UPPER LEE HAND AND MECHANICAL TREATMENT 2010

This project involves the following work. 1.) The cutting to specifications of 100 acres of vegetation, including trees and shrubs, in preparation for treatment by Hand Treatment Methods. Some units or portions of Units may be suitable for treatment with small Cable Yarding systems. If Contractors proposal includes a yarding system, including ground-based or cable yarding, these systems may be used, otherwise units will be treated solely by Hand Removal Techniques. 2.) Trees and cut material over 1-inch in diameter and 3 feet in length, will be treated by Chip-in-Place methods, or removed from the unit and be further treated by chipping into bins and transported to a Process and Storage Area provided by the Forest Service. Materials removed from the units may also be cut to firewood lengths or logs to 25 feet in length or less, and transported to the Process and Storage Area, and neatly stockpiled. Materials stockpiled in the Process and Storage Areas are the property of the Contractor until the Project is Final Accepted, upon which time ownership transfers to the Forest Service, which may issue permits allowing the Public to remove the materials at a later date. The contractor may allow the public to remove materials from the units or Process and Storage Areas prior to Final Acceptance if removal can be done safely. The Forest Service will write a Work Order stating the conditions of removal and the contractor can have the public attach the Work Order to the load prior to the materials leaving the Unit or the Process and Storage Areas.. 3.) The cutting, pruning, or limbing, of trees to specification and chipping into bins, or transported to a Process and Storage Area, unless Chipped-in-Place. 4.) The cutting to specification of Shrubs and their treatment by chipping-in-Place or Chipping into bins and transported to a Process and Storage Area. Shrubs not listed in preferred species specifications will require cutting to specification also. 5.) Specific Unit prescriptions follow in this project description. 6.) In Units selected by the Contractor or designated by the Forest Service to be treated as Chip-in-Place, all cut materials and materials scheduled for treatment, will be chipped-in-place using a chipper deemed most appropriate by the contractor and described in the Request for Proposal (RFP). If contractor proposes to take the chipper into the unit or off an existing road or skidtrail, the machinery must be of the Low Ground or Low Tire Pressure type. The specifications of these machines should be submitted with the RFP. In all units and acreage, Skid Steers, Bobcats or similar equipment will be limited to ground slopes of 25% or less. This type of equipment may be used on steeper slopes if used for limited entry to transport chipping machinery. No Skid Steers or Bobcats may be used to transport material to the chipping machine if the grade is greater than 25% or if the Forest Service observes excessive ground disturbance. The Forest Service reserves the right to decide when excessive ground disturbance is occurring. 7.) There may be polygons flagged in some units which require special treatment. These polygons are flagged in red or other colors and will be designated on the ground and reviewed with the contractor by the Contracting Officer prior to work beginning in each unit. See Specific Unit prescriptions. Flagged polygons under 1/10 of an acre may be left untreated if flagged in red. Flagged Polygons larger than 1/10 acre or flagged in colors other than red are to be hand treated. Hand treatment is hand cut, hand carry all cut materials to outside the flagged polygon and treated as described in the Schedule of Items. Contractor will not pile any materials inside of these polygons, but chipped materials may be chipped into the polygons if agreed to by the Contracting Officer. 8.) Polygons are shown on the unit maps provided in the contract or described in the Specific Unit Prescriptions, but others may only be flagged on the ground. There is no separate pay item in the Schedule of Items for these areas. 9.) Trees and Shrubs are defined in the Contract Specifications. 10.) Wood and Chips which have been neatly stacked or piled in the Processing and Storage Areas, is the property of the Contractor until Final Acceptance of the Project by the Forest Service. After Final Acceptance any remaining wood and chips may be distributed by the Forest Service under the permitting process. 11.) Quaking Aspen may be found in any unit and when found will require cutting to specification, unless otherwise agreed to by the Contracting Officer. Units which require cutting to specification if Quaking Aspen is present are identified in the Specific Unit Prescriptions. 12.) Units may contain one or more dry washes or Designated Streams. In dry washes, avoid treating Riparian vegetation in and on the banks. No piling of cut vegetation is permitted in on the banks of dry washes. The Contracting Officer will walk units with the contractor prior to work beginning in units containing dry washes or Designated Streams. Designated Streams are shown on project maps or described in the Specific Unit Prescriptions. 13.) Riparian Vegetation does not include Conifer Species. 14.) Residential Housing is present in many of the units in this project and: H 4 -Table 1. Specified defensible zone space distances are applicable to these areas. 15.) Access Roads to units and project areas may be primitive and in need of minor repairs. No road improvements will be permitted and access roads that have had work done on them to enable access will be returned to original condition. Any and all work on roads must be approved prior to work being done. 16) Units in this project will not be released for removal activities all at one time, but instead will be released on a schedule that releases units as previously worked in units are completed. Contractor should indicate on the work schedule submitted with the RFP the sequence of units to be worked in and schedule of work and completion. 17.) Pay Item 110 - Tree Removal by Directional Falling Methods. Trees scheduled for removal have been painted with a number such as (#3). During and after Unit Layout, some of these trees were felled by the Leased Home Owners in the area. Contractor will only be paid for actual trees fell and all Directionally Felled trees will be paid for at the bid price. Trees paid for under Pay Item 110, require that the contractor, fall, buck to lengths 20-25 feet, and transport to a Process and Storage Area designated by the Forest Service the cut trees. The designated Process and Storage Area is near the intersection of Highways 157 and 158 behind a locked gate These trees are the property of the Forest Service. Trees fell under Pay Item 110, are not the property of the Leased Home Owners, or anyone except the US Forest Service. At anytime prior to the contractor cutting these trees under Pay Item 110, these trees may be felled by the contractor or others with no compensation to the Contractor. Units may contain Hazardous tress with no number (painted - cut) which will require falling for safety reasons. There is no separate Pay Item for these trees and they are the property of the contractor until Final Acceptance of the Unit or Project. 18) Units 111 and 253 do not have a Limited Operating Period (LOP) and contract activities can occur prior to July 1. All other units have a resource concern which limits implementation of the Fuels Reduction Activities to between July 1 and October 31. Contractor is expected to work in Units 111 and 253, such that it is complete or almost complete by July 1 and work in units which have a LOP can be worked in beginning July 1. Contractor should submit a work schedule with the Request for Proposal (RFP) indicating when work can begin in these units and the completion of the contract by November 1. 19.) Unless otherwise agreed to by the Contracting Officer prior to award of this contract, contracts awarded on the Spring Mountain Natural Recreation Area will be considered concurrent with previously awarded contacts. Awarded contracts will not be worked on consecutively. The Notice to Proceed will be issued shortly after award of contract and completion date will not be extended. 20.) At the scheduled prework meeting, the contractor will submit a work schedule indicating the schedule of units to be worked in. Each week the work schedule will be updated. If the updated work schedule indicates that the work will not be completed prior to the end of the contract time, the contractor will be expected to adjust the work methods and workforce to complete the contract on time. The project area is located on the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest; Clark County, Nevada. The Project is approximately 21 Air Miles Northeast from Las Vegas on Highway 156. The Project starts at approximately the intersection of Highways 156 and 158 then Southwest for approximately 3.5 miles on Highway 156. The project can be reached by motor vehicle by leaving Las Vegas on Highway 95 North to the intersection with Highway 156 East. Highway 156 leads to Highway 158. The work requires the pruning to specification of trees, the cutting of trees not scheduled for pruning, and the cutting to specification of shrubs scheduled for removal. Trees, limbs and shrubs will be chipped-on-site or removed to a Process and Storage Area provided by the Forest Service. Chipped materials, wood cut to firewood lengths and trees cut to 25-foot or less lengths remain the property of the contractor until Final Acceptance of Unit or Project. At Final Acceptance of Unit or Project, ownership of cut materials is transferred to the Forest Service which may issue permits to the public for removal. Approximately 100.0 acres are scheduled to be Chipped-in-Place. In addition, under a separate Pay Item, approximately 8 trees near structures are scheduled for removal by Directionally Felled Techniques, and removal to a Process and Storage Area provided by the Forest Service. Ownership of these trees is retained by the Forest Service and will be disposed of by the Forest Service. The material to be pruned, cut and piled or chipped-in-place is shrubs and small trees. Most trees are less than 14 diameter measured at 4.5 feet above the ground (DBH). The contract period will be contiguous, and will occur between May 15 and June 1. This pre-solicitation notice is for a unit-based performance service contract on approximately 100.0 acres, approximately 8 Directionally Felled Trees, plus mobilization. In Units designated as Hand Treatment Methods, the Forest Service has determined that cut materials are able to be transported to a chipper by hand methods. In Units designated as Hand Treatment Methods or Yarding Methods, the Forest Service has determined that some materials may require a yarder to transport to a chipper. In these acres additional labor will eliminate the need for a yarder. Contractor may allow the Public to remove cut materials or chips from the units or from the Process and Storage Areas until Final Acceptance of the Unit or Project. At final acceptance of unit or project all cut and chipped materials becomes the property of the Forest Service. The contract requires the Contractor to furnish all labor, equipment, transportation, supplies, supervision, and incidentals necessary to achieve the objectives. All work shall be performed during daylight hours, and shall not exceed 10 hours in one day. TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT - SCHEDULE SITE VISITS WITH, AND ASK ANY PROJECT RELATED QUESTIONS: BOB EMLEY +1 (555) 000-0000 OR contact@example.gov cc all E-mails and contact with questions on the administrative process and contracting oriented matters - STEVE ROEHR contact@example.gov (prefer E-mail), otherwise +1 (555) 000-0000