SOW.pdf

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

Tres Rios Field Office

29211 Hwy. 184

Dolores, CO 81323

STATEMENT OF WORK

PROJECT NAME

Unit 19 West Dolores Rim Hazardous Fuels: Yarding and Decking

LOCATION OF PROJECT

The project area is located approximately 6.5 miles northeast of Dove Creek, CO. Township_42 North

(TN), Range_18 West (RW) Sections_36 and Township _41 North Range _18 West Section _2 (see project area maps below). Lat x Long: 37 51.013’ x 108 49.682

CONTRACT PERIOD

Contractor may operate from May 1st – May 15th 2024, and July 15th-September 30th 2024 and all work must be completed by September 30th, 2024. These are the only operating periods available due to wildlife closures that cannot be lifted.

SCHEDULE

The following bid items are listed in descending order of priority:

Line Item Service Bid Price

1 Yarding and Decking thinned material from unit 19 (110 acres).

$ /acre

DESCRIPTION OF WORK

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to reduce threat from catastrophic wildfire by reducing fuels available to burn and enhance forest stand health. Stand vigor improvement through promoting ponderosa pine regeneration will help the forest resist potential future stressors such as: drought, disease, insects, and wildfire. As well as improve big game and turkey habitat.

Description of project area

Mostly Ponderosa Pine stand with variable density and very little slope across the unit. Good road access to the unit. Nearest town is Dove Creek, Colorado.

Road Maintenance

The project is accessed by gravel and natural surface roads maintained by Dolores County. 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.

Unit 19 Unit 19 (110 acres) was previously thinned and will need to be yarded (yarding of cut or severed material to determined landing pile location) and decked.

Merchantable Material Decking

All sawlogs resulting from the previous thinning activities shall be decked at the designated landing, indicated on the project maps. A sawlog is considered any 8-inch Diameter at Breast

Height (DBH) tree which can produce one or more 16-foot logs with a top diameter of 6 inches or greater that is ≥ 75 percent sound. Estimated gross volume to be skidded is 56.8 thousand

Board Feet (MBF) over approximately 110 acres.

Limbing and topping shall be performed prior to Yarding. All yarding trails must be pre-approved by the COR or Project Inspector (PI). Y arding trails constructed into hillsides shall have the fill slope re-contoured back onto the running surface upon completion of yarding trail use. Yarding trails must minimize damage/rubbing to leave trees. Decked material must be stacked so that firewood cutters can safely cut from the decks.

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.

Stream Protection:

Slash and other debris deposited in any stream channel as a result of yarding 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.

The Contractor shall insure following treatment, a minimum of 60 percent ground cover consisting of rocks and organic material shall be maintained. Post treatment areas, such as skid trails, lacking suitable ground cover necessary to preclude sediment delivery to surface water shall be slashed and/or mulched with native material so that a minimum of 60 percent ground cover is maintained.

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.

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. Visual inspection must occur before work begins. “Off-road equipment” includes all logging and construction machinery or vehicles that travel off designated roads as specified on the project map. 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 and;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 for the completed acreage inspected and accepted by the Government divided into two deliverables, 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.

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.

Maps:

Unit Maps:

Transportation Map: