inches above an obstruction (rock, etc) located against the tree stump.

3. All main branches or stems shall be cut from the trunk of the tree and shall be cut as flush with the trunk as feasible.

4. Except for leave (i.e. reserve) trees, all live trees having a minimum size of one (1) inch

Diameter Root Crown (DRC) and a height of 12 inches shall be cut.

5. All trees with a basal diameter >16 inches should not be cut.

6. Retain all trees marked with green paint.

7. Retain all trees that contain or are near raptor nests.

8. No ponderosa pine trees should be cut, even if it occurs in a designated opening or in the thinned matrix.

Thinning will reduce fuel loading and the potential for running crown fire in piñon and juniper by creating breaks in contiguous canopies. Tree density and size vary widely across the treatment areas.

Cut trees

Cut trees specifications include all trees more than 1 foot in height and greater than 1 inch in

DRC. Trees with physical and biological culls such as: significant lean, rot, broken tops, and/or suppressed or unhealthily crown ratio. All cut trees will be piled to facilitate burning.

Reserved Trees

Reserve trees should be free of insects, disease, and physical or biological defects with a live crown ratio of 70% or greater. Any tree that has cavities or evidence of nesting will be reserved.

Any tree marked as a boundary or survey tree must be reserved. Minimum leave tree size is 4 feet tall. Most (65%) reserved trees should be large and mature.

Piles

No less than 90% of all cut trees, live limbs and slash shall be piled. Piles are to be constructed to facilitate burning by the government at a later date. Minimum pile size is 5x5x5 feet. The contractor shall construct piles that are sufficiently compacted to allow for a high percentage of consumption from burning, this may require multiple cutting of stems, compacting the pile with equipment or other approved techniques. Piles should be constructed with branches and smaller diameter fuels piled on bottom and larger limbs/bole wood piled on top.

Piles should be spaced appropriately away from leave trees to avoid damage from burning.

Anticipate flame lengths twice the piled fuel height when placing piles i.e (5 ft tall pile will have

10 ft flame lengths so pile should be placed at least 10 ft away from the nearest reserve trees).

Piles will be constructed in a way to prevent toppling. Piles may be placed on stumps. Oak and other brush cut will need to be added to the piles. Piles shall not be constructed in swales, streams, springs, or within 15 feet any recreational trail within the units. Piles shall not be placed on or near any cadastral survey markers, see “Cadastral Survey” below for more information.

Piles may not be built under any electrical transmission line or utility line. Piles shall be free of soil.

BLM SHALL FURNISH OR PROVIDE

1. Georeferenced maps for Avenza Maps application and aerial photographs of the project area, as well as project oversight and inspection.

CONTRACTOR SHALL FURNISH

1. Work crews, all materials and supplies including personal protective equipment required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), necessary to carry out contract operations.

STIPULATIONS

Damage to Existing Structures:

Damage to culverts, fences, cattle guards, gates and other improvements will be repaired by the contractor immediately and at the Contractor’s expense. Repairs shall be made to the previous conditions as determined by the COR or the BLM will hire the work done at the Contractor’s expense.

Road Surface Conditions:

Vehicles or equipment shall not be operated when the road is muddy or if on site moisture

(rain/snow/hail/etc.) events exceed 0.25 inch in 1 hour or .75" in 24 hours, the COR may require a halt to traffic until the roads dry enough (or freeze) so that damage by vehicles does not occur. When/If such conditions are encountered, the Contractor shall stop work and immediately notify the COR/PI.

Road Maintenance

Any excessive road damage from equipment or trucks will be subject to repair by the contractor to continue work on the project or to release any/all payments.

Project area site

To avoid impacts to surface sites, machinery will not operate in wet conditions that would produce ruts over 3” deep. Trails or ruts constructed into hillsides shall have the fill slope re-contoured back onto the running surface upon completion of use.

Stream Protection:

Slash and other debris deposited in any stream channel as a result of operations shall be removed by the contractor and deposited at least five feet above the ordinary high water mark using care to minimize damage to stream channels and banks.

Soil Protection:

To the extent possible, existing landings and skid trails shall be utilized thus minimizing any new disturbance within the project area. During winter operations, heavy equipment shall operate only when soil is protected by at least 1 foot of packed snow or 2 inches of frozen soil.

Cadastral Survey Protection:

The project area has been included in the BLM Cadastral Survey system. Modification or damage to any survey marker, boundary tree, etc. must be avoided. Any damage to survey markers/ boundary trees must be documented and reported to the PI immediately. Maps of the units have been created to include PLSS Survey grids and potential locations of PLSS markers at the intersection of grid points.

Snag Retention:

50% of snags except those posing a safety hazard to operations, shall be reserved.

All Snags within 100 feet of roads should be cut and piled as appropriate. Snags within 50 feet of recreational trails should be cut and piled. Snags adjacent to piles shall be cut/piled to prevent fire spread in them. Emphasis should be placed on rotten/unstable snags for removal.

Erosion Control:

The Contractor shall insure erosion control measures are installed as operations progress, at the end of each operating season, prior to freeze up when winter operations are anticipated or as designated by the COR.

Administration:

Operations will proceed in a systematic manner through the project area as determined by the

COR. The Contractor shall insure best management practices are utilized to minimize damage to soil, reproduction, and reserve trees.

Migratory Birds:

Work conducted from May 15 – July 15 must be done in such a way as to reduce the negative impacts to nesting migratory birds. If active nests are identified in the work area, the COR must be notified immediately, and work may have to proceed in a way to avoid the nesting area.

Goshawk Nests:

If an active goshawk nest is discovered, activity within a radius of 646 feet (30 acres) of the nest will be prohibited.

Weeds:

The Contractor shall ensure that prior to moving to the contract area, all off-road equipment is free of soil, seeds, vegetative matter, or other debris that could contain or hold seeds, as determined by the COR. “Off-road equipment” includes all logging and construction machinery or vehicles that travel off designated roads as specified on the project map including UTVs.

Equipment shall be considered clean when a visual inspection does not disclose such material.

Disassembly of equipment components or specialized inspection tools is not required. Cleaning shall not take place on BLM land.

Public Access:

The project area will not be closed to the public during the contract period. BLM may post signs at the entrance to the area to notify the public of the activity. The Contractor must be aware of the presence of people in the work area and adjust activities to account for their presence.

Archeological or Cultural Discoveries:

The Contractor shall avoid disturbing all cultural sites. If in connection with operations under this contract the Contractor, his subcontractors, or the employees of any of them, discovers, encounters, or becomes aware of any objects or sites of cultural value on the contract area such as historical or prehistorical ruins, human remains, 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 COR of the findings. Operations may resume at the discovery site upon receipt of written instructions and authorization by the COR.

Littering:

No littering is permitted, and the contractor shall be responsible for hauling all trash accumulated out of the area.

Work Camps:

The Contractor or his employees, upon written authorization from the COR, may establish a temporary work camp on the contract area or on adjacent public lands administered by the BLM.

The camp may consist of mobile trailers, pickup campers, tent trailers or tents. The Contractor will be required to:

1. Provide adequate sanitary facilities

2. Provide metal garbage collection cans with lids

3. Keep the camp in a clean and orderly condition

4. Rehabilitate the area to the satisfaction of the COR.

Injuries and Damage:

Contractors are expected to know and strictly adhere to all OSHA laws and regulations regarding the work being conducted under this contract. The Contractor, in their operations under this contract, shall not perform in a negligent manner causing any person or property to be injured or damaged.

Fire Stipulations:

During periods of extreme fire danger, the Contracting Officer (CO) may issue a restriction or closure order to the Contractor in writing. During periods when fire danger is rated high, very high or extreme as identified by the Durango Interagency Fire Dispatch Center (970-385-1324), the Contractor and their employees must, at a minimum, have a shovel, a class A_B_C fire extinguisher with a minimum of 1 pound of retardant, or a container with a minimum of 5 gallons of water at each chainsaw refueling site. It is prohibited to operate or use any internal combustion engine, on any timber, brush, or grass covered land, including trails traversing such land, without a spark arrester maintained in effective working order.

Hazardous Materials:

Use of hazardous materials requires that all appropriate State and Federal Regulations be complied with including, but not limited to, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on hand and use of necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

On-site disposal of hazardous materials or waste including hydrocarbons is not authorized. On-site disposal will subject the Contractor to at least the cost of reclamation and the appropriate disposal of contaminated soil.

Incidental (de minims) leaks from fittings, gaskets or ruptured hoses will not subject the

Contractor to remedial requirements. They will be considered to be normal and unavoidable losses. Continual leaks will be noted on inspection reports and correction through maintenance required.

Maintenance and repair operations that require the draining of engines or hydraulic systems may be conducted on site only if the fluids are captured, containerized, and removed from public lands for proper disposal.

PAYMENT

The Contractor’s inspection results are to be used as a guide for the Contractor’s use in complying with contract specifications and not as a basis for payment. Payment will be based on the Government’s inspection results. Payment will be made upon unit completion, based on completed acreage inspected and accepted by the Government, less the adjustment in payment based on the work quality level percentage, if any. If the work quality level equals or exceeds 95 percent before rework, full payment (100 percent) will be made for the number of acres inspected and accepted by the Government on the completed units. Units achieving a work quality level of 85 – 94 percent will be paid at that percentage rate. If units are accepted which do not meet 85 percent, payments will be made at a rate determined by multiplying the actual inspection percentage by the bid price.

Deliverables:

Payments may be made upon the completion of 50 percent of the total available acres depending on inspection by the COR. Payment in full is also acceptable if desired upon completion of the treatment acres in the project.

INSPECTION/ACCEPTANCE

Inspection/Acceptance of all service performed in accordance with this contract for purpose of initiating contractor payment shall be by the COR.

The BLM COR or PI designated by the Contracting Officer (CO) shall make periodic inspections of the project as a basis for payment and recommendations for adjustments in work quality while work is in progress. The Contractor is encouraged to observe inspections while they are being made.

As the basis for payment, inspections for compliance with contract specifications will be made for work units or areas reported as completed by the Contractor.

Performance Work Statement

Performance Standard (Acceptable Quality Level)

Monitoring Methods

Effect of Not Meeting Performance Standard

Uniform Treatment Type

137 +- 10% trees per acre are left after treatment.

Visual inspection and measurement if not passing visual inspection.

If below minimum rework area at no additional cost to the Government. If above maximum, modify methods.

Heterogenous Treatment Type

Pre-identified gaps are clear of trees within 15 feet of mapped gaps.

Thinned matrix remaining will be 137 +- 10% trees per acre.

Visual inspection and measurement if not passing visual inspection.

If below minimum rework area at no additional cost to the Government. If above maximum, modify methods. .

Piling No less than 90% of all cut brush trees, live limbs and slash shall be piled. Piles may not be built too closely to leave trees or recreational trails.

Visual inspection and measurement if not passing visual inspection.

Rework area at no additional cost to the Government. Contractor may assume all suppression/rehabilitation costs as the result of a coal seam or outcrop fire caused by incorrect pile placement.

Stump height. Stumps 6 inches or lower with no live limbs except where obstacles obstruct.

Visual inspection and measurement of stump height if not passing visual inspection.

Cut stumps at no additional cost to the Government.

BASIS FOR AWARD

See RFQ

PROJECT SITE VISIT (Self-guided SHOW ME TRIP)

Interested Contractors are encouraged to visit the project area before submittal of final bids.

Avenza/pdf maps are available by contacting the Contract Specialist at lstjohn@blm.gov.

Definitions

Damaged Tree- any reserve or “leave” tree that has been damaged by the Contractor.

Obstacle- For the purposes of this contract an obstacle is defined as any object, which can impede, or damage the tree cutting equipment. This could include rocks, logs, old stumps, road banks or culverts.

Treatment Unit/ Project area/Thinning Units – areas where contact work will be completed that is delineated on the Project area map.

Mature Pinyon or Juniper – Minimum of 16 inches in DBH.

Cut/Take trees- Trees that are going to be removed by cutting

Brush - Vegetation consisting of shrub species with single or multi-stems originating at or near ground level not normally reaching twenty feet in height. Examples include but are not limited to oakbrush, serviceberry, and sagebrush

CO – Contracting Officer

COR – Contracting Officers’ Representative

COR/PI - either the COR or the PI

PI – Project Inspector

Reserve Trees - Trees not to be cut. Trees that are the largest, dominant, and healthiest while maintaining a representation of all size classes within the stand.

Slash - Any material which has been cut or broken from a tree by the Contractor during operations

Unsevered – not completely separated from the whole, pieces still attached.

**When a disagreement over definitions not listed arises, the Society of American

Foresters, THE DICTIONARY of FORESTRY, will be used to determine accepted definitions.

Maps

Tres Rios Field Office

29211 Hwy. 184

Tres Rios Field Office

29211 Hwy. 184