Z02b_Site Visit_Draft PWS_Appendix A_Services_Excerpt_12363N27Q4000.pdf

Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Cowboy Hat CTL Stewardship IRSC Page 1 of 6 Lake Tahoe Basin

Revised 01.06.2022

APPENDIX A EXCERPT

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT FOR SERVICE WORK ITEMS

SECTION I – DESCRIPTION OF WORK:

The Cowboy Hat CTL Stewardship Project area is located on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe in El Dorado County, on National Forest System Lands (NFS) within the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU). Elevations of the project area range from 6,400 feet to 7,800 feet. The project will advance EO 14225, Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production, and the USDA's National Active Forest Management Strategy, by utilizing Stewardship Authority delegated to the USFS to award an Integrated Resource Service Contract. The project primarily consists of forest thinning and vegetation treatments in areas burned by the Caldor Fire to reduce hazardous fuels and create conditions appropriate for reestablishing forested landscapes. The project area is approximately 545 acres of NFS lands located in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) and general forest, with 383 acres designated for treatment. No timber is to be cut or removed from other lands.

Cut-to-Length harvesting (CTL) is the required logging mechanism for this project. CTL typically consists of a harvester cutting and processing trees at the stump and a forwarder that then transports the material to a designated landing location. This greatly reduces ground disturbance as equipment is generally operating on top of a slash mat created by the harvester.

The purpose of the Cowboy Hat CTL Stewardship project is to remove fire-killed trees within mechanical units and cut and pile fire-killed trees within hand treatment units to reduce hazardous fuels and create conditions appropriate for future reforestation in the project area while maintaining and protecting other important resource values. The project compliments defensible space treatments that have been implemented by local municipal fire districts on adjacent non-federal lands.

The project objectives shall be met by performing the following service work.

1. Cut, process, forward and/or pile included biomass.

2. Treat fuels by mechanically masticating existing dead and down material, project-generated slash and brush. Remove slash and large dead and down to landings when necessary to meet the fuels treatment specification.

3. Remove biomass and cull logs from landings to off-Forest disposal sites.

4. Construct temporary road to facilitate thinning treatment and decommission the roads prior to demobilization.

5. Perform road maintenance and erosion control on roads used for biomass removal or otherwise damaged by Contractor’s operations.

6. Perform hand thinning and piling if awarded.

DRAFT

Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Lake Tahoe Basin

Revised 01.06.2022

Cowboy Hat CTL Stewardship IRSC

SECTION II – WORK ITEMS

Mandatory Item 1: Cut, Forward and Pile:

Units: 7, 20 and 21. 205 Acres

Unit Acres Tree

Designation Harvesting

Method 7 44 DxP CTL

20 96 DxP CTL 21 65 DxP CTL

1. Using Cut-to-Length equipment, cut all designated trees which meet the minimum merchantability specifications as identified in Appendix B and forward to landings.

a) Cut trees are designated using C2.353# Designation by Prescription in Appendix B.

b) To the extent practicable, minimize damage to aspen groves.

c) Do not cut any snags >30”DBH unless they are hazard trees.

i. In Unit 7 and within Unit 20 outside HRCA: where fewer than 4 snags per acre 30” DBH or greater are present, retain the largest snags <29.9” DBH as needed to reach an average of 4 snags per acre.

ii. In Unit 21 and within HRCA in Unit 20: where fewer than 8 snags per acre 30” DBH or greater are present, retain the largest snags <29.9” DBH as needed to reach an average of 6-8 snags per acre.

2. Cut all standing dead conifer trees 24 inches tall – 9.9” DBH. Forward pieces greater than 10 feet in length and sound enough to transport to landing locations. Mechanically pile all other felled material in accordance with C6.7# Slash Treatment in Appendix B.

3. Flush-cut stumps (maximum 2” stump height or as low as safely possible) within 25 feet of recreation improvements, facilities, paved county or state roads and NFS system roads and trails.

4. Restore landings after operations are complete using the following. These actions shall be taken in addition to the requirements in Appendix B.

i. Providing ground cover, such as slash, wood chips or masticated material.

ii. Ditching, sloping, and water bars may be used where needed as determined by the

Contracting Officer Representative to disconnect runoff from surface water features.

iii. Landings will be ripped to approximately a 12-inch depth after ground cover has been spread. Ripping is not permitted in known infestations of noxious weeds, and may not be possible in rocky soils; this determination may be made by the Contracting Officer Representative.

5. When operations occur within 150 feet of National Forest System Trails, Contractor shall, unless relieved in writing by Forest Service, provide such flagmen, post signs, erect and maintain barricades, guards, construction signs, warning signs, and detour signs as necessary to warn and protect the public at all times from injury or damage as a result of Contractor's operations. In addition, the Contractor shall provide a watchman for the area whose sole duty shall be to warn and advise the public of any hazards present in the areas as a result of this sale.

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Mandatory Item 2: Mechanical Fuels Treatment:

Units: 7, 20 and 21. 205 Acres

1. Masticate existing dead and down material (generally < 10” diameter), project-generated slash that was used for erosion control measures (slash mats) that is greater than 6” depth, and existing shrub cover exceeding 2 feet in height to reduce residual shrub cover to no more than 25% of the unit area. All Appendix B clauses apply.

2. Masticated material is prohibited in the Stream Environment zone (SEZ), unless necessary for erosion control.

3. Retain an average of 3 large diameter (>15 inches) logs/acre more than 300 feet from private property.

4. All other dead and down material that is sound enough to be moved, larger than 10” DBH and cannot be masticated or is not required to be retained will be taken to a designated landing for biomass removal.

5. Limit depth of masticated slash to an average of 6 inches. Limited portions of units may be machine piled in place of mastication where masticated fuels would exceed desired 6” depth. Piles outside of Landing locations shall be no less than 8 feet in diameter or greater than 15 feet in diameter, reasonably compact and free of soil to facilitate burning, and shall be constructed at such distance from trees so that burning shall not result in unnecessary damage to residual timber.

Mandatory Item 3: Removal of Biomass/Slash at Landings:

1. Removal of material includes all the Biomass at the landings which meet minimum tree specifications as identified under Appendix B. Products may be removed as log length for chipping or firewood, or as processed chip. There is an estimated 2,603 tons of material to be removed.

2. All Appendix B requirements apply.

Mandatory Item 4: Temporary Road Construction and Decommissioning

Roads: All Temporary Roads

Temporary road construction is required to facilitate thinning treatments. Where possible, temporary roads will be constructed on top of a non-historic, relic road prism (e.g. previously decommissioned).

Construction may include installation of drainage structures to prevent surface water runoff, road widening for vehicle access (including removal of trees and brush), and road surface stabilization.

Locations of temporary roads shall be agreed to by Contractor and Contracting Officer Representative prior to construction.

All temporary roads shall meet Forest Service and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) standards for Best Management Practices to minimize erosion risk and stabilize the surface. To satisfy required Resource Protection Measures, the following special requirements apply to the temporary road construction. Temporary roads shall be out-sloped to ensure that effective drainage is maintained. BMPs will be installed as directed to ensure that temporary roads are hydrologically disconnected from

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Revised 01.06.2022 intermittent and perennial stream channels. These BMPs may include lead-off ditches, water bars, rolling dips, etc.

After mechanical operations and use are complete and the roads are no longer needed, any temporary roads used for the project will be decommissioned. Other rehabilitation, including provision of sufficient ground cover, will be implemented as described below and as specified in Appendix B.

Where feasible based on soil type, temporary roads on relic road prisms will be restored by using the following methods.

(a) Provide ground cover such as slash, wood chips, or masticated material adequate to prevent erosion.

(b) Rip the temporary road surface where the rock content of the soil allows (generally <30-40% cobbles by volume), where noxious weeds are absent, and when soils are moist or dry. Road surface shall be decompacted to a depth of 6-12 inches. The Contracting Officer Representative will determine whether ripping is feasible.

(c) Remove all temporary crossings and install drainage structures (such as water bars, dips, and leadoff ditches) as appropriate to prevent water accumulation on the decommissioned road surfaces.

(d) Install natural barriers such as large logs and rocks along open areas adjacent to roads or trails to prevent continued use of decommissioned road alignments or establishment of user-created trails. If previously existing barriers were in place, they shall be restored to prior condition at the conclusion of use.

The landscape upon which temporary roads were constructed for this project shall be restored to its original condition using the following methods:

a) Any prism made for access will be re-contoured to the surrounding landscape. Remove all temporary crossings and install drainage structures (such as water bars, dips, and leadoff ditches) as appropriate to prevent water accumulation on the decommissioned road surfaces.

(b) Road surface shall be decompacted to a depth of 6-12 inches.

(c) Provide ground cover such as slash, wood chips, or masticated material adequate to prevent erosion.

(d) Install natural barriers such as large logs and rocks along open areas adjacent to roads or trails to prevent continued use of decommissioned road alignments or establishment of user-created trails. If previously existing barriers were in place, they shall be restored to prior condition at the conclusion of use.

Mandatory Item 5: Road Maintenance and Erosion Control

See Appendix C for Road Maintenance Requirements.

Additional Requirements:

If a native surface road becomes rutted, the road will be closed by the Forest Service. If it is determined

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Road Closure Barriers removed from current or former National Forest System Roads to enable operations shall be replaced when Contractor use of road is not expected to occur for a period exceeding 14 days, unless otherwise agreed. Reference Appendix C, T-810 for barrier drawings. This location is approximate and will be placed where temporary roads intersect with open roads.

Optional Item 6: Hand Thinning

Unit 8: 122 acres and Unit 10: 55 acres. 177 Acres Total

1. Fell all dead trees 20” DBH and below, and all dead hazard trees regardless of size. Hazard trees are defined as dead trees within 1½ tree lengths of roads, power lines, established trails, driveways, fence lines, or established land corners. Do not cut live (green) trees unless they are identified as a hazard tree. Live (green) trees must be designated for cutting by the Contract Administrator before they are cut.

2. Cut trees shall be felled away from unit boundaries, roads, power lines, established trails, driveways, fence lines, established land corners, no pile zones, avoidance zones, stream channels, and stream environment zones (SEZ). Any trees falling on such areas shall be removed immediately and damage shall be repaired to pre-damage condition at the expense of the contractor.

3. Retain the largest snags of a diameter of 15” DBH or greater at a density of 4 per acre, preferably in clusters or groups. Do not cut any snags >30” DBH, unless they are hazard trees.

4. Stump heights for all cut trees shall not exceed six inches above ground level or four inches above natural obstacles.

5. When operations occur within 150 feet of National Forest System Trails, Contractor shall, unless relieved in writing by Forest Service, provide such flagmen, post signs, erect and maintain barricades, guards, construction signs, warning signs, and detour signs as necessary to warn and protect the public at all times from injury or damage as a result of Purchaser's operations. In addition, Purchaser shall provide a watchman for the area whose sole duty shall be to warn and advise the public of any hazards present in the areas as a result of this sale.

Optional Item 7: Hand Fuel Treatment

Unit: 8: 122 acres and Unit 10: 55 acres. 177 Acres Total

1. All trees cut under Item 6 shall be limbed and top bucked down to 20” bole diameter. All slash and bucked bole wood must be piled for burning.

2. Piles shall be constructed by hand to facilitate full consumption when burned. All piles shall be built and compacted by laying limbs, stems, and other slash, when it exists, so there are minimal air pockets. Pile height and width should be proportionate; for example: a 6-foot-tall pile should be 6-feet wide. Minimum pile size shall be six (6) feet in diameter. There is no maximum pile size. All piles shall be covered with a piece of wax pile paper. Paper shall cover at least 60% of the pile surface area and be secured with cut material. Wax paper shall be provided by the Contractor.

3. Buck portions of felled trees >20” diameter so bole wood is in contact with the ground surface. Bole wood of felled trees must not be suspended in the air, on other downed logs, or leaning on uncut trees. Logs shall be positioned so they will not roll.

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4. Piles shall be located outside of no pile zones, at least 25 feet from all stream courses, a minimum of 10 feet from residual trees and improvements such as fences, poles, signs, roads, trails or any other value at risk, and a minimum of 100 feet from structures.

SECTION VI – DEFINITIONS