SOW_Deer_Mt_B-H_2023.pdf

Statement of Work for Rocky Mountain National Park’s

Deer Mountain Blocks B, E, F, H 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 park infrastructure, adjacent communities and municipal water sheds. Work includes felling standing trees, pruning remaining trees, removing ladder fuels, bucking dead and down material, and piling all resulting cut 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 visitors. The intent is to complete this contract with hand crews using hand carried chainsaws, off road vehicles are not permitted. Future pile burning will be conducted by Rocky Mountain National Park personnel and is not part of this contract.

The Deer Mountain Blocks B, E, F, H Fuels Reduction Project is 116 acres broken up into 4 blocks.

The intent is to award the contract to one contractor based on the best value to the government based on many values including but not limited to;

production capacity to complete the work in a timely fashion, knowledge, experience, and understanding of this type of work, past performance as it relates to quality and customer satisfaction, and price.

Portions of the project are located on steep terrain with all aspects represented. The forest inside this project is generally mixed conifer with a heavy presence of lodgepole. There are several large areas of ponderosa dominant overstory and several large aspen stands. Douglas fir, spruce, small aspen and limber pine can be found as individual trees or understory throughout the project area. Please note, pockets of understory aspen are present throughout the project and can be extensive in size and distribution (this has significant impacts to the volume of work). Elevation of the project sites ranges from 8500ft to 9000ft. Weather at this elevation can include rain, lightning, sun, snow, and occasional high winds (20-60 mph). All work will be conducted within the Park’s boundaries. Between 2005 and present, pine beetles and other bugs have been very active, this has generated a mosaic of mortality in all the conifer species.

Block B 29 acres Block E 26 acres

Block F 17 acres

Block H 43 acres

In early 2021 basal area measurements and photos were taken at six plots within three blocks adjacent to this project. No measurements or photos have been taken in the actual project area. The results are listed in the table on this page and plot letters correspond to the blocks, i.e., plot J1 is in Block J. These measurements and photos provide information that may be useful for giving a general impression of the current project area since these blocks were initially treated at the same time as the current project. However, all individual blocks differ in terrain, species, and amount of dead and down. All forest measurements (avg DBH, tree species, BA, % mortality) are all highly variable due to a mosaic of forest age, stand density, mortality, tree sizes, and dominant tree species. Despite efforts to make these measured sites representative the number of plots and the size of the plots are not statistically significant (less than 0.52% of the total area was measured) and plot locations were not randomly selected. If statistically accurate forest measurements are desired or required by the potential 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 inspect each block prior to bidding in order to understand the highly variable nature of the timber and the associated volume of work. Block boundaries are marked with blue tree paint when not delineated by a trail.

Plot # Avg. BA sq ft /ac

I1 260

I2 130

J1 110

J2 155

K1 110

K2 115

Please take special note of the following:

A) Parking for vehicles is available along the Aspen Glen Campground Road but are on a first come first serve basis (see maps). Parking off road on the vegetation inside Rocky Mountain National Park is not allowed. Any parking on adjacent private property must be arranged by the contractor with the property owner and may not in any way include or involve Rocky Mountain National Park. Parking in designated areas adjacent to paved roads may be available but these parking areas fill quickly and early.

B) Please note the desired pile volume can be up to 2000 cubic feet far greater than typical pile sizes (see pile specifications for minimum pile sizes). These larger pile sizes may require slash to be dragged significant distances.

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 stems may require dragging slash significant distances (out of the Aspen stands or away from pockets of Aspen saplings) in some places.

E) Please note the minimum distance requirement between piles and other features (park boundary, streams, above and below ground powerlines, ditches and trails). These requirements will require dragging/moving of slash significant distances in some places;

especially when two such features occur near each other.

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

G) Please note the trail-guard requirements are very specific and important to successful operations when running saws near trails (see attached specifications).

H) Please note that the trees to be felled, bucked, limbed, and stacked have not been marked and that the work of selecting pile openings and selecting trees to be removed per the specifications rests upon the contractor.

Work Specifications for the Lily Lake Deep Fuels Reduction Project

1) Work on the Deer Mountain Blocks B-H Fuels Reduction Project is intended to be conducted in the 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 permission to do so from the contract officer and scheduled an arrival date and time with the COR.

2) Due to adjacent occupied homes, no chainsaw work may be conducted before 8 am and after 6 pm. Stacking and other quite operations may occur any time after sunrise and before sunset.

3) Do not fell live limber pine or live aspen. This specification supersedes all other specifications.

4) Do not fell trees (live or dead) with cavity nesting holes, large stick nests or other evidence of significant sensitive wildlife use. This specification supersedes all other specifications.

5) Do not cut trees flagged with candy striped flagging and do not work in areas flagged off with candy striped flagging. This specification supersedes all other specifications.

6) Do not cut trees freshly marked with blue paint. This specification supersedes all other specifications.

7) Cutting, dragging material, and other work should not be conducted within 30 feet of running streams or inside the cut banks of running streams or within 30 feet of standing water. This specification supersedes all other specifications.

8) Clean conifers out of the aspen regen and aspen stands. Remove (fell, limb, buck, and stack) all (live and dead) lodgepole, ponderosa, Douglas-fir, fir and spruce with less than

16-inch DBH (diameter at breast height), this includes seedlings taller than 3 inches and saplings, when within 30 feet of an aspen taller than 3 feet, or within a live aspen stand with exceptions for specifications #3, #4, #5 #6 and #7. Please take special note that there are extensive areas of continuous small aspen stems less than 30 feet apart in the understory. In these areas this specification generates a very large number of mature overstory tree removals.

9) Remove (fell, buck, and stack) all trees that are broken, severed at the base, got stuck on other trees during the felling process (remove all “hung up” trees), have failing root balls, are leaning onto other trees, and all trees with natural leans greater than 25 degrees from vertical with exceptions for specifications #3, #4, #5, #6, and #7. A winch, pullies and ropes or other conveyance may be required to remove some of these trees. If a tree that meets this specification cannot be felled with a reasonable degree of safety inform the COR and request an exemption due to unacceptable risk.

10) Remove (fell, buck and stack) all Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga Menziesii) with DBH less than 7 inches with exceptions for specifications #4, #5, #6 and #7. This includes small seedlings taller than 3 inches and saplings

11) Remove (fell, buck and stack) all Junipers trees (Juniperus Scopulorum) within 100 feet of trails, roads, powerlines and all the block boundaries with exceptions for specifications #4, #5, #6 and #7.

12) Remove (fell, buck and stack) all juniper trees with DBH less than 6 inches throughout the rest of the project area. This includes small seedlings taller than 3 inches and saplings with exceptions for specifications #4, #5 and #6.

13) Remove (fell, buck and stack) all dead trees and pine beetle infested trees (fresh hit but not dead yet) within 100 feet of any trail, road, powerline and block boundary, with exceptions for specifications #4, #5, #6 and #7.

14) Remove (fell, buck and stack) all the dead trees and pine beetle infested trees (fresh hit but not dead yet) with DBH (diameter at breast height) less than 16 inches throughout the rest of the project area (aka beyond 100 feet of trails, powerlines, roads and block boundaries, with exceptions for specifications #4, #5, #6 and #7.

15) Thin Lodgepole, Ponderosa, and Spruce saplings and seedlings greater then 3 inches tall and less than 4 inches DBH down to one tree per 10-foot radius. Remaining trees selection should be the healthiest tree with the best form. Giving ponderosa preference over

Lodgepole and Spruce

16) Up to 100 additional trees in each block may be marked for removal by the COR during implementation of the contract (generally after the contractor has finished felling in that area). These trees will be in addition to removals covered by other specifications. Trees will be marked with orange tree paint in a horizontal line at shoulder height and bear the number (1-100) to assist with tracking how many trees have been marked.

17) Establish openings for piles to be stacked in. Openings should be at least 45 feet in diameter with at least 5 openings per acre. These pile openings should be located in natural openings whenever possible, when not posable tree removal is required. When not in natural openings they should be located were resulting tree removals will be limited in number, size, and volume. Previous burnt pile locations should be used when possible. If additional openings (more than 9 per acre) 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 33h, 33i, 33j and 33k.

18) In addition to other tree removals listed above. Thin remaining live conifer stems to generate at least 10-foot canopy spacing between the branch tips of trees or clumps of trees. Clumps of trees can consist of 2-7 trees growing close enough together so that their branches are touching and they affect each other’s shape and form. When possible, thinning should favor removal in the following priority order: #1 trees of poor health or form, #2 Douglas-fir less than 16 inches DBH with exceptions for specifications #3, #4, #5, #6, and #7.

19) Within 20 feet of trails, roads, and powerlines remove live trees with a DBH less than 5 inches and trees less than 20 feet tall, with exceptions for specifications #3, #4, #5, #6, and

#7. This includes seedlings and saplings as great emphasis is placed on removing regen from these areas before they grow into potential hazard trees.

20) Remove all brush taller than 1 foot from within 10 feet of trails, and roads. Ground juniper may be pruned to keep it shorter that 1 foot rather then removed.

21) All stumps (including all stumps from other felling operations prior to this contract) must be cut less than 2 inches above the ground on all sides. Multi-faceted stumps are acceptable and may reduce stumping efforts. Please note previous fuels reduction work and tree removals have occurred in many of the blocks and have left many stumps higher than 2 inches.

22) Prune all remaining trees taller than 12 feet in height 8 feet up from the ground. Limbs that exit the bole of the tree above 7 feet and droop below the 8-foot level may be cut where the branch crosses into the 8-foot level.

23) All pruning stobs will be less than 1/2 inch in length on all sides.

24) Pruning activities should not damage the bole of the tree.

25) Cut and pile all “Ladder” fuels located between the stem of any remaining tree and 4 feet beyond the drip line. Ladder fuels include brush greater than 1 foot tall and small trees (1

– 11.9 feet tall). Trees taller than 11.9 feet do not need to be removed as ladder fuels. Live aspen, birch or willow of any size do not need to be removed as ladder fuels.

26) Cut and pile all dead and down material (without saw cuts) greater than 2.5 inches in diameter regardless of length. In addition, cut and pile all dead and down longer than 3 feet in length regardless of diameter. This includes partially burned material left over from previous pile burn operations. A branch or log that is less than 2.5 inches in diameter, AND 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 in diameter and 3 foot in length rather than piling the rotten material provided it does not leave saw cuts.

27) All trees felled and all cut material must be piled. All material bearing saw cuts greater than half inch in diameter must be piled regardless of length. This includes small branches, partially burned logs left over from past pile burns, “cookies” and “pie cuts”. However, it does not include the portion of the stump stuck in the ground. Stumps from wind throw that are easily moved (lose, not stuck in the ground) and bare saw cuts must be piled.

28) Felling and piling activities will damage no more than 30% of the retained trees.

29) This area is very popular with horseback riders including guided horseback tours.

Chainsaws may not be run within 200 yards of horseback riders as this can startle the horses and potentially cause harm to the riders. To prevent this from happening guards must be posted on all trails leading into cutting areas at a distance greater than 200 yards from the saws. Two way communications between the sawyers and all the guards must be maintained during the felling operation. Radios are strongly recommended as shouting and hand signals are insufficient at that distance in the timber. Trail guards must speak

English, additional languages may be helpful. 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 startling the horses and potentially causing harm to the riders. Delays to horse riders should not extend past the time it takes to get partially cut trees onto the ground and the slash cleared from the trail (generally no more than a 10-minute delay).

30) Many hikers use the trails and roads in the area, and they must be kept at least two tree heights away from all felling operations. The trail and road guards must be present on all pathways leading toward felling operations and should delay hikers until all felling is completed and sawyers are on hold from felling any more trees. Note: bucking and pruning operations may continue with chainsaws as hikers pass.

31) 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, road or no road). 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 witnessed by park employees will automatically generate a stop in felling operations until a satisfactory solution to the problem is discussed with the COR and agreed upon.

32) 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 10 minutes from the time it is cut.

33) The contractor is responsible for any damages they cause to public or private property.

Including but not limited to vehicles, signs, paved roads, powerlines, infrastructure, and buildings.

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

a) Pile height will be at least 8 feet high

b) Pile width will be at least 10 feet wide

c) Pile length will be at least 10 feet long

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

⁰ 10+’

10+’

8+

e) Material must not stick out more than one foot from the bottom four feet of the pile edge. 32d and 32e are often accomplished by shaving the pile edges with a saw after the piles are constructed and resulting cut material is stacked on the top of the pile OR stacking stem wood side by side in a vertical arrangement.

f) Most of 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. After that, most of the stem wood greater than 4 inches in diameter 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 the CORS fist from penetrating more than 2.5 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 angle to allow penetration. Should the probe reach more than 2.5 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 from powerlines (above and below ground in block B), more than 50 feet away from stream beds, and 50 feet away from the park boundary. 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 stems. If residual live tree spacing is tight and the contractor desires to remove additional live trees to meet this specification rather than 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 and #7.

35) 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.

36) To ensure all specifications are well understood, the COR will plan to be on site for a minimum of 4 hours on the first day and 2 hours on the second day of work. Actual start date should be scheduled in advance with the COR and after a permission to proceed has been released by the Contract Officer to ensure availability.

37) 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.

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

39) The contractor is responsible for removing and properly disposing of all trash and litter they encounter.

40) Overnight storage of equipment on the project site, including saw gas and bar oil, is not allowed without permission of the COR.

Quality Acceptance Level and Government Inspection Method

The quality acceptance level is set at 96% to maintain an ascetically acceptable appearance for our high visitation. Obviously we expect the contractor to strive for 100% compliance with every specification listed as “all” but recognize that due to human error and other complications this may not be possible every time. For the work to be accepted in any block, every one of the specifications must be met to the 96% acceptance level, or to the satisfaction of the COR when there are extenuating circumstances. Each block must pass independently. A quality level of 98% in Block A does not allow for acceptance of a quality level of 94% in another block. Each specification will be measured separately and all applicable specifications must be met in each block for it to be accepted. Measurements will be taken on multiple transects and along the perimeter of each block as well as along trails (sampling at least 10% of the area in each block).

Examples of sampling method

When sampling a transect to see if a specification is meet. If an item that does not meet a required work specification is found the next 24 surrounding items applicable to that specification must be correctly completed. If while sampling the next/surrounding 24 items if another is found that does not meet the same specification another additional 24 items that do meet it must be found. This would continue until the percentage of error can be estimated or until enough correctly worked items are found to determine that the specification is being met at least 96% of the time.

Examples by Specification

#3 For every aspen or limber pine found cut then another 24 must be found standing #4 For every cavity or stick nest tree found felled then another 24 must be located standing #7 If a tree with DBH less than 16 inches is found within 30 feet of an aspen taller than 3 feet another 24 stumps within 30 feet of aspen must be found #12 For every dead tree within 100 feet of roads and trails 24 dead stumps must be found #18 For every live tree with DBH less than 5 inches found within 20 feet of a trail or road then another 24 green stumps must be found #20 For every stump with an edge more than 2 inches above ground 24 stumps with all edges below 2 inches must be found #21 For every tree with limbs below 8 feet 24 more trees correctly limbed must be found.

#22 For every pruning stob longer than ½ inch 24 must be found that are less than ½ inch long #23 For every tree with damage to the stem due to limbing/pruning 24 trees must be found without damage #24 For every tree with ladder fuel under it 24 must be found without #25 & #26 For every 100 square feet of forest floor (10ft by 10Ft) with material left in it that was supposed to be stacked 2400 square feet (24 10ft x 10ft) must be found free of material that requires stacking.

#33 For every pile that does not meet all of the pile requirements of specification (#33A – #33J) 24 piles must be found that do meet all the requirements.

Minimum Safety Requirements 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. Historically contractors have shown up to start work and failed to meet some of these specifications resulting in delays prior to work starting.

1. All employees must have and use adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including at a minimum, hard hat, hearing protection, eye protection, sturdy footwear, and gloves.

When running a chainsaw, or within 10 feet of a running saw, chaps must be worn. Chaps must be free of saw cuts and other significant damage. Any cuts, abrasions, or blown out stitching, longer than 1 inch and penetrating the outer layer constitutes significant damage.

Any damage or loss of Kevlar strands inside of the chaps, no matter how small, constitutes significant damage. Both sides of the chaps will be inspected on day one before cutting starts and periodically throughout the contract.

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 show the COR written certification showing currency on day one prior to chainsaw work commencing.

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 or spotty in some of the work area. Radio frequencies for Rocky Mountain National Park dispatch will be provided upon request. Government radios will NOT be provided.

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 heat. Leaky cans, cans without lids, or lids that leak when knocked over must be removed from the project and the park. Fuel and bar oil will not be left on site overnight.

8. Contractor must have minor spill protection and spill clean-up equipment on site, a tarp, 5-gallon bucket, and a shovel should suffice when working on the forest floor.

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. Historically contractors have shown up to start work and failed to meet some of these specifications resulting in delays prior to work starting.

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

Additional Limitations and Requirements 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 carried.

• 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 and call 911 or Rocky Mountain National Park Dispatch.

• 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. Given the outdoor work environment it is acceptable to hand out this information to each employee.

• Smoking is prohibited except in developed campgrounds, vehicles, or while seated in an area of at least three feet in diameter that is barren 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 COR or contact the Park Cultural Resources Specialist.

• No cutting of live Aspen and live Limber Pine.

• No cutting live or dead trees with cavity nests or large stick nests.

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

• No provisions for camping in the park will be made to the contractor.

• All food must be stored out of site in locked vehicles when workers are not present to avoid feeding the bears

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.NPS.gov/romo/planyourvisit/rules_regulations.htm http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/rules_regulations.htm

This contract is located on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park 4 miles west of downtown Estes Park, Colorado on Highway 34 (aka Fall River Road). There are parking areas along Aspen Glen Campground road available to the public and the contractor on a first come first serve basis. The contractor must get permission from private property owners to park on and cross private property. To get to Estes park from Denver it’s approximately 30 miles north to Longmont on I-25 then another 16 miles west on Highway 66 to Lyons then another 23 miles west on US

Highway 36.

During the summer when Trail

Ridge Road is open the project area can be accessed from the west.

From Granby, CO head north and east 51 miles on

Hwy 34, passing

Grand Lake and traveling over the continental divide and through Rocky

Mountain National

Park to Estes Park.

See attached maps and photos for contract location and individual block descriptions.

Overview of Project Area

Project Area Highlighted

Project Map of locations where fuel measurements and photos were taken.

Additional Limitations and Requirements for All Cutting Blocks