SOW_Flint_Spring_Mastication.docx

Nevada Bureau of Land Management Ely District Office Statement of Work Flint Spring 2022 Mastication I. General Information and Requirements Description of Work The contractor is responsible for furnishing all labor, equipment, supervision, transportation, supplies and materials to masticate 363 acres (Unit 1) of pinyon pine (Pinus monophylla) and Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma). The service requested is mastication or grinding of whole tree biomass. All pinyon pine and juniper (regardless of size) must be removed. Curleaf mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius) is present in and around the treatment area and a desired leave tree species and is more common along the east slopes. The purpose of the project is to improve overall health and diversity of sagebrush communities, reduce fuel loading, improve wildlife habitat and other watershed values (e.g., soil stability and plant diversity).

Leave areas and boundaries may be altered prior to implementation of the project to mitigate sensitive resource concerns. Treatment area boundaries will be outlined on a map provided by the Government. The Contractor will be responsible for ensuring that they are within treatment boundaries by utilizing a Global Positioning System (GPS) or other applicable navigation system. The contractor may flag the boundaries of the unit at their discretion; however, the contractor will be responsible for removing all flagging when project is complete. Leave areas and boundaries may be altered prior to implementation of the project to mitigate sensitive resource concerns.

Work Layout The Government will provide a map to the Contractor with the treatment area boundaries (outside perimeter, islands, etc.) necessary for the work executed under the Contract. The Government will provide a shapefile (for upload on GPS or other) or georeferenced map of the project area boundary to the Contractor. A map with avoidance areas (cultural resources; springs; structural range improvements; cadastral markers such as sections corners, quarter corners, mining claims, etc.) will be provided to the contractor. Any range improvements or avoidance structures/resources disturbed or removed during operations shall be reset at the Contractor’s expense.

Location and Access to Work Sites

Work under this Contract is located in White Pine County, State of Nevada, approximately 65 miles northwest of Ely, NV, and approximately six miles northwest of Cherry Creek, NV. The project area is located in Johnson Spring Basin, on the west slope of the Cherry Creek Range (refer to attached maps). The area is typical Great Basin sagebrush communities with pinyon, juniper and mountain mahogany.

To access the treatment area, exit US Highway 93 and follow State Highway 489 (White Pine County Road 21) west from US Highway 93 toward Cherry Creek town. From Cherry Creek Town, drive approximately 6.5 miles through Cherry Creek Canyon to the treatment area.

It is recommended using a four-wheel drive vehicle due to the potential for unexpected inclement weather conditions and for travel along the two-track roads within the project area.

The following legal land descriptions apply:

· Township 24 North; Range 62 East; Sections 10, 11, 14 & 15 Environmental Considerations

There are no seasonal weather restrictions unless heavy rains occur or during periods of snow melt which may result in an intermittent work schedule due to muddy conditions. Work shall not occur if project implementation is creating excessive rutting. Roads will be considered impassable when saturated and access into the project area may be closed by the government during this time.

Due to timing restrictions for sensitive resources, work will not occur from March 1 to July 1. These timing restrictions shall be built into the proposal. No extensions to the performance period will be granted due to these timing restrictions.

A power line and a fence are in the project area. A power line runs from east to west along the road on the southern boundary of the mastication project area. A fence runs from East to West within the interior of the project area. Ay damage to these structures needs to reported to the Ely BLM.

The project site shall be cleaned up, and all refuse removed to an approved landfill at the Contractor’s expense. The Contractor shall not disturb lands adjacent to the project site. Existing access roads and trails within the project area that are damaged by the Contractor shall be restored at the Contractor’s expense to the same condition they were in at the commencement of work. Stream channels, springs and other wet areas will be avoided by vehicles and heavy equipment. Other avoidance areas shown on the map should be avoided by vehicles and machinery unless authorized by the government.

Vehicles and other equipment used for implementation of the project shall be washed to remove any vegetation and potential noxious weed and invasive species parts prior to beginning the work and following completion of the work.

Fueling/ equipment maintenance parking areas shall be approved by the government prior to use. Blading, grading or leveling areas for parking or fueling will not be allowed. All fuel tanks parked onsite must include a containment barrier to prevent spills from entering the soil. The containment barrier must have a wall or side to contain any spills inside (i.e., a regular tarp will not suffice).

Work Camp Camping will be allowed during project implementation only at sites approved by BLM in advance. All fire regulations and permits shall be followed. All garbage and refuse shall be removed from the camp site by the contractor when camp is removed. Final payment will be reserved subject to inspection of these sites by BLM and approval of site cleanup.

II. Project Meetings Pre-Work Conference A pre-work conference will be held prior to the start of work. The Contractor and the Government will coordinate to determine meeting location, date and time. The purpose of the meeting will be to review the required work, project location, project specifications, work schedule, payroll and payments and administrative provisions of the Contract. The Contractor and the persons responsible for coordination of the work shall be present at the meeting. The Contractor shall be prepared to summarize and explain procedures planned for the project.

Progress Meetings Meetings may be called by either the Contracting Officer or the Contractor. Meetings shall be held at the project site, or as determined by the Contracting Officer.

Final Inspection The meeting shall be held at the project site, or as determined by the Contracting Officer Representative. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer Representative at least two (2) working days before the completion date, so the Government can schedule a final inspection. Final payment of the contract will be held pending the completion of a satisfactory final inspection of all associated areas.

III. Government Furnished and Contractor Furnished Property Materials Furnished by the Government The Government will provide a map and shapefile (for GPS upload) with the project area boundaries, and avoidance areas. Maps provided within this statement of work represent a general depiction of the work area boundaries, but some minor changes could occur prior to the initiation of work. Tree densities, terrain and geographic area will be similar to those depicted within the unit on the attached maps.

Equipment Furnished by the Contractor The contractor will at a minimum provide a functioning device (e.g., GPS or tablet) capable of downloading shapefiles or georeferenced maps and displaying them in a manner that can be navigated by the Contractor’s personnel. It is expected that the individual assigned by the Contractor who is responsible for using the navigation device to follow and/or mark project area boundaries will be able to operate and trouble shoot the device.

The Contractor’s equipment shall:

· Be a wheeled or tracked mounted vehicle equipped with either hydraulic or PTO driven cutter head with a minimum head lift height of 12.5’ to alter the vegetation type in accordance with the specified level of work, prescription, or as otherwise as described under specifications.

· Be of durable design and construction to withstand the stresses of natural obstructions within pinyon-juniper woodlands such as rocks, stumps, dust, and the general unevenness of the land.

· Be free of fluid leaks and have hoses in good operating condition.

· Be equipped with a grinding head capable of performing the work described in this document.

· Be of a quality that guarantees the Contractor’s safety.

· Meet or exceed the requirements listed in Fire Prevention/Suppression Section.

· The Contractor’s navigation device shall be capable of uploading ArcGIS shapefiles or georeferenced PDF maps.

· Contractor shall ensure that all equipment moved on to BLM administered land under this contract is free of soil, seeds, vegetative matter or other debris that could contain or hold weeds and weed seeds. For purposes of this provision, equipment shall be considered free of soil, seeds, and other such debris when a visual inspection does not disclose such material. Disassembly of equipment components or specialized inspection tools will not be required. A current list of noxious weeds of concern to the BLM is available at the Ely District Office for this contract. Known noxious weed areas near the project will be discussed with the successful Contractor during the pre-work conference. Areas with known noxious weeds should be avoided if possible. Contractor and CO shall agree on methods of cleaning, locations for the cleaning, and control of off-site impacts, if any. New infestations of noxious weeds of concern to the BLM, identified by either Contractor or the BLM, on public land in the Project Area or on the route to the Project Area shall be promptly reported to the other party.

Fire Prevention/Suppression The contractor shall:

a) Equip all diesel and/or gasoline operated engines with spark arresters.

b) Equip all machines with one shovel, and one 12 pound (minimum) “ABC” fire extinguisher.

c) Remove all concentrations of wood dust and debris from equipment daily.

d) When red flag or fire weather warnings are in effect a fire watch is recommended.

Measurement and Payment Measurement of Payment Work will be measured and paid for by the number of acres completed within the Project Area. The total will be rounded up to the nearest whole acre. Billing and payment can occur no more than every two weeks. Area measurements required under this Contract will be measured on a horizontal plane and recorded with a navigation/GPS device.

Basis of Payment Prices and payment will be full compensation for the work described in this section. Payment will be made under the following:

The Contracting Officer or representative will make periodic inspections as a basis for progress payments and recommendations for adjustments in work quality. The Contractor or representative is encouraged to observe inspections at the time they are being made. Work performed according to the specifications will be considered acceptable for payment purposes.

IV. Specifications

Methods

Remove all pinyon and juniper trees within the designated boundaries. All other tree species and shrubs will not be removed or excessively damaged.

· The by-product of mastication will be a mulch layer less than 4 inches deep, and slash shall be ground or cut, such that 90 percent of woody pieces less than 12 inches in diameter is no more than 4 feet in length. Large boles and branches that exceed 12 inches in diameter may be longer than 4 feet such that they are completely severed from the ground and smaller branches are removed.

· Sever and/or masticate all trees within the project area as identified on the map. All stumps shall be cut so they are no greater than 6 inches in height on the uphill side above mineral soil. If obstacles are encountered, such as rocks, the mastication attachment may be raised to clear the obstacle.

· Work shall not occur if project implementation is creating excessive rutting when the ground is saturated. Work may resume only when the area has sufficiently dried out.

· Any/all skid trails or two-track roads or any other disturbance created by equipment or vehicles maneuvering the project area will be reclaimed as a part of the site cleanup requirements.

· Project and any necessary rehabilitation must be completed by November 15, 2022.

· Crossing perennial, intermittent, or ephemeral drainage features would be avoided unless deemed absolutely necessary. If it is deemed necessary to cross these features, crossing of drainage features with flowing water would be coordinated with the BLM. Crossing of dry drainage features would be conducted as close to 90 degrees to the long axis of the feature as possible and would minimize disturbance. Damage to drainage features may require repair at the Contractor’s expense to restore natural water flow.

· Contractor shall furnish two warning signs to be placed on the roadside prior to entrance to the work area. Signs shall be a minimum of 3 feet by 3 feet in dimension and shall warn of possibility of flying debris.

· Contractor shall ensure placing fuel containment barrier if storing fuel on project site (see Environmental Considerations above).

· All units have young trees (less than 2 feet in height) growing. All of these trees must be removed. A requirement of no more than one live stem per acre remaining after treatment will be adhered to. If inspections indicate the quality of the work does not meet this standard the unit will be reworked. The area will be randomly sampled during inspections by the government representative and communicated to the contractor point of contact. The sampled areas may involve portions of a unit and not the entire unit and will be at the discretion of the government representative. The contractor may elect to utilize chainsaws to remove trees that are less than 6’ in height or to clear stumps of remaining branches. If a unit is to be reworked, depending upon the number and size of live stems remaining the government representative may request that the area be reworked with the use of chainsaws to minimize soil disturbance.

Treatment Acreage and Areas Up to 363 acres of public lands would be treated within the project area delineated on the attached map. Work under this Contract is located in White Pine County, State of Nevada. The project area is located in Johnson Spring Basin (North Butte Valley) along the west side of the Cherry Creek Mountain Range (refer to attached map).

The attached map delineates the project area boundary with tentative islands and leave areas. Leave areas and boundaries may be altered prior to implementation of the project to mitigate sensitive resource concerns.

Slope within the treatment unit is generally rolling with few slopes exceeding 20% with some rocks. It is the responsibility of the contractor to properly evaluate the unit in order to ensure the equipment is capable of completing the described work.

Loading, Unloading and Transporting Property Loading and unloading equipment shall occur on existing roads. Overland travel is authorized by the BLM to transport fuel with low pressure vehicles within the designated areas.

Equipment Maintenance and Repairs The Contractor is responsible for all maintenance and repairs of Contractor furnished equipment. The Contractor shall complete sufficient maintenance of the equipment to prevent down-time on the project sites. The Contractor is responsible for all maintenance measures to ensure proper functionality and for safety precautions.

Any fuels or oils stored on site must be stored in an approved container with an approved spill guard with berms.

Performance Schedule Period of performance for this work shall begin as soon as possible following the initial award of the contract, not to exceed 30 days, within the appropriate treatment timeframes (see Environmental Considerations). The end of the performance period will be one year from award of the contract.

The Contractor shall be required to start and complete the treatment area within the performance time identified above or as otherwise negotiated during the pre-work conference, provided weather conditions permit. If inclement weather conditions should occur prior to the Contractor completing the project, the Contractor shall be issued a stop work order and the project shall be completed as soon as weather conditions permit.